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The boy has finally shown an interest in cycling, and has asked for a bmx for his 4th birthday. He's on the short side for his age (about 95cm tall) and still in age 2-3 clothes. Just wondering what size bike I should be looking at? A growth spurt is long overdue so want something he can grow into, but don't want something too big for him to ride that puts him off using it.
I'd go to a shop to test him out on different ones, but I'm in the middle of the north sea until his birthday 🙁
Probably no use to you, but a great idea: http://road.cc/content/review/207728-littlebig-3-1-bike
If you go onto the Frog website they give a good size guide. Though it will guide you to the sizing of a Frog bike frame, it will at least help you narrow it down to a wheel size, which is how most kids bike sizing seems to be based on. You just need to know the inside leg measurement of your child.
Having said that a Frog bike is as good as any out there, but other bikes are available. I think the market is approaching saturation for kids bikes, the choice is getting rediculous. The old options of Isla Bikes or Frogs are no longer the standard, there are so many other brands doing what seem to be decent kids bikes from the big main brands as well as anyone who seems to have won a cycling Olympic medal it seems.
I'd go Ridgeback MX16
United recruit 16 inch is what I would recommend seeing as none of the above suggestions are actually BMX's
Hi mate
Got a Hoy kids bike that I'm shortly going to listfor sale. My daughter has had it from new since she was 5 and it's ace. Has all the same features as an Islabike (lightweight frame, short reach brakes, proper wheels/tyres etc etc). Is singlespeed and based on the design of a bmx (Hoy started out riding bmxes as a kid). It's blue in colour and in good nick. I'll be asking about £150 for it. Let me know if you're interested and I can send you some pics
have a look on islabike website, they have the sizings on there.
You will go "how ****ing much????" when you see the prices but then look at what they are on eBay when you want to sell it in a few years and it really isnt bad
Isla are still the benchmark, but loads of companies now do bikes nearly as good for less. And kids don't care if it's an Isla or a Ridgeback provided it fits them, is reasonably light and fairly easy to pedal.
Fwiw, ours went through a succession of decent second hand bikes that never cost more than £100 to buy and never lost more than £25 in depreciation when we sold them on. It's up to you if you can afford the initial cost of an Isla or not.
Frog bikes are really good well made bikes .They fly out of my LBS
Get yourself down to the LBS to try some for size.
All the charts said our we lad (3) was a 12" wheel bike but two minutes in local Evans and it was clear 16" was the way forward.
We went for second hand Isla bike. He's not getting it until Christmas but every time I go to the cellar i'm pleased we went with it. Cracking little thing.
As said above, some great choice at the moment. Frog was another option.Not much in it other than my snobbery. Was surprised how much some kids bikes weighed from the likes of Specialized but, still great bikes.
We took a deep breath and splashed the cash on an Islabike Cnoc 16. Our daughter was just over 4 at the time.
It's one of those situations where the quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten. She absolutely loves riding her bike, and we have a right laugh riding to school together. We'll be taking it down to the Tarka trail next week - at age 5 my daughter can already do about 15 miles, so we should be able to do a decent day out.