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Hello.
I have been looking for a child's 24inch bike without spending too much money.
Could you help me as to which is the best as I don't know too much about bikes. I don't want to base my choice on RRP as often they are misleading. Thank you
Also looking at this bike...cheap as chips but is it any good
None of those are bikes. They're BSO's - Bike Shaped Objects. All three of them will weigh a ton, and fall part in 5 minutes. I wouldn't touch any of them with a barge pole.
What you want to be looking for (if buying new) is something like [url= http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_729065_langId_-1_categoryId_165607 ]This[/url]
… which will be a decent weight, and is kitted out with a decent drive chain and brakes, that will last more than a couple of weeks. Personally I'd look for something second hand. Kids grow out of bikes quickly, and you'll find something decent for less than you'd pay for any of those 3. You'd pick up a second hand carrera blast on ebay for under £100, which would be a far better option
Of those 3, the Apollo Crank.
Full suspension at the price is heavy and worthless!
Honestly though, front suspension is too. Someone might be able to point you in the direction of a better bike for the money. Maybe a wanted ad here.
Is £130 about the budget?
Carrera Blast. I picked up a second hand one just after Xmas for £90. (It now has XT disc brakes and XT 1 x 10 transmission but that's just me being me).
Much lighter than those above as aluminium frame.
Yes £130.00 is about my top at the moment.
So better to go second hand???
The blast looks good but out of my budget at the moment
I payed £70 for my daughters Blast off ebay. Like Leku's, its now sporting Avid BB5's, Deore drive chain and Spank stem and bars 😀
Its a much lighter bike, has a fork that actually works. You'll definitely get one on ebay for under £130
Secondhand.
I got a spotless 20" Kona (which as well as a brand name, is a decent repairable bike) for £30 off t'Ebay. Just needs a little patience.
Loads of 2nd hand Islabike Beinn 24's on Ebay for £130-£150.
Considering you'll be able to get most of your money back down the line if you look after it I know that's what I'd go for.
I'd echo all of the above. The other thing I'd add about cheap "supermarket specials" / BSOs is that they have virtually nil resale value and will likely have lots of "non serviceable" parts - consequently you'll see any number of similar bikes at your local tip which will probably only be a couple of years old.
If you can stretch to it, it's worth paying a bit more for something of better quality, even if it's second hand - it'll be lighter, better equipped, more reliable, easier to upgrade / fix, and more likely to get your kid into cycling and , when they outgrow it, you'll be able to easily sell it on to offset the cost of the next bike.... it will almost certainly work out cheaper long term.
Islabikes have particularly good residuals as there is a lot of demand for them (the Beinn 24) - Frog bikes do some great kids bikes too (Frog 62), but may be a bit too new to come up secondhand otherwise look at secondandand options from the big bike companies (Specialized, Giant etc).
As above.
Have a look at Ridgebacks too.
My lad has had a couple and they havebeen great. The last one cost £40 on ebay.
I'll vote for ridgeback, girl had one and now little lad has, very impressed for the money and always sell on well
Definitely go second hand in that price range. There are real bargains to be had, especially with stuff that are listed as "Collect in person" only. Often well worth travelling 20-30 miles for the price you can get the bike for.
Thanks for your replies.
Thinking about what everyone has said...
Thinking about the Carrera from Halfords.
Which one would go for???
with the discount they work out to be the same price.
Thank you
The wife will kill me for going to £200
Go for the hardtail (Blast). It will weigh less and I'm pretty sure your child won't need a full susser
Have a look at the Dawes range, my lad has the blowfish. Aluminium, nice and light and good quality. Price around £100 so not as bad as Islabikes.
Loads of 2nd hand Islabike Beinn 24's on Ebay for £130-£150.
I'm after such a bike and monitoring they seem to go much closer to 200 pounds plus. But they do hold their value well, so worth considering if you can stretch to that much
Want to purchase for a friends children so I'm after something cheaper but which isn't a heavy pile of junk.
Any reason it has to come from Halfords?
With a gun at my head, I'd go for the Blast, but if I had £200 to spend on a new kids bike I'd definitely be looking elsewhere.
With the discount this weekend, this comes in at only £20 more - it weighs just over 10kg whereas I'd guess the Blast comes in at about 14kg.
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/products/frog-62
Id prefer not to go to Halfords...their service is C**P but Ive never heard of frog...are they any good?
They're a newish UK company, set up (I think) as a slightly cheaper alternative to Islabike but with a similar product line.
Like Islabike their bikes use the same components as full size bikes so easy to service and maintain.
Seem to get very positive reviews:
http://totalwomenscycling.com/bikes-gear/mums-corner-frog-bikes-frog-62-kids-bike-review-17857/
http://www.cyclingactive.com/bikesgear/first-ride-frog-62-childs-bike
The link I posted was via Edinburgh Bicycle Co-Op who I recently bought a bike from and was very impressed with their service.
I second (third?) a second hand Ridgeback
For your budget I would definitely go for used. Kona, specialized, giant are all excellent. These bikes get handed down rather than sold on. I passed on a Kona hula that I bought second hand. V brakes are fine but don't buy anything steel. Alloy and 21/24 speed. Suspension will be on the front but it doesn't work well. Budget for new Landcruiser tyres at £12 a wheel, and new cables.