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So at a little family gathering last night and I was some what ganged upon for spending a few quid extra on decent bikes for the kids for Christmas! The general consensus was, that's ridiculous, you should have just got a halfords one for half the price etc etc. At the ages of nearly 8 and 11 surely it's worth spending a few quid more for something that they can actually lift off the floor by themselves?
i'm having the same chats with the wife - i say ,i remember no name trainers and my Raleigh Bomber ,so we should buy the best ect+ ill leave the little **** behind if he is on an appollo, she says buy cheap till he's 15 ect and stops growing. but i remember (my dad sprayed a girls bike up to look like a Strika (thats the same a letting a priest touch me in my books )
MrsMCTD is very strict about any bike spending, but as a small, light and partially disabled person she has been persuaded that lighter bikes are easier to ride, so our kids have had decent quality - albeit sourced from ebay - bikes. They are lighter, less prone to go wrong, and the kids enjoy riding them and so use them, which is the most important thing.
Also, buying a £300 bike second hand for £100 and then selling it after two years decent use for £50 is the kind of economics she can understand.
If we could afford to buy them the bikes brand new we would, but we can't, and that's not a bad lesson in life for the kids to get used to either, in the current climate.
i Agree that they deserve decent bikes and if you get SH they hold their value quite well
I keep my spending to circa the price of a new crap bike or £100 till they are big enough to have my cast off anyway.
on cyclists wont get it just like they wont get what we spend on bikes [ they might have a point re us to be fair]
You are the cyclist in the house.
You know the difference having a decent bike over a POS makes.
They are your kids and its your money.
MTFU and tell them to keep their beaks out.
More expensive bikes are likely to have better, therefore safer, brakes, wheels etc. also if your kids actually enjoy riding their bikes rather than endure riding them they are less likely to develop an attitude that see's physical exercise as a chore and therefore less likely to end up as an obese couch potatoe soley interested in computer games.
We got our son Spesh Rockhoppers (they were about £150-200)at the time. some of his peers had bikes that were supposedly of the same quality, but cheaper; they had really poor components on them..the forks didn't look like they'd survive going over a drop. The Rockhoppers are heavy though (about the weight of an adult bike; that's why they cost £200, not £800!
I bought my eight year old a seconf hand Specialized FSR 24. She's never looked back!
£100 quid on gumtree and I'll get that back for it once she gets her 26 inch bike in a couple of years.
The weight and brakes alone make it work every penny!
Her previous bike was a POS! Weighed more that my large Yeti 575 and didnt do anything for her confidance at all.
You know it makes sence. But the correct tool for the job not some POS halfords effort...
there you go!
Currently £82
get buying!
I contributed to getting my friend's little girl a new bike - we went for a little Spesh Hotrock, so not the lightest but considerably lighter than her previous Halfords monstrosity.
The Halfords bike (which was for 6 year olds) weighed more than my full susser, 30-odd lbs. :/ It was tiny, pink, and probably would have made a decent anchor.
Would have liked to have gone for an Islabike, but the child in question preferred the look of the Specialized. 😛 She definitely found going up hills a lot easier on the new bike, due to a combination of weight and having decent gearing.
Check out the kids carrera range at halfords. Similar if not the same spec as more expensive bikes
ok, i have two kids. my daughter is not sporty at all, my boy loves it.
daughter has a really basic bike because shes just not into it, boy has excellent kit.
i reckon if they are a) into it and b) can extract the performance level from the kit they deserve it.
doing the same with skate and surf kit. he needs a new deck, i can buy a complete board for 6.99 from chav city but i'll happily pay 30-60 deck alone because he can justify it through the way he skates.
They're your kids, buy them whatever bike you want. You don't have to justify it to anyone.
[i]So at a little family gathering last night and I was some what ganged upon for spending a few quid extra on decent bikes for the kids for Christmas! [/i]
Easy, just go around their houses and question any stuff they've got which is dearer than you'd buy.
No justification required IMO. If those asking questions don't know much about bikes or appreciate a good one how can they know any different? You can either get all excited and explain why you think a more expensive bike is better for them, nod in agreement and do what you like anyway, or tell them to mind their own business.
There are enough opinions on here, amongst folk who know bikes, about wether or not to spend a bit more. I'd just nod quietly if I were you, but then my family and friends are pretty bored of me banging on about bikes 🙂
How much have they spent on Xbox/Nintendo/iWhatever for their kids this Christmas?
Well I've already bought them so sod em. It was just a question that was posed to me! I said they'd be far better off on bikes that were good! After years of spanking cheap bikes as a kid, when I got my first proper bike I couldn't believe the difference!
My eldest is on an Islabikes Rothan and he absolutely loves it. Could be he'd have been just as happy on a £20 jobby but I don't believe so. It's lighter, well balanced, fits well, and he can actually use the brake. He's flying on it.
In contrast one of his mates has a cheapy and while he rides it it's with far less enthusiasm and despite being a little older he doesn't look as comfortable or confident on it. He'll quite often jump on the Rothan when he gets the chance.
That's good enough for me!
Jr has had several Spesh as he's grown - every one of them has been faultless (unlike all of his friends whose Halfords/ Toys R Us specials have needed repairs or replacement parts) and have been sold for more than the 'cheap' equivalents would cost new when it came time to upgrade.
I spent the extra and the wee sh**e hasnt rident the damn thing...
When my mates kid turned 2 (he's a kind of godson but none of us are in any way religious but if anything happens to them i look after him legally) i bought him a Ridgeback Scoot and he loved it, he was zipping about on it within a month and 6 months ago i bought a longer seatpost for it as he's now a leggy 4 1/2 and ready to move onto the Islabike Beinn i've just bought him for his xmas from the stw classifieds, it's in immaculate condition and may have cost £200 but i'm confidant he'll get more than £200 of fun out of it over the next few years so it's more than worth it, especially as i can't wait to take him round the blue route at kirroughtree, it's my plan to get him riding the red by the time he's 7.
My mates regularly question/take the piss regarding why i spend so much on bikes n' stuff, especially as my latest bike cost over £4k but i just ask them how they can justify spending £100+ a week in the pub, that soon shuts them up.
I have bought the lad a couple of decent bikes over the last few years and I'm not actually sure tbh. It's not made him a better rider than any of his mates and although he knows he should look after it when he's out with mates round the shops or wherever it gets chucked around..borrowed and generally abandoned when they decide to play footy or do something else. He had one nicked because he left the thing unlocked in the garden, and the gate open!! Trust me he has had the talk about looking after stuff on god knows how many occasions but the fact is he,s 11 and looses all perspective when him and his little gang are running around.
Rat bikes for kids I reckon until they decide to take it more seriously and actually want something good.
Same discussions here with the wife's family and until recently the wife as well.
The bikes before last we got them Giant's which the wife grumbled at the price etc, but when it came to replacing them I spend some effort educating her and she agreed and we bought them both ridgebacks which brought on there riding greatly and have stood up to the last 18 months use very well come there birthdays in march it will be new bike time again, and we will be buying what we want not what the family suggest.
I was going to say what 'yossarian' so +1 that.
If they use an expensive bike then you wont feel cheated, so that's they key.
Plus if you want them to start proper rides with you then they will need something half decent.
If its just for scooting about with mates then anything will do. Kids generally love a BMX.
gavtheoldskater - Member
ok, i have two kids. my daughter is not sporty at all, my boy loves it.
daughter has a really basic bike because shes just not into it, boy has excellent kit.
i reckon if they are a) into it and b) can extract the performance level from the kit they deserve it.
doing the same with skate and surf kit. he needs a new deck, i can buy a complete board for 6.99 from chav city but i'll happily pay 30-60 deck alone because he can justify it through the way he skates.
Well said. Can't wait for minime to skate 🙂
Let the kids choose whatever colour cheap BSO they want. When you nearly get a hernia lifting the damn things don't let on that they have bikes way heavier than your own. Now make them suffer as you beat them up every hill 🙂
i reckon if they are a) into it and b) can extract the performance level from the kit they deserve it.
Yep. Although don't get them £2k DH bikes with full matching team gear and drive them to Cwmcarn where they spend all day preening about the carpark whilst you wait for them looking middle class and stressed.
At the end of the day, its your cash.
And what do you want to do, ride with them or spend too much time fixing crap stuff and/or them not wanting to ride 'cos their bike is hard work (due to weight/poor quality) etc.
My son has currently got a 120mm trail bike (built with my old XC bits, inc. XT drivetrain and Reba maxle fork), before that he'd a 24" Norco and before that a 24" Trek.
Use to hate it when his friends brought around their cheap-stuff for me to fix, mainly as none of my spanners ever seemed to fit anything (neither metric nor imperial...).
Depends what they want to do with their bike IMO. If they just want to pootle and play with their friends, then a cheap bike is probably fine. But if they like cycling and they want to learn to MTB etc, then it makes sense to spend the extra money for something decent that will help build their confidence.
Spare a thought for those families who don't have the extra cash and don't have this dilemma....maybe the family members who are saying it's excessive wouldn't have the money themselves to pay the extra. Or they have a different idea of what's "essential" and not. My inlaws will frequently make comments about the money that OH and I spend on things they think are extravagant, but we have a totally different lifestyle to them - they have always owned their own business and therefore their mentality on taking holidays, for example, is different to ours.
Nod and smile and do what you want anyway.
I don't understand the logic of the point they were ganging up on you to make: buy a cheap, crap bike and will be fit for the skip once used (or before), buy something decent and you will be able to recover at least some value second hand, or it will still be good for a hand-me-down to a smaller child. Manage to find an Isla second hand and there's a good chance you'll be able to get back what you paid for it as long as it's looked after. Those £80 Halfords / sports megastores monstrosities don't really look cheap, do they?
Whilst I'm all in favour of decent kids bikes I'm not convinced they help massively on the fun factor (until the kids are very into cycling anyway, like 10+ ). I mean most of us probably had Strikers, Grifters, Bananas and choppers and I'm sure none of those were lightweight ergonomic masterpieces yet I'm guessing we all enjoyed cycling as we're still into it.
Islabikes have a buyback scheme to make it easier to get the next size up as your sprog grows. Don't know how good it is or whether you would be better selling privately but it's worth bearing in mind when buying a kids bike.
My boy and girl have the Carrera blast/luna, wife didn't want to pay that much until I could show her the differences, at their ages /lvl of riding its hard to justify anything better as the same in adult bikes the gains per £ get less, but these bikes are light nicely specced and just work and thats what counts for me
Last Saturday I shelled out just under £700 for my Nephew's new bike which he will receive for Xmas. Not the nicest experience paying that much, but I hope it feels better when I see him riding it.
My reasoning was that now hes on a 700c sized bike, as he continues to grow, I can just replace stuff, rather than buying completely new bikes. Time will tell if I'm correct, spose.
How much have they spent on Xbox/Nintendo/iWhatever for their kids this Christmas?
Exactly.
Sloth Britain - where spending £600 on a telly is perfectly reasonable behaviour, but spending anything more than £60 on a bike is madness.
where spending £600 on a telly is perfectly reasonable behaviour, but spending anything more than £60 on a bike is madness
Never seen it summed up with quite such concise elegance.
There's no way you can [b]justify[/b] an expensive kid's bike!
They grow out of them.
All this talk of second hand value is just an attempt at justification, but it's all balls. You want to buy an expensive bike for the kids cos it makes [i]you[/i] feel better. Kids don't care as long as it's the right colour!
I'm not saying you shouldn't, if you've got the money to burn, go for it.
[edit]I'm also not saying you should buy £60 cheapos!
Dez, I disagree. Someone bought my daughter a ridiculously heavy "full sus" from a friend that weighed a lot more than my bike (daughter was six at the time). Surprisingly she hated it, cos she couldn't ride it more than 30 yards without her legs burning up. Her second hand 20" wheel Specialized cost no more, weighs a fraction of that and now she's constantly nagging me to take her for a bike ride.
Crap bikes put kids off cycling. Sure, they might be able to doss around in the street with their mates, but as for developing enthusiasm for "going for a bike ride", nope, not in my experience.
Dez - 2.5 years use for Jnr's bike cost us £150 (he grew out of it in this time). That's the price we paid, plus any replacement parts (through wear and tear), less what we sold it for.
I think you can take into account the resell price of the bike.
Plus as the bike was decent in the first place it's one less bike that's heading to the tip as junk.
That weight issue was my main reasoning, there were two 2012 xs 26" wheel trek's left in the lbs, they'd been reduced by a hundred quid each and I did a further deal on buying two. Both kids, were measured/tested on them for size and they were just (the kids) tall enough. The wife was in total agreement in buying the daughter one as she's nearly 11 but wasn't sure about laddo who's nearly eight, however he flashed me the "it'll make my Christmas" look and I folded!
There's no way you can justify an expensive kid's bike!
They grow out of them.
If you're child is into cycling and you can afford it, buy them a decent bike.
A lightweight bike makes a lot of difference to what they can do when they are little.
Plus check out ebay for 2nd hand prices on good kids stuff, the auction prices are within a few percent of brand new.
[i]Dez - 2.5 years use for Jnr's bike cost us £150[/i]
£150 is reasonable.
Dez, I disagree. Someone bought my daughter a ridiculously heavy "full sus" from a friend that weighed a lot more than my bike (daughter was six at the time). Surprisingly she hated it, cos she couldn't ride it more than 30 yards without her legs burning up. Her second hand 20" wheel Specialized cost no more, weighs a fraction of that and now she's constantly nagging me to take her for a bike ride.
Sorry, but you've just said the Spesh cost the same price, so how is that disagreeing with what I said???
edlong - Member
Dez, I disagree. Someone bought my daughter a ridiculously heavy "full sus" from a friend that weighed a lot more than my bike (daughter was six at the time). Surprisingly she hated it, cos she couldn't ride it more than 30 yards without her legs burning up.
This. Times a Zillion.
I grew up with second-rate equipment for many of the activities I did. Not because we couldn't afford it, but because my parent were hard to convince that spending money on decent kit was worth it. I even suffered injuries as a result of kit that was shite, never mind the mere discomfort of riding something too heavy (which is bad enough)!
Please,wrightyson, hold your ground.
FFS! I didn't say buying a crap, heavy full sus bike is ok, did I??
£150 is reasonable.
..
FFS! I didn't say buying a crap, heavy full sus bike is ok, did I??
I suspect that is the difference between you and the OPs family though Dez: you likely have very different definitions of [i]"reasonable"[/i].
Based on my own family, "reasonable" is whatever price ASDA or Toys'r'Us are selling scaffold-pole bikes at.
buy a decent bike and the kids are more likely to use it, and therefore spend less time wanting/using other toys - so cheaper in the long run.
My parents bought me two £60 skateboards (sequentially) when I was a kid (34 years ago) and I was out on them all the time - so good value in the long run.
they also they bought me a raleigh scorpio POS - thereby killing any chance of me developing into a pro cyclist...
said the Spesh cost the same price
I said it cost no more, that's not quite the same thing. Cost is more (or less) than just the original purchase price. One bike is now on its second owner and, with care, will still be worth something after both my kids have learnt to crash on it. The other one is worthless and ready for a skip, despite the fact that it is basically brand new. The purchase price new of the Spesh would have been three or four times that of the BSO.
I struggle with long sentences but my thinking is; they are your kids, it's your money, buy whatever you want you shouldn't need to justify it to anyone. Some people will think its ridiculous, some won't even flinch.
As an aside, I remember a few years ago one of Beckhams kids was snapped wearing a $10k watch and everyone was saying how ridiculous it was. I worked out as a percentage of his and my earnings that it was like me buying my little 'un a new Barbie - it's all relative.
BTW the bike cost a lot more that £150, but after resale that's what it ende dup costing.
The funny thing is, Jnr has a decent road bike and an ok (but not a BSO) MTB, yet he wants a cheap crappy BMX so he can mess about with his mates, who seem to all have BMXs. That said none of his mates go out for longer bike rides or race like Jnr does.
Cheap bikes are a false economy cos they don't last and don't get ridden. Mine's Isla is coming up 3 years use and easily gets upgraded with cast offs.
I spent a couple of weeks looking at 2nd hand Islabikes on eBay (I'm powder coating the Rothan for my youngest so doing a Cnoc to match would have been cool.) I found that even tatty examples were selling for £150 and often more. If I get 4 years use (across 2 kids) and get half my money back at the end, that starts to look like astonishing value for money.
Agreed petrieboy. After 18 months constant use, I sold my daughters daughters Islabike Rothan for £20 less than it cost me new. That's pretty bloody stunning value for money!
I guess the question is whether buying something like an Islabikes is something that will have lasting value and improved utility, or whether it's pointless bling. I may be biased as my 8 year old has had a Islabikes Beinn 20 since she was 4 (getting too big for it now though), but considering the potential re-sale value, how much it has been ridden, and what condition it's still in after 3+ years (ie almost perfect) I'd say it's a no-brainer. And most importantly of all, thanks in part to having a decent bike, she now loves riding bikes, which is something I wouldn't put a price on.
And most importantly of all, thanks in part to having a decent bike, she now loves riding bikes, which is something I wouldn't put a price on.
That's the bottom line for me. My boy's last bike cost £380 and we've been out every weekend on it since I bought it, and have had some great rides. He loves his bike. Priceless.
My 10 year old daughter is currently riding a 24" Giant xtc,cost £120 second hand off here.It was spotless on purchase,and gives me peace of mind because the brakes work,and is light enough for her to enjoy razzing round on it,and in 2 years or so I'll sell it on and get some cash back.I couldn't do that with an Apollo from Halfords.It's a no-brainer really.
My eldest son started off on a Halfords clunker. It was heavy and the brakes were poor causing him to lack confidence.
We then chanced upon a bike test day locally where my son tried an Islabike. I'd never heard of them so had no bias but I could see his confidence swell in the 10 minutes or so he enjoyed on that bike. I bought him his first Islabike soon after.
Although they are expensive the enjoyment he and my youngest son have had out of all the Islabikes they have had since makes the cost more than worth it in my eyes.
Hazel's Cnoc 14 has cost us £20 for the year.
That's a cost I can justify for a perfect little, light, beautiful bike.
It's how I will continue to spend money on the kid's bikes.
Go for the best you can afford, we bought our 3 children Islabikes last Christmas. My wife was really really sceptical and couldn't understand the weight aspect. Once delivered and she was there to receive the delivery even in the boxes she was surprised how little they weighted.
The children took to them really well, 7YO felt the difference in weight for hers, 4YO came off stabilsers very quickly after and the 1.5 YO was off on his rohan very quickly, he would even pick it up, can't say the same for a halfords special.
We looked at getting used but the difference in price was very small, their residuals are amazing.
If you can take the plunge!
Like others have mentioned i find it criminal/obscene that parents will spend £300 on a games system for their fat arsed kids but baulk and laugh at spending the same on a decent pushbike - i guess they're the sort of parents who prob shouldn't be having kids in the first place but each to their own yadda...yadda.
I was bought a muddy fox explorer back in 1986 when i was 14, i still remember the pricetag which at the time was an exorbitant £400 which adjusted for inflation is over £900 in todays terms, we stayed in the middle of nowhere in a tiny forestry village with nae tv reception in deepest Argyll on the shores of Loch Awe and needless to say the bike was used every single minute of every single day, we used to go for epic runs in the hills and all over the extensive forest road network without a care in the world, getting totally lost was part of the fun and if we took a wrong turning and ended up on the wrong side of the hills it meant a long trudge back home, 26yrs later and i'm still daft about bikes and if i can instil a similar passion in my mates kid by buying him nice lightweight decent quality bikes then it's surely a win-win situation, it's gotta be better than spending a few hundred pounds on a game system so he can sit on arse all day everyday - i consider that child abuse.
I've bought Isla bikes for my kids, the Rothan is still going strong for number three and when she grows out of it she will inherit the Cnoc. My other half had no objections with buying decent built for purpose bikes for the kids, the wee one should be on the Cnoc this summer sans no stabilisers as her two older siblings.
Once we have finished with the Rothan I'll be able to punt it on or use it as a PX for the next Isla bike which is more than can be said for a boat anchor POS from a large retailer.
I try to buy the best parts that I can afford for my bikes, so why shouldn't I do the same for my kids?
I don't have kids but many nephews & nieces etc
My sister in laws lad who is quite sporty was staying last Easter with us and really wanted to go mountain biking, he has ridden in the FOD & some of North Wales on his BSO (think of the cheapest URT FS that weighs about the same as your car)
So I borrowed a Giant Trance off a small mate and set it up for him, he did the whole of the Red & Black @ Llandegla without stopping once.
He said it was the most technical route he had done but found it really enjoyable as the gears worked every time the suspension helped him over stuff he would have crashed on & the brakes actually stopped him before he got out of his depth.
He said he can't wait to come back, only if he can ride my mates bike though as his BSO still sits in the garage while he does Karate as he now knows the true value of a good bike.
BTW somafunk was it Dalmally?
Close :-), Dalavich on the Taynuilt to Ford singletrack road, utterly fantastic place to get my first proper mtb as it really was in the arse end of nowhere and a massive kids playground due to the desolate forest roads and amount of trails in the area, was there from ages 12 to 16 and spoiled rotten wi cars/motorbikes/mtb's/air riflers/chainsaws 😯 (got my first 21cc brashing saw for my 12 birthday to help my dad at weekends) / trawling in the loch for monster brown trout and fishing for escaped rainbows along wi week long paddling trips during summertime in our canadian canoes round the entire loch and staying on the island where the viking kings had a tomb. I doubt kids t'day would be given the same freedom as we had but back then we'd leave the house in the summertime whether that be exploring the forest roads in our beat up cars, on bikes/mtbs etc and not return home for days - i guess our parents trusted us as we always went about in our wee gang of 4, and we were responsible kids....to a point 😉
Sorry I meant Dalavich, stayed in the foresters loch side houses on 86 had a great time. Just [url= http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=196992&y=712747&z=115&sv=196992,712747&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=530&ax=196992&ay=712747&lm=0 ]HERE[/url]
Also spent our honeymoon & 3 other holidays on the other side @ [url= http://www.loch-awe.co.uk/ ]Ardbrechnish house[/url]
Heh!,Ti'z a cracking place if you enjoy the outdoor and desolate lifestyle, Just had a search online and found this pic,
[img] 
[/img]
This was our house attached to the right of the main one in the picture below, one of the white stone houses along the front of the village and that was my bedroom window up the top - brilliant place and i've always meant to go back wi the bike and explore all my childhood trails as my mothers family still stay in the Castle Sween/Crinan/Lochgilphead area. We also stayed at Lochgilphead/Achnamara/Crinin/Ardrishaig etc so it would be ace to explore all the wee trails and places we used to go as kids but i dunno whether i've viewing it through rose tinted memories or not?, We left Argyll in 1988-89 to move back down to Galloway where i spent most of my childhood.....I guess i have to go back as thats where I got and rode my very first mtb back in 1986, I feel a winter road trip coming on, the teenage years revisited........... at least there'll be no bloody midges 😀
Wow...that's stirred up some memories 😯