Bike help?

[sam&pat]

My son is nearly 4 & needs a new bike. He has a spiderman one from Halfords that I bought last summer but its too small for him now. Can anyone recommend a good bike & one that he'll be able to use for more than a year. I'm a bit lost when it comes to bikes.

[northernmonkey]

Lots of groups on facebook - but Isla / Frog /Squish / Woom/ Frome all good. They're all more than Halfords bikes but at 4 getting the lightest bike possible is key and the brands listed have better geometry for small kids. Second hand may be the way to go - still not cheap but you can then sell on when finished with and won't lose much cash in theory!

[DuncanW]

The Halfords Apollo range and the character bikes are all stainless steel, although I think their Carrera range is aluminium.

There will be other differences between bikes, but this is the critical one that will make such a big difference to his enjoyment of cycling.

All the makes that NM mentions are good. I would add that we have a Ridgeback for our daughter and it seems just as good as the Frog that our son has.

[alex_b]

To answer the ?more than a year? question - almost certainly not. They?re growing so fast at that age that they?ll grow out of any bike in a year to eighteen months. It?s worth looking on the forum for second hand frogs, Islas or Meridas which all do high quality kids bikes. Steer clear of Halfords their stuff is junk and their staff rarely know what they?re talking about. If you are buying new there are plenty of good independent bike stores in the area.

[mrjackson99]

Hi there, I am a local reseller of second hand kids bikes. It depends on your child?s height but at four they are generally ok for a bike with a 16 inch wheel. Important to check though as getting a bike too big will put them off riding for years. The recommendations on brands above are good. Halfords do (Or did) sell some good bikes though. Carerra are ok. Bit heavier than Ridgeback. Avoid Apollo as said above. If you can get hold of a Wiggins Macon 16 then that?s a great bike that Halfords have now discontinued. You can pick them up for between ?50 to ?130 on eBay and are as light as the more expensive frog brands. High spec components too. Depends how much you want to pay, really. Ridgebacks are great and cheap second hand if you are patient on eBay. The dimension model is the lightest bike they do and again is only slightly heavier than a Frog. If you want to buy new but don?t want to spend ?350-400 for Frog or Islabikes then there are a lot of good challenger brands available now on the lightweight market. Forme and Squish Good examples and go new for around ?250 ish. If you need more advice on size etc just pm me. Thanks. Mark

[Beulah]

Decathlon in Surrey Docks is worth a look too - some decent bikes and if you collect they'll set it up for you too

[sam&pat]

Thank you so much for all your help, you have all been extremely helpful. Fingers crossed I make the right choice & most importantly the little boss is happy 😊 I honesty really appreciate all your advice.

[Jellybeanz]

Frog bikes are brilliant!

[3masons]

Our children all learnt to ride on a little Dawes bike 12" wheel which cost ?50 in 2008. It's been passed on to friends and is still going strong.

I think spending a lot of money on a kid's bike is a choice not a necessity. As long as it has proper wheels, not plastic, and tyres, it'll be good enough.

We bought our eldest son a ridgeback when he was 8 and it lasted for 4 years. Now passed to younger son. If your son loves riding a bike he will learn on anything. I know too many people whose kids just don't have any interest in riding bikes and have expensive frogs and isla's sitting unused in their hallways.

Check out Herne Hill Velodrome beginner classes if you want your son to try a proper bike - i think they have frogs.