Buying/renting kids bikes questions.

hans gruber · 3 Jan 2023 at 21:18

I'm looking to get my 8 and 9 year olds new bikes in time for the better weather but I'm worried they may grow out of them quickly. I've seen bike rental is available. Is this a good idea for kids, or are there catches such as inflated hand back damage charges or poor quality bikes? I've also been looking at second hand isla and frog bikes, but know nothing about bikes, so am worried about being a lemon, but I would like them to have decent bikes. Are there any other brands I should look at, or will a decathlon bike be decent enough at this age?

dlockers · 3 Jan 2023 at 21:45

Do you have a re-use center nearby? There has to be at least 50 bikes there everytime I drive by.

hans gruber · 3 Jan 2023 at 22:20

Do you mean waste recycling centre? If not I'm not aware of a re-use centre.

dlockers · 3 Jan 2023 at 22:28

hans gruber said:
Do you mean waste recycling centre? If not I'm not aware of a re-use centre.

Yeah, essentially my local tip has a massive re-use centre which is where they grab anything usable and sell it for dirt cheap.

SoliD · 5 Jan 2023 at 03:11

If you buy the right kids bike you're unlikely to lose much money on it providing you keep it in fairly good nick. Islabikes and frog bikes can be picked up second hand and can be sold on fairly easily when your kids outgrow them.

OspreyO · 5 Jan 2023 at 09:39

Because kids grow out of bikes fast you'll get decent used bikes. Avoid any cheap brands and those that are kept outside. Any rust walk away.

#Chri5# · 5 Jan 2023 at 10:32

SoliD said:
If you buy the right kids bike you're unlikely to lose much money on it providing you keep it in fairly good nick. Islabikes and frog bikes can be picked up second hand and can be sold on fairly easily when your kids outgrow them.

That's what my brother / sister in-law do for their lad. He's worked his way through several Frog bikes and they generally break even on buying / selling. They've even found some absolute steals on Facebook and sold them straight on for profit.

Martynt74 · 30 Jan 2023 at 16:45

#Chri5# said:
That's what my brother / sister in-law do for their lad. He's worked his way through several Frog bikes and they generally break even on buying / selling. They've even found some absolute steals on Facebook and sold them straight on for profit.

Yeah, i would say it makes sense. Ultimately it makes you more willing to size up when needed rather than delaying it until it's beyond unsuitable.

a1ex2001 · 4 Feb 2023 at 05:09

Martynt74 said:
Yeah, i would say it makes sense. Ultimately it makes you more willing to size up when needed rather than delaying it until it's beyond unsuitable.

We have done the same second hand frog bikes hold there value really well and our kids really enjoy riding them. If after both my kids have ridden them for 12/18 months I can sell them at break even or a small £20/£30 loss I can’t see why anyone buys new!