Help me pick an 11yr old girls and 13yr old boys bikes

glenimp617 · 1 Jul 2021 at 12:16

Help!!

Kids want new bikes, and I don't know where to start. Budget is around £300 each, could go a bit more but only if it's worth it. Daughter wants pink/purple if possible, and son wants black.

Friends all have mountain bikes, so guess that's the 'style'. Not bothered what make/model so long as it doesn't fall apart after 6 weeks

Could someone just tell me what to buy please

Thanks!!

watercooledman · 1 Jul 2021 at 12:16

Raleigh burners

bazzabear · 1 Jul 2021 at 12:34

I can't help directly. But having realised that my daughters bike (An Apollo something or other), despite being a third of the size, weighs more than mine does, it seems very worth looking into whether lightweight kid's bikes exist without earth-shattering cost.

When it comes time to change hers again (which isn't so far away, the sod keeps growing) that's definitely where my research will be going.

chroniclard · 1 Jul 2021 at 12:42

Once you leave the pig iron halfords specials behind bikes starting getting quite expensive. Frog bikes and Isla Bikes both make really good kids bikes but they are not cheap.

I got my 13 year old son a Cube Aim Pro during lockdown 1 but it was £450 and damn hard to source due to current shortages. (Though he is very tall for his age and it was basically just a 18" adult bike)

Measure your kids and see whats around. Pretty much all the decent brands also make kids bikes, think daughter had a pink/purple Specialized previously.

Begbie · 1 Jul 2021 at 19:09

Few friends have the Vitus, they look cracking.

bazzabear · 1 Jul 2021 at 20:56

Begbie said:
Few friends have the Vitus, they look cracking.

Just as a quick comparison:
Vitus kids bike with 24" wheels: 9.4kg.
Apollo Charm kids bike with 20" wheels: 15kg.

Double the price though, to be fair.

And maybe the lack of suspension on the Vitus helps a lot.

Begbie · 1 Jul 2021 at 21:06

bazzabear said:
Just as a quick comparison:
Vitus kids bike with 24" wheels: 9.4kg.
Apollo Charm kids bike with 20" wheels: 15kg.

Double the price though, to be fair.

And maybe the lack of suspension on the Vitus helps a lot.

Probably higher resell value though.

mattyfez · 2 Jul 2021 at 10:53

chroniclard said:
Once you leave the pig iron halfords specials behind bikes starting getting quite expensive. Frog bikes and Isla Bikes both make really good kids bikes but they are not cheap.

They hold thier value very well though, so as long as you look after them and sell them on when they are outgrown, you won't really lose much, where as a cheap kids bike will basically be worthless after a few years.

chroniclard · 2 Jul 2021 at 11:08

mattyfez said:
They hold thier value very well though, so as long as you look after them and sell them on when they are outgrown, you won't really lose much, where as a cheap kids bike will basically be worthless after a few years.

This is true, got decent money back for the Islabikes we have had. Actually made them pretty reasonable overall.

Reminds me, got a couple of bikes they have grown out of to get rid of.

a1ex2001 · 4 Jul 2021 at 08:29

chroniclard said:
This is true, got decent money back for the Islabikes we have had. Actually made them pretty reasonable overall.

Reminds me, got a couple of bikes they have grown out of to get rid of.

The best thing to do with kids bikes is buy the top brands second hand, yes they are expensive but you can sell them on when out grown for pretty much the price you paid total cost of ownership is the key here as long as you can afford to have the money tied up in the bikes.

Hodders · 4 Jul 2021 at 12:45

a1ex2001 said:
The best thing to do with kids bikes is buy the top brands second hand.

Totally this. Look around, join some local Facebook for sale and wanted groups.

Best value by far.

SexyGreyFox · 4 Jul 2021 at 13:54

Please just don't go and pick one as surprises.
My Niece has got two very experienced cycle riders in the family and instead of asking for advice just went and bought a bike for her 11 year old and he is a small 11 year old.
What he has now is a bike that might be big enough when he's fully grown, I have difficulties getting on it at 5ft 6ins so he can't get on it.

Short story
Go to a proper bike shop with the kids, even some Halfords bike assistants can be knowledgeable and get the kids fitted properly.