Not much cash but want to get a BMX for my 7 year old.

Don’t know whether bike snobbery or practicality it is but I just can’t seem to bring myself to buy a new Halfords job vs what I can get 2nd hand and strip and rebuild. I say – better bike ie lighter and more durable will mean she’s more likely to get longer term value and ride it more. Conversely I guess she’d be happy with a bike in the right colour and might ride that more for that reason despite lugging it up hills and bits breaking.

Any experiences or thoughts? Am I buying the BMX for me?

What does she want? Or is it a birthday surprise?

Not a surprise. She wants a purple or light blue BMX.

If you strip it, spray it and rebuild it she can have a light bike in the right colour

At that age, and in my opinion, some Halfords bike are fine. She’ll have grown out of it before it wears out. Our youngest went through four Halfords bikes before he got his current Mongoose in 2010 age 10. Never had so much as a puncture on those four bikes.

As for weight, I’ve never ever heard a child complain about the weight of a bike. Hell, kids will ride adult bikes way too big for them given half the chance.

Spruced up 2nd hand would be better I reckon, it’s pretty easy to do a garage respray too so that’d sort your colour options out too.

I’ve just bought a bmx in light powder blue from halfords for 55 quid

Whatever you buy, just make sure its safe and fit for the job.

renton, that’s the one I was thinking about – is it alright? (assume it’s the one reduced allegedly from £160 to £55 )

Bought a halfords one for my boys a few years ago, was absolutely rubbish, wheels weren’t round, freewheel was rubbish.

decathlon is far better for kids bikes.
proper kid sized components on proper kids bike……cheap to boot.

Bought a halfords one for my boys a few years ago, was absolutely rubbish, wheels weren’t round, freewheel was rubbish.

Last time I went to the track I was roudly beaten by a 13yr old with a snapped rear axle, when I pointed it out to him he seemed unphased and said it had been like that for months.

Kids probably won’t notice half those things, and will she appreciate it being made from fully post weld heat treated CrMo and the strength to survive casing 20ft doubles, or does she want a blue BMX to ride round with her mates on the pegs like most kids?

Go for a blue one, my little one went from pink, purple to blue.

Think purple lost its appeal at about the same age (9) now wondering how long blue will last?

😉

Looking very much like the Halfords job.

[will she appreciate it being made from fully post weld heat treated CrMo and the strength to survive casing 20ft doubles, or does she want a blue BMX to ride round with her mates on the pegs like most kids?]

This was the deal breaker – thanks for straightening my head out!

Take yourself over to the BMXTALK for sale forum. Its mostly race bmx stuff but you’ll find the right size framewith correct size stem, crank arms ( Probs 155mm ), bar width and rise etc. etc. etc. and it will be a manageable weight for her. My now 11 year old started on a decathlon bmx when he was 7. 155 cranks, 20 x 1 1/8th tyres….imo was the perfect starter bike.

Yeah it looks like a good bike! Not built it up yet but the one in the shop rode ok and to he honest it’s only going to get battered about by my lad riding it and dropping it!!

I (my parents actually) bought a ‘BMX’ from Halfords for my youngest.
very heavy & low quality components..

Since been replaced with a real BMX that is much lighter & far more pleasurable for him to ride.
It’s also easier to get replacement bits when the inevitable happens.

the elder son had a Decathlon bike for some time & he treated it like a BMX and to be fair it withstood an amazing amount of punishment. Great value purchase though it doesn’t really look like a BMX..

kids bikes seldom tick the “light” option, but “cheap” and “durable” do seem to be the mainstays of this market sector. Pick 2.

2nd hand, tarted up and resprayed to the right color.

Will be more niche and ‘out of the mainstream’ so none of her friends will be able to point and laugh at the Halfords bike…

If it is good enough she may get enthused enough to use it more, rather than occasionally using that heavy Halfords bike. In the long run that will work out cheaper.