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Well, I got that all wrong.
Eldest son now has zero interest in bikes - squeezed out by guitar, A levels and some girl.
Next son up has a visceral hatred of all things cyclical.
So I thought I'd better try and nurture the third son's nascent interest. His current bike is an OKish hand-me-down which is a bit too small. So I planned and thought, and bought parts on here and a part on ebay and found some more bits in the garage, and came up with this beauty:
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Single speed - so almost zero maintenance. No grumbles about dodgy gears. And it will make him strong like an ox. Got lucky with a magic gear as well!
KMC rust buster chain, so it won't matter when it gets left out in the rain.
Rigid forks - no more sloshing out oily muddy water from wobbly lowers. Tempered with a nice fat tubeless front tyre. The carbon weave on those Exotic forks is a very symphony of bling.
Maxlight Kinesis frame - lovely light thing. The whole bike weighs 10kg.
So what's the problem? What's not to like?
Monday morning rolls around. I just can't let him take it to school. I just know it's going to get trashed at best and stolen - never to be seen again - at worst. I can just about cope with my children going there. But this creature of aluminium, carbon, plastic and steel. No. I just can't do it.
Where did it all go wrong?
Depending on how old he is that's the least cool bike ever, I'm surprised he would even want to ride it to school.
You've built the bike [b]you [/b]think would be right for him, not what he wants. As evidenced by the fact that even though he may want to use it, you won't let him.
oh dear, your a nicheophile, you're in danger of making your children repeat the sins of their fathers, buy him a rolhoff quick! and buy him some grips you tightwad! 😀
thats shocking... I cant see many kids stealing that.
They all ride stuff like this round my way:
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Grips are in the post!
Njee - you're probably right.
But in my defence, living in Cambridgeshire there's very little call for gears or suspension, whereas rigid single speeds are more likely to put up with his maintenance schedule (dump bike in garden, leave in rain until rusty).
OK, I will defer to the wisdom of STW and send him to school on it tomorrow. If it gets stolen, I guess we'll at least know it was some very discerning thieves.
all teh kidz round our way ride BMX to skool.
get him a descent lock, if you live in Cambridge or Oxford theirs a good chance it will be nicked in the time between you getting off it and undoing the lock!
But in my defence, living in Cambridgeshire there's very little call for gears or suspension, whereas rigid single speeds are more likely to put up with his maintenance schedule (dump bike in garden, leave in rain until rusty).
Oh yeah, it makes sense, but that's not going to appeal! If you want to encourage him to ride in the first place he may be more encouraged by something rad.
Single-speed is for weird beardy folk crying out to be different for no logical reason - don't inflict it on your kids to...
singlespeed? rigid? you may as well send him to school in brown flares. Admit that you built this for yourself and buy him a santa cruz v10.
Out of interest were there similar purchases made before your other 2 children went off biking?
Single-speed is for weird beardy folk crying out to be different for no logical reason - don't inflict it on your kids to...
Unless it's a BMX.
I'm with nosedive - did you ask them what type of bike they wanted?
My 13 year old has a full sus bike with lots of gears and disks etc.
He doesn't need most of it for what he uses the bike for but he'll ride the bike (and it gives him some bragging rights at the school mtb club on a Tuesday) whereas if I'd given him a rigid hardtail he'd have turned his nose up 🙁
come on, you built that for yourself!
Have the same worry - just bought a nice BMX and a new Kona, can't face them taking the new shiny to school. Need to muddy them first!
24in cruiser - something like the Saracen Amplitude.
Basically, if it's too cool/awkward for you, it might just be OK for him 🙂
http://www.saracen.co.uk/bikes/amplitude
Having spent so much time and money on a bike for your son,would it be to much to explain the joys of a padlock and chain.
He'll want either a BMX or a 24in wheeled jump bike; that's what I see the youth round here riding, anyway.
If I gave my 14yrd old that to ride - he'd disown me
Yep. Same around here; kids always riding bmx or jump bikes, usually to Tescos entrance way. Except the 2 kids I see a couple of times a week pushing trials bikes up the VERY slight incline (I hesitate to call it a hill) in the road by our house.
That was built for you!!! Our at least what you want......
Our James 14, was captured on a ridged 29ner (mine) in the garden, on digital and the photo put on Facebook, he still gets ribbed now by his mates. The best thing I ever did was to get James a 24" Spec xc bike when he was 8 yrs old but it has led to a bike collection larger than mine! He does work and in our house they pay 50% of costs on serious hobbies. Still nothing like that in his collection.
He's not keen to be seen riding with someone else riding one of those.
schoolboy error => magic gear.