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Our girls are due new bikes as they have outgrown their current bikes and I am starting to research ahead of purchasing them ready for their 12 birthdays in June - nothing too fancy as we are only recreational cyclists as a family, but I am happy to invest around £300 to £400 each for what will probably be flat-barred rigid bikes but I really don't know where to start (other than the obvious brands) and sites like Wiggle don't exactly have an extensive choice.
So I guess my question is 'which is the best source of a great selection of children's bikes'?
Thank you
Frog, isla bikes, wiggins, hoy all get really good reviews. You can get the wiggins from Halfords.
Availability might be an issue so buy early!
We got our lads 20 inch wheel frog hybrid from Merlin cycles nearly 4 years ago. No problems at all. Frog also used to have 2nd hand bikes advertised through their website.
Bought a 24 inch wheel one through eBay since then, again no bother but is was local and pre-covid. Both great bikes.
Frog sell through a large network of shops so try your LBS. We bought online as the prices were going up at year end (April) and Merlin still had the old prices and LBS couldn't get stock at the time.
There are second hand Isla and Frog bike groups on Facebook for buying / selling.
Hoy bikes from Evans were good if they still sell them. I think Wiggins bikes are no longer a thing but may be mistaken.
Giant are also given good reviews and slightly cheaper. Wild Bikes from Go Outdoors are Ok.
Cycle Sprog have lots of reviews. As above availability seems to be am issue for bikes at present.
Very happy with my son's Squish. Similar to Frog, but slightly cheaper.
The big bike brands do quite good kids bikes too, I had specialized, trek and orbea on my list for my kids new 20" bike
Giant ARX26.
Light, simple, fun bikes.
Just get Isla bikes.
If you buy second hand you’ll sell them in a few years and not lose much if anything.
Even without this, they are great bikes.
Depends how tall they are, as they're at the top of the range for the kids brands. Isla Beinn 27 would be perfect for the use you describe, but they might outgrow it very quickly, especially with the puberty growth spurt just around the corner.
For your budget, it'd look at adult XS or small second hand (do they have to be identical for twins?) and aim for 27.5" or 700c wheels. Something like this Boardman hybrid on ebay
Availability might be an issue so buy early!
Yeah I realised that would be the case so that's why I am starting research now (June birthdays)
How tall will they be in June? I know that’s difficult question to answer.
Given my 14 year old son was riding a is now riding my old Alpine 160 in a large, and my 10 year old is riding his mum’s old Five (XS), it may be worth looking at small adult bikes.
I think most of the lasses in the older one’s class were as tall as their mums by 12.
PS - not recommending FS, that’s just what we had / what works for us.
Just bought my 7 year old a vitus 24 inch bike for a June birthday although I'm sure he'll end up riding it before . We were after something a bit more MTB like and all the bikes we liked the look of were not available until June and then no one seemed certain of that date .
He's got a Hoy from Evans at the moment and if we were after something for just cycle path stuff and trips to the shops I would definitely get another .