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Looking at getting a bike with stabalisers for my 3 1/2 year old and looking at a 14 inch wheel bike.
Can see bumper commando, decathlon, raleigh, falcon, probike.
Any ones to go for or avoid in people's opinon.
I have bought my fourth spesh hotrock. They work and always sell when they are finished with them.
14" wheels are a little uncommon. Ridgeback do one though, MX14 for boys / Honey for girls. Nice alloy frames as opposed to gas pipe. As has been pointed out before, when we're all 13 stone+ blokes trying to get our bikes below 25lbs, it's a little harsh to expect someone weighing 3 stone to ride a bike that weighs more than ours!
Spesh ones are nice looking but they have a coaster brake which put me off.
For a 3 year old it doesn't matter (IMO). They soon grow out of it.
We went from a £30 Halfords Actionman bike to a Raleigh thing we were given. Now he's 7 he's got a decent Haro, but never complained about having low-spec or heavy bikes (unlike his dad 🙂 )
When my now 8 yr old lad was 3 we got him a decathlon 14incher with stabilizers that fit via knurled wheels- no tools needed for removal. since passed on to my sister, her oldest has used it and outgrown it. She'll keep it for her youngest who's currently only 2, then it will get passed along somewhere else. I think we paid £40 for it, though it's now gone up to £60.
Has centre pull front brake so can't easily be used with a trail gator so I did at one point stick a cheap v brake on it.
Other than that it hasn't needed any attention, can't say fairer than that really
ISLABIKE CNOC 14 (oops soz caps lock!!!)
I bought a Giant animator for my son 6 years ago, it was handed on to my daughter, with nothing more than new grease in the hubs. Its now getting passed on to the neighbours son.
A trailagator fits it no probs.
I wanted to buy the Ridgeback as its alloy frame and alloy wheels. Its lighter (for kids to pick up off the floor and control when they go all wobbly) but also it wont rust when they forget and leave it out all night on the rain (even though you've said a thousand time 'do you know how much that thing cost!!!')
If you buy a cheap one from Halfords its unlikely you will be able to service things like brakes and wheels etc, plus you pay 'extra' for branding (thats Barbie not TRek or Specialized etc).
If it was me I'd get the Ridgeback
Kids Tektro brakes are shit though Ive had two of the adjusters strip dead easy
Second the Spesh Hardrock, can't fault them at all. Solid little bikes that last.