[Closed] What girls bike? (Yes, it's their birthday)

Can't say good enough things about Islabikes, CNOC16 maybe?

Yep Islabike all the way here. Our five year old zooms about on her Cnoc 16

Frog are also good and apparently the new Hoy ones are too, but not seen them in the wild yet.

Oh and buy second hand!

Our Cnoc was pretty much pristine, came with accessories, and was a lot less than it would have been new.

Did second hand last time around but with needing two and their being of the age where they compare everything I think we need to buy new unfortunately:-(

johndoh - I got my twins Frog 48 bikes. My girl had nailed it on their 4th birthday in December after 10 mins at the park. Her balance bike skills were awesome before hand. The boy nailed it the start of this month nearly 6 months later. They're always on them now and don't mind walking with them when they are too tired to pedal. Don't under estimate how valuable that part is.

Frogs or Isla are the "better bikes" but expensive, even second hand.

Ridgeback do decent kids bikes, not sure on prices as we have always gone second hand.

Decathlon bikes are OK for the money, if heavy.

Frogs or Isla are the "better bikes" but expensive, even second hand.

I paid £100 for the Cnoc 16 second hand.
It'll do both my girls and then be sold on, probably for at least £50.

That doesn't really seem [i]that[/i] bad compared to what I've spent over the years on bikes 🙂

But asI said above, I don't think I can get away with second hand anymore (nor do I really want to as they haven't had a new bike yet and they will be six).

Unfortunately all the above are well over budget - I have found this that looks a better bet http://www.wiggle.co.uk/raleigh-starz-16/ - alloy frame, reviews say the brakes a very good (one of my girls struggles with them a bit and that knocks her confidence). I have also found it online for £117 so only a little bit over budget. And it moves away a bit from the 'character' bike we wanted to avoid – although it is still slightly blingy.

Decathlon bikes are OK for the money, if heavy.

This - Acceptable quality, correctly put together, but heavy. Quite nice designs though, with a range running from more "girly/princessey" to "gnarrr".

My daughter got on fine with Decathlon bikes - they do the job well. And fine for sort of rides you do with 6yr olds.

Up to you John (obviously) but personally I'd much rather buy a really good bike second hand than an okayish bike new.
My 5yo had no clue it was second hand but I wouldn't mind if she did as that's not a bad lesson.

(Plus when you are carrying it back from the park with a tired child on your shoulders you'll care much more about the weight than the showroom fresh smell! 😉 )

My 5yo had no clue it was second hand but I wouldn't mind if she did as that's not a bad lesson.

It really is nothing to do with it being a 'lesson' either - aside from the bikes they have also had a second-hand rocking horse as a Christmas present as well as numerous toys/clothes/books etc from NCT Sales.

You need to be honest about where and how far you will ride with them. Are they keen on biking and do proper rides with you, or are they happy with a trundle around the park every few weeks?

or are they happy with a trundle around the park every few weeks

See if you can find one of those raleighs in a shop and check the weight yourself. But as far as bike go they'll be fine, if they have wheels that go round and brakes that stop them going round they're fine for small kids.

Yeah Isla's are great and light, but i totally understand your point about not wanting 2nd hand this time round.

How about a pair of these from Evans http://www.evanscycles.com/products/ridgeback/melody-16-2015-kids-bike-ec070261
Bit more than the raleigh but not too much. Although at 6 they might grow out of a 16" quite quickly, how tall are they?

OP, a thought that may open up your options a little. Both my older kids had 20" wheeled bikes for their 5th birthday and got on with the size fine. This was about 15 years ago however, so there wasn't the choice that we have now for smaller people.
I think a 16" may be grown out of in an hour or 2.

At 6 I would have thought a 16" wheel bike is going to almost be outgrown although if they aren't really confident riders a 20 might be a bit hard to handle when not riding.
Our youngest turned 6 a couple of weeks ago and is now riding a 20" specialized Hotrock, her legs could do with being half an inch longer (or the crossbar half an inch lower) for standover but we went for a 5 mile ride earlier in the week and she kept up fine.

We've got a purple/lilac 16" hotrock in fantastic condition which is now surplus to requirements. It's going on the classifieds later in the week once I've taken some pics. It really is like new other than slightly grubby grips and would be under your budget if you changed your mind on new 🙂

edit: lots of other posts while I was typing this one, I see why you don't want 2nd hand with twins 🙂 I'd definitely look at 20" wheels if you've got to buy two, step through style frames are probably better if the sizing is marginal as they will be able to step forwards off the saddle and comfortably stand flat footed.

Seriously, if you have a Decathlon nearby go and look at their bikes.

My daughter had an earlier version of this (we got it for £40 in an offer!)...
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/16-ltd-bike-red-id_8330122.html
...she outgrew it many years ago but it's still being ridden by her neices.

You can get two of these for the price of one Ridgeback!

Save the money now, and if they get into it spend more on a 20" bike later down the line.

They are both on the small size for their age and the 16'' does claim to be for 4-7 so I think a 20'' would be way too big for them.

[img] [/img]

One of these...

Just to put Islabikes resale into perspective, I bought our CNOC second hand for £55 (while ago now). 4 Years later (2 kids), sold it for £75.

Admittedly at £55 I felt like I was stealing it, but they do hold value very well 🙂

I got a large Islabikes Beinn 20 when the little one was 8, but she's now 11 and 5'2 so very tall for her age.

Those Decathlon B'Twins are apparently [b]9.3kg[/b]!

I'd suggest that if the OP's kids are a "small size for their age" then that might not be ideal. 😕

For contrast:
[url= http://www.islabikes.co.uk/products/bikes/item/cnoc-16 ]Islabaikes Cnoc 16[/url] is 6.1kg
[url= http://www.hoybikes.com/kids/102-hoy-bonaly-16-kids-road-bike-2 ]Hoy Bonaly 16[/url] is 6.3kg
[url= https://www.frogbikes.com/lightweight-kids-bikes/first-pedal-bikes/frog48.aspx ]Frog 48[/url] is 6.7kg
[url= http://www.ridgeback.co.uk/bike/MX16-Silver ]Ridgeback MX16[/url] is 8.5kg

Re Islabikes - I cannot afford nor justify spending £500 on them – getting £150 back in 3 years time wouldn't make up for the initial outlay.

Why is everyone consistently ignoring the OPs budget? 🙄

Re Islabikes - I cannot afford nor justify spending £500 on them

Yep, that why I initially recommended 2nd hand. They are good but very nippy.

I understand your twin concern though - I reckon your best course of action is to buy two second hand Islas in the same colour scheme and then make sure any moaning is avoided by ensuring that any scratches or marks are carefully replicated on both bikes. A bit of time with a file and sandpaper should do it. 😉

For contrast:
Islabaikes Cnoc 16 is 6.1kg
Hoy Bonaly 16 is 6.3kg
Frog 48 is 6.7kg
Ridgeback MX16 is 8.5kg

So the cheapest of those which is over twice the price of the Decathlon is only a little lighter, and the others are way over the OP's budget.

They are 6 - they aren't going to be doing a 25mile Peaks loop!

Gotta say that for me the http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/kids-bikes/raleigh-starz-girls-bike-16 comes out best still - quite grown up but still girly enough for them and weighs in at 9kg - and I have found it for £117 with free delivery online.

They are 6 - they aren't going to be doing a 25mile Peaks loop!

My 5yo daughter got her first pedal bike (Cnoc) at Christmas and took to it straight away (thanks to plenty of experience on her balance bike).

She rides it to school every day she can.

At the start of April she did a seven mile round trip on it and is keen to repeat that 😀

John, as long as they're pink, your girls will love them! I can't see a problem with the raleigh. People seem to go on about resale value of islabikes all the time but don't seem to understand that some people just don't have the initial outlay sometimes, especially when you have to get 2!!
I bought my daughter a second hand Cnoc 16 off here for £100 for her 4th birthday, but it did have scratches and she noticed straight away. She's probably going to get her brothers Orbea next as well and i can see her not being happy about that either!!
My lad is a bit crazy and will ride all day and do proper trails so i spent a bit more on his bike, also knowing it would be handed down to his sis. But if I were you, i'd go cheap now and when they get the hang of it spend a bit more on a 20". I can recommend the Orbea MX20 dirt.

Okay girls stop throwing your handbags about...

Being in the business I recommend and both my boys had them I can't fault the bikes...

Drum role

Dawes blowfish 16 fits your budget (almost) lotte is the girls version but blowfish is a way better colour

Dawes academy range far better than frog and almost up to par with Isla bikes

Carry on faffing

My 5yo daughter got her first pedal bike (Cnoc) at Christmas and took to it straight away (thanks to plenty of experience on her balance bike).

She rides it to school every day she can.

But they could still do that quite easily on a Decathlon bike, assuming (and it's an important assumption!) there aren't any proper hills. I don't doubt that Islabikes and the rest aren't a lot better, but that's way over budget.

But they could still do that quite easily on a Decathlon bike

Quite possibly, I was more contesting the "kids only pootle about the park anyway" argument there.

I don't doubt that Islabikes and the rest aren't a lot better, but that's way over budget.

I bought mine second hand for bang on the OP's budget.
I'm just trying to illustrate what he could get for his money if he could get past the need to buy new.

If they've struggled with riding in the past and they are small for their age then buying them [i]new-but-heavy[/i] bikes seems to me like the wrong way to go for the sake of avoiding a bit of argument over whose [i]second-hand-but-light[/i] bike has the most scratches.

But it's his call and he knows his kids the best.

(BTW we have one of those Raleigh bikes in the shed. A "Molly" I think. We inherited it off her cousins. My daughter can't ride it, despite being happy and confident on the Cnoc. It's going in the next jumble sale).

I think we're possibly in violent agreement here 🙂

So the answer is...
• Buy them something different for their birthday that is new.
• Then pick up bikes off eBay as-and-when they crop up. That way they won't be presents so they can't chunter about them not being new! 😀

The real answer is kids need to KTFU - back in the day, when all this were fields, we'd ride any old rubbish! Tyres down to the canvas, one brake, buckled wheels, wobbly cranks etc!

http://www.commencal-store.co.uk/PBSCProduct.asp?ItmID=14495046

Or a BMX

LOL.

[i]"Imagine your 6 to 8 year-old youngster already addicted to biking (probably just like you) and riding safely on a full-suspension bike fitted to his own size and weight."[/i]

It's 11.4kg - most 6 year olds would struggle to even lift it.

Still, €1500 puts the Islabikes prices into perspective! 😯

11.4kg is pretty normal for a kids bike – lots of the ones I have seen around the £70 mark are 12kg>

Well at least they are well within the UCI minimum weight limit (6.8kg) 😀

[img] ?1386686181[/img]

(My fairly ordinary mid-range cross bike weighs 8.75kg)

When he was 6 my kid had a Raleigh that some friends found in their garden when they moved.
It was red. I cleaned it up and put some small brake levers on.
"WAA WAA I want an Islabike!" he did not say.
He rode it and loved it.
Here he is beating some Islabrats (I just made that up, me) in a race at the BBB on his red Raleigh.
[img] [/img]

Get em Raleighs Johndoh, they'll love em 🙂
I do recommend looking for bikes with A-Headsets as they are usually a jump up in quality from bikes with quills.

Get em Raleighs..

..I do recommend looking for bikes with A-Headsets as they are usually a jump up in quality from bikes with quills.

Make your mind up:

[img] [/img]

😀

Lol @ Islabrats. Not sure if that's a reference to the kids or the parents though.

Oi! I resemble that remark. 😀

At 6 the will definitely need a 20" wheel. Pointless buying anything smaller.

[i]Make your mind up:
[/i]
I was trying to steer him away from [i]that[/i] Raleigh... 😉
You have to really shop around and strike lucky to find something for £100. Bike after the red beast was a Haro, that I seem to recall was linked from here. Fab bike for around £130 that was.

Less tubes, must be lighter!
Bizarre little thing
[url= http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/images/item_216953.pn g" target="_blank">http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/images/item_216953.pn g"/> [/img][/url]

toppers3933 - Member
At 6 the will definitely need a 20" wheel. Pointless buying anything smaller.
POSTED 4 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST

Obviously their height is a factor. But kids generally grow at roughly the same rate which means that sizing kids bikes can usually done by their age. And in general a 20" bike is from 5 yrs old. Unless they are below average height on which case they still wouldn't be far off. The op never mentioned that they were small for their age and I've sold enough kids bikes in my time to know that they will almost certainly be tall enough for a 20" wheel. I would be amazed if they weren't. My 5yr old who is pretty much average height got a 20" wheel bike for his 5th birthday.

Most kids bike companies publish handy sizing charts, usually based on inside leg:
e.g. http://www.islabikes.co.uk/sizing-advice

There is a fair bit of overlap on the 16 and 20 on that range.

OP [i]did[/i] say that they were small for their age so 16 seems pretty reasonable. My 5yo is pretty tall for her age and still has plenty of growth left on her Cnoc. I see a lot of kids struggling with bikes that are too big for them, it does them no favours.

Well that advice doesn't really fit with anything I have read....

http://www.billybilslandcycles.co.uk/bike-sizing

http://www.bikes2udirect.com/size.html

And surely getting a bike that is too big will only serve to put them off riding if they struggle with it?

Edit: Beaten to it

OP did say that they were small for their age so 16 seems pretty reasonable.

At 6 I would expect 20" and gears even for a small 6 year old.

Islabikes sizing is a good guide to where you'd expect them to be.

My tall 5 year old looks ridiculous on a 16" now. Mind you she looks even more ridiculous when she plays on the balance bike.

The cheaper 20" Orbeas look good.

The Islas though win on all points. Weight/resale/brakes/smallest gear ratio. I've just looked at every option for the youngest who has demonstrated he can ride and use his sisters. Normal sized 4YO. Mind you he'll still be getting towed on the 16" as I'm not attaching the Trailgator to a new one.

A quick ebay scan a 20" Beinn in the newer colours (not the latest ones) resell for £250 PLUS postage at least. So that's currently an £80 loss per bike after 2 to 3 years.

We found the Dawes blowfish to be a good compromise between weight/bling and price at this age. Moved on to an Isla now though at 24" wheels (Frog was the only other thing close). If your children enjoy cycling any bike will be a good bike, if they are unsure then a lighter bike wins every time.

At 6 I would expect 20" and gears even for a small 6 year old.

I've got the thick end of 20yrs experience selling kids bikes and it's always served me fine. Your mileage, as they say, may vary.

Really?

Look at the Isla Size chart. Granted if your below the sizing on there then they aren't going to fit on it but that's quite small. Their typical 6 year old is based on the large 20" Beinin.

Big problem with singlespeeds is the gear is quite often too big or when it's not it's too small and they spin out very very quickly which can cause stability issues as they keep on trying to pedal it.
You don't have to use the gears but at least you can preselect before use for offroad/onroad or uphill.

Personal experience and my own children and friends all well under 6 fitting well on 20" Islas. All were probably confident riders though beforehand but none were over 5 when they got them.

Can't recall if it's been asked but what are they riding now?
14" wheels or smaller?

I've got the thick end of 20yrs experience selling kids bikes and it's always served me fine. Your mileage, as they say, may vary.

But as I said way back up there, they are a little small for their age - and for example, this online guide says 7+ for a 20 inch. We have just measured them and they have 19'' inside legs so at a push we should consider 18 inch.

https://www.bikesdirect365.com/pages/Size-Guides.html

I would say some other bike companies may make their 20" wheel bikes bigger than a Islabike so you may need to be larger.

Frog agree with Isla
https://www.frogbikes.com/how-to-choose-a-childs-bike.aspx

Also I do Frog a disservice their gear ratio goes to 32:32 like the Isla.
Bit heavier but cheaper.

Can you get them to go and sit on some bikes?
Or ride friends bikes?

UKBikestore have the Ridgeback Melody for £130
http://www.ukbikestore.co.uk/product/349/rgb_melody/ridgeback-melody-16-inch-girls-bike.html
Sweet 🙂

Fair enough if they're small. I didn't see that part. And the key is for them to try a bike for size. But even a small 6 I would expect to fit on a 20" wheel bike. Not every time I'll grant you. Which is why trying one is the best bet.
By and large, practical experience has led me to not agree with that size chart.

two pics taken about 3 months apart, 1st one is the first ride without stabilisers on a 16" Hotrock, the saddle is on the max mark.
[img][url= https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8814/17605612843_86b89820aa_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8814/17605612843_86b89820aa_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/sPKnk2 ]IMG_20150118_115900[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/18854590@N00/ ]mike_gee32[/url], on Flickr[/img]
the second was taken this week and Emily is on a 20" Hotrock and we rode about 7 miles, she was 6 2 weeks ago.

[img][url= https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7762/18222541402_eb6f57e853_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7762/18222541402_eb6f57e853_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/tLghGj ]DSC_0090[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/18854590@N00/ ]mike_gee32[/url], on Flickr[/img]

Ok kidspam

4yo on 16"
[url= https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7725/17854886741_1f14e2c9f7_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7725/17854886741_1f14e2c9f7_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/tcLXLR ]League 2000 150518[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/tomlevell/ ]Tom Levell[/url], on Flickr

Couple of weeks later
[url= https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5459/17910336029_58375920b4_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5459/17910336029_58375920b4_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/thF9V4 ]20150525_133043[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/tomlevell/ ]Tom Levell[/url], on Flickr
Yes it's too big for him (seat at lowest point) but he's desperate for gears to go faster at race nights but he can ride it, use the brakes and change gear.

5 and half but granted she is tall
[url= https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8840/17828745856_f53842308b_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8840/17828745856_f53842308b_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/tasYZW ]League 2000 150518[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/tomlevell/ ]Tom Levell[/url], on Flickr

Just measured up my daughter in the name of science 🙂

She is 115cm tall, so that's [url= http://www.rcpch.ac.uk/system/files/protected/page/NEW%20Girls%202-18yrs%284TH%20JAN%202012%29.pdf ]91st percentile[/url], tall for her age (just turned 5).
Inside leg (using the Islabikes book+socks method) is 49cm.

She rides a Cnoc 16 very comfortably which fits with what their size chart says (42 to 52cm inside leg). She [i]could[/i] go to a Beinn 20 Small (47cm to 58cm) but no rush yet.

Plenty left on the seatpost. We actually run the saddle a bit low so she can easily reach the ground while seated (slowly creeping it up as she gets more confidence).

The Frog link says 52cm for a 20'' – they are 48.5cm so the 20'' is *WAY* too big.

Its fairly obvious that you think a 20" wheel will be too big, without seeing your girls sitting on the bikes you are buying no one can say for sure if you're right.
Personally I think its a waste of money buying new 16" wheel bikes that will be outgrown by next year, I would either look for a smaller 20", every manufacturer sizes their bikes slightly differently, or get good used 16" for this summer then new bikes once they've grown an inch.
I've refused to give bikes as birthday or Xmas presents because of the chance of being between sizes, the girls get new bikes when they grow out of their old ones.
If you're anywhere near Leicester you're welcome to come and try our 16 and 20 bikes for size with no pressure of a shop telling you the one in stock is the right size 🙂 (I spent 15 years selling bikes, and often told parents to wait a few months rather than make a sale on the day)

I agree with MikeG. And am also, coincidentally, in Leicester. 🙂

What are they currently riding and are you going to gain anything moving up to 16"?

We had both 14 and 16 because needed to move youngest onto pedals. The 16 only lasted the eldest 9 months but bumped the other onto it a bit early as we had it and it was better for him.

Frog 20" was more about the age range than leg range agreement with Isla.

Frogs also available in plenty of shops.

Personally I think its a waste of money buying new 16" wheel bikes that will be outgrown by next year

That I agree with, but the OP has his reasons for wanting to buy new.

They are riding 12'' ones at the moment (still on stabilizers) but I wouldn't say they are too big for them yet, but the bikes are just heavy and unwieldy.

I've measured him.
420mm ish inside leg and 1030mm ish tall.

He is frankly too small for the 20" but can get on it and ride it but generally falls off getting off it. Still I'll be ordering a one next week as it'll get use from now through 2-3 years + can and still will use the 16". According to the Isla chart he's just big enough for the 16" which he's been riding for 8 months with no issue.

I'll pin the elder when she gets back.

16" would be a vast improvement on a 12" but I still think you'd be wasting your money as you will get next to nothing back on a £100 bike and be left needing to spend more next year on a 20".

Can you push them on riding without stabilisers as that's going to be a big sticking point whatever new bike you get assuming your not going to have stabilisers?

The other one is about 520mm inside leg and seat is up a reasonable amount.
Hopefully it'll last this year and next then onto 24" MTB/road bike.

Well it's done - I ended up buying two of the Raleigh Starz bikes with 18'' wheels.

Looking forward to getting them riding them next weekend 🙂

Cool! Looking forward to a suitably proud dad post when you get them riding.

A new bike is a good opportunity to start them stabiliser-free. There is some good advice about getting them away from stabilisers here.

http://www.sustrans.org.uk/change-your-travel/children-and-families/cycling-kids/lose-stabilisers
http://www.ctc.org.uk/guide/teach-child-ride-bike

Worth looking out for local Sustrans "No Stabiliser" sessions too. They are free and have Bikeability instructors on hand in a safe car-free environment to help teach kids to ride. Worked really well for a mate of mine who was struggling to get his kid to ride without stabilisers.

Those links are great thanks - some good tips there that I hadn't considered 🙂

Goodo.

Youngest wouldn't listen to me about setting off on his own.
2 sessions at the local road circuit with club coaches on a youth session and he did it no problem. 2nd time I'd failed to tell the coach he couldn't so he just had to get on with it :0)

Right - girls now have bikes and are very happy.

But I am so relieved I didn't listen to anyone on here and get the 20'' ones - they can[b] only just[/b] touch the ground in tip-toes with the 18'' wheels – I need to cut an inch off the seat post (it won't go fully in due to it hitting something internally) and flip over the seat brackets to get the seat as low as possible as it is.

But I have to say I am very impressed with them - lighter than their old bikes, well-made, very good brakes. Great value for money 🙂

Excellent.

Of course most of us suggested trying to get them onto a bike rather than buying blind due to your concerns.

The more expensive end of the spectrum, Isla, which I appreciate was more than you wanted to spend would have accommodated their leg length. No idea on the cheaper end as the info from those manufactures is not really available online.

Which reminds me I need to order one Ta.

Great stuff. Glad the girls aren't stomping around demanding "Islabikes!!" 🙂

Great stuff. Glad the girls aren't stomping around demanding "Islabikes!!"

I think you'll find that's the parents.

/ahem/
/shuffles feet/