My son is now 14 and started playing the drums at about 8 years old. His first kit was a 5 piece mapex kit, used from gumtree I think. Cost about £150, including some (not so good) cymbals. Make sure you get what is known as a fusion kit, as the toms will be smaller so easier to use when they are small. We put some new heads on it after a while, and it sounded pretty good.

I love hearing him play, and he sounded pretty good pretty soon! But it is loud. Luckily they have a short attention span when small so don’t play for too long. Make sure to get some decent ear plugs for them to protect their hearing.

Encourage them to take grade exams, my son loves the sense of achievement and the higher grades get UCAS points for uni. My son is now doing grade 7 ( goes up to 8).

I also sometimes have a go myself and love it! My son now has bigger drum kit, a rock kit, 7 piece with quite a few (expensive) cymbals.

Go on, get one! And no, please not an electric one, just not right. And if it comes with some of those silencing pads, bin them too ;0).

Simone

Bobgarrod wins ! (Kind of)

I am Dutch

Simone

Nope! Not German….

Simone

Paprika! Second most popular flavour in my homeland, hard to find here.

Simone

That’s I thought, thanks!

Any other ideas?

Simone

8-16 August to morzine with the husband and Kids. This will be the 4 th year in a row taking the kids. Youngest was 8 first time around on a kona stinky 24, bless!

Found a really nice apartment, and we are starting to know our way around now (we also do pds in winter). Kids don’t like pedalling, and we have a terrible sense of direction, morzine and PDS are perfect!

There is also a great bakery in morzine…and the crepe lady…and lifeguards in tiny swimming trunks.

What’s not to like :0)

There is me thinking the quickest way to stop a car is to run into something big and solid…….

Physics is obviously not my strong point…

Picked up the kona 24 frame used on pinkbike. They do come up on eBay and pinkbike sometimes.

Norco was bought as a complete bike used for about £350, then everything but the frame was changed.

There is a commencal 24″ and a spesh grom hit on pinkbike at the moment……

Simone

And this…..

The kona was lighter and you could actually pedal it ok, the norco was a bit of a beast, but great in morzine.

Simone

Built this……

Why??

Gym, start with classes and a couple of times a week and build it up. I have been told that as you get older you loose muscle…..use them or lose them! Less muscle, more wobbly bits.

Not sure how old your wife is, but one of the fittest ladies at my gym (looks like one of those athletes on TV) is well in her 40’s. She comes with her youngest daughter who is 23.

One of the fittest looking men is a grandad!

Spinning is good.

Simone

But what he would really want it one of these…. (Youngest sons Alps bike, knolly endorphin)

Or one of these…(oldest sons Alps bike, scott voltage fr)

Both over your budget I seem to remember though, but again both built from frame only secondhand purchase.

Try it!

This is the 15″ (I think old ladies frame with shorter top tube) rockhopper when first built few years ago.

Came in under your budget.

Build one? My boys are now 12 and 14, and on 26″ wheels (which my youngest has been riding since age 9) we have so far built:

12.5″ rockhopper
15″ rockhopper
14″ on one scandal
15.5″ cove handjob
15.5″ cove stiffee
16″ ragley mmmmbob

The stiffee is now my 14 year olds (getting small) and used to be mine. The handjob is my 12 year olds. Both boys like the rockhoppers and coves. Didn’t like the on one as the top tube is long. Ragley was not popular either, oldest choose to have my old stiffee instead.

Especially the little rockhoppers turned out really light and cheap. Get some old roval wheels and light air forks.

I now ride a 650b bird zero, and both my sons love it. Youngest is about the same height as your son and liked it. Again, it seems short.

My boys will be riding 26″ for a while to come, as dad will pass on his 16.5″ stanton frame next, gives us an excuse to upgrade. Kids also like building the bikes and choosing bits.

Simone

Isn’t the communal stairwell a fire escape? Surely you should not store a bike there?

Sorry sister narrowly escaped a house fire a few years ago….

I’d say move your bike.

Simone

@stumpy01

What car is that?

Simone

Love my bird, go and try one.

Simone

Casco, had one for my lad when he was small. Best small helmet I’ve seen, but expensive.

They only get one head…

…..oh it also has no rust (apart from a 5p sized bit at the top of the bonnet, been there since we got it).

Simone

We love our old zafira…..Had ours for 6 years and counting (paid £3600), 04 reg, owned from 69000, now on 155000 miles. Love ours, best car in the world. Don’t get a newer (05 ish onwards) as I have been told they are pants.

Brother in law ownes a garage and says it’ll keep going till 200000 at least if I don’t crash it! Aiming to beat my dads old toyota avensis’s 450000 km (when my sister crashed it).

But…. Between 100000 and 130000 miles we did have quite a few bits done to it, DMF/clutch, sensors, DPF etc. Not too bad as we only pay trade price for the parts and no labour. Been good lately, managed 2 years with just service and MOT. Parts are cheap as well.

So I’d say the diesel may give trouble, but check the service history. Maybe all these bits have recently been done and you’ll be good for years!

Perhaps an old Astra estate, same as Zafira I believe…

My car is now probably only worth about £1000, maybe a bit more.

It has got leather and heated seats (5 settings!) too. Don’t visit Asda though, you’ll never find YOUR old zafira in their car park.

Simone

Mmmm, I’d get a old zafira

Found it!

I think that’s how he had the saddle when he first got it at 9, but he is quite tall. Forks are rockshox dukes. Great forks, light and we paid £50. Great light bike.

Get a small spesh rockhopper frame (26″ wheels).? My son had one (now age 11 and on a small 15.5″ cove), from age 9. I think it was a 12″ or 12.5″ frame…. There are some about, ours was about £40 from ebay. Much smaller (and more comfy according to my boys) than the 14″ on one scandal we also had.

Will try and dig out a picture….

Simone

Did he even inform the dvla? Don’t you have to do that yourself if advised not to drive by the doctor?

Great you are trying to sort this, haven’t really got any suggestions for you.

Although wouldn’t you just put the last address on the form? Probably just to identify him.

Simine

Got some youth 661 knee pads that are youth size for my boy, seem comfy and decent quality. Elbow pads are IXS adult xs, and they are great. My youngest is 11. Used mainly during our Alps trips, my boys were happy wearing them all day.

My oldest is now 14 and has new bigger adult elbow pads now, so I have a xs adult IXS pair spare if interested.

Email in profile.

Simone

Would that be half term? And how old is your daughter?

Simone

Checked my real (maiden) name, just comes up with a picture of my cousin:

Nothing of me, which is reassuring.

Obviously I got the looks of the family 😉

Simone

Get it checked, but in general it’s best to try and keep babies/kids in the lower stage car seat as long as possible as it’s safer. Also make sure the straps are tight. Don’t change a seat until it is actually outgrown.

For your seat that would be weight and for the height, eyes level with the top of the seat, or straps going down behind the shoulders. Sounds like it may be too small (is she quite tall/thin?), however your daughter is too light for the next stage (min weight 15kg for that). I’d say get it checked by a reputable store for advice (or if you are lucky the road safety unit at the local council may be a able to check it and give impartial advice, Norfolk does for free).

At the other end of the scale, my nephew used his infant seat till he was nearly 2, still fitted him. He is now in a rearward facing for longer seat, hopefully till he is about 4.

Everyone with little ‘uns:

Rearward for longer link

Get it sorted, you only get one chance to get it right.

(Luckily I did get it right, saved both my boys lives. Having to look over my shoulders to check if my kids were still alive is something I am hoping I will never have to do again. Head on crash with a vehicle travelling between 60-80 in a 30 zone, other driver died at the scene. Few hundred metres from our house….. Wrong place, wrong time is all it takes sometimes)

I suppose I have a slightly different view on this matter.

I am Dutch and have lived in the uk since 1997. I initially moved here to be with a now ex-boyfriend I met whilst on holiday in the uk (music festival, and he had lost his tent). To cut a long story short, ended up marrying my English driving instructor in 2000 and now have 2 sons age 13 and 11.

When I initially came here, there were 2 choices, for me to move to England or my ex to move to the Netherlands. Most important reason for us going for option 1?

…… The obvious one: I could speak English and he could not speak Dutch! Simple…..

I think that may be what makes the uk appealing, and it is something that is somehow never mentioned. A lot of people in Europe (and the rest of the world) speak English, now I am not an expert in history, but I’d say that has something to do with England’s past actions……

We all would prefer to live somewhere where we can at least speak the language.

Simone

Swatch?

I am sure girly pull ups count twice….. 😉

First time anyone ever called me light…..

Glad to hear that at least I can start royal marine commando training.

At the moment I can do 6 proper ones (slowly and all the way down, not like most of the blokes at the gym do them, cheating buggers!)

Used to be able to do 10 (about 10 years ago), but I have had surgery since which does probably affect things a little.

Trying to get back to 10 though….

Btw, 37 and a girl, 58kg/ just over 9 st.

Simone

Spesh rockhopper…

you see I only respect people with a trade as they are men all the others are just boys and adults

Make sure to mention this to the paramedics, firemen and policemen who will attend the crash you will (quite likely) cause some time soon after passing your test…..

First the licence. How many lessons will depend on your current standard, any bad habits, how fast you learn and how good your instructor is. I would aim to learn to dive to a reasonable/safe standard, not just learn to pass the test.

Find yourself a good instructor and book a 2 hour session with him/her. That should give them some idea of the above and they should then be able to advise on how many lessons they think you’ll need.

As for the insurance, you have not mentioned your age (unless I missed that), which will be relevant. The fact that you picked a car that is modified and designed to go fast is something insurance companies don’t like, especially as you are a young and inexperienced driver. To be honest, it’s something your fellow drivers won’t like either! Sadly young, inexperienced drivers (especially males) are the ones most likely to crash and couse others serious injuries or worse. That’s why your insurance will be very expensive……

Why get a car to drive fast if you can’t go over the speed limit anyway? Do you take it on track days? Maybe I just don’t get it (but then I do drive the worlds un coolest, but most usefull and cheap car, an old Vauxhall zafira).

Can’t comment on your use of the English language as I am Dutch, so what do I know….

That one was on pinkbike too, great bikes! We had the slightly older version, bought as a complete bike, but changed everything on it apart from frame and shock. Used it for quite a few holidays in morzine for my son, really nice bike. If you build it up well you should not loose money, we sold ours for £575 complete in the end.

I remember getting a softer spring for the shock (used from pinkbike), and needing a deeper bottom cup on the headset to stop the forks clipping the top tube when turning the bars (yours is newer and may be different).

We first had qr wheels and forks, but when using large rotors (so small hands managed to brake in the alps) the wheel came loose.

Few pics here of final build:

Email in profile if you want more info.

Did you buy the lovely norco b line 24 frame on pinkbike? My kids have now outgrown this size, but we used to own a b line 24.

If it is that one, go for 20mm front forks and not qr. Try pinkbike for wheels, 24″ is dj size. Try and keep weight down if you can, so you may have to have some built. Sun singletrack rims used go come in 24″ and were not crazy heavy. Seen other rim options on crc not long ago too. Getting hold of decent dh/bigger volume tyres that are not crazy weight won’t be easy either.

The norco never came with 24″ wheeled forks, we just used a 140 travel 26″ fork, seemed spot on. Older pike air may be a good option.

Good luck!

Simone

My son is a drummer, and one of the Saudi students that used to live with us came to visit and gave my son a darabuka.

Great sounds, but looks quite hard to master.

Simone