Is this bike any good?

angeldaisy

Looking at getting my 8yr old boy a bike for christmas, the one we've been recommended is an Imagine Kinetic. I think its an 18" frame with a 26" wheel, aluminium frame with suspension.

Would this be a good bike for him? Mainly will be used locally on country roads, but want a bike that will grow with him and his needs.

He's approx 4ft7 and very lanky!

Any help or suggestions gratefully received, budget around the 200 mark

Darkglasses

I can't find any information online about the bike, wouldn't be a known brand. When you're buying on a low budget, just try to get one with as few bells and whistles as possible. Avoid suspension, especially rear suspension.

iverjohnston

The weight of kids bikes is incredible, went looking for one for our 7 year old, and they were heavier than my Specialized Sirrus. All form over function, big tubes with more room for stickers etc.

angeldaisy

Darkglasses wrote: »

I can't find any information online about the bike, wouldn't be a known brand. When you're buying on a low budget, just try to get one with as few bells and whistles as possible. Avoid suspension, especially rear suspension.

is there a particular reason why suspension should be avoided?

Can anyone recommend a better brand?

angeldaisy

iverjohnston wrote: »

The weight of kids bikes is incredible, went looking for one for our 7 year old, and they were heavier than my Specialized Sirrus. All form over function, big tubes with more room for stickers etc.

That's what annoyed me!! That's why I looked at the aluminium frame?

What bike did you go for??

Darkglasses

Have a read of this thread and other ones about buying cheap bikes, you can find them with the search function.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=86720321

iverjohnston

hi, what kind of money do you hope to spend? Your lad is tall for his age, and I won't get any smaller. I saw a nice looking Claude Butler in the bike shop in Longford last year , it looked to be in a smaller size than adUlts bike. About €550 I think. I would suggest a ladies bike, as modern road bikes look like mens models, but you know how cruel kids can be if some of then are clued in to models etc. Is these a bike club near you, I an sure members would be happy to help.

Dermot Illogical

Darkglasses wrote: »

I can't find any information online about the bike, wouldn't be a known brand.

Here ya go.
http://www.bikez.ie/product412_Imagine-K2.html

angeldaisy

I don't want to spend too much, simply because of the rate he is going.

Anyone have an idea of what height a 26" wheel and 18" frame would go up to?

I have no idea of brands when it comes to bikes and wouldn't have a clue of the best 'cheaper' quality brands to go for.

If I knew it was going to last him 5+ years I could poss stretch to 300 euro but would be struggling to go much higher than that.

Am I right in thinking that going to a 26" wheel, rules out kids bikes?

iverjohnston

angeldaisy wrote: »

That's what annoyed me!! That's why I looked at the aluminium frame?

What bike did you go for??

Got a pink one in the Vincent de Paul! In my opinion the problem is that children's bikes are invariably sold in toy shops, not bike shops. All the ones I looked at in toy shops and Halfords were pure junk. and expensive junk at that.
The one I picked up was as anew, but it would test me to ride it, its so heavy. She thinks its great, so that Will do the job for the time being.
€10.

cdaly_

Have you tried him out on the 18" frame? If he fits it (I suspect it would be something of a stretch), you might consider the Carrera Subway from Halfords. Currently EUR250, no suspension, aluminium frame so not too heavy (it's not as light as a road bike though). That'll last well enough and should have enough growth room for him to add a foot over the years. My sister had one for about two years and has passed it on to my youngest son. It seems like a reasonable bike for the price and they do get good reviews.

Suspension on a cheap bike is a bad thing because:

1. Cheap suspension components won't work very well
2. Suspension saps energy so you have to work harder to cycle
3. Everything else on the bike is necessarily cheaper and of lower quality
4. The only place you need suspension is mountain biking and the cheap suspension won't be able for that sort of use anyway

angeldaisy

cdaly_ wrote: »

Have you tried him out on the 18" frame? If he fits it (I suspect it would be something of a stretch), you might consider the Carrera Subway from Halfords. Currently EUR250, no suspension, aluminium frame so not too heavy (it's not as light as a road bike though). That'll last well enough and should have enough growth room for him to add a foot over the years. My sister had one for about two years and has passed it on to my youngest son. It seems like a reasonable bike for the price and they do get good reviews.

Suspension on a cheap bike is a bad thing because:

1. Cheap suspension components won't work very well
2. Suspension saps energy so you have to work harder to cycle
3. Everything else on the bike is necessarily cheaper and of lower quality
4. The only place you need suspension is mountain biking and the cheap suspension won't be able for that sort of use anyway

Thats great advice thanks. I tried him on an 18" frame yesterday and he can just touch the floor with the balls of his feet. But bearing in mind that he's grown over 1/2" over the summer alone - I figure he'd be okay on it. I tried him on the largest kids bike in the shop and his feet are flat to the floor.

spyderski

Something sounds wrong here. I'm 5'11" and my mountain bike has 26inch wheels and an 18 inch frame.......can't see my 8 year old on it......

Maybe try a proper bike shop & see what size they recommend. No point in buying a bike that's way too big for him - he'll find it difficult to control & be more prone to crashing.

kenmc

spyderski wrote: »

Something sounds wrong here. I'm 5'11" and my mountain bike has 26inch wheels and an 18 inch frame.......can't see my 8 year old on it......

Maybe try a proper bike shop & see what size they recommend. No point in buying a bike that's way too big for him - he'll find it difficult to control & be more prone to crashing.

yeah, I'm on an 18" frame 26" wheels too, 5'9" ish

iverjohnston

In fairness a mountain bike has a considerably smaller frame than a road or hybrid bike for the same size rider .

angeldaisy

Starting to get a bit confused now:o

Think I'm going to go back to the shop and have another chat with them,

In the meantime, can someone tell me what bikes to avoid - might be easier than what bike to go for?

I'm finding it difficult to make an educated guess - because I guess I'm just not educated enough on bikes:rolleyes:

There is so much choice but I can't find anywhere that would give me the basics of what I should look for.

Is this brand any good - Giant?

http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=60369

iverjohnston

I suppose the first thing to clear up, is that he wants a "mountain bike" type bike, as opposed to a "hybrid" or a "road" (also called a "racer") type bike. If he hopes to get into races or john a road club in the future, he will need a "road" bike. The type you see on TV when the Tour de France is on.
If he needs a bike to ride to school or longer juants, I would prefer a "hybrid" type.
If he wants something to either take off road, in forest or wherever, or just for messing about shopping centres etc. then the "mountain" type is what he will need.
The Giant you link to is of the latter type. They are a well known brand, along with perhaps a dozen others.( specialized, Felt, Trek,Boardman, Cannondale, Kona etc) Flick through a few cycling magazines in the news agents to get a feel for the common brands. 99% are made in Taiwan, a country which has ccornered the market for frame building and quality welding. Mountain bikes are considered "cool " by kids at the moment, despite being, in my opinion , pretty impractical in real world terms. When you see a lanky kid riding a bike that looks far too small for him, with his knees up almost hitting his chin, that's a mountain bike.

angeldaisy

iverjohnston wrote: »

When you see a lanky kid riding a bike that looks far too small for him, with his knees up almost hitting his chin, that's a mountain bike.

I guess from seeing this last statement that a mountain bike wouldn't suit him at all. So I guess I'm looking for a hybrid bike for him.

The roads around us are typical country roads, so this is where most of his cycling will be done. Can't imagine he'd be too into going off track.

good job I haven't a limitless budget - I'd need a year to take everything into consideration.

I just want a good bike for him, that isn't going to fall apart after a year and that will last him a few years.

at1withmyself

The 18" frame is definitely too big for him and you should look for a 14 or 15 inch frame, but that could be still be too big. When standing above the cross bar there needs to be some clearance, ideally an inch, between his crotch and the cross bar. So if he's standing on his tippy toes then he could have some difficulty if he needs to suddenly stop.

Giant are a good brand, and maybe a 24" wheel bike might be more suitable. Would you consider buying a second hand 24" wheel bike and then next year as he continues to grow then look into a 26" wheel bike?

If your near the Cycle Super Store or any other reputable shop then pop in and try him on a few different sizes. Best place for advice would really be a shop with a good selection of sizes but be aware of the 'sure he'll grow into it' sales pitch as best to get something that's comfortable.


P.S. the bike in the picture you linked does not match the description, the picture is the 20" wheel model, this one is 24" Wheel:

http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=60367

iverjohnston

And I should mention the reason mountain bikes look ungainly being ridden by youths, is that they are designed to be ridden mainly while standing up, getting all your body weight onto the pedals to power yourself up seriously steep tracks etc.
I know that it is for a present for your son, and we all would like to get them a new item for a gift, but if you could come across a second hand bike that has been minded, your money Will go a lot further. Have you a good local independent bike shop? They may have sold someone a new machine and know of a bike which has been out grown .

iverjohnston

http://www.donedeal.ie/bicycles-for-sale/gaint-hybrid-bike/5453537

something like this for instance? medium frame

angeldaisy

UPDATE:
thanks everyone for your help and advice

I went back into the bike shop yesterday and explained my concerns and he recommended I choose the Hacker Drag bike with a 16" frame. It looks much more suitable for him so fingers crossed!
thanks again cos, without your help I'd have been lost:D