Bike for 6 year old - Halfords stuff any good?

cullenswood

Hi,

Getting a bike for our six year old, a 20inch Wheel size. Went down to the local store and they had a Free Spirit for €179. Thought it looked decent value.

Then took a look on Halfords and say they had these:

Trax for €101 or an Apollo for €153.

Are the Trax bikes any good. He will just be using it for cycling around, and over and back to school. No "intense mountain" biking of any sorts!

Just wondering if the €101 would be false ecomony for the next few years?

Thanks

aFlabbyPanda

I get all the kids stuff from Halfords. At the rate they outgrow them I won't spend any decent money until they are close to late teens.

lismuse

Hi there,
Do you really want to buy a bike that weighs 14kg for a six year old. Thats > 4kg heavier than an adult racing bike !
Do you really need a suspension on the bike , it just adds weight.
Take a look at Frog bikes, they are a UK company that have some distributors here so you can see the bikes in the shop or you can order online.
I bought a Frog 55 last year for my then 6 yr old , a bit bigger than he needed but he should get another 2yrs from it. It weighs less than 9kg and he loves it .
He has done 20km + spins on it no bother.
More expensive than the ones you are looking at but well worth it in the long run.

cullenswood

lismuse wrote: »

Hi there,
Do you really want to buy a bike that weighs 14kg for a six year old. Thats > 4kg heavier than an adult racing bike !
Do you really need a suspension on the bike , it just adds weight.
Take a look at Frog bikes, they are a UK company that have some distributors here so you can see the bikes in the shop or you can order online.
I bought a Frog 55 last year for my then 6 yr old , a bit bigger than he needed but he should get another 2yrs from it. It weighs less than 9kg and he loves it .
He has done 20km + spins on it no bother.
More expensive than the ones you are looking at but well worth it in the long run.

Thanks for that, probably a bit more expensive than I was looking at alright, and in reality he is not going to get years and years out of it.

route66

cullenswood wrote: »

Hi,

Getting a bike for our six year old, a 20inch Wheel size. Went down to the local store and they had a Free Spirit for €179. Thought it looked decent value.

Then took a look on Halfords and say they had these:

Trax for €101 or an Apollo for €153.

Are the Trax bikes any good. He will just be using it for cycling around, and over and back to school. No "intense mountain" biking of any sorts!

Just wondering if the €101 would be false ecomony for the next few years?

Thanks

I wouldn't touch the Trax - nasty things. I don't like the look, price or layout of the Freespirit either. The Apollo you linked to has a full suspension and as well as being totally unnecessary, it will add the the weight and complexity of the bike. If you want to buy in Halfords, save yourself €25 and get this one instead.

These Apollo bikes are heavy, too heavy really for kids: 14 Kilos is the same as full-size adult hybrid bike and about 6 kilos heavier than the yoke I purchased for myself earlier in the year. The problem with getting a bike for this age group is that they will grow too fast to get decent use of it. If you do buy one of these, just remember to keep saying "Strong" when they complain about the weight!

Islabikes in the UK do lighter bikes for kids. This one (link) would be ideal for your requirements but it's more than double the price of the most expensive bike you listed. Probably only justified if you can pass it on after the initial use.

Ryath

lismuse wrote: »

Hi there,
Do you really want to buy a bike that weighs 14kg for a six year old. Thats > 4kg heavier than an adult racing bike !
Do you really need a suspension on the bike , it just adds weight.
Take a look at Frog bikes, they are a UK company that have some distributors here so you can see the bikes in the shop or you can order online.
I bought a Frog 55 last year for my then 6 yr old , a bit bigger than he needed but he should get another 2yrs from it. It weighs less than 9kg and he loves it .
He has done 20km + spins on it no bother.
More expensive than the ones you are looking at but well worth it in the long run.

Thank's hadn't heard of them was going to suggest Dawe's got a 14 inch for my daughter it's definitely a step up from the like of halfords and even some of the other cheap kid's bike even good bike shops stock. Got the lbs shop to order it and worked out pretty reasonable was only marginally dearer than the bikes they stocked.

This does't look to bad heavier than the frog but I'd still say a kilo or two lighter than a halfords special.
http://dawescycles.com/product/20-lightning-boys/

My own daughter has just turned 6 and has outgrown her 14 inch wheel dawes. I'll be giving serious thought to the frog similar weight to the ilsa bikes but a nice bit cheaper. Daughter likes the polka dots as well:) Pity there's not more single speed 20" wheeled bikes the gears are a bit unnecessary at the moment

codie

They are very expensive but Islabikes are in my books worth it.They are so light and well built .I took the plunge for the young lad was pretty slow because of cost .Looked at all the Halfords and Lbs but the weight of the bikes were unreal.Couldn't see how he could enjoy cycling something so heavy. We got the Beinn 20 large will do him approx 3 years and we can pass it down to the next child.They also make a pretty decent price second hand.The young lad loves it and loves going cycling, hills are no problem for him.

mcgratheoin

http://dutchbikeshop.ie/18-inch-black-cruiser/

You could also probably sell this on when he grows out of it. Avoid suspension like the plague - at that price point it's like sticking a spoiler on a Nissan Micra - it might look sporty to you, but all it does is slow the car down and make it burn more petrol.

Boom_Bap

I got this Apollo from Halfords for my 5 year old (who is quite tall for his age):

http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_875387_langId_-1_categoryId_212442

No complaints at all, he's bombing around on it.

sbs2010

Went into Joe Daly's yesterday to check out the Frogs.

They're expensive - relatively speaking - but look the business. Will bring the little fella in to get sized up next week.

If the sizing works out then it might last him 3 years. That's €100 per year and maybe some resale value at the end.

How many 3k bikes are going to last 30 years?

lismuse

Good stuff you wont regret it. As regards resale value , if its minded you should get 50% back in 3 yrs. You will find that as the brand becomes known there will be a steady demand for second hand ones and of course you can also trade in against your next one.
Just a heads up on the current spec.......... The newer models have some important changes from the first generation bikes.
Check that the bike you are getting has ;
a narrower bottom bracket 110mm instead of 120mm,
shorter cranks, 127mm instead of 140mm ?
shorter stem 60mm instead of 80mm,
480mm handle bars instead of 550mm.
The bike I bought last year was the older spec and when I emailed Frog to suggest these changes they advised that they had already changed these items and offered the new parts to me free of charge !
Hope your young guy enjoys his new bike !

Iwannahurl

Boom_Bap wrote: »

I got this Apollo from Halfords for my 5 year old (who is quite tall for his age):

http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_875387_langId_-1_categoryId_212442

No complaints at all, he's bombing around on it.

Fair play to him. He's obviously strong as well as tall!

13 kg for a child's bike is ridiculously heavy, imo.

paulgs

cullenswoodg wrote: »

Hi,

Getting a bike for our six year old, a 20inch Wheel size. Went down to the local store and they had a Free Spirit for €179. Thought it looked decent value.

Then took a look on Halfords and say they had these:

Trax for €101 or an Apollo for €153.

Are the Trax bikes any good. He will just be using it for cycling around, and over and back to school. No "intense mountain" biking of any sorts!

Just wondering if the €101 would be false ecomony for the next few years?

Thanks

Halfords kids bikes are heavy with mild steel frames, I bought a Cuda mayhem for my daughter it is not a premium brand but has an aluminium frame so is nice and light for her.

beauf

Cuda bikes are another alternative for a cheaper aluminium bike for kids. Weight is one issue with a cheap bike. repairs and maintenance of cheap low quality parts may also be an issue. But sometimes you don't have any issues with a cheap bike, if so happy days.

cullenswood

Saw this one today in Smyths, and the guy says it is pretty hi spec, alloy frame, Shimano Revoshifter RS35 gears, no heavy rear suspension, 11.5 kg. It is stretching the budget a bit €199, but I'd love your opinion as to whether it would be money better spent than the Apollo one?

Thanks guys

paulgs

cullenswood wrote: »

Saw this one today in Smyths, and the guy says it is pretty hi spec, alloy frame, Shimano Revoshifter RS35 gears, no heavy rear suspension, 11.5 kg. It is stretching the budget a bit €199, but I'd love your opinion as to whether it would be money better spent than the Apollo one?

Thanks guys

Don't know where you live but a LBS should be able to sort you out with something for that kind of money which would at least be built up by someone competent to do so, the bike itself looks grand you might find the service lacking other wise in Smyths. Hollingsworths on the Kilmacud road near Stillorgan is a good place to start.

doozerie

I can also recommend Islabikes. We bought a CNOC 16 for our 4yr old daughter a few months ago and the company were excellent to deal with. They dealt with our request (swap the brakes, put mudguards on, etc.) with absolutely no fuss at all and having submitted the order the bike arrived 3 days later with the requested adjustments applied. The quality of the bike is great too.

Their prices are certainly higher than most of the alternatives in kids bikes, and that's more than many people are willing to pay, but we've had no regrets at all. It can be a struggle getting our daughter to use a bike and we didn't want to make that struggle even greater by getting a bike whose weight and design put her off from the start. She took to the CNOC 16 very well, it wasn't a struggle to reach and use the brakes levers, the weight was not a huge leap up from her balance bike, it looks quite like her parents bikes which adds another element of appeal, etc. It's still a challenge to get her to use it at times, but less of a challenge than it might have been (4yr old + stubbornness = immoveable object!) and some days as a parent you can't put a value on such help

Islabikes hold their value well too, if the second hand prices I've seen online are anything to go by. I expect we'll be buying from Islabikes again when our daughter is older.

Iwannahurl

cullenswood wrote: »

Saw this one today in Smyths, and the guy says it is pretty hi spec, alloy frame, Shimano Revoshifter RS35 gears, no heavy rear suspension, 11.5 kg. It is stretching the budget a bit €199, but I'd love your opinion as to whether it would be money better spent than the Apollo one?

Thanks guys

Weight is a very important consideration, imo. Likewise operability of important features such as brakes.

11.5 kg is excessively heavy for a child's bike. Would you use a bike that was half your own bodyweight? Would you feel confident on a bike with stiff brakes that you weren't strong enough to use when you needed them?

caol ila

codie wrote: »

They are very expensive but Islabikes are in my books worth it.They are so light and well built .I took the plunge for the young lad was pretty slow because of cost .Looked at all the Halfords and Lbs but the weight of the bikes were unreal.Couldn't see how he could enjoy cycling something so heavy. We got the Beinn 20 large will do him approx 3 years and we can pass it down to the next child.They also make a pretty decent price second hand.The young lad loves it and loves going cycling, hills are no problem for him.

Pretty much the same for my 6 yr old daughter, got the Isla bikes Beinn at Xmas she is loving cycling to and from school and the hills are a breeze. Terrific bikes and excellent resale in few years time

omri

Read very good review of this bike:

http://earlyrider.com/products/belter-16

Scartbeg

Check out the Carrera kida bikes 16 and 20 inch from Halfords. We have both and our 7 year old has done 10 mile trips and downhill blasts on them. Still in good nick for use by our 4 y.o.

Supposedly alu frame so lighter than their Apollo, could weigh it and let you know exactly.

Looking at Islabikes or Scott for his next bike as he should get 4 or 5 years out of it.

papac

Big +1 for Islabikes.

Night and day difference from heavy crap big-store bikes.

If resale value is taken into account they probable work out not much more expensive.(We've sold two of ours over the years and got two thirds of the initial cost back).

A kid is much more likely to use them regularly also and thats worth every penny of extra cost imo.

I do appreciate that the initial cost may be prihibitive for some people though.

beauf

Fitzcycles do the cuda range which is a cheap alternative also aluminium and lighter than steel bikes.

Steels isn't the only problem with cheaper bikes all the other bits are cheaper and wont take much abuse either.

Scartbeg

Just an update - weighed the Halford's Carrera mountain bikes

16 inch - 8.9kg
20 inch - 10.9kg

Only additions to the standard setup are mudguards and bottle holders.


For comparison, the Islabike
16 inch - 6.1kg £200
20 inch - 7.9kg, £300

beauf

Are you confusing the adult MTB frame sizes with the kids wheel sizes?

I'm not sure, but I don't think Halfords do Carrera Kids MTB.

jayjbe

Highly recommend Isla Bikes. On the expensive side, but they'll hold value so can sell on. A guy had one for sale here a while back. Was a couple years old but looked new.

Great quality bike and customer service.

Scartbeg

beauf wrote: »

Are you confusing the adult MTB frame sizes with the kids wheel sizes?

I'm not sure, but I don't think Halfords do Carrera Kids MTB.

No, have 2 of them in my garage.
Check out Halfords website.
Apollo range is steel frame, Carrera is lighter alloy frame.

beauf

Wasn't displaying for me. Can find a Carrera 20" but not a 16", can you link to the 16"?
Also where are you getting the weights from can you link to that also?

Found some dicussion over here too
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/kids-20-bikes-whats-good-cube-islabikes


16 inch - 8.9kg
20 inch - 10.9kg, €212


For comparison, the Islabike
16 inch - 6.1kg €240
20 inch - 7.9kg, €360

Lumen

beauf wrote: »

For comparison, the Islabike
16 inch - 6.1kg €240
20 inch - 7.9kg, €360

I don't believe those weights. I weighed our Islabikes at:

CNOC 16, 7.85kg
CNOC 14, 7.36kg
Beinn 20 Small, 8.9kg

All with standard pedals and cross tyres.

The lightest bike in our house is a Haro Micro Mini @ 6.79kg (probably around 6.6kg with the weightweenie pedals I fitted after purchase).

Stephen_C

I'd buy a BMX of some sort if I were you. I bought one second hand with my communion money when I was about 7 still have it and use it from time to time in my thirties. If you get a good one they'll never out grow it. Also very little that can go wrong on them. Good value ones on Chain reaction at the moment.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/bmx-bikes?f=2263&sort=pricelow

jayjbe

Lumen wrote: »

I don't believe those weights. I weighed our Islabikes at:

CNOC 16, 7.85kg
CNOC 14, 7.36kg
Beinn 20 Small, 8.9kg

All with standard pedals and cross tyres.

The lightest bike in our house is a Haro Micro Mini @ 6.79kg (probably around 6.6kg with the weightweenie pedals I fitted after purchase).

I'm just after weighing Isla Cnoc 16. Comes in at 6.1kg with mudguards.

beauf

While its obviously nice to have a lighter bike, for lifting into the car/rack, going on tall grass, hills etc. Is it really that much of an issue with kids who are going to spend almost all their time riding round an estate. I don't think so. If you are planning big trips or trails then it makes sense to buy a better/lighter bike. If you are looking at bigger trips, and different terrain, then gears become a factor. Our 5yr did a 14k cycle with us last year on his 14". The main issue was a lack of gearing for hills and simply speed, it was too low geared. If he'd had gears he'd found it much easier to stay with the bigger bikes.

Lumen

jayjbe wrote: »

I'm just after weighing Isla Cnoc 16. Comes in at 6.1kg with mudguards.

Much as I recognise that it's laughably idiotic having a bunch of parents weighing their kids bikes on several sets of scales, I'm going to do precisely that when I get home. :pac:

beauf

I weighed the steel kids 16" we have a year or two back. It was 12kg to my adult sized 14kg steel mtb. I knew it was heavy but not that heavy. The cuda bike is significantly lighter.

doozerie

beauf wrote:

While its obviously nice to have a lighter bike, for lifting into the car/rack, going on tall grass, hills etc. Is it really that much of an issue with kids who are going to spend almost all their time riding round an estate.

I think it depends. In our case it was/is a very real issue. Our daughter forms opinions quickly and once formed they are hard to change. When she first tried out a balance bike in a store, it was heavier than she anticipated and she fell over with it. It put her off balance bikes for ages so even the much lighter one we ended up buying for her sat unused for a long time until she eventually grew to really like it.

When it came to the jump up to a bike with pedals we wanted to make the transition as smooth as possible, and a very heavy bike would not have helped. But it’s about more than just the weight though. The relatively low weight of bikes from Islabikes is just one factor in their suitability for kids. The design of the brakes in particular really takes kids into consideration, they don’t just throw on generic brake levers that might not suit smaller hands, they source ones that can easily be used by small hands. Their bikes are simply well designed for kids, unlike some of the small bicycle-shaped-objects that some brands target at kids, and good design is worth paying for where possible in my opinion.

beauf

You make good points. Brakes and reach are certainly an issue on some bikes. Also if a kid is marginal it could make it harder.

Scartbeg

beauf wrote: »

Wasn't displaying for me. Can find a Carrera 20" but not a 16", can you link to the 16"?
Also where are you getting the weights from can you link to that also?

QUOTE]

Seems they are not selling the 16" any more.
Weights of the Carrera - I measured myself.

Weights of the Islabikes - as stated on their website.

Lumen

I've found that gears are somewhat useful for smaller children in case of a headwind or gentle drag, but when kids bonk the only thing that works aside from a food stop is the "daddy engine", i.e. cycling alongside with one hand on the shoulder, pushing them along, or attaching a bungee in a pipe.

For the hills it doesn't really matter how many gears they have (and the Islabikes have avery wide range), they won't go up them.

midonogh

Lumen wrote: »

I've found that gears are somewhat useful for smaller children in case of a headwind or gentle drag, but when kids bonk the only thing that works aside from a food stop is the "daddy engine", i.e. cycling alongside with one hand on the shoulder, pushing them along, or attaching a bungee in a pipe.

For the hills it doesn't really matter how many gears they have (and the Islabikes have avery wide range), they won't go up them.

My 8 year old daughter cycled up Ardgillan Hill yesterday on her Islabike Benin without stopping. Not sure how relevant that is to the thread, but I was mighty proud.

We have had a few Islabikes in our house and would be loathe to buy anything else. Also had a Cuda blox at a stage. Its streets ahead of the usual childrens bikes, but certainly not an Islabike

JC 3.14159

jayjbe wrote: »

I'm just after weighing Isla Cnoc 16. Comes in at 6.1kg with mudguards.

Islabikes improved (lightened) their range a year or two ago. May not be comparing like with like here.
The new Cnoc 16 weighs less than the old Cnoc 14, if I remember correctly.

Ryath

Posted about it in another thread about it but though I'd update here as well My 6 year old daughter had finally got of stabilisers so it was time to get the Frog bike. A few more shops were listed as stockists recently closer to me. Rang Race Right Cycles in Portlaoise he had just got them in and had the 52 and 55 in stock I wanted to try for size. Drove over and she tried out the 52. She was actually just about big enough for it. Owner was very good moved the saddle forward as she was bit stretched out and let her spend a good bit of time trying it out side. First few go's weren't great but she's always nervous trying something new. Was soon powering along under own steam. Was going to get the spotty one ordered in but she liked the red and didn't want to wait.

Very pleased with the bike 8.8kg as billed. €290 Quality is very good it's definitely a step up from even some of the brand name kids bike's like giant or cube that are similarly priced and is 1-2kg lighter. Nearly every bit on the frog is branded kit. Brakes are light and easy to use even my daughter can use them with two fingers. Definitely worth the extra money over most of the BSO's. I looked at one's for €200 that weighed 13kg+ with cheap brakes and parts. It should last much better and even after 3-4 years if looked after will be still worth something.

bambergbike

If you think a bike won't get much use and buy a cheap one, it won't get much use and you'll have been absolutely bang on the money with your prediction - it's a classic self-fulfilling prophecy. I had an adult friend who used her bike maybe four times in ten years, then tried mine, liked it, got one like it and ended up going out regularly all summer.

On a tight budget I would go secondhand rather than to a big-box store. The amount of thought you put into a bike purchase can sometimes be as important as what you spend. (I think the friend referenced above actually ended up with a bike that was just as old and just as heavy as what she was replacing - she basically just replaced one clunker with another - but the sportier geometry of the replacement suits her infinitely better than the boring sit-up-and beg, step-through geometry she had previously.

Is this a first, second, third bike? Are we talking about a kid who is already bombing round the estate on a little bike, or about a learner? If it's not a first bike, how did the child get on with the earlier bikes? And if it is a first bike, what went before in the story - balance bike, scooter, tricycle?