Bike with gears for a 6 year old????

[Donna]

Hi all,

My 6 year old son wants a bike for xmas, he insists on wanting gears like the rest of the family.

Is there such a thing???

He is very small for his age probably needs a 16" wheel possible get onto an 18" wheel bike lol

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Donna

ps ive ony been out on my subway a couple of times, but did 16 mile rides each time, I lurrrrve it

 

[Jonathan M]

There are some "mini" bikes with gears, and your son is at the sort of age where he may or may not use them, but should start to get the hang of them in the near future.

There seems to be two ways to go with kids bikes, invest a decent sum of money for a well made, well specced bike in the knowledge that the youngster may grow out of it in two years or less, or keep it simple & cheaper. I've followed the second option with my son, it'll be a few years yet before i do invest more heavily in a bike for him.

I'm not sure if there is one in your area, but Decathlon usually has a good range of reasonably priced kids bikes in.

 

[fossyant]

He may just get one - my son got a 20" wheel MTB (6 speed) when he was just 7, and he's a shorty.....

 

[Dilbert]

Our little girl has got 6 speed on her new one but it is 20 inch wheels. Googling a bit there doesn't seem to be any below that, although looking at the clearance of the rear deraileur on the 20s I suspect that may be why there are no 18s etc. You may be able to get a 20" with a small frame that would fit him. Something else to check - if its got twist style gear change can he hold it comfortably and reach the brakes - my little lad got a nasty blister on his thumb the other week caused by this.
Hope you get sorted
Alasdair

 

[petenats]

I've not got kids myself but a very good mate has been found a company called Islabikes. The woman who runs it is apparently an ex olympic cyclist who got cheesed off with poor quality kids bikes.

My mate is a motorcycle mechanic and is blown away with the build quality off the bike he got his son.

Also they do some kind of deal where you can part ex the bike you buy for the bigger version as the kids grow up.

Might be worth a google!

Pete

 

[summerdays]

If you go down the Islabike route (expensive) then beware that the sizing isn't quite the same as the standard bikes. This is good because it works in your favour in that they move up to the next size wheel quicker than on the standard bikes. My smallish 8 yo is on a 24 inch and there is no way that he would fix an industry standard 24. They are supposed to have a good resale value but we have only just bought ours so I couldn't comment on that.

However I do like the bikes, light and well designed with good company service.

Actually although I said expensive - when you factor in how much other bikes had increased in price they weren't that much more than some other brands.

 

[BentMikey]

I don't think islabikes are expensive - they are just good quality bikes that are designed and made properly, unlike most of the kids bikes you see around.

 

[Dilbert]

Little girl; has one of these. They are labled as a Girls bike in a lot of sites but the Silver and blue one would pass as a boys bike without a problem, especially with a few boys accessories. Another thing to be aware of is making sure it fits him saddle to pedal as well as saddle to floor. Sorry if this sounds obvious but it didn't occur to me when we fist started looking.

I'm sure that Isla bikes are the Rolls Royce of kids bikes but they are quite a bit more than other quality brands - 24" is £249, we paid £175 from LBS for the lads Claud Butler which is very well spec'd, so thats a 42% uplift. Its 83% for the 20" (£209) against what the Coyote is available for and that is a lovely bike IMHO. I'm sure the resale / trade in argument is valid - but only if you can be sure they are not going to damage it while you've got it. I guess it comes down to what you can afford and how much you are going to use it.

Best way is to visit every bike shop in a reasonable area and try out what they have got.

Its a bit awkward as its for a present but you could see if there are any "as new" Isla bikes available?

Alasdair
PS also make sure you can bring the brake levers in so he can reach them!!

 

[Arch]

PS also make sure you can bring the brake levers in so he can reach them!!

Islabikes have special levers for little hands.

The Beinn comes in sizes for 5 and 6 years plus:

http://www.islabikes.co.uk/bike_pages/beinn20.html

I'm just about to give my 2 year old nephew a Rothan (Islabike's scooter bike) and I think it's a beautiful little bike. I got it on Ebay, for about three quarters of full price. I'll almost miss it when it's not sitting in my flat anymore.

 

[Donna]

thanks for all your replies the Islabike is fantastic, exactly what im looking for, Im sure he would love it, but I dont know if i could bring myself to pay £210 for a bike for a 6 year old! ouch!

Have kept the website link though, something to think about

 

[ChrisKH]

thanks for all your replies the Islabike is fantastic, exactly what im looking for, Im sure he would love it, but I dont know if i could bring myself to pay £210 for a bike for a 6 year old! ouch!

Have kept the website link though, something to think about

Worth every penny IMO. They keep their value very well. These are the Rolls Royce of kids bikes and are very light. Consider getting a second hand one.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

I've just bought my 2 year old lad a Islabikes Rothan - it's lovely.
I intend to Islabike him all the way!!
They do a trade-in too for the next model up although TBH I don't know what sort of offer they make..

 

[summerdays]

They do a trade-in too for the next model up although TBH I don't know what sort of offer they make..

I've heard that you generally do better by selling it yourself.

 

[johnr]

I'm getting one for my 7yo granddaughter - seem to remember seeing something about them giving good part exchange terms, which should mean they have some second hand bikes themselves. Must be worth asking.

 

[ChrisKH]

I will have a hardly used Islabike on the market very soon. It's a Beinn 20 (small). Used twice, still got the factory grease on the gears. Immaculate condition. No dinks or scratches to speak of.

I didn't know they traded them in, so I will check that aspect out.