B'Twin Rockrider 500 Kids' 24 inch

[Deleted member 26715]

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-500-mountain-bike-id_8392443.html

Thinking of getting this for my grandson, only thing I don't like is that it has twist grip gear change rather than lever change. Does it matter & am I projecting my own preference, Decathlon do the next bike up with levers but it adds another £80 which is too much for a bike that he'll grow out of in 2 years

 

[dantheman]

I think your projecting your own preference, and he probably wouldn't care or know any better..


I say know any better though as I completely agree and vowed never to buy a bike with them, so personally it would put me off also

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Okay just returning to this the closer we get to wallet emptying season, my grandson is 130cm tall with an inside leg of 30cm, the 300 is designed for kids 135cm tall, but the next model down the 300 is only up to 135cm, will the 500 be too big, it's one of those things ideally I don't want to take him to try it.

All alternatives welcome

 

[Broadside]

I would avoid twist shift, small hands often are not strong enough to change gears. My kids all struggled with twist shift but are fine with trigger shifters.

With twist shift it has been a right pain in the past while out on rides having to pull over at the bottom of hills to change down, but they can usually change up by themselves.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

I would avoid twist shift, small hands often are not strong enough to change gears. My kids all struggled with twist shift but are fine with trigger shifters.

But trying to find a kids bike seems harder than getting a consciousness in the Tory government about Brexit.

 

[User76022]

My 9 year old son has grown to hate his twist grip gears on his current bike. If he shifts his weight around he keeps accidentally knocking it. He's getting the kids Rockrider 700 next. It's 230 quid I think which for alloy frame, disk brakes, and 24 gears on triggers is quite a decent spec for the price. Only thing I suspicious of on it is the suspension fork. They don't publish any details and in the pic it looks like pogo stick forks to me. I'm going to have a drive out at some point to actually see it in the flesh.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

My 9 year old son has grown to hate his twist grip gears on his current bike. If he shifts his weight around he keeps accidentally knocking it. He's getting the kids Rockrider 700 next. It's 230 quid I think which for alloy frame, disk brakes, and 24 gears on triggers is quite a decent spec for the price. Only thing I suspicious of on it is the suspension fork. They don't publish any details and in the pic it looks like pogo stick forks to me. I'm going to have a drive out at some point to actually see it in the flesh.

Can I ask how tall is he, mine is just inbetween at 130cm, bit loathe to buy him a 20" if he's going to outgrow in 12 months, but don't want to buy 24" if it's going to be too big.

 

[User76022]

Can I ask how tall is he, mine is just inbetween at 130cm, bit loathe to buy him a 20" if he's going to outgrow in 12 months, but don't want to buy 24" if it's going to be too big.

My lad is about 135 cm.

He's on a bike with 20 inch wheels now and he's about outgrown it.

My suggestion, unless it's a surprise, would be to go down to halfords to try bikes on for size, before ordering cheaper online.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

My suggestion, unless it's a surprise,

Unfortunately so, at 7 he's at the age where's he's not too sure if Santa still exists but no point in blowing the illusion

 

[User76022]

Unfortunately so, at 7 he's at the age where's he's not too sure if Santa still exists but no point in blowing the illusion

My son was 7 when I got him his current bike, which has 20 inch wheels.

I think the unavoidable and inescapable truth is that at this age, kids grow so fast that a new bike will only last 2 or 3 years regardless of what we choose. That's if they even last that long, being routinely bounced up kerbs or dropped on the floor etc.

 

[Milkfloat]

My son is 132cm about riding a 24" bike, which unfortunately weighs 14.5 kg, for his birthday he will be getting one of these.

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/vitus-24-kids-bike/rp-prod168788

 

[nickAKA]

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-500-mountain-bike-id_8392443.html

Thinking of getting this for my grandson, only thing I don't like is that it has twist grip gear change rather than lever change. Does it matter & am I projecting my own preference, Decathlon do the next bike up with levers but it adds another £80 which is too much for a bike that he'll grow out of in 2 years

I've been umming-&-ahhing about a new bike for my daughter for months, she's 6 going on 7 but quite tall for her age so settled on 24" wheels to try to get the max value out of the purchase. What put me off the decathlon range was the weight and the twist shifters - I wouldn't buy that for myself so why should I buy it for her?

My son is 132cm about riding a 24" bike, which unfortunately weighs 14.5 kg, for his birthday he will be getting one of these.

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/vitus-24-kids-bike/rp-prod168788

This was the bike I had decided on initially, but they only had it in black when I was ready to order so had a rethink.

Therefore I did what many of us mugs do, I bought a frog.
Negatives -

1. expensive initial purchase with very little discount if any (goes against the grain!)

Positives -

1. absolutely the correct spec
2. light
3. good resale value
4. choice of colours(!)
5. 0% interest at wheelbase, countering the negatives

There's no real moral to this story, just adding grist to the mill!

 

[Deleted member 26715]

There's no real moral to this story, just adding grist to the mill!

No moral required, feedback welcome, do you have a link, I have no idea what a frog is apart from something greeny brown that lives in our pond

 

[Milkfloat]

My son’s previous bike was a Frog. 20” wheels, so he has now grown out of it. I need to list it for sale, no good for @Phaeton as it will be just a bit too small.

 

[nickAKA]

No moral required, feedback welcome, do you have a link, I have no idea what a frog is apart from something greeny brown that lives in our pond

https://www.wheelbase.co.uk/product/bikes-frames/frog-62-frog62/

I went for orange as it's suitable for a boy or girl... Full disclosure, FedEx lost the first one, replacement due to arrive today...

EDIT: it's arrived (TF)
Forgot it comes with 2 sets of tyres, slick tyres are on it plus mudguards which is a bonus, sorry no pics, dropped it at parents to hide for the next ~6 weeks...