Buying a bike for a child.

[kezz]

Hi, I want to get a bike for my little boy for Chrismas. I am not sure what size to get.
He is five and a half years old and cant ride without stabilizers yet.
I took him in Halfords as I can get a discount there (I know Halfords are not popular on cycle forums) and the guy said he needed a 20inch wheel size but tried a few different bikes with different frames. He said that as long as his feet were flat on the floor when astride the frame then it was ok. He couldnt put both feet on the floor when sitting on the saddle. Is this correct? I dont want to get the wrong size. Any advice?
Thanks

 

[fossyant]

Not for a kid - they need to be able to put both feet down on tip toes I'd say - possibly a bit more of the foot if they can't ride yet....

 

[johnnyh]

with both my two they have bikes where they can stand tip toe whilst on the saddle.

with the second one I didnt use stabilisers, but lowered the saddle right down so she could "scoot"... 2 days later she had her balance, the saddle was up and she was riding natural as anything.

 

[kezz]

If we put the saddle to its lowest he would be able to reach the ground quite easily I think but the guy said that it would be too low, maybe I should get it and just lower the saddle untill he is riding confidently?

 

[kezz]

with both my two they have bikes where they can stand tip toe whilst on the saddle.

with the second one I didnt use stabilisers, but lowered the saddle right down so she could "scoot"... 2 days later she had her balance, the saddle was up and she was riding natural as anything.

Did you take the peddles off?

 

[johnnyh]

yep, for the two days she was scooting. It was great, I didnt get a back ache from holding the saddle and chasing after her, she basically taught herself.
All I had to do was keep encouraging and rewarding her with applause

 

[kezz]

Thanks , I think I will check he can scoot with comfort with the saddle lowered. If not it will be a smaller bike

 

[johnnyh]

it is a great way to get them going, good luck and have fun with it

 

[Danny]

Agree with Fossyant and others that he needs to be able to put his feet on the ground - when my son was five he certainly wanted more than to have just his toe tips touching.

Having said that don't make the mistake of buying a bike that's too small - they grow really quick at that age.

 

[summerdays]

Hi, I want to get a bike for my little boy for Chrismas. I am not sure what size to get.
He is five and a half years old and cant ride without stabilizers yet.
I took him in Halfords as I can get a discount there (I know Halfords are not popular on cycle forums) and the guy said he needed a 20inch wheel size but tried a few different bikes with different frames. He said that as long as his feet were flat on the floor when astride the frame then it was ok. He couldnt put both feet on the floor when sitting on the saddle. Is this correct? I dont want to get the wrong size. Any advice?
Thanks

Are you sure you want to get a halfords one... I have had a 20 in Halfords bike in the past... it was heavy... but also badly designed. Look at the height of the seat post and the height of the back tyre. Usually the seat post on a Halfords bike is alot higher than the back wheel. This meant we were unable to lower the saddle enough when the next child was ready to move upto this bike - whereas they could ride all their mates 20" bikes as their saddles went far lower. Eventually we gave up waiting for him to grow into it and bought another 20" bike. (Do you want to buy a 20" Halfords secondhand rubbish bike - I'll do you a good price!!). At the opposite end ... there was plenty of seat post growth length left in the bike but the handlebars didn't go up very far at all - so it was the design of the bike that caused my child to outgrow it very quickly. Try looking at some other makes of bikes and you will see the saddle will be much nearer the ground.

Sorry I couldn't find very good photos to illustrate the point - but hopefully you will see that other 20" bikes will have much lower saddle heights rather than putting him on a bike that may be too big for him at the moment. The red line on each photo is the approximate top of the seat tube - about 3 inches in difference.


If the handlebars are low ... then they are leaning forward putting alot of weight onto the bars - fine when you are an adult... as a child it makes you more wobbly and harder to lift your hand off the handlebars.

In the 20" size I quite like the Redtail Dawes ... of all the bikes in the bike shed I see.

Also you don't say whether this is suspension or not... its quite hard to buy a kids bike without suspension these days - but they are generally better, lighter and nicer.

And on seat height - if they can't cycle then the child should be able to put both feet flat on the ground whilst sitting on the saddle, and should try scooting without stabilizers to get their balance. Once they can cycle fairly confidently it should be only the ball of their foot touching the ground.

 

[summerdays]

I'd have thought a 20" bike would have been too big for your boy. It's not just about whether he can put his feet flat on the floor. As, or more, important is the weight and reach. If he can touch the floor but can't control the thing easily then he's not going to learn very well. Much better if he can get the bike to do what he wants it to do easily.

My son could ride a hired 20" Raleigh Hot Rod (the smaller sized frame one) at 5 and a half - he still isn't big enough for the 20" Apollo one and he is now 7 and a half. Hence why we gave up and got the Giant. But yes I agree its not just the reach to the ground.

 

[kezz]

Oh dear...this is going to end up costing a small fortune isnt it
If anyone knows of a small framed, 20", light weight bike for around £100 It would save me the next 4 weeks research know m going to have to do

Thanks everyone for all the advice.

 

[summerdays]

If you are trying to spend that sort of money then why not look at the Raleigh Invader 20 (Non suspension) £120, Dawes Rocket £120-£140 (non suspension), Dawes Redtail £120/£130, etc... I don't have personal knowledge of those bikes but better a bike from a local bike shop than one from one that sells either toys or cars. If you lift the Apollo and then lift one of the bikes above I'm sure you will notice a difference.

Go for a well known brand (or Decathlon if nearby as User suggests), and don't for suspension, especially full suspension!! You are looking for something that is light weight, preferably metal brake levers (plastic ones tend to be on bikes with similiar quality components all over), and growing room.

 

[atbman]

Do not get anything with suspension - at all.

For correct size, go to http://www.islabikes.co.uk/bike_pages/pdfs/sizes/Size_Chart08_web.pdf

If fact, look at their bikes - they may be a bit more than you might wish to spend, but they are superb value for money. They're light, all components, esp. cranks and bars, are properly sized and they have excellent resale value - check Ebay, etc.

Increasingly, parents whose kids attend our Saturday club are buying them and the kids love them.

 

[mickle]

It should also be noted that Isla will buy the bike back when your kid grows out of it.