Kids bikes with gears

[Kendo Phil]

My 7 year old daughter is now riding at a point that she thinks she wants a bike with gears. We have been to a few bike shops and the bikes we have looked at all have the twist shift gears. My little one has real trouble selecting the gears using a twist shift. So, I was wondering if anybody knows if small peoples size bikes are available with thumb shifters or if they are even suitable for little fingers to operate.

Any help or thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers

Phil

 

[ianrauk]

Check out Islabikes

 

[Specialeyes]

Frog bikes (some have twist shifters, admittedly) are proper light bikes for kids, get great reviews and have stockists in Somerset, so your daughter could try one.
My 9 y/o daughter has a Pinnacle Aspen from Evans, which is built on the same principles as the Islabikes - well made, proper components, nothing that kids don't need adding weight, like front suspension - and she absolutely loves it. Hoy do similar bikes through Evans now too, but either of these options would mean a trip to Bristol.

Islabikes probably have the edge in 2nd hand value too, when she inevitably grows out of it, as they're highly sought-after.