Kids' bikes

[adrian]

Am thinking of getting a bike for our Albert, who's three-and-a-half and well up for it. A few questions raise themselves, mostly around stabilisers (or not?) and the kind of bike to get. What did you get for your kids, and what would you recommend based on your experience? Of course, if you've got a reliable bike your little'uns will no longer be using, I'll be more than happy to increase your garage space! Any help/advice much appreciated.

[Dombo]

The Little Dombos had little Raleighs from Evans and the bike shop in Bell Street, Reigate. They came with stabilisers but took them off by age 4. That's a video camera moment so make sure you're properly equipped!
Specialized do some decent looking little bikes that may be better built and probably have a better resale value, but at that age and speed of growth you really just want something that they can ride safely before moving onto bigger stuff. I've heard very good things about Isla Bikes but never seen one in the flesh.

[Wal]

I started my daughter off on a Specialized Hotwalk running (or 'balance') bike at 2 and a half. She later graduated to a 16" Specialized Hotrock, for which she never needed stabilisers because she'd already learned how to balance on the Hotwalk.

I chose the Specializeds because of their relatively light weight, excellent quality, lack of silly graphics and frills (no handlebar tassles in my house, thank you!) and low standover height, which suited her below-average stature.

I also found that the Hotrock models were the only ones to feature a coaster rear brake (CMIIW); ideal if your child has small hands, which can make actuating lever brakes tricky.

[Lucyap]

Tao started on an Isla balance bike http://www.islabikes.co.uk/bike_pages/rothan.html he then progressed onto a Isla pedal bike http://www.islabikes.co.uk/bike_pages/cnoc16.html At 5 he's still on the Cnoc 16 . . . and he won his first bike race on it last weekend

He learnt to balance really quickly and was soon speeding along on the balance bike. It took a little bit longer to learn to pedal, but I think he was cycling properly before his friends who had gone down the stabilisers route. The Isla bikes are great, and we will certainly be buying the next size up when the time comes. Although there is quite a lot of growing room left in his Cnoc 16. But he's already asking for a bike with gears and wants cycling shoes