Moving on up - Bike for a 7 yo

[chris French]

DD1 (now 6 1/2) is outgrowing her current bike (well, seat post already
past the - 'do not extend past here mark' - so I guess technically
outgrown) - both in size and also in what it provides - she could
certainly get to grips with gears now. Time to move on to here first
'proper', bike - though she has done at least 10 miles on her current
bike

So I'm looking for experinces/recommendations from anyone re the next
one.

Her current bike is a Puky Z6, which is a 16 inch wheeled bike, single
speed, coaster brake. Been well loved and used.

She is a bit above average height/leg length for her age I guess. We do
use it for transport around the village and leisure rides both on road
and on off road tracks, so looking for some practicality, a basic range
of gears, no sillyness like suspension forks etc.

Liking the look of the Islabike Beinn at the moment


--
Chris French

[TonyB]

chris French wrote:

> Liking the look of the Islabike Beinn at the moment

Ours both started on Raleigh bikes from an LBS:

http://picasaweb.google.com/abramah/KitchenPorn/photo#5025169534344629506

they were alu frames, had decent brakes and rigid forks. Overall they
were great, in fact they are still going strong as they got passed on to
others. As a follow on from those, we were sorely tempted by Islabikes,
they really do look brilliant but the deciding factor was the distance
to the nearest seller, so we eventually ended up with a pair of
Specialised bikes, my (tall) 8yo is on this:

http://picasaweb.google.com/abramah/KitchenPorn/photo#5053605538050257986

somewhat smaller 5yo is on this:

http://picasaweb.google.com/abramah/KitchenPorn/photo#5053605538050258002

I really can't fault the bikes in any way, they take loads of stick
(esp. the boys's) yet keep performing. Every kid in the area wants to
ride them, which must be some sort of vindication for the espense. Still
not sure about those sus forks though...

IME it's well worth paying for a real bike for kids, if you can manage
it. We used to have a BSO for our eldest (given to us by a well meaning
friend) but it was awful, brakes were stiff, gears never worked
properly, impossible to fettle successfully) whereas these are just like
real bikes, only smaller :-)

hth,

Tony B

[Tom Crispin]

On Fri, 28 Sep 2007 23:59:13 +0100, chris French
> wrote:

>Liking the look of the Islabike Beinn at the moment

Islabikes are simply the best children's bikes available at the
moment.

I recently let a friend's 7 year old daughter try out a Beinn 24 -
during a rest on the return journey from the London Freewheel. The
saddle was at its lowest point, and the girl struggled to have tiptoes
on the ground on both sides while sitting in the saddle - i.e. the
bike was 1-2 inches to big for her. But once she started pedalling
around a smile grew from ear to ear across her face. I asked her to
try changing gears (her current bike has no gears) and she had no
difficulty getting used to the gears. Although the bike was too big,
once cycling she appeared to be at perfect ease and comfortable on the
bike.

If you do go for Islabikes, check what tyres the bike comes with. If
knobbly and your daughter won't be going off road ask for slicks. The
rear rack is definately worth the upgrade if any luggage is likely to
be carried now or in the future. The mudguards are great, but the way
the stays attach to the mudguards themselves on the Beinn 20 and Cnoc
16 is aweful. Consider investing in a tube of superglue if buying a
Beinn 20. The Beinn 26 comes with the triple chainring - I wish it
didn't. I have yet to find a child who can use a triple chainring
effectively.

Finally, insist that you child only lays the bike down on the ground
chain side up - and never drops it. The deraileur hanger is made of a
soft metal which will bend easily, and, although it's cheap and easy
to replace, it could cause further damage to the rear wheel if, when
in bottom gear, the deraileur goes into the spokes.

If you live in London or the south east you would be more than welcome
to pay me a visit to try out the bikes. I have the Cnoc 16, Beinn 20,
Beinn 24 and Beinn 26. If you are within striking distance of
Wolverhampton I suggest you try out the bikes at the point of
assembly.