Buying kids bikes: quality v price

[simlin]

With Christmas nearing and one almost 5 year old ready for some longer riding (currently rides a "recovered" bike with wide solid plastic wheels) and the 6 yr old perhaps outgrowing his bike in the not too distant future I am unsure what to do...whether to spend money $300+ on a 20" bike from a bike shop, possible with gears etc or just stick to a cheapy from kmart or the likes. Looking for some recommendations/advice please.

The riding they will be doing is around the back yard or weekend rides along a shared path, so I wouldn't say an awful lot.

Would they even notice the difference between them? or is keeping an eye out for second hand ones the best option?

Apologies if there is a similar thread...but my numpty searching skills couldn't find it so please feel free to post a link.

[rodneycc]

Hi Mate, Try the Byk range. Here is a quick thread.

viewtopic.php?f=79&t=79557" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also the children bike section is here...

viewforum.php?f=79" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[TonyMax]

While everyone wants a new bike for Christmas ("Hey Santa Claus...") it depends on what sort of kids you have.

If they will be happy with something new to them and you can clean it up to look nice then given they're 5 and 6 they'll grow out of something well before it wears out at that age.

It was a long long time ago I admit, but I didn't get my first new bike for Christmas until I was into high school and it was a full size Repco 12 speed.

As far as whether they'd notice the difference, if they're bike riding kids and they enjoy it and do it by choice then they will notice something new to them. If they're doing it because it's a family activity and they're not 'into it' then it probably wouldn't matter what they ride.

YMMV and all that, but you asked for advice .

[bychosis]

+1. There are plenty of $300 bikes going for $100 2nd hand. As long as it is in good condition you should be able to distract them from someone else owning it first by them getting a new bike. Both my older sons have been stoked with their 'new' bikes thus far. I was when I was a kid too. There are plenty of parents who HAVE to buy new, take advantage of it and pick up something their kids have grown out of yet hardly used.

You've also got enough time to get out the rattle can or order some pimping parts online and give anything sourced a new lease on life if necessary.

The other thing about buying a quality second hand bike is you can probably sell it for close to what you buy it for. If you buy a new Kmart bike it won't be worth much when it's grown out of.

[AUbicycles]

bychosis is right - with Christmas we feel that it must be new - however the best value are good quality hand-me-down bikes or second hand bikes.

It depends how comfortable you are with this - however the opportunity for new stuff is a helmet, some cool new lights (small awesome looking LED blinkies... and yes, use them at day) and other bike stuff.

However if it has to be new... stay away from Kmart, Target, BigW and other supermarket bikes. There are some other threads - generally you get a bike that can have safety problems (manufacture and/or assembly), is difficult and costly to repair and is generally intended to be ridden a few times, left to rust and then put out for rubbish collection in the street. I shake my head when I see these bikes in the stores - this is a photo (below) from last week of a display bike in Kmart - the forks are absolutely nasty (poor quality construction).

Byk is a brand which we have had good experience with (in a BNA review) and who are becoming available in more and more bike shops across Australia. They are fairly priced and while not 'budget' you do get the value and they will be bikes you can give away to others or sell with a very good conscience.

[queequeg]

The new shop up the road is selling the Byk range, and I am looking at options for my almost 7 year old, who is complaining that his current bike is getting too small.

His current bike is a Byk E-350 that I purchased off another BNA member earlier in the year. It would have been 3rd or 4th hand by the time we got it, hence the $80 price. However, all it needed was a bit of TLC, So I put new brake cables on, fully serviced the coaster brake/hub, replaced the tyres, pedals and had a kickstand put on. I spent a total of $40 doing all that. The kickstand was the expensive but. The tyres were $7 each.

As I have two sons, with the other one 2 years behind him, I am ok with buying a new bike as it will get at least two kids worth of use, and the Byk range seems to hold value fairly well.

I'm considering an E450 3i for the almost 7 year old, so if I can't find one 2nd hand I'll probably look at a new one this time around, and go 2nd hand for the next one.

[dunamis]

We've only had Kmart bikes for the kids to date but they're cheap, nasty and extremely heavy. Everything on them rusts quickly. I've just finished building a Giant MTX 225 for my 10yo from a frame donated by a LBS. we did it together and she loved working on it. In the process she learned how bikes worked. The only new things on it are the chain and tyres. Everything else is parts scrounged from tip bikes and her old Kmart bike. We even found matching nail polish for the stone chips.

[silentbutdeadly]

My lad has only ever had scrounged bikes. First one was a Giant Animator 16" that the tip shop charged me $10 for because it was basically new. I spent more on new tubes for it. A few tweaks and it fit him. I just parked it today as it was getting too small and I picked up a barely used Apollo Primo 20" bmx style bike, this time $5 and it just needed a grease and oil...oh and a new front V brake. So it now runs a brand new XT V brake with an Avid lever! I love having spares...

[drubie]

Bit late to this thread but thought I would hijack it anyway. As a rule I get the kids good quality tip shop bikes (best time to look is just after Christmas). Obviously the tips are full of 20" kids bikes ranging from Kmart junk to Giant aluminum bikes. But what do you do when they start to outgrow the 20" stuff but aren't quite big enough for a 26" small mtb frame? Some of the 20" bikes are made for bigger kids but there doesn't seem to be much available in the old 24" size at a reasonable price.

[TonyMax]

Looking for some recommendations/advice please.

What did you end up going with? How do the kids like them?

[queequeg]

Not the OP, but I regards to my post above, I managed to pick up an E-450 3i off Gumtree in almost new condition for $270

Mr 6 will getting it for his 7th birthday next month.

[KGB]

IMO, getting the fit right is better than just buying a "quality" bike. Plenty of the "good" brands just make better quality versions of the same poor designs as the kmart bikes. Byk is an example of a brand putting some though into their designs.
Otherwise, 2nd hand rules I reckon. I just picked up a Giant Holly 16" for my 5yo for $20. It has never had the trainers removed (which she doesn't need) so the frame, paintwork and everything is in fantastic condition apart from some minor surface rust on a few bolts etc.

[koshari]

kids grow so quick sizing is a running battle

[Serenem]

Thanks for the advice on the forum. We are looking to get our kids their first bikes after going through the balance bike phase. Looks like we are heading to the tip!

[im_no_pro]

Thanks for the advice on the forum. We are looking to get our kids their first bikes after going through the balance bike phase. Looks like we are heading to the tip!

Dont forget gumtree.

We picked up a 2nd hand BYK for miss 4 who was busting for a "pedal bike" from Santa. Was a bit disappointed when I went to pick it up and the condition was somewhat worse than described (entirely cosmetic though). Cleaned it up as best I could without going to the effort of paint touch-ups etc. I still don't think she has realised it wasn't new and probably never will....

[queequeg]

Thanks for the advice on the forum. We are looking to get our kids their first bikes after going through the balance bike phase. Looks like we are heading to the tip!

Definitely watch gumtree for the Byk models. I got our E-350 for $80. It needed some work, but I did all that myself, added new tyres and cables for $20, and fitted new pedals plus a kickstand for another $20.

As above, also just managed an almost new E-450 at about a 40% discount to the bike shop, and other than one scratch on the forks it looks like it has never been ridden.