How does one convince their mum to buy them a bicycle?

[BikeKid]

I found a really good deal on a raleigh criterium and I wanted to ask my mum to get it for me but she refused because it had "thin wheels so it must a a sports bike" and "tell me, what sport do you do" She wants me to get a bike with mountain bike/BMX wheels and even after hours of convincing her that those kind of wheels are for forest environments and that there are like 0 forests in London, she still hasn't been convinced. (The bike is going for £125 for those who are wondering).

[Annoying Twit]

If you want to ride on the road, then a bike with narrow tyres will be better to ride than a mountain bike.

I would advise you to take your mother to a bicycle shop and to get advice as to what style of bicycle would be best for the kind of cycling you want to do.

£125 seems a very good deal for a Raleigh Criterium if it's in good condition. Particularly in London, I'd be concerned that it's stolen if it's not being sold by a reliable person/shop.

[foxyrider]

You need to be sneaky - simple as. The 'all my mates have one', 'even X rides one' where X is one of the many cycling celebs, 'so you want me to get fat' - well you get the idea - you have to make her feel guilty for not getting it.

Even being third generation cyclist I had to convince mum it was worth the investment - once convinced by me using the bike at every opportunity further stuff was much easier to cajole!

Good luck

[Richard D]

It's not a "sports bike" (surely ALL cycling is sports?), nor is it a "racing bike" (very few cyclists race). What it is, with those thin tyres, is a "road bike". Because it's meant to be ridden on the road.

Alternatively you could ride a BMX ("bicycle motocross" - will you be doing jumps and tricks on a dirt track?), or a "mountain bike" (assuming that you want to go up and down mountains - or at least ride mainly off-road).

But if you're going to be riding on the road, which is where a lot of cycling happens, you want a road bike.

It's all about having the right tool for the job. You would nt try to knock a nail into a piece of wood with a spanner, or tighten up a bolt with a screwdriver. Same as with bikes.

[Richard D]

As to how to convince a reluctant parent to buy you a bike, you have two options - Yellow Pages pester power (but it'll be like sitting on a razor blade) or paper round and start saving.

[reohn2]

Show your mum this thread and the replies written by experienced cyclists.

Message to Mum:- Mum's aren't always right,or is that you don't want your son riding on the roads?In which case enrol him on a Bikeability course.

[Annoying Twit]

Message to Mum:- Mum's aren't always right,or is that you don't want your son riding on the roads? In which case enrol him on a Bikeability course.

Good advice. The OP could suggest to his mum that he does a Bikeability course. Some courses, like the one that my partner went on, will loan bicycles for short periods of time.

[Cugel]

........

It's all about having the right tool for the job. You would nt try to knock a nail into a piece of wood with a spanner, or tighten up a bolt with a screwdriver. Same as with bikes.

A friend of mine is in the building trade and has a peculiar habit of choosing the "best" tool for the job. Basically, it's the tool nearest to where he's kneeling and within reach. He has been known to use an electric drill as a hammer and a screwdriver as a chisel.

In reality, you find a not dissimilar syndrome with bicycles. I see many about our village and the nearest town riding a variety of queer bikes on the road, including full-rig MTBs and BMX twiddly things. Just yesterday, the club ride came across 3 teenagers on BMX in the depths of The Dales, miles from any habitation. They looked rather tired....

******
Mothers often think MTBs are better for everything. They have "big grippy tyres", see? And straight handlebars, which every non-cyclist knows (somehow) are better than those bendy ones.

Cugel

[Vorpal]

Why is the Raleigh £125? From where do you intend to buy it? Does it need work? Has it been stolen? Those are things I would ask one of my kids, if they wanted that bike.

You are right that knobbly tyres are for off-road.

Even if it needs some work, it's still likely to be a good price. And you can learn to do bike maintenance yourself. There are some good guides online, and advice available from this forum.

It might be a good idea to have someone who knows bikes have a look at it before you buy it, or take it to a local independent bike shop for assessment. If you say what part of London (no detail, please) members can probably recommend a bike shop. At £125, it's not likely to be in perfect condition, so expect it to need some maintenance work. Just make sure that there's nothing major wrong with it, and it hasn't been crashed or something.

You can check your prospective bike https://checkthatbike.co.uk/ to see if it has been reported stolen.

edited to add: make sure it's the right size for you, too.

[pjclinch]

I found a really good deal on a raleigh criterium and I wanted to ask my mum to get it for me but she refused because it had "thin wheels so it must a a sports bike" and "tell me, what sport do you do" She wants me to get a bike with mountain bike/BMX wheels and even after hours of convincing her that those kind of wheels are for forest environments and that there are like 0 forests in London, she still hasn't been convinced. (The bike is going for £125 for those who are wondering).

BMXs and mountain bikes are sports bikes: note the race numbers in the following pictures...





"Thin wheels" aren't a problem on tarmac, and in fact the knobbles on mountain bike tyres actually reduce contact with the road (they're made to bit in to soft mud) so they don't corner as well. You don't need tread on a bike tyre to deal with the wet because being narrower they don't aquaplane like car tyres (not that wet roads aren't slippier, but you don't get better grip by being on a mountain bike).

Pete.

[BikeKid]

Thanks Pete.

[BikeKid]

Thanks Vorpal, I live near Ilford and the only bike shops I know that are pretty close are Halfords and Evan Cycles.

[BikeKid]

Also, just checked, the bike isnt stolen by the looks of it but maybe they didnt report it

[Vorpal]

You could try Recycles Ilford? http://recycles-ilford.co.uk/ They are a non-profit enterprise, so they won't tell you something is rubbish just to get you to buy something they have.

They also have bike maintenance classes, and some refurbished bikes for sale. They have limited hours, so it might not be so easy to take a potential purchase to them for assessment.

This page has a list of Bike hubs & community enterprises that refurbish bikes: http://www.bikehub.co.uk/featured-articles/recycling/

I also know of a couple of places in Walthamstow, and a couple more outside the M25, but your end of Essex, if you need further recommendations.

p.s. If you get the right bike shop, they will help you in your quest to get the right bike.

[Pastychomper]

As well as reducing road contact, knobbly tyres wear out fast on tarmac. If you keep them hard the knobbles wear down quickly until the central strip is almost smooth, which is not good if the tyre is thin-walled. If you keep them a bit softer (like I used to) then the knobbles get pushed in every time they touch the ground and the rubber around them perishes.

When I used to do a lot of road miles on a "mountain"bike I went through tyres until I discovered you could buy slicks for them. That made a lot of difference, and despite the name they gripped the road better than lumpy tyres, even in the wet. A mountain bike with no suspension and well-inflated slick tyres would be a good second choice if your mum holds her ground. At least then you won't notice the potholes as much.

In my case, switching from that bike to a "racer" (actually made for road use, not racing) made 3 big differences: The roads felt rougher, the bike felt a lot more responsive (downright wobbly for the first couple of trips) and long distances became much easier.