New bike for daughter

[thelawnet]

Thinking about one of these https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/vit ... prod159734

Might be too much bike though, as she's 5'/11 years old, so would likely grow out of whatever size. But maybe not? Does seem to take mudguards/rack potentially.

Last bike I got her (in Indonesia) was a size S of these https://www.bicyclesonline.com.au/polyg ... ntain-bike which she was happy with.

Cheaper bikes seem to come with freewheel etc. so look a bit 'disposable'/not much resale. But potentially £150 cheaper?

[thirdcrank]

Islabikes every time. That bike from Chain Reaction has a top gear of 50 x 11 - what 11 year old needs that? OTOH, bottom gear of 34 x 28 could be lower. Also, it looks to have adult length cranks.

[eileithyia]

isalbikes are often the go to bikes. They can be pricey... there might be some on their site that are secondhand as they do a trade up scheme or used to.
They do hold their price fairly well and might well be worth considering especially if you have other family members to pass them on to. Otherwise check local Go-ride clubs who may have parents looking to pass on.

Remember though they do grow out of them in approx 18 months ( and my son was not a fast growing child).

There are other options such as Decathlon. Evans.

[willcee]

Plus 1 for Islabikes, just advised my garage man about one for his 4 year old, designed from the outset for smaller legs, bums, fingers and shoulders at the very least if its kept in decent order you have a chance of getting most of your outlay back, unlike the heavy offerings with over geared transmissions that are in most of the big stores that claim to be the retailers of choice, theirs.. which rust like billyoh if left outside for one night..will

[Vorpal]

It looks okay to me, though I don't think it takes mudguards. Road.cc have an article about the Vitus line and a review of the men's version.
https://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/23 ... bike-range
https://road.cc/content/review/246922-vitus-razor-vr

Does she want a road bike? What does she do with it & how far does she ride?

My 12 year old daughter wouldn't want a road bike. Mini V had a Trek FX 7.2 that got stolen, and she now has a Dutch style town bike. Her choice. Mostly what she does is ride it to school and she prefers the more upright position & doesn't need a load of gears. She looked at alot of bikes before she picked the town bike. I think if she could have had exactly the same bike again, she'd have taken another Trek. But they made some changes, including colour since we bought hers and she didn't like the new ones.

[pjclinch]

Ours had Islabikes. They weren't cheap... but then they weren't that much cheaper to the people we sold them on to! We had a couple of Beinn 20 Ls (which were sold on to a family in Belgium!) and then a couple of 26 Ls.
One of the definite plusses for Islabikes is you can have them delivered with very good mudguards and racks which take the size of the bike in to account if they're going to be functional as well as for fun on nice days.

At the local Junior CC where I sometimes help out there have been a fair few Frog bikes and they seem to be pretty good too.

I've looked at lots of kids' bikes as a Bikeability instructor. Another really major bonus of spending money is when it comes to maintenance. Good bikes need less to start with, and when you do it it's easier. Bicycle Shaped Objects rapidly progress to unusable gears and stiff brakes. Good bikes encourage use by being easier to ride (lighter, and with better functioning components). You might spend 3 times as much, but if it's used 3 times as much it effectively costs the same but with side effects of more independence, more confidence and better fitness.

Pete.

[thelawnet]

She has a Beinn 24 at the moment, it's about 10 years old and I can probably sell it for as much as I paid for it.

However I think she's just a bit on the large size now for a child's bike and not going to get any smaller, so the case is less compelling.

Incidentally the components on the Islabikes are decidedly entry-level - the major thing going for them is the child sizing on various parts.

[thelawnet]

Perhaps something like this https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/calibre-st ... ke-p433473 would be better but sizing is a problem with that one.

[Bonefishblues]

Looks a nice bike if she's getting serious about her road cycling.

[thirdcrank]

That bike has 170mm cranks and top gear of around 123 inches. IMO it's not right for an 11 yo, although they may eventually grow into it. Bottom gear = 27" which is more like it.

[nick12]

Have you looked at the bikes forsale on the forum there's a couple at the moment which could be suitable? Scott and kona. Maybe kona is a bit big I'm not sure. I bought a 98 specialized on the forum this year which I've now brought to Indonesia for me to use when I'm here and my 13 year old daughter to use as well. She uses a wim cycles hot rod at the moment which I bought for a tour of aceh and north Sumatra about 7 years ago. A new chain and brake blocks and full service and its still up to the job. Hoping she wont trash the specialized when I'm not here. Hoping to find some good trails to ride. Lot of rain at the moment.

[531colin]

Kids, eh?.... all the same and no two alike!

About the only things you can say with any certainty is that an eleven year old girl will be growing like mad, and will continue to do so throughout puberty, and any bike you buy now will only be temporary. Girls are often taller than the boys at this stage.
(I expect you can find loads of stuff like this https://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/data/set1clinical/cj41c022.pdf on the 'net...children usually "follow the tramlines" so you can get a reasonable idea of adult height.)

I'm afraid I would think twice and then think again about buying an eleven year old a "road" bike; even if that was what they asked for.
Road STIs aren't designed for kids' hands, and the result is that kids' hands aren't likely to be big enough or strong enough to stop safely braking from the hoods, or to change gear properly. (Its the left-hand shift up to the big ring that is usually the trouble...watch the kids reach across with their right hand and pull the lever. As somebody has already posted, the 50 ring is going to be an ornament anyway, they aren't going to be able to pedal it, so you could say it doesn't matter if they can't get into that gear.....but then why not have a range of gears they can operate, and can pedal?) As soon as you put drop bars and brake hoods on a bike, you are stretching out the riding position, and its difficult to control a bike if you can only just reach. I have no experience of Islabikes, they may have overcome these difficulties to a greater degree than I think is possible.

I would be looking for a flat bar bike with vee brakes and a single chainwheel; you can easily fit a longer/higher stem as they grow. YMMV.

[531colin]

She has a Beinn 24 at the moment, it's about 10 years old and I can probably sell it for as much as I paid for it.

However I think she's just a bit on the large size now for a child's bike and not going to get any smaller, so the case is less compelling.

Incidentally the components on the Islabikes are decidedly entry-level - the major thing going for them is the child sizing on various parts.

Just seen this post.....can you "stretch" it a bit with a longer seatpost and stem? Without wading through the whole Islabikes website, I can't see if the crank length varies much between Beinn 24 and 27
I think child-size controls are worth seeking out.

[slowster]

Earlier this year I came across a father and young son riding on a track. The son was on a 'gravel bike'. It had V brakes and a single chainring, and it seemed to me that the bike was light, the components seemed suited for the child (crank length, shifter size, gearing etc.) and the bike was very versatile: equally suitable for road and off road. I think it might have been this one:

https://www.evanscycles.com/hoy-meadowmill-26-inch-wheel-2019-kids-bike-EV306437

[thelawnet]

I have no experience of Islabikes, they may have overcome these difficulties to a greater degree than I think is possible.

"Shimano STI short reach with Tektro junior top mount brake levers" apparently.