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How do you size up push bikes for children?
DarrenW - 17/6/13 at 11:30 AM

My kids keep growing! Not a great shock but a bit pricey when it comes to things like bikes.

We went out for a ride at the weekend and both of them were complaining about the bikes being uncomfortable. Stopped to adjust seat and handlebar height, then realised there was no more adjustment left!! The bikes look tiny on them all of a sudden!

I have made an expensive mistake buying cheap bikes on ebay before - was a complete nightmare as they couldnt use gears etc etc and it nearly put them off going out for rides. Ended up skipping them and buying a pair of Saracens which have been really great for the kids.

So, this brings me to needing some advice. My 11 year old has outgrown the 24" wheel bike, so i guess next logical step up is 26" wheels. I assume this is now in the adult size range so i need to think about frame size. Im sort of thinking i would be better off buying a good quality second hand adult bike in a small frame size. Any advice please?

If anyone has such a bike for sale, please let me know. Im thinking makes such as Scott, Trek, Giant etc would be best bet so i get better quality gear on them. Ideally a mountain bike with front suspension.



The other 'method in my madness' is that my 8 year old is really keen on cycling, so getting a good quality bigger bike would make for a good hand me down in a couple of years.

thanks in advance,
Darren.

jossey - 17/6/13 at 11:55 AM

goto a proper bike shop with him to get measured up.

The norm would be he should be able to stand off the saddle with the frame close but not touching .... well you know what....

Then sat on the saddle he should be able to put his toes on the ground on both sides.

That should give you the rough frame size for a teen.

Just go to a bike shop and measure up what he is comfortable with and take the sizes from that measurement.

If they are tall make sure the stem and handle bars come up enough not to do his back in.

hope that helps.

Saddle will be the next bit to get right depending on if he rides alot or just occasionally.

DarrenW - 17/6/13 at 12:23 PM

This is how i got mine and my wifes bikes so know it works. I cant justify the cost of what i know i should buy, hence thinking second hand.

She doesnt enjoy the cycling that much, but my youngest does and will get the bike in 2 or 3 years. Hence i want to buy something good but at a 2nd hand bargain price.

My Cube Acid is 18" frame - great bike. im thinking 15 or 16" will be good for her, she is a tall 11 year old.

YQUSTA - 17/6/13 at 12:43 PM

I had a 16 inch frame when I was younger as my first MTB, if it hadn't been stolen and I hadn't upgraded I think it would be fine for an adult, as long as your not a giant.

Staple balls - 17/6/13 at 01:28 PM

I'd go with (if they're confident and not doing anything particularly difficult) an adult bike with a frame that's a bit too big, so standover room and not much more, as 11 or so he'll grow into it pretty fast without much discomfort and it'll save you a frame swap down the line.

I got bikes the old fashioned way as a kid, dad bought the biggest thing I could get on (a 22" apollo plateau) in the hope I'd grow into it, fortunately I turned out pretty lanky, so it worked nicely.

Saying that though, I'd be expecting around 15.5"-16" to work nicely for a few years, especially if you furnish it with a long seatpost and some nice wide bars as time goes on.

TimEllershaw - 17/6/13 at 01:58 PM

quote:
Originally posted by DarrenW

So, this brings me to needing some advice. My 11 year old has outgrown the 24" wheel bike, so i guess next logical step up is 26" wheels. I assume this is now in the adult size range so i need to think about frame size. Im sort of thinking i would be better off buying a good quality second hand adult bike in a small frame size. Any advice please?



I'm in a similar position. My 12 year old is about 155cm tall and is on the limit of his 24" wheel MTB and is looking at 26" wheel bikes with 14 - 15 inch frame (small). We are looking at some of the lesser known brands ( Merida, Cube and Focus ) as you often get slightly better kit than Trek and Specialized, but I would avoid the Toys-r-us type brands.

As said above, go to a good local bike shop and they should let them sit on a selction of sizes. The better shops will have no problem with you going for a little test-ride.

Buying second-hand is just the same as buying a second-hand car : look for the one owner, low milage one ! Just remember that as a kid's mountain bike it is going to get a hammering, so brakes will be worn, things may be bent, tyres will be thin, etc, etc. Most things are fixable with very little effort ( you've build a car, how difficult can a bike be !!?! ), but the cost of a new chain, cassette and a few cables can soon creep up.

Just to really annoy the 12 year old, His little brother has just leap-frogged him and gone from a 20" wheel to a 26" wheel , 13 inch frame (x-small) Specialized. He is 140cm tall, and is at the limit for this size.

One of the dangers is that the bigger bikes are less manouverable and heavier, so they can take a little getting used to. The last thing you want to do it go too big because "they will grow into it" and find that it is too big for them to ride an puts them off completely.


Good luck !

Tim.

TimEllershaw - 17/6/13 at 02:19 PM

Handy little table ( stolen from Evans Cycles Web Site )



[Edited on 17/6/2013 by TimEllershaw]

jossey - 17/6/13 at 03:21 PM

if your buying 2nd hand goto a car boot and try out a few sizes. Girls bikes are a little better for getting something a little too big.

Good luck with whatever you end up getting. Kids are just expensive. Not like building a sports car for £250 now thats cheap :O)

nick205 - 17/6/13 at 04:13 PM

Echo the sentiment on buying them decent bikes. Cheap bikes do more harm than good and discourage riding for pleasure.

stevebubs - 17/6/13 at 05:48 PM

FWIW, I bought my 13yo daughter a Raleigh. Was c. £180 new and seems pretty well built.

(ETA linky - http://www.bikes2udirect.com/B4310.html - not sure on her frame size but this is the bike.. )

Not *quite* as well built as the other half's 10yo version of the same bike (one of the last bikes to come out of the Nottingham factory) but pretty close and has more modern gear mechanisms etc.


[Edited on 17/6/13 by stevebubs]

stevebubs - 17/6/13 at 05:49 PM

PS Seconded - get down to a decent bike shop...if you do it around the time of model change then you might bag a bargain...

dhutch - 17/6/13 at 07:00 PM

Cant fault supporting local shops, and some also do used bikes, but it depends on the budget and what your after.

There are adults smaller than most 11 year olds, and you can find some very nice bikes that people have bought, never used, and then sold for a lot less than they cost, and at present there no leap in technology to fall foul of so a you can go as old as 6-8 years and pick up a nice bike without any real issues.

We could do with an idea of the budget, I presume for mainly trail riding.

Anyone can size a bike, and I have seen bike shops giving bad advice.
- For technical riding you go a little smaller, but having the toptube a good stand over height isnt a bad rule of thumb, fopr pedaling, saddle adjusted so you nearly straighten you leg but done actaully go to full straight.

Pink bike is another source of bike classifieds.



Daniel

DarrenW - 18/6/13 at 09:33 AM

I bought a Cube acid 2 years ago from a new local bike shop. It has been a fantastic bike, bought it at the end of the season and got a great deal.

Only reason for asking about sizing here is i cant really justify getting her a new one at the moment, especially as id rather get a decent quality bike so she can enjoy it. Im really conscious of not 'spoiling' the kids too much, but at the same time want them to enjoy the days out so its a bit of a double edged thing really.

My 11 yr old daughter could probs last until Christmas on hers just, however my 8yr old really needs to go up a size. Hence thinking of upgrading the 11 yr olds bike early - its all very strategic



Ive now sussed out that i need a 26" wheel small frame size adult bike.

Thanks all for your help...... and if you have such a bike for sale please do tell me about it.