To ask where you buy a kids bike from

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Posted here for more traffic. I'd like to buy 4 yr old DD her first bike. Need reliability and obviously safety. Thanks.

Halfords, so he could have a try around the shop. Was not impressed with range in smyths. Think Halfords will also build it for free but we did it ourselves.

Edinburgh bike co-op. Would probably go for something like this www.edinburghbicycle.com/ridgeback-mx14-boys-17.html unless you want a balance bike. They have a frog Sky coloured balance bike but I never did balance bikes with my kids.

I've got Frog bikes for my dcs.

Your local independent bike shop they have far more experience knowledge than Halfords. Often run by cycling professionals who not only help get the right size bike, but set it up properly.

We decided on Raleigh, went on their website & found our local stockist.

Tbh I couldn't fault them, were fantastic, gave us advice on the different frames available, got the correct size (we took our nearly 4 year old with us). Then ordered a super cute pink/purple combo which will be here in 2 weeks.

Shop local I say! We decided not to go for a character one in case she went off frozen/trolls etc...

We got two islabikes. The latest is a frog bike from the local independent bike shop. They are amazing bikes. But DH is a bike snob and wouldn't ride a Halfords or decathlon bike. He goes and oils and clean the kids bikes!

I'm not so sure islabikes will continue their resale, they had good resale until recently because they were the only sensibly sized and weighted kids bikes. Now though there's lots of choice new (Frog, the cyclist named halfords brands, specialised), so people won't be chasing the 2nd hand value as much, and there'll be so many more good 2nd hand choices.

There are still bike shaped objects, heavy, badly fitted things you can buy, but it's now much more normal that the default is not that now.

Not toys r us! Please go to a bike shop, either independent or or a chain. Would be better to start him on a balance bike not a regular bike.

NOT Halfords! I have never found anyone in there who has a clue about bikes. And the majority of their bikes are heavy steel framed things which exhaust little legs in seconds.

We went to a local independent and got a Dawes bike. It is built on similar geometry to the Islabikes, similar weight and a lot cheaper.

For our older child, we went to Evans. They also have lightweight small bikes. Their customer service is fabulous.

Halfords are very hit and miss - if you're lucky, you get a bike department staffed by people who know what they're doing, but my experience with two different branches has been appalling. They knew NOTHING about bikes - one didn't even know what a bottom bracket was! A lot of their cheaper kids bikes are utter shit as well - massively heavy with crap components on. The Boardman and Voodoo ranges are OK though, as are some of the Carreras.

Isla bikes and Frog bikes are really nice - very light, well made and assembled, etc. I think Isla bike for a trade in scheme too, or used to? Decathlon are good value though.

Not Halfords over priced clueless. Good independent or Evans at a push.

Just Googled Islabikes! £300 for a bike for a three year old!!! They saw you coming.

Nothing wrong with a cheap or a second hand kids bike. They're not doing the Tour de France...

We have an independant bike shop near us, and bought DS a Giant...we've had one before and have been pleased with it.

He tried a Frog but totally the wrong shape for him...he was very leaning forward , so I think it depends on what suite the person and what you want it for.

I think this is where someone who knows their bikes comes in

See if you have an independent local bike shop - they are much more knowledgable than Halfords/toysrus etc and will fully set the bike up ready.

We have a bike from bike club and we rent it from them for £8 a month and can change sizes whenever we need it (you can then choose to keep it if you have had it for 24months as you've rented it's value)

I have bought from most of these places. For junking around which is how most kids ride, carboot was fine.

But First decent bikes were Islabikes.
Frog bikes seem much heavier than Islabikes. I dunno about all the other kid bike brands.

Had all ours for the DDs from Halfords. They've been grand over the years and the bikes were given away as they were outgrown.

Another vote for Evans cycles but I have to say that because dh works there! They are a knowledgeable bunch with a fab selection though, especially love the little Hoy bikes

Nothing wrong with a cheap or a second hand kids bike. They're not doing the Tour de France...

I disagree. It is much, much easier for them to learn to ride and cover distance on a bike that is a manageable weight. If you want to be able to go anywhere as a family by bike, without whining, exhausted kids, you need a better quality, lightweight bike for them. Not necessarily an Isla, but not a £60 beast which weighs more than an adult bike.

We're on Frog and Hoy at the moment. We got the Hoy at Evans and paid for most of it with doubled up Tesco Vouchers. It's about 3kg lighter than a steel bike. Which is an awful lot of weight difference for youngsters. DS(7) did a 13km bike ride through Sherwood Pines the other week with no probs. DD(10) had a second hand Islabike, which I sold for more than I paid for it and we bought her a Frog which she loves.

Not necessarily an Isla, but not a £60 beast which weighs more than an adult bike.

^This isn't an exaggeration - I weighed my friend's 6-year old daughter's Halfords bike (think it was a Trax or Winx or something) and it weighed slightly more than my full suspension bike!

Halfords is not the best choice - they sell lots of rubbish as well as some better bikes and whilst some of the staff may be excellent, they do not employ trained/experienced bike mechanics in every store. Some of their bikes friends bought from our local branch have been sold set up completely wrong (forks back to front/handlebars at 90 degrees to correct angle) or without the required lubricant meaning that expensive parts have needed replacing within a couple of months

If you want to buy new then go for a proper bike shop such as Evans, Giant, or a local bike shop. Secondhand kids bikes should be fine too - you can easily check the tyres and brakes yourself, oil the chain, pump up the tyres, change the saddle height, and if any more is needed get a bike shop to do a service for about £30-40. Better to get a second hand bike of a decent make (frog/isla) than a cheap new one which will be really heavy for a little child

All of ours come from Isla bikes.

If you can't afford that then go on weight. this is very important. If the bike weighs a ton as most of the cheap ones do then your child really will struggle to ride it, balance it, go up an incline. They'll get disheartened and you may as well have put your £70 in the bin.

I wouldn't buy a bike from halfords, especially kids. When I was looking for my boys 1st bike the assistant pointed out their bikes weren't very good.

I get my kids bikes from Evans. I wanted decent bikes for the kids after DS1's first bike weighed more than my adult bike and he struggled with it. Last year I got DS1's specialized bike from Evans for cheaper than they were on Ebay 2nd hand, brand new! Late summer is a good time for bike purchasing.

My kids have had specialised, ridgeback and Evans own brand pinnacle (very nice bike). I have a 15 year old ridgeback myself that sits out in all weather, and is still going strong and I still love it. I think it's worth spending a little bit extra to get something that lasts well and is enjoyable to ride. I see so many kids on 'too big' bikes and struggling with the frame size.

I have been impressed with the reviews of the Bradley Wiggins bikes from Halfords, the starter bike looks exactly like the £300 Islabike cnoc. Go to Evans as well as Online retailer, Tredz, where I got my sons 20" Frog mountain bike weighing 8kg, £100 cheaper than an Isla Benin, and will last my son a good few years until he's 10/11.

Local independent bike shop