Am I being tight?!

[McSteamyorMcdreamy]

My friend has just turned her nose up at me....

"Really? You're doing that?. Ew, I would feel awful if I did that!"

DD4 turns 5 later on in the month. Nailed her NEW balance bike and is now ready for her first proper bike.

Money is a bit tight and with her birthday party I didn't want to spend £££s on a brand new bike for her not to get on with it and sell it a loss/have it in the shed forever.

Anyhoo found a decent on on FB MP. Needs new tyres and new saddle and has a couple of age related marks but it's not battered. With the extras it's probably going to come to £70-£80.

Been looking for something decent for a while so was really chuffed to get it. Told friend and she said the above.

I feel really shit now and worried DD will be really disappointed as it won't be brand new and shiny. Realistically I know she won't give a shit and I will just be a bike, but I can't shake the feeling.

Am I tight???!

Quality?

My child has never had a new bike and they have been given as presents. Why would I buy new when I can get a great one second hand and my child is none the wiser. Most of my child's toys and clothes are also second hand. Saving the planet they have to live in is no joke. I just wish a few more people would buy second hand

And size? Your average four year old will need a smaller bike than a five year old (you want the biggest they are tall enough for so you can get two years out of it) and bigger bikes cost more.

Yanbu. We have bought 1 new bike and realised this was silly too late. We now do second hand. Kids grow out of them so quickly.

Just bought my teenage son a present he wanted 2nd hand but in excellent condition on marketplace. This enabled him to have another pricey gift that he also wanted. Nothing wrong with teaching kids that it’s possible to get more for your money.

also keep looking as I think you can get a better bike. We did on FB MP for our youngests Xmas present a couple of years ago and it was spotless x

Best thing you can do, is she'll batter it a bit and you won't be uptight, also recycling ( pun intended) I always feel a bit sorry for spotlessly clean children on the latest, most deluxe bike known to child. Less tempting to get nicked too and she'll grow out of it really quickly.... a bit like babies with luxury nursey suites, they couldn't give a s*. It's mainly for other parents IMO

Your little girl will be thrilled with it. It makes perfect sense to buy a bike that is ok and doesn't cost £££
Your friend is a bitch.

Your friends a snob, I’m from a well off middle class family, most of our bikes were second hand and so were our friends, more fool her for wasting her money!

Almost everything we buy for the kids is second hand- toys, clothes, bikes. I also wear second hand clothes and use charity shops and Freecycle. It's better for everyone not to waste stuff and money. She's a dick.

Thanks all for your comments. Picked it up today, it is in pristine condition......it was £20!!!

Anyways I measured last night before agreeing to buy (internet said correct measurement), got home and its too big!!! 🤦 FFS!!!

So annoyed!!

Back to the drawing/cycling board! 😂 Have no issues with 2nd hand though...this bike looks amazing!!

Sounds great. Put it in the attic or somewhere and it’ll do as her 2nd bike when she grows into it.

They grow out bikes as fast as they grow out of shoes. Brand new bikes get dropped on the ground scratched etc you’re just bypassing that and saving yourself a fortune.

Your friend needs to work on her manners. Even if this is not what she would do, she has no right to say it like that. As far as I am concerned what you are doing is great. Never bought my kids a new bike. We got them islabikes which are great for about half the price, put of Facebook marketplace, great condition and they have done them great. Scooters we got them new but it was bday presents. Kids always outgrew things far too quickly anyway.

So much better for the environment to reuse things anyway. I didn't have brand new bikes when I was a child. My niece and nephews are so into cycling (competitively) and my BIL is always buying, selling and revamping bikes for them.

I honestly think we have wasted so much money on bikes and honestly wished we had got our daughters second hand. They out grow them so quick. I think he very first bike she only just learnt how to ride and a few weeks later it was too small.
i actually think your doing the sensible thing and as you say its a bike your daughter will love it! X

Your friend is rude with very outdated attitudes. Buying used is not only financially sensible but the right thing to do for the environment. Don't doubt yourself because your friend isn't very aware. Your DD will love it and you will be role modelling responsible behaviour.

Our three-year-old was thrilled to bits with his Christmas n-th hand two-wheeler with stabilisers, bought in the market. It did a few more children after him, and it was loved to bits.

My first bike as a kid was from the tip. There was a guy locally who used to get them from the tip and do them up then sell them.
I loved that bike.

most were from the tip after that too, except my ‘Bianca’ bike when I was about 11.
That one was new, and the dogs B’s

OP what a bargain! We’ve just bought a pre owned bike from Halfords which was 180!!!! A brand new one nowadays is astronomical!! She’ll love it and I’d like me will diff it up within hours (hopefully not ending up in A+E though…!)

So I picked up another one today for £60. Eldest is having the other one and doesn't care about the saddle. Two decent bikes for £80. Over the moon!! 😊😊

How absolutely fantastic. We buy second hand cars, why wouldn't we buy bikes.
My first record player was a little portable suitcase. I was delirious to receive it with a bunch of records in the mid 70's. It was second hand. In my life experience, the more money people have, the more confident they are in their choices to be prudent and recycle purchases that can be past on
Your children are thrilled, that is all that matters.

We got our son's last bike from a bike shop in our town that sells old bikes that they have re furbished and re cycled. Got him a great bike for £30 for his birthday and he was over the moon. Tell the snobby cow to get lost 😂

Of course you’re not being tight. You’re being sensible. Well done for finding two bikes for £80. At the age your children are, that’s enough to pay as they’ll grow out of them eventually. Ignore that friend of yours, seems as if she might have more money, perhaps, than sense?

When my children were younger I was a single parent, I bought my children's first bikes second hand. They were in the garden when they got home from school and didn't even know they weren't brand new. Nothing wrong with buying some things second hand.

Friend is crazy.

We have 3 kids, and multiple bikes (some of my kids do triathlons), and have NEVER bought a new bike for them, would be madness - even though we have a 6 figure household income.
I got them all on various FB groups, there are even specialised groups like Islabike Frogg etc groups. I get good bikes, in very good condition, around the £100-£150 mark, and resell for about £100 about 3 years later.

Honestly, I think the people who buy something new (and heavy and clunky) from the likes of Halfords for kids are complete fools.
At that age what matters is the weight of the bike, which makes it much easier and more enjoyable to ride - so most important is to get a lightweight (and therefore high quality) one, so second hand is the way to go.
For one of my DD, when it was her first bike, I put those coloured bead things in the wheel spokes, and for another I put a doll bike seat on the back. They were thrilled!