AIBU to give DC hand me down bike for Christmas?

[Wordau]

DC1 will be getting a new bike for Christmas as his is too small now.

His old bike is still in good condition and perfect for DC2.

However DC2 would be fully aware that their sibling is getting a brand new bike while they get their old one. So more a hand me down than a gift. Also DC1 has asked for a new bike, DC2 has not (but desperately needs one as current one too small - but they love it.)

Last time they needed new we just gave DC2 the old bike (DC1 got current one for birthday).

On the other hand, it seems a bit unfair to DC1 that their Christmas present is "used up" by a bike, whereas DC2 just gets one "for free".

What's the fair way to handle this?

No, wouldn’t do this. Sell DC1s bike on marketplace or whatever and buy DC2’s new.

You’re overthinking it.
DC1 gets what they asked for - a bike.
DC2 should get what they asked for. The free bike is incidental.

There are advantages and disadvantages to birth order. One of the eldest’s advantages is they often get to experience newness, while siblings get seconds. That’s ok. They also get to stay up later, and tell stories about their older kid experiences.
Younger ones get to ride on the coat tails, but often have to fit around the schedules of older ones. It’s swings and roundabouts.

Give dc2 an alternative Christmas present that they would like/need and just hand down the bike

Like a PP, mine have always had 2nd/3rd/4th hand Islabikes (then mountain bikes) as the quality is so much better than a new one from Halfords. There’s a big age gap between mine and the little one has had big sister’s balance bike and bikes for several birthdays (she’s only 4 and not aware her sister had them, and if she did she wouldn’t care). Eldest is getting a secondhand musical instrument for Christmas this year. There’s nothing wrong with a preloved gift! So much better for the planet our children will inherit.

I think it is perfectly reasonable to pass bikes down the family. Kids bikes are almost always outgrown before there's any significant problems with them and it's definitely better to buy a decent bike that will do several children than multiple cheap ones that will likely end up as landfill pretty quickly. As the youngest of 3 children I got my first ever new bike for my 21st birthday but I'd been fine with my brother's outgrown bikes til then.
However, I wouldn't ever give a sibling's hand me down as a main Christmas present that would be really unfair.

My ds1 outgrew his 20" bike recently. My exh thought it was awful that ds2 would be inheriting it and "he'll never know what it's like to have a new bike"

In the end I bought a 24" bike for £30 from Facebook marketplace which ds1 is delighted with. I didn't give it to him for Christmas. This way both of them get a bike new to them but not brand new.

The icing on the cake was that I also needed a new bike so I also bought one second hand off Facebook marketplace partly to prove a point to my exh

I don't think there's anything wrong with gifting hand me downs as such - but giving your DC2 his brother's bike while DC1 gets a new one is wrong, unless he also gets another present. I don't think it needs to be of equivalent value, as he is getting the bike, but it does need to be of equivalent excitement. You could, perhaps, give DC1 a small additional (second hand?) present to make it equal.

We spray painted DS’s bike and put new decals on it before giving it to DD.

That was for her birthday though a few months after DS had had the new bike for his birthday. We put it in my parents garage while DH repainted it etc so it seemed like a different bike to the children.

The next (and last bike) they had they had at the same time new for Christmas as they were adult size ones that would last.

I wouldn't give dc2 the bike as a gift. Especially if they hadn't asked for one. Clean it up and save it for the spring and just let them have it.

I don't think it's unfair dc1 is using their present on a bike and dc2 gets one "free". It's a hand me down and the kids choose what they want? It's more undair dc2 gets all the hand me downs and never the new shiny one 😆 (not judging you at all, I have the same situation in my house but do feel bad sometimes dc2 gets most things second hand)

This is why we don’t give bikes as presents. They’re a mode of transport (but then we live in a very cycling friendly city).

We have always passed down bikes with our kids. But the hand me down one was never a birthday or Christmas gift. The new one for the eldest would be. Last year I actually did get the youngest a brand new bike for Xmas as she’d only ever had her brothers. She’d never said she minded but I thought she’d like a new one of her own.