to think that a two hundre pound bike should last for more than one year?

[stitch]

jeez. how can the bike shop ring me up and say that the bike is unrepairable? i spent two hundred pounds on it for him last year. with the express purpose of it lasting several years. i took their advice. i went completely with what they said. i spent more moneyon it that i had intended. i specifically said that it needed tolast him several years and then be used by heis younger brother forseveral year.s
so he falls down a few times. he is 11 ffs. is he meant to be driven around everywhere? or is he not allowed to fall down ever. or are two hundred pound bikes not able to cope with a child falling down?
advice please on what to say to them. i am not going to write off a bike after only one year. every previous bike of his has beenused by him, and his siblings, and his original stabiliser bike is being passed on to a freidn.

Which bit is unrepairable? My DS2 managed to completely ruin a £150 bike - mainly by damaging the derailleur - but he was 13-14, doing a daily paper round on it, not always leaning it carefully against a wall every time he got off and also thudding up and down kerbs all the time.

We have recently bought him a bike with hub gears, I'll find you a link in a minute - it only has 8 gears (15/21 always seems ludicrous to me), completely enclosed within the rear wheel hub - if he manages to damage those I'll give him a prize.

Like this, but not this make

They are more expensive but look as if they'll last forever...

Would one of those be too big for him? I think the smallest frame size is 17" or 18".

well, he is taller than he ws last year, but, i cant afford to fork out more money for another bike for hm.
he also has a cycling proffieciency test this week, arrggghh
can i say consumer rights stuff. i was missold this etc?

If the bike has been damaged by it falling, you can't really quote consumer rights as its not a fault that has developed but user damage.

It may have been expensive but bikes are designed to be ridden not dropped etc. Yes kids do but thats part of life.

Mmmm - just taken DS2's (8) bike to be repaired (cost around £120 last Easter).

Skidding on it, not being careful when putting it down, just being reckless really.

It really pains me to see some children with bikes that still look like new after a couple of years then there is DS2 who just adores being out on the open road - with no hands and his feet off the pedals

well, ive been, and they have agreed to fix it. they will drill a hole in the frame and thus try to reattach the gear mechanism. or the other option they offered was to turn it into a single gear bike. either option is acceptable really, as at least that way, he still has a bike.
probly cost fifty plus in labour and parts. but at least he has a bike, instead of being told that it cant be fixed. iyswim

Well when I were a lass we all managed fine with one gear - IIWY I would tell them just to do that and not to waste time and money messing around with the gears.

Actually for my 11th birthday I got a 3-speed bike, with one of those trigger things on the handlebars - I was thrilled! I think it would probably have been a hub gear too, DH rides an ancient BSA 3-speed women's bike (we got it with a child seat already attached about 15 years ago) and that has a hub thing - derailleurs are way too complicated for most adults, let alone kids.

bellvita, me too - all our kids' bikes have been ridden into the ground pretty much.