First proper bike for a 6 year old

[pokesandprodsforthelasttime]

I'm thinking the time has come to get DD her first proper bike. She's had a balance bike up till now, but only recently got to grips with it.

She suffers from lack of confidence, lack of stamina and strength and lack of patience. She gives up easily if she finds it difficult. She's small and skinny.

She could do with a lightweight bike that's probably a bit too small for her to give her more confidence.

I can't afford a posh bike that she's likely to grow out of in a couple of years. Can probably stretch to £100 max. I don't want to buy online as I'd like her to try it first.

Any ideas of the sort of thing I should be looking for in this price range, and where I should look? I live in a city with specialist bike shops but they are ££££££. Also have loads of toy shops and Halfords. Any ideas?

If you are thinking of buying a bike that's slightly too small then I would buy second hand to begin with and then buy a proper bike when she has more confidence.

A too small bike won't be of any use in the long term, because it is very difficult and tiring to cycle when it isn't the right size. My daughter had a bike that probably cost us just over £100 for her 6th birthday but she had been cycling on a small bike for a few years by then.
Look on facebook selling pages, gumtree and on freecycle for something that she can use to practice for a couple of months and then try halfords for a decent sized bike.

I'd be looking for an aluminium frame for a start as it will be lighter.

A decent bike 2nd hand would be your best bet, but if it ust be new, then maybe something like this if you could get one a wee bit cheaper:

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B00AFUM5E4/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new&qid=1381403097&sr=8-5

or this is a bit cheaper:

www.amazon.co.uk/Barracuda-Blox-Pink-Pavement-Bike/dp/B008Y3MUOO/ref=sr_1_89?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1381403358&sr=1-89&keywords=bike+16+aluminium

or if she is very little then a smaller version?:

www.amazon.co.uk/Barracuda-Blox-Pink-Pavement-Bike/dp/B00AMLRY56/ref=sr_1_42?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1381403592&sr=1-42&keywords=bike+14+aluminium

or this looks pretty good and only a wee bit over budget:

www.bikes2udirect.com/B5743.html?mv_pc=gp1

I think a 16" bike won't last for very long at all. My daughter got this last year aged 6 and she has had to have the seat raised twice already which is why I reccomend a second hand bike to build confidence.

I agree with you entirely MrsPnut, but I am guessing that as it is for Christmas then the OP maybe wants new. She says her daughter is small and slight so i thought about a 16 might be right, my boys were humungous so were in a 20 inch at 5 :o

My DD is quite petite though MrsPnut. She is still happily riding a little balance bike I bought her when she was 3! That bike you linked to would absolutely terrify her

I think 16" will be about right for her and will last her a few years. She will only be riding on the street, to school and back and in the park. She won't be going mountain biking or doing any serious cycling.

That bike that you have linked to is also steel frame MrsPnut - the weight difference will probably be significant for a child that isn't very strong/confident.

Thanks for links soontobeslender they look like the sort of thing I'm looking for, I think I need to take DD to a bike shop and see if I can find anything similar. I'm not averse to 2nd hand, but would rather DD try the bike out first so ebay etc maybe not a good idea.

pokes, I'd definitely go and have a look and feel the weight of an aluminium versus a steel fram. Probably less of a difference on such a small bike tbf, but enough that your daughter would notice.

I would try to get a recognised proper bike make if you can as the components will be better made and avoid gears if you can as well as she wont use them and they will just add weight and and something to break if she drops the bike.

keep it simple :)

The other thing to bear in mind is that an expensive bike (e.g. Islabikes) will hold a re-sale value and you will be able to sell on for not much less than you paid.