Dawes Sapphire 24”

[TheNewLook]

Anyone had this bike? Looking at it for my talk 7 year old. Website says it is 11.8kg - is this heavy for a child’s bike? I’m comparing it to a Frog 62 that might also work but is out of stock in most places.

Dawes isn’t a brand I’m familiar with so I’d appreciate any feedback.

[MrsAvocet]

To be honest, 11.8kg is heavy for an adult's road bike and its over half the weight of an average 7 year old girl.
Getting really lightweight children's bikes is very difficult but for comparison the equivalent from Islabikes in 8.3kg, and a similar model from Hoy is 8.6kg. That's still quite a big percentage of body weight compared to adults but that 3.5kg difference would definitely be noticeable for an adult rider, and for a young child it really is a lot.
There are worse bikes you could get than the Dawes, but also definitely better. Its really hard to get new bikes of any kind at the moment though unfortunately. Personally, I would opt for a second hand in a better, lighter brand rather than something that heavy new. I'm a coach at a kids' cycling club and whilst some children do seem to cope remarkably well with heavy bikes, as a general rule I find that those who have lighter ones seem to pick skills up more quickly and enjoy themselves more. Good children's bikes do hold their value quite well second hand so you can often get a good percentage of your money back if you sell on once your child has outgrown it.
This article might be of help, and may give you some other ideas.
www.cyclesprog.co.uk/bikes/junior-hybrid-bikes/best-24-wheel-kids-bikes-7-year-children/