Suggestions - bike for DS 9 - Live in a flat!! Folding / lightweight / other ideas?

[puppetcat]

hi all, I live in a flat (first floor). I have a tall flight of stairs and hallway is too small to store a bike.

DS has outgrown her small one we could just about carry up and down the stairs. I need something to replace it that's easy enough to transport in / out of the flat and up the stairs.

Can anyone recommend something lightweight and / or foldable (and budget if at all possible). I can just about bear lugging it up the stairs if necessary, but as our flat is not very massive, would consider folding etc.

Budget not big at all! :( max around £200 (less if possible as I know she will grow out of it soon!).

Ooh, that's a tough one OP. I've never seen a folding bike for kids, and a quick internet search has drawn a blank. I guess there's not much call for them, but I can see the sense in your circumstances. Adult folding bikes do have small wheels and some have quite a bit of adjustment on the seatpost and handlebars but I don't know if they would adjust sufficiently for a 9 year old. And to be honest, even if such a thing exists, to get a folding bike with a lot of adjustment and that is robust enough for playing out on regularly I think the price would be prohibitive. Good folding bikes are expensive because they are well engineered, and the cheap ones look very flimsy and some even have warnings that they are not suitable for heavy use.
Personally, at the £200 ish mark I would be looking at second hand from a good brand like Frog or Islabikes. Something like a Frog 62 or Islabikes Beinn26 might suit her, depending on how tall she is, and they weigh around 8.5-9kg if I recall rightly. The problem with a lot of inexpensive children's bikes is that they have steel frames and cheap components which weigh more, so their overall weight can be high. I've just glanced at children's bikes in your price range on Decathalon and the onces that stated their weights were around 12kg or more. As well as not being great to ride, that's a lot of weight to lug up the stairs. You are likely to get better value for money by going for a higher end brand with an aluminium frame and good quality components even if it's been well used. They also hold their resale value well - especially Islabikes - so you'd probably quite a bit of your initial outlay back if you sold it again.
Sorry I can't help more. I coach at a cycling club but not that age group, but I will have a nosey at what the 9 year olds are riding at our next session and if I see anything that looks like it might suit you I will post again.