Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Shopping

From everyday essentials to big purchases, swap tips and recommendations. For the best deals without the hassle, sign up for Mumsnet Moneysaver emails.

Original poster

best bikes for nearly 5 and nearly 7 year old girls

30 replies

amidaiwish · 27/07/2010 13:11

help please!
a couple of years ago we went to our local bike shop and spent £90 each on Raleigh Molly bikes for the DDs, complete with sparkly tassles, a doll etc. they have been utter shite.

so now we are going to teach them to ride this summer and need some new bikes, without stabilisers.

i recall someone recommending Isla before. Can anyone give me any more guidance before i go and get ripped off spend another couple of hundred quid.

thanks in advance

OP posts:
Original poster
amidaiwish · 27/07/2010 13:12

hey, why didn't get ripped off get crossed out? do i need to do -- around each word? get ripped off ?????

OP posts:
Original poster
amidaiwish · 27/07/2010 13:12

a ha!

OP posts:
Original poster
amidaiwish · 27/07/2010 18:24

bump

OP posts:
schoolpanic · 27/07/2010 18:26

can't help you but watching with interest as i'm planning to buy almost 5 dd a bike this week - what was wrong with raleigh? i just looked at some horrible dolly seat, tassled bikes and thought dd would love them!

iMum · 27/07/2010 18:27

isla bikes

schoolpanic · 27/07/2010 18:37

they're expensive though and dd can't try it out - we don't live in ludlow!

schoolpanic · 27/07/2010 18:37

sorry don't mean to hijack thread!

Original poster
amidaiwish · 27/07/2010 18:38

yep they're the ones we bought schoolpanic
honestly they've been useless
stabilisers SO wobbly
tyre came off front wheel within a week, should have brought it back but got it back on
both of them have needed pumping up a lot, bearing in mind we have hardly used them because the stabilisers are just too annoying (yes i know i should have got them adjusted)
handles on one have become sticky, no idea why, only on DD2s, not DD1s. weird.
tassles fell out within days
for £90 i was expecting much higher quality.

OP posts:
Original poster
amidaiwish · 27/07/2010 18:38

thanks iMum - where do we get them? will they be available in a large local bikestore or only online?

OP posts:
stripeyknickersspottysocks · 27/07/2010 18:48

I've always bought Giant bikes for DD and found them to be really expensive good.

schoolpanic · 27/07/2010 19:27

hmm, ta. they do look cheap (even though they're not!) but thought that was a taste thing. i'll steer clear.

isla bikes have one showroom - just outside ludlow (next to the ludlow food centre) in shropshire. otherwise it's measure the child and do mail order. the bike for 5+ is £210 and the 'first bike' for 4+ is £149. delivery is £12. they do part exchange when you want to upgrade but don't know how that would work if you not near to them.

mn-ers are v keen on islabike. advice generally seems to fall into 'go to skip and do one up for less than a fish supper' or 'buy an islabike'.

i don't object (too much) to price of islabikes but do want dd to try it out for size etc. at the mo she has a ridgeback balance bike - might look at ridgeback or specialised - i had a specialised bike and loved it till it was nicked.

schoolpanic · 27/07/2010 19:28

islabike website

schoolpanic · 27/07/2010 19:31

this is the pedal version of current balance bike we have been happy with it and i like the shocking pink matt livery. and not a bad price from Evans...

will keep looking! stop me when i start to bore you.

schoolpanic · 27/07/2010 19:38

specialised with the full spec! £139 (comes various sizes)

and i rather like this - but is as expensive as islabike and shop is in edinburgh! like the blue though revolution

close up!

schoolpanic · 27/07/2010 19:48

cycle surgery is where i bought my last two bikes - they have this mad girly but a proper make. my trek bike is v reliable. and cheap(er) but prob not many left so you'd need to be in london to pick up. and i need to figure out wheel size - this could be too small for 5+.

nightshade · 27/07/2010 20:01

specialised, i agree. have one for dd1 who has just turned four.

she went from a balnce bike to bike with no stabilisers in a week.

they are also a bit more girly looking than the isla bike!

Fennel · 27/07/2010 20:05

I'd say just try and buy bikes that look as though they are meant for action. No tassles. No glitter. I have 3 dds. All very good cyclists. we have never had a tassle. We buy bikes that look like smaller versions of adult bikes, ones that you could imagine taking up a mountain or miles on a road. anything called Molly with tassles just doesn't sound as though it's fit for decent distances.

we get them second hand but good ones, little used. For new I'd expect to pay well over £100 for a bike, but 2nd hand you can get something good for a lot less.

Original poster
amidaiwish · 27/07/2010 20:12

thanks all
i am going to try and persuade dh to head to Isla bikes in Ludlow one day in the hols, (we are SW London). maybe we could stay overnight and have a look around, trip to cadbury world!

do they do adult bikes too? think i might get one they sound so good

OP posts:
schoolpanic · 27/07/2010 20:17

yes, after gazing at a lot of bikes i like the ridgeback melody if i'd get away with 16" wheels for a 5 year old (quite tall).

i would be delighted to buy second hand but where should i look?

blametheparents · 27/07/2010 20:17

DS has just grown out of his 20" Giant bike, it;s been fab for him.

Have just bought him a 24" Carrera from the range at Halfords, it's great.
Halfords also stock some Carrera bikes for younger girls, starting at a 16", iirc.
Aluminium frame mean they are not too heavy.
Nice bikes, and I am def not usually a fan of Halfords!
Carrera

schoolpanic · 27/07/2010 20:20

good luck amidaiwish! i can recommend the pies from the food centre next door (and the sarnies from the cafe)!

schoolpanic · 27/07/2010 20:21

ta blametheparents - how old was your ds when you got him the 20"?

blametheparents · 27/07/2010 20:22

schoolpanic - Don't get a 16" for a tall nearly 5 year old!
My tall DD got a 20" bike for her 5th birthday.
Everyone laughed and said it was too big for her, but she loves it and did a 10 mile bike ride on it after having it for 2 months.

blametheparents · 27/07/2010 20:23

We got DS his 20" bike for his 6th birthday

blametheparents · 27/07/2010 20:24

Trouble is there is not nearly as much choice for a 18"
Have to make a decision really between the 16" and the 20" in order to get something decent, rather than a 'toy' bike.