Bike recommendations

[MrsPicklesonSmythe]

My boy is in yr 8 and needs something decent to ride to school on. No idea what's cool or good for that age group and he's not been into bikes before so doesn't have a preference. We've just moved here so he can't ask mates yet and they weren't the in thing where we used to live.
Budget £2-300 although obvs nice if cheaper. Any ideas?

Isla bikes

Islabikes are more for younger children and are a bit out of your price range.
If you have a Decathlon near you their bikes are really good quality for the price. My son had to buy himself one after he stupidly left his £500 bike that I bought him unlocked and it got stolen(!) The one he bought from Decathlon was under £200 (mountain bike) and quality-wise it's as good as the named-brand one that was stolen.
Obviously get a decent lock!

Ds has a boardman and it's great. He's yr 10 but has had it for a couple years. I think it was around the 300-350 mark. It should last him forever though- he's over 6ft!

Do you have any bike hire places nearby? We got some fab mountain bikes from an ex hire place not too far from us. Bought a few years ago but well below your budget. They get new bikes in every year so the old ones get sold off. DS1s was slightly more expensive as it was bought earlier in the season so hadn't been used much. But with DS2s they put on a new set of tyres too and it was cheaper.

Can he stroll past the bike racks and see what people are using for school?

I know a 14 year old who rides an Isla bike but must admit I don't know about the prices

Mine, ages 13 and 15 have Carrera bikes from Halfords. They are considered cool where we live and cost around £250-£300. Who would spend more? It will only get nicked!