Stunt scooters - buying advice!
Discussion
Andrew you are my Dad, and I claim my free pint.
Unless kids are being spoilt brats always buy them what they ask for, otherwise you replicate a story that is from a dark point in my upbringing.
The year was about 1994, I was about 12-13 maybe a bit younger, I'd had a cool BMX up till this point but really needed something more practical to ride further afield on. I was also at that "awkward" age.....I'll just leave that there for later.
Christmas arrives, I'd been dropping hints about mountain bikes, my Dad had been dropping hints about racing bikes, frankly I'd have been happy with either, mountain bikes were cool, but road bikes would have been more useful.
Christmas morning I tear downstairs, get greeted by my Mother ushering me in to the kitchen and away from the tree! Bacon sandwich time, or child torture time, depends on your attitude. Worlds fastest bacon sandwich swallowing followed by tearing back to the tree. Woooohooooo a bike shaped box!!!!!!
I rip the box apart full on excited kid style.
The look of shock, perhaps horror must have been visible on my face. Because the bike in the package was a road bike. But I hear you say, didn't you say a road bike would have been good? Well yes, but my Dad being my Dad hadn't quite thought this one out....... What greeted me was this:
Except it wasn't that exact bike it was a cheap steel framed (more like cast iron), freeway opus dash (seriously this pink b
d is ingrained on my memory for ever, I'll never forget a single feature of the hateful puce monstrosity) with cheap nasty steel wheels and cheap steel groupset and white handlebar tape. It was pink, it was really really really pink. It wasn't a cool make, there was nothing cool about it, it was a cheap pink bike, god knows where he bought the thing but I bet "he got a deal" on it!
So he says if you don't like it I can exchange it. At that point I had a decision to make, be a spoilt brat and hurt his feelings, or become a man, ride the horrid thing and suck up the punishment I was going to get to do the right thing......
A year I suffered, dear god did I suffer.
But it paid off, he knew I'm certain of it, he realised fast it wasn't just a pink bike it was a crap pink bike, so one day he came home with this:
This was a cool bike, it had decent components on it (low level Shimano and alloy rims) and was a decent bike, it was used but he was struggling for cash at the time, I didn't care it was used it was awesome, I did thousands of miles on it and loved that bike, infact I've just bought another one to relive my memories.
Now I would ride a pink bike, wouldn't bother me, I like bright colours and have no insecurities (lets be honest after riding the pink bd for a year there is no way I'd have insecurities) that bike did make me a better person, but also I'm proud I put my Dads feelings before my own.
BUT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD BUY YOUR KID THE BIKE HE WANTS!
(Or be an evil bd and buy him a pink scooter)
Unless kids are being spoilt brats always buy them what they ask for, otherwise you replicate a story that is from a dark point in my upbringing.
The year was about 1994, I was about 12-13 maybe a bit younger, I'd had a cool BMX up till this point but really needed something more practical to ride further afield on. I was also at that "awkward" age.....I'll just leave that there for later.
Christmas arrives, I'd been dropping hints about mountain bikes, my Dad had been dropping hints about racing bikes, frankly I'd have been happy with either, mountain bikes were cool, but road bikes would have been more useful.
Christmas morning I tear downstairs, get greeted by my Mother ushering me in to the kitchen and away from the tree! Bacon sandwich time, or child torture time, depends on your attitude. Worlds fastest bacon sandwich swallowing followed by tearing back to the tree. Woooohooooo a bike shaped box!!!!!!
I rip the box apart full on excited kid style.
The look of shock, perhaps horror must have been visible on my face. Because the bike in the package was a road bike. But I hear you say, didn't you say a road bike would have been good? Well yes, but my Dad being my Dad hadn't quite thought this one out....... What greeted me was this:
Except it wasn't that exact bike it was a cheap steel framed (more like cast iron), freeway opus dash (seriously this pink b
d is ingrained on my memory for ever, I'll never forget a single feature of the hateful puce monstrosity) with cheap nasty steel wheels and cheap steel groupset and white handlebar tape. It was pink, it was really really really pink. It wasn't a cool make, there was nothing cool about it, it was a cheap pink bike, god knows where he bought the thing but I bet "he got a deal" on it!So he says if you don't like it I can exchange it. At that point I had a decision to make, be a spoilt brat and hurt his feelings, or become a man, ride the horrid thing and suck up the punishment I was going to get to do the right thing......
A year I suffered, dear god did I suffer.
But it paid off, he knew I'm certain of it, he realised fast it wasn't just a pink bike it was a crap pink bike, so one day he came home with this:
This was a cool bike, it had decent components on it (low level Shimano and alloy rims) and was a decent bike, it was used but he was struggling for cash at the time, I didn't care it was used it was awesome, I did thousands of miles on it and loved that bike, infact I've just bought another one to relive my memories.
Now I would ride a pink bike, wouldn't bother me, I like bright colours and have no insecurities (lets be honest after riding the pink b
d for a year there is no way I'd have insecurities) that bike did make me a better person, but also I'm proud I put my Dads feelings before my own.BUT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD BUY YOUR KID THE BIKE HE WANTS!
(Or be an evil b
d and buy him a pink scooter) What a great post.
Certainly for me when I was in my teens if someone pitched up at the skatepark we hanged out at on a micro scooter they'd be turned away, now as soon as I'm in decathlon I'm the first to jump on one and then use it to do my shopping quicker, I even bought my niece one recently and she loves it and my sisters birthday present will be with one as she can't keep up with my niece on the school run.
I see more and more parents going on the school run on scooters and personally I think its quite cool.
If you can afford it and think he would get good use out of it and has a group of friends that go out on them then I'd bite the bullet. If it's something you can't afford or may just be a quick phase for him get a slightly cheaper one that he can always upgrade.
Certainly for me when I was in my teens if someone pitched up at the skatepark we hanged out at on a micro scooter they'd be turned away, now as soon as I'm in decathlon I'm the first to jump on one and then use it to do my shopping quicker, I even bought my niece one recently and she loves it and my sisters birthday present will be with one as she can't keep up with my niece on the school run.
I see more and more parents going on the school run on scooters and personally I think its quite cool.
If you can afford it and think he would get good use out of it and has a group of friends that go out on them then I'd bite the bullet. If it's something you can't afford or may just be a quick phase for him get a slightly cheaper one that he can always upgrade.
wildoliver said:
Andrew you are my Dad, and I claim my free pint.
Unless kids are being spoilt brats always buy them what they ask for, otherwise you replicate a story that is from a dark point in my upbringing.
The year was about 1994, I was about 12-13 maybe a bit younger, I'd had a cool BMX up till this point but really needed something more practical to ride further afield on. I was also at that "awkward" age.....I'll just leave that there for later.
Christmas arrives, I'd been dropping hints about mountain bikes, my Dad had been dropping hints about racing bikes, frankly I'd have been happy with either, mountain bikes were cool, but road bikes would have been more useful.
Christmas morning I tear downstairs, get greeted by my Mother ushering me in to the kitchen and away from the tree! Bacon sandwich time, or child torture time, depends on your attitude. Worlds fastest bacon sandwich swallowing followed by tearing back to the tree. Woooohooooo a bike shaped box!!!!!!
I rip the box apart full on excited kid style.
The look of shock, perhaps horror must have been visible on my face. Because the bike in the package was a road bike. But I hear you say, didn't you say a road bike would have been good? Well yes, but my Dad being my Dad hadn't quite thought this one out....... What greeted me was this:
Except it wasn't that exact bike it was a cheap steel framed (more like cast iron), freeway opus dash (seriously this pink bd is ingrained on my memory for ever, I'll never forget a single feature of the hateful puce monstrosity) with cheap nasty steel wheels and cheap steel groupset and white handlebar tape. It was pink, it was really really really pink. It wasn't a cool make, there was nothing cool about it, it was a cheap pink bike, god knows where he bought the thing but I bet "he got a deal" on it!
So he says if you don't like it I can exchange it. At that point I had a decision to make, be a spoilt brat and hurt his feelings, or become a man, ride the horrid thing and suck up the punishment I was going to get to do the right thing......
A year I suffered, dear god did I suffer.
But it paid off, he knew I'm certain of it, he realised fast it wasn't just a pink bike it was a crap pink bike, so one day he came home with this:
This was a cool bike, it had decent components on it (low level Shimano and alloy rims) and was a decent bike, it was used but he was struggling for cash at the time, I didn't care it was used it was awesome, I did thousands of miles on it and loved that bike, infact I've just bought another one to relive my memories.
Now I would ride a pink bike, wouldn't bother me, I like bright colours and have no insecurities (lets be honest after riding the pink bd for a year there is no way I'd have insecurities) that bike did make me a better person, but also I'm proud I put my Dads feelings before my own.
BUT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD BUY YOUR KID THE BIKE HE WANTS!
(Or be an evil bd and buy him a pink scooter)
Is this the bicycle?Unless kids are being spoilt brats always buy them what they ask for, otherwise you replicate a story that is from a dark point in my upbringing.
The year was about 1994, I was about 12-13 maybe a bit younger, I'd had a cool BMX up till this point but really needed something more practical to ride further afield on. I was also at that "awkward" age.....I'll just leave that there for later.
Christmas arrives, I'd been dropping hints about mountain bikes, my Dad had been dropping hints about racing bikes, frankly I'd have been happy with either, mountain bikes were cool, but road bikes would have been more useful.
Christmas morning I tear downstairs, get greeted by my Mother ushering me in to the kitchen and away from the tree! Bacon sandwich time, or child torture time, depends on your attitude. Worlds fastest bacon sandwich swallowing followed by tearing back to the tree. Woooohooooo a bike shaped box!!!!!!
I rip the box apart full on excited kid style.
The look of shock, perhaps horror must have been visible on my face. Because the bike in the package was a road bike. But I hear you say, didn't you say a road bike would have been good? Well yes, but my Dad being my Dad hadn't quite thought this one out....... What greeted me was this:
Except it wasn't that exact bike it was a cheap steel framed (more like cast iron), freeway opus dash (seriously this pink b
d is ingrained on my memory for ever, I'll never forget a single feature of the hateful puce monstrosity) with cheap nasty steel wheels and cheap steel groupset and white handlebar tape. It was pink, it was really really really pink. It wasn't a cool make, there was nothing cool about it, it was a cheap pink bike, god knows where he bought the thing but I bet "he got a deal" on it!So he says if you don't like it I can exchange it. At that point I had a decision to make, be a spoilt brat and hurt his feelings, or become a man, ride the horrid thing and suck up the punishment I was going to get to do the right thing......
A year I suffered, dear god did I suffer.
But it paid off, he knew I'm certain of it, he realised fast it wasn't just a pink bike it was a crap pink bike, so one day he came home with this:
This was a cool bike, it had decent components on it (low level Shimano and alloy rims) and was a decent bike, it was used but he was struggling for cash at the time, I didn't care it was used it was awesome, I did thousands of miles on it and loved that bike, infact I've just bought another one to relive my memories.
Now I would ride a pink bike, wouldn't bother me, I like bright colours and have no insecurities (lets be honest after riding the pink b
d for a year there is no way I'd have insecurities) that bike did make me a better person, but also I'm proud I put my Dads feelings before my own.BUT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD BUY YOUR KID THE BIKE HE WANTS!
(Or be an evil b
d and buy him a pink scooter) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221459442632?ssPageName=...
In my early teens my old man was a buyer for a large chemical company.
He used to "buy" me trainers out of the Arco catalogue...25yrs on, I've still not forgiven him.
"Special football trainers them son..." "fook off dad..."
Not having the latest trendy stuff can really affect a kids mental well being in my experience/opinion. Within reason, mine will be bought whatever's cool at the time.
He used to "buy" me trainers out of the Arco catalogue...25yrs on, I've still not forgiven him.
"Special football trainers them son..." "fook off dad..."
Not having the latest trendy stuff can really affect a kids mental well being in my experience/opinion. Within reason, mine will be bought whatever's cool at the time.
Edited by dave_s13 on Tuesday 10th June 15:38
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