Advice for upgrade from child's first pedal bike
Discussion
Hello,
Our nearly-7yr-old is now outgrowing their 16" single speed pedal bike. They have suggested they would like a bike with curly handlebars. A move to gears is an obvious next step. Drop bars limit the choice significantly, but I saw a fair few 20" Frog 58 bikes on FB Marketplace for not much money, so thought that would be ok for a bit.
However, on measuring their inside leg (59cm), I've discovered they will fit on a number of 24" bikes, and this makes things a bit harder as it opens up more options. I'm not so keen on a bike with drop handlebars, as the geometry leans towards "going fast", and probably increases complexity as the shifters/brakes will be different. That said, there is an Islabikes "Luath" which is half price at the moment, and the 16" bike came from Islabikes and has been brilliant. That's aimed at road/gravel/cyclocross though, which seems a bit niche for a 7yr old with one bike, mainly used for cycling to school, parks/occasional forest trip etc, and visiting "bumpy tracks" (pump tracks).
I don't want to get them something that makes a pump track seem daunting because of the geometry, as that seems a useful thing to keep being exposed to for bike control. Other options are full-on MTBs, which come with suspension and disc brakes (e.g. IB Creig 24), neither of which I'm sure are necessary at this point. Then there are things like a Frog 61 and IB Being 24, which are multipurpose, but cost as much or more than some of the discounted niche stuff which seems a bit "fancier".
A good option appears to be a Hornit Hero 24, which is light and simple, having a Nexus 3-speed hub and a belt drive, with no suspension. But then if the bike is large enough to last another 3-4 years, will it become too basic during that time?
TL:DR - upgrading from first pedal bike. What's too much, and what's too little of an upgrade?
Opinions appreciated. Thanks!
Our nearly-7yr-old is now outgrowing their 16" single speed pedal bike. They have suggested they would like a bike with curly handlebars. A move to gears is an obvious next step. Drop bars limit the choice significantly, but I saw a fair few 20" Frog 58 bikes on FB Marketplace for not much money, so thought that would be ok for a bit.
However, on measuring their inside leg (59cm), I've discovered they will fit on a number of 24" bikes, and this makes things a bit harder as it opens up more options. I'm not so keen on a bike with drop handlebars, as the geometry leans towards "going fast", and probably increases complexity as the shifters/brakes will be different. That said, there is an Islabikes "Luath" which is half price at the moment, and the 16" bike came from Islabikes and has been brilliant. That's aimed at road/gravel/cyclocross though, which seems a bit niche for a 7yr old with one bike, mainly used for cycling to school, parks/occasional forest trip etc, and visiting "bumpy tracks" (pump tracks).
I don't want to get them something that makes a pump track seem daunting because of the geometry, as that seems a useful thing to keep being exposed to for bike control. Other options are full-on MTBs, which come with suspension and disc brakes (e.g. IB Creig 24), neither of which I'm sure are necessary at this point. Then there are things like a Frog 61 and IB Being 24, which are multipurpose, but cost as much or more than some of the discounted niche stuff which seems a bit "fancier".
A good option appears to be a Hornit Hero 24, which is light and simple, having a Nexus 3-speed hub and a belt drive, with no suspension. But then if the bike is large enough to last another 3-4 years, will it become too basic during that time?
TL:DR - upgrading from first pedal bike. What's too much, and what's too little of an upgrade?
Opinions appreciated. Thanks!
Edited by Prawo Jazdy on Tuesday 26th September 14:55
Surprised you managed to get so many years out of a 16”…. 
Maybe check out places that have remaining stock of Cuda Trace or Forme Kinder bikes (both Hybrid type so no drop bars)
Note: I think the Forme comes up a little larger than the Cuda. the website Cyclesprogs might have more info.
Maybe check out places that have remaining stock of Cuda Trace or Forme Kinder bikes (both Hybrid type so no drop bars)
Note: I think the Forme comes up a little larger than the Cuda. the website Cyclesprogs might have more info.
Prawo Jazdy said:
there is an Islabikes "Luath" which is half price at the moment, and the 16" bike came from Islabikes and has been brilliant. That's aimed at road/gravel/cyclocross though, which seems a bit niche for a 7yr old with one bike, mainly used for cycling to school, parks/occasional forest trip etc, and visiting "bumpy tracks" pump tracks).
The Luath doesn't look niche to me - pump tracks aside, sounds like exactly what you need and your kid wantsWe've had Frogs and Hoy for ours over the last few years.
Similar situation for my 4 year old (nearly 5) going up to 20" wheels. Not bothered with suspension upfront, I don't see what it will offer for a young rider. I'm looking at Orbea MX 20 disc. Thinking behind the disc is that he's getting faster and scrubbing speed is a good skill to have!
They Orbea also do a similar 24"
Similar situation for my 4 year old (nearly 5) going up to 20" wheels. Not bothered with suspension upfront, I don't see what it will offer for a young rider. I'm looking at Orbea MX 20 disc. Thinking behind the disc is that he's getting faster and scrubbing speed is a good skill to have!
They Orbea also do a similar 24"
Why buy new? My son, now 7, in on his third Islabike, having started with a Cnoc 14, then a Beinn 20s, and now onto a Beinn 24. In each case I've bought off eBay or FBM locally, and sold the outgoing bike for pretty much what I paid for it. There's plenty choice, in each case I've picked up bikes in very nice condition from people I'm happy to buy from if that makes sense.
There are some bargains around too, I've recently picked up a Moda Minor drop bar road bike for just £50 from a local family going up a size. I've added some "cross top" CX style additional brake levers and my son loves it, and is obviously now educated in the ways of N+1!
There are some bargains around too, I've recently picked up a Moda Minor drop bar road bike for just £50 from a local family going up a size. I've added some "cross top" CX style additional brake levers and my son loves it, and is obviously now educated in the ways of N+1!
I bought my son a Whyte 303 which turned out to be a great progression bike. Confidence inspiring geometry, chunky tyres, hydraulic disc brakes and a good spread of gears. I picked it up from FB marketplace for £250 in June 22 and sold it in April for £220 after he outgrew it.
https://whytebikes.com/pages/w303v1
Another good option worth looking at is an older Specialized Hotrock 24 (this model - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/115923880920?hash=item1... ). My son had one of these before the Whyte. It’s light, has good geometry, is fairly cheap to buy these days and you can fit chunkier tyres if need be. The only downside from my point of view is the Gripshift, which can be quite stiff for little hands. My son didn’t like it so I ended up changing it for a trigger shifter after a few weeks.
https://whytebikes.com/pages/w303v1
Another good option worth looking at is an older Specialized Hotrock 24 (this model - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/115923880920?hash=item1... ). My son had one of these before the Whyte. It’s light, has good geometry, is fairly cheap to buy these days and you can fit chunkier tyres if need be. The only downside from my point of view is the Gripshift, which can be quite stiff for little hands. My son didn’t like it so I ended up changing it for a trigger shifter after a few weeks.
My little boy hasn’t long since turned 6 and was on a 20” wheeled Voodoo Sobo since last Christmas but he was starting to look a bit too heavy on it and that combined with smaller wheels made him a bit unstable on the trails.
I picked up a 24” Voodoo Bakka about a month ago and he’s taken to it really well, the extra length and wheel size means he’s now riding stuff he was struggling with on his 20” wheeled bike. Upside to the Voodoo is for the price (second hand) they seem quite light, have thumb shift and in the case of the Bakka, discs… which again have really helped his confidence.
I’ve bought all his bikes used and either returned my money or made a little profit so that’s a bit of a bonus too.
I picked up a 24” Voodoo Bakka about a month ago and he’s taken to it really well, the extra length and wheel size means he’s now riding stuff he was struggling with on his 20” wheeled bike. Upside to the Voodoo is for the price (second hand) they seem quite light, have thumb shift and in the case of the Bakka, discs… which again have really helped his confidence.
I’ve bought all his bikes used and either returned my money or made a little profit so that’s a bit of a bonus too.
I think the post above goes to highlight the difference is kids heights/bike sizes my eldest went to a 20" bike (Orbed MX-20) on his 5th birthday. He turned 7 in June, but the Orbea still looked OK, I got him a 24" bike (Vitus Nucleus) ready for the summer holidays, but it was still too big.
Craikeybaby said:
I think the post above goes to highlight the difference is kids heights/bike sizes my eldest went to a 20" bike (Orbed MX-20) on his 5th birthday. He turned 7 in June, but the Orbea still looked OK, I got him a 24" bike (Vitus Nucleus) ready for the summer holidays, but it was still too big.
How was the Orbea, impressed? Craikeybaby said:
The Orbea is great - it is the rigid disk version, with a few upgrades. The standard 9 speed mech was too long, so it now has a 10 speed system with a Zee mech, which is much shorter.
Cheers, rigid disc is the one I'm interested in. Interesting on the upgrades too, thanks. Little thumbs and gears are tough to master.Tickle said:
Craikeybaby said:
The Orbea is great - it is the rigid disk version, with a few upgrades. The standard 9 speed mech was too long, so it now has a 10 speed system with a Zee mech, which is much shorter.
Cheers, rigid disc is the one I'm interested in. Interesting on the upgrades too, thanks. Little thumbs and gears are tough to master.OP - Get a 20" bike, don't get a drop bar bike. They're completely pointless for kids, they won't be riding and faster or any further, they'll just fall off trying to follow their mates on their bikes with flat bars.
Thanks for the replies and suggestions everyone - really useful stuff. I was surprised that a 24” bike was in the running, but then the back of Child1’s wrists are pretty close to their knees on the 16”, so maybe I’ve just been blind to how small it has become.
I think something like a used Frog hybrid might be the way to go to cover a few bases. Annoyingly I missed out on a nice looking, well priced one yesterday. I’ve nothing against buying used, but finding a used child’s bike which is well looked after doesn’t seem that easy, and the ones from the child-orientated manufacturers are not cheap used either.
I think something like a used Frog hybrid might be the way to go to cover a few bases. Annoyingly I missed out on a nice looking, well priced one yesterday. I’ve nothing against buying used, but finding a used child’s bike which is well looked after doesn’t seem that easy, and the ones from the child-orientated manufacturers are not cheap used either.
A quick update: the suggestion of a Whyte 303 went down well because it has a rigid fork but (although quite wide) not plus-size tyres. Also, despite probably being overkill for a 7yr old, hydraulic brakes seemed a nicely upmarket touch. So I added it to the daily MarketBayTree dredge, and after other options/makes repeatedly slipped through my fingers, I went on a two hour drive to pick one up today from a very nice seller for £180.
It has clearly been regularly used off road, but is scrubbing up quite well cosmetically, and doesn't seem to be worn out anywhere. The frame has some marks but I've ordered a paint touch-up kit from Whyte which will hopefully see to that. I think I've used the wrong sort of grease on a jockey wheel, as it doesn't spin as freely as the other, but otherwise stripping, cleaning and rebuilding is proving quite satisfying.
Thanks for the help, and hopefully it goes down well once it is revealed.
It has clearly been regularly used off road, but is scrubbing up quite well cosmetically, and doesn't seem to be worn out anywhere. The frame has some marks but I've ordered a paint touch-up kit from Whyte which will hopefully see to that. I think I've used the wrong sort of grease on a jockey wheel, as it doesn't spin as freely as the other, but otherwise stripping, cleaning and rebuilding is proving quite satisfying.
Thanks for the help, and hopefully it goes down well once it is revealed.
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