Bike for 7 year old, recommendations please.

quenching

My 7 year old has outgrown his current bike, an Islabikes Cnoc 16, and I need to pick a replacement. The Cnoc 16 has been great and is very well made (its been passed down to his younger brother who has outgrown his Cnoc 14) so the obvious choice is the next size up, Islabikes Beinn 20 but not having bought a bike for a 7 year old before I though it best to ask for any alternatives. Its hard to find something that doesn't weigh a ton or will be rusty in 2 weeks and it seems most bike shops have a very limited selection of kids bikes, even those that do tend to lean towards the "Spiderman" type bike.

The Islabikes Beinn 20 will cost about €320 delivered to Ireland and I'm not keen to spend any more than that, less would be better!

All suggestions gratefully received

C3PO

Specialized Hotrock 20 - great little bike!

quenching

Thanks for that, I'll check them out if I can find a local stockist. I've also found a Cube Team Kid 200, in Cyclesuperstore, anyone care to venture an opinon?

rp

if he isn't too insecure, I've a hotrock 20 that I could sell you: in a nice shade of pink...

quenching

rp wrote: »

if he isn't too insecure, I've a hotrock 20 that I could sell you: in a nice shade of pink...

Appreciate the offer rp but can't see it happening I'm afraid

Lumen

What's the bike to be used for?

I saw what looked like a proper kids-size Felt MTB with 20" wheels at the Dublin Blitz U8 race, but when I checked the weight online it was horrific.

The Beinn 20 is a nice all rounder bike. I have one in the small frame size, with three tyre combos for different conditions (MTB, light trails and tarmac). I don't think front suspension is really necessary on small kids bikes as they are so light the tyres can run at low pressures and give good ride quality over bumps. Not overly keen on the gripshift which is a bit difficult for small hands, but otherwise it's working out well.

BMXs have 20" wheels, right?

quenching

Glad to hear you're happy with the Beinn! At the moment it'll be used for cycling around the park, a mix of tarmac and easy forest trails, he does it with regular "road" tyres on the Cnoc 16 at the moment but I'd like to start teaching some road sense this summer and take him on some longer trips, relative to his size of course. I'd prefer not to have any suspension for the very reason you mention and the fact that it adds weight and expense - or detracts from the quality of other components. The Beinn in the larger size seems sensible for his size (118cm tall, inside leg 51cm) but I'll pop over to Cyclesuperstore and take a look at the Cube Team Kid 200 tomorrow if I can, its a bit heavier than the Beinn by about 1.7kg but also a good bit cheaper - but I know nothing of Cube at all and have been more than happy with our current Islabike bikes.

BMX's aren't even being considered, they all seem to weigh a ton and apparently are no good uphill or for distance. Eurocycles have a Felt mountain bike but I can't find a weight listed anywhere which is never a good sign.

Lumen

At that size he's probably only a year from the Luath 24.

Can you not just stick a bigger sprocket on the CNOC to get him through this summer, or is it a frame size issue?

FWIW I'm currently converting a CNOC 16 to use hub gears.

Tonyandthewhale

That cube looks really cool, I wish I was 7 again.

quenching

Lumen wrote: »

At that size he's probably only a year from the Luath 24.

Can you not just stick a bigger sprocket on the CNOC to get him through this summer, or is it a frame size issue?

FWIW I'm currently converting a CNOC 16 to use hub gears.

I could stick a bigger sprocket on it I suppose but theres also the fact that my 5 year old has outgrown his Cnoc 14, so the Cnoc 16 will go to him and I'll sell the smaller one. I'm hoping that a 20" will last him a few years (might have to cut back on healthy food ) I don't want to get him a bike that he's uncomfortable on or even a bit unstable. I'll have him try both sizes of bike and see if its possible to get the larger size but again it'll be passed on in about 18 months or so I'd say. I've 2 boys and seem to have to buy a new kids bike every 18 months as they've outgrown them, so I'm getting roughly 3 years of use out of each, I think! I could be just trying to convince myself but I don't think its bad value overall.

I'd be interested to hear what you're doing with the Cnoc 16, sounds like a great plan to convert it. Is it proving a tricky or expensive?

Tonyandthewhale - I agree the Cube looks good, they do a black and green version also which I think looks even better.

Arktura

i wouldn't recommend a 20 at all as he will grow out of it in no time, I know giant had a 24 called a 225 or something that was a fantastic bike, think it was around the €265 mark but worth it if u have kids younger than him. I've worked in bike shops and the best thing you could do is bring him in and get him fitted.

davey101

RPL1 wrote: »

Specialized Hotrock 20 - great little bike!

After many hours searching the interweb i also settled on the hotrock for mine. and as far as weight it was'nt that heavy compared to others but all kids bikes are ridiculously heavy, the child in question is now 11 and on a 13" hotrock, which again is crazy heavy but to be honest at that age they dont seem to care and just want to cycle. As long as spins are'nt to long he manages grand.

quenching

Thanks chaps, the weight of kids bikes never ceases to amaze me, some weigh almost as much at the child. I'm not obsessed about its weight but when you only weigh 25kg a few kgs makes a lot of difference. The Islabikes tend to be lighter by about 2 kgs than other brands.

Lumen

quenching wrote: »

I'd be interested to hear what you're doing with the Cnoc 16, sounds like a great plan to convert it. Is it proving a tricky or expensive?

Tricky is fun when you're not in a rush.

I'm using a Sturmey Archer SRF5-W 28h hub kit (special order, received), Dahon rim (ordered today). Now just have to decide on spoke pattern, order the spokes and get the wheel built.

The hub kit comes complete with a shifter and all the bits, so in theory it should all fit on. I'll update the other thread I started when I'm further forward.

Hub kit was about £100, rim about £40. Result will be expensive but unique!

dited

I'd have to agree that a 20" probably won't last him too long - I got dited jr a 20" for his 7th birthday; he's just turned 8 and I'm now looking for a 24" asap!

quenching

Lumen wrote: »

Tricky is fun when you're not in a rush.

I'm using a Sturmey Archer SRF5-W 28h hub kit (special order, received), Dahon rim (ordered today). Now just have to decide on spoke pattern, order the spokes and get the wheel built.

The hub kit comes complete with a shifter and all the bits, so in theory it should all fit on. I'll update the other thread I started when I'm further forward.

Hub kit was about £100, rim about £40. Result will be expensive but unique!

Well Lumen, it'll certainly be unique, I can't say I'd be that dedicated, if I could buy an off the shelf solution I'd probably think about it but what you're doing sounds like way too much effort for me! That said I'll be very keen to hear how it works out, can you point me in the direction of your other thread, I can't seem to find it myself!

Anyway, took a trip to try out some bikes today with my son and the 20" Cube is his favourite and fits well with the saddle raised about an inch from its lowest level so plenty of growing room left, a 24" was just too unstable and it would probably be a year before it fit him properly. The Cube seems a decent bike, maybe not quite as light as an Islabike Beinn but a bit cheaper and I'm leaning towards buying locally if I can, its also one of the few that didn't have pointless front suspension. Couldn't find anyone with a Hotrock 20 in the shop but I'll try others tomorrow.

C3PO

dited wrote: »

I'd have to agree that a 20" probably won't last him too long - I got dited jr a 20" for his 7th birthday; he's just turned 8 and I'm now looking for a 24" asap!

My little fella got his Hotrock 20 for his 7th birthday, he'll be 9 in September and I reckon it will be fine for a good while yet!