Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Recreational & Family
Reload this Page >

Suggestions for a teener/tweener

Notices
Recreational & Family Ride just to ride? Have a family and want to get them into cycling? Drop in here to discuss recreational and family cycling issues.

Suggestions for a teener/tweener

Old 08-08-13, 06:29 PM
  #1  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 6
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Suggestions for a teener/tweener

Hi all,
Well, finally, I got my son interested. I taught him to ride years ago but he outgrew the kids bike without really using it. Can't blame him, really. It's all quite urban round here and the roads can be busy to hostile. But I got myself a cheap hybrid as a pub/nip-out-to-the-shops bike, and he said 'Hey Dad, maybe I could have a go on that' It's a tad on the small side for me at 6' and definitely on the large side for him at 5' 5", but he can straddle it safely and I lowered the saddle, got him some confidence back by noodling about on grass slopes, and a while ago I took him on the old railway cycle path and we covered about 10 miles. And he loved it, which is great and we've been out a few times.
But that bike is way too big, too heavy. I could do with some other advice, and I bet some of you kind people could offer.
I suppose he needs an adult bike with a smallish frame. I mean, he's the same height as Quintana! And money is tight in the Fidelio household. Mrs F will need some persuasion to go up to even £200. My own pride and joy is only a Triban 3 with Mavic Aksiums. He wants a road bike with drop handlebars, and I think that's sensible. So to the questions:
Can I get him anything ridable for £200? I even thought about a halfords apollo fusion, which I'm sure is not a great bike but I just thought that some of the issues about its resilience would be less significant given that it will only be carrying about 100 pounds of rider. Stick my 13 stone on that and ride it for a few hundred km and it would probably fall apart. I just sort of thought that a light rider might get away with it.
Secondly, blimey, how to you teach kids to ride if you live in a city? He's nearly 13 but his handling is like that of a 7-year old. Bristol is blessed with a lot of cycle paths, but there is always the odd stretch of horrible urban carmageddon between A and B.
This post is so much longer than I intended. Apologies!
F
fidelio67 is offline  
Old 08-09-13, 08:08 AM
  #2  
Senior Member
 
delcrossv's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Scalarville
Posts: 1,457
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times in 4 Posts
You could get a nice used road bike for less than 200 quid. Check the local adverts and "vintage bicycles" on ebay. The local bike shop could measure him for correct frame size. Guessing 46 to 48 cm. There should be a Bikeability series of classes where you live.

Here' a couple of links to get you started:

https://www.bsca.org.uk/wordpress/

https://www.dft.gov.uk/bikeability/
delcrossv is offline  
Old 08-09-13, 06:51 PM
  #3  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 6
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Thanks delcrossv. Do you think a 'vintage' job would be better than a halfords cheapy? They all look like steel frames, which I guess is fine, but it's the lack of indexing and having shifters on the downtube that puts me off. Mind you I rode a 5 speed steelie with downtube friction shifters throughout my teens. I just sort of thought that with all the techno advances even a cheap halfords/viking whatever might be better than an old skool steelie. There are a hell of a lot more recent hybrids about in my price range. Maybe I could just stick some slicks and bar ends on a hybrid. Thanks for the links,
fidelio67 is offline  
Old 08-19-13, 02:34 PM
  #4  
Senior Member
 
Divtos's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 152
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
My kids are both riding Fuji Aces 20" and 24". At 24" they start to have drop bars and are a good cheap road solution for kids. Maybe https://www.bikepedia.com/quickbike/B...l=Ace+650+Comp
Divtos is offline  
Old 08-19-13, 02:57 PM
  #5  
Senior Member
 
delcrossv's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Scalarville
Posts: 1,457
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times in 4 Posts
Originally Posted by fidelio67
Thanks delcrossv. Do you think a 'vintage' job would be better than a halfords cheapy? They all look like steel frames, which I guess is fine, but it's the lack of indexing and having shifters on the downtube that puts me off. Mind you I rode a 5 speed steelie with downtube friction shifters throughout my teens. I just sort of thought that with all the techno advances even a cheap halfords/viking whatever might be better than an old skool steelie. There are a hell of a lot more recent hybrids about in my price range. Maybe I could just stick some slicks and bar ends on a hybrid. Thanks for the links,
Well you'd get a lot lighter frame and better bearings and the like with an older higher end bike. My kids are riding with downtube friction shifters and haven't complained. Just takes getting used to. Some have shifters on the stem which is nice. You can (almost) always retrofit indexing/brifters but it's money.

I've heard pretty good things about Fuji's- seen some but none of my kids have tested any.

Last edited by delcrossv; 08-19-13 at 03:02 PM.
delcrossv is offline  
Old 08-19-13, 07:18 PM
  #6  
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 6
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Thanks again. I found a SH Giant OCR well under budget which seems pretty good. I road it around a bit and liked it, although it was too small for me of course. Sure it's better that that halfords job I was looking at.
fidelio67 is offline  
Old 08-19-13, 09:22 PM
  #7  
Senior Member
 
delcrossv's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Scalarville
Posts: 1,457
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times in 4 Posts
Originally Posted by fidelio67
Thanks again. I found a SH Giant OCR well under budget which seems pretty good. I road it around a bit and liked it, although it was too small for me of course. Sure it's better that that halfords job I was looking at.
That'll get him around just fine!
delcrossv is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Embidd
General Cycling Discussion
8
06-28-16 07:51 PM
notmightyenough
General Cycling Discussion
15
05-25-15 11:09 AM
chintanjadwani
Road Cycling
6
06-18-14 11:24 PM
SalvadorM
Road Cycling
15
06-08-13 12:58 AM
SkippyX
Classic & Vintage
1
06-10-12 05:09 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.