# This is going to cost me a fortune!



## funnymummy (21 Sep 2011)

I bought my youngest a Raleigh Striker in August last year, it was his 'first' bike after a couple of years of being on a Pashley UPlus2 trailer with his brother.
I wsn't sure how well he'd be able to ride or even if he'd enjoy it, so opted for a very standard, very basic kids 20" wheeled bike..Well, that was a mistake!
He's taken to cycling like a duck to water, the day after getting his bike we did a 25+mile ride (we did make a few stops) Since then he'ps gone from strength to strength.
A few months ago I managed to get him into a local cycling club & last month he entered his first race - Brighton Little Dog MTB - He came 2nd.
He is still riding his little Raleigh, it was remarked after Saturdays ride by one of the other coaches that he was amazed that he had done so well on his little bike considering the quality & size of the bikes the other kids had ridden, 24" wheels, gears, light as a feather etc. & it showed what a good rider he was.
I had promised my lad he could have a new decent bike for Christmas, he's got his eyes on an Isla Luath, but he's a wee bit too small, so have agreed it might be better for his birthday which isn't until May, he may have grown a few more inches by then.
So what to do now, the Raleigh really isn't a speedy bike, he's had it for 13/14 months & will grow out of it very soon, the Email of upcoming MTB events arrived last night, half a dozen over the next couple of months, he's desperate to enter as many as he can...and TBH, the Raleigh just isn't designed for that kind of riding...
Best get him a new bike now then! Purse strings are a bit tight this month, so we agreed on a 2nd hand bike..
So over to eBay, where he immediatley sets his eyes on a red Trek MT 220..
24 hours later it's his - I'm picking it up on Friday.

So my 7yr old son now has a n+1.... But I fear this is just the start.. He's going to need a winter riding kit soon, full gloves, thermal tights, base layers, decent jacket...Oh dear where will it end..?


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## Oxo (21 Sep 2011)

funnymummy said:


> So my 7yr old son now has a n+1.... But I fear this is just the start.. He's going to need a winter riding kit soon, full gloves, thermal tights, base layers, decent jacket...Oh dear where will it end..?



With one proud Mum with a tear in her eye etc etc.


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## roadrash (21 Sep 2011)

"where will it end " hopefully it wont


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## growingvegetables (22 Sep 2011)

funnymummy said:


> Oh dear where will it end..?


The first 25 years are the worst


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## Oxo (22 Sep 2011)

growingvegetables said:


> The first 25 years are the worst




They may be the worst, but that's not the end of it!


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## superbadger (22 Sep 2011)

Well done on a great post . Yep its gonna cost you but you deserve some credit on having brought up your son to such a great standard;. Most kids that age would moan after 5 miles


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## funnymummy (22 Sep 2011)

Yes to a tear in my eye..reckon I should have shares in Kleenex!

Nope, hopefully it won't 

25 yrs & more ..... I'm 41 & still get 'pocket money' off my parents 

Thank you SB


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## MontyVeda (22 Sep 2011)

Ah good for you FM... you could be spending a comparable amount on the latest games console, the latest video games, replacement controllers because the original was thrown at the wall in a huff. At least you know this is all a good investment


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## funnymummy (23 Sep 2011)

MontyVeda said:


> At least you know this is all a good investment



 A good investment...AND I got to meet the lovely xxmimixx... What a bloody small world! Mind you, nearly knocked me down speechless, when she said "Are you funnymummy?"
Thnak you for the fab bike Mimi xx He's totaly in love with it xx


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## xxmimixx (23 Sep 2011)

hi funnymummy, it's not the first time something like this happened to me (must start playing the lottery) but when I saw you I thought you had a familiar face then remembered your pic with your certificate for completing a ride and could not let you go without mentioning! 
Glad it went to a family where they will enjoy it and put it to good use xx


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## funnymummy (24 Sep 2011)

Well if you do start doing the Lottery...tell me your numbers 

We fixed the front brake, Fynn washed the bike..Never seen him gaze at something so lovingly, I swaer he would have slept in the garage with her if i'd let him!
He's been up since 6.30, dressed in his lit since 6.45am & asking me if it's time to leave since 7am... His club doesn't meet up til 9.45/10am


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## PpPete (24 Sep 2011)

This is great !



roadrash said:


> "where will it end " hopefully it wont



How long before he wants a road bike too ?

That's my job for today ...(in between various taxi duties) .... building up a new "road" bike on a small frame I got off Ebay the other week. Seems like only yesterday I did the last one for him, but he's grown out of it already. Thank goodness he doesnt want to race (yet).


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## funnymummy (24 Sep 2011)

PpPete said:


> This is great !
> 
> How long before he wants a road bike too ?



 Good luck on bulding your bike x
He has been drooling over the Islabike Luath since his birthday this year, but he was too small, so I said Christmas, he's still too small, so now it's next birthday (May)
One day he will get his dropped bars 

Went out today with his club, major problems with the chain - It just wouldn't stay on, every 1/2 mile-ish it would just slip off...
So once back home we paid a visit to LCBP, I thought maybe the chain was stretched & maybe just take a link out...???
James gave it his full attention...I now believe James has OCD, he decided the bike needed a complete strip down, clean & rebuild!
5 hours, a new rear derailleur, new cables, lots of elbow grease, jaffa cakes & coffee & he sat back and SMILED! I was beginning to worry we'd never leave!

Fynn is racing tomoorrow at Happy Valley, so fingers crossed he don't crash on the first corner or I think poor James will have a fit!


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## funnymummy (25 Sep 2011)

Today was an up & down sort of day!

Got to the race site & Fynn went off for a few warm up laps... his two team mates came back but no Fynn, then he came limping round the corner, a very glum expression on his face, and a very ragged looking leg!
He'd not taken his baggy joggers off, they'd caught in the chain & he'd faceplanted into the grass!
He was positiv he wasn't going to race, and had a roll on the ground, kick my feet in the air type on tantrum, but after a Bounty he was bcak on his bike.
I went to register him & found there was no Under 8's race, only U10's. I looked at all the kids in the queue.... Some of them were on +£700 bikes & looked very serious 
Come the starting line up it was all a bit messy, they had them lined on the bend, it was a very narrow part so they had to form 2 lines, the bigger kids all pushed to the front - Fynn and the younger ones all got shoved to the bcak.








He was looking at me with a "oh dear" sort of face when the whistle blew, i'm still trying to figure out the reason for starting the face from the point, they had to go from standstill to an immediate left turn, all the kids at the back just had to sit & wait til the bigger kids had moved off before they could even get up on their pedals... But the part of the trcak they turned onto was more than wide enough for them to all have started in one line - The bigger kids would still have surged ahead of the nippers, but at lesat they could have all started together, a couple fo the big one shad gone about 50yrds before the Fynn even got going.

They did one lap then came to the up&down bit, think Fynn got a bit confused which gripshifter to twist & ended up, having to lepa off his bike & run up the hill with it..





But he wasn't the only one!
Then as he went past us on the flat part i shouted to him to change gear, again a look of confsuion as suddenly his legs started spinning like mad, as he dropped down the little ring! One of his coachs was running along side the track shouting instructions & after a few yards he got into the right gear.

Needless to say, no medals where won today, but he had a fantastic time, has sworn to practise his gear changing EVERY evening and can't wait to race again...which may be sooner then he thinks as I found out today there are another 11 in this series!
Yes this is definatly going to cost me a fortune..in just petrol alone!!


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## Davidc (25 Sep 2011)

Enjoy it FM, and just budget for it! (And the petrol).

I had the same thing with a hockey mad son. He's still playing it at age 33 at a very high level, but now buys his own kit! Believe me, hockey kit can cost just as much as a bike!!!

As your son gets better and goes on to win things at higher and higher levels just wallow in the proud parent bit while you can. It's great.


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## MontyVeda (25 Sep 2011)

Just make sure you keep all the receipts so you can give him the bill when he turns 18


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## Oxo (25 Sep 2011)

funnymummy said:


> Yes this is definatly going to cost me a fortune..in just petrol alone!!




I went through a similar process with my lad who played golf. It was a constant round of new equipment as he grew bigger, stronger and improved his game, plus golf club fees, competition entry fees, petrol etc. etc. And the time involved in it all!! 

Was it worth it? 

Absolutely.


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## superbadger (25 Sep 2011)

Send your lad my best wishes FM.... What a great effort after his earlier mishap. He will come back bigger,better and stronger am sure. He soon get the hang of the gears. You should start a blog of his season.


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## xxmimixx (25 Sep 2011)

Well done Flynn, looking good on the bike! FM told you that they would not remember changing gear LOL 
As long as he enjoyed himself that's all it matters, there is always something to learn at each event! xx


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