20 inch bikes - what and when?

[Time Waster]

Our son rides a 16" Carrera cosmos. The seat post is quite high but when testing the 20" at Halfords I didn't trust him to ride it in the store. He could sit on it ok but it's right at his limit. A few months back now but I guess he's probably the right size now. He's 5 but a tall 5.

It'll be better for our summer tour if he's on a bigger wheel bike with gears. But is 5 too young? If he's not mature would a bigger, geared bike encourage him to try and ride too fast? Would you get the bigger bike now and slowly introduce him to it ready for summer?

BTW I've seen a nice cube bike that comes with full mudguards, rear rack, hub dynamo and front / rear lights. He likes the look of it. Last summer in Holland he saw a lot of kids bikes like that in smaller wheel size too (18" possibly 16" bikes) all bold, primary colours. He quite liked the rack and guards. Wanted them on his bike. I looked in a few shops while over there but didn't see anything (was looking for him honest, not myself too).

Anyone know a good, light 20" bike preferably with rack and guards? Something like our 16" Carrera cosmos which was very near isla bikes equivalent for weight at half the price. Could forgo the guards and rack.

 

[DCLane]

Ridgeback make light kid's bikes - 20" wheel and upwards. Frog and Scatto are also popular.

MTB or road bike? There's useful guides here to both options: http://www.cyclesprog.co.uk/bikes/road-racing-bikes-for-kids-with-20-wheels/ and http://www.cyclingweekly.com/group-tests/top-tips-for-buying-kids-bikes-201791

You may find a local kid's cycling club has bikes available to try and loan. I know my son's does.

 

[steven1988]

Islabikes beinn 20 will do everything you need. As for the scatto mention above they don' start till 26" wheel and won' take racks

 

[stalagmike]

My son has a pinnacle ash 20 and I've been impressed with the quality of it. Only takes clip on mudguards though and no rack.

 

[Time Waster]

We had a ridgeback 12". Good bike and considered light but it really wasn't. The Carrera Cosmos 16" we got was actually lighter by some way.

Looking at the 20" ridgeback is 10kg but isla bikes equivalent is 8kg. That's a significant increase at that bike size. Although you're talking a similar increase in price for the isla.

I do know the Carrera bike he's got was only a couple of hundred grammes heavier than the isla bikes equivalent. It cost half as much so a real bargain.

The bike we both liked in terms of kit is the cube 200 street IIRC. See below.

https://www.cube.eu/uk/2018/bikes/kids/5-plus-years/kid-200/cube-kid-200-street-boy-bluenblack-2018/

It's 11.5kg but I guess that's the guards, rack, hub dynamo and lights.

8.1kg for an isla bike but that's without guards, rack, dynamo and lights. How heavy would those additions make the isla bike? Rack alone would be a couple of hundred grams, guards a few hundred, dynamo I don't have a clue and the lights are not going to be light considering they're good German dynamo lights no doubt with a freznel lens and confirming to German standards.

Unfortunately if I wanted to add a rack to a kids bike I doubt I'll find one in the UK. Same for a dynamo front wheel. Although I could get that made because 20" is getting into specialist adult types of bikes like folding ones or recumbents.

 

[Sixmile]

It's my daughters birthday in just over a month and she wants a new bike. I had found a 2nd hand islabike (Beinn small £220) about 40 miles from me and then I had seen that Carrera have a few lighter aluminium bikes. We went down last night to try out the 16" Carrera, which my daughter is currently above the middle of the height range. Riding around, it was a good size for her now but not much room for growth. The only 18"s in store were horrendous so looked at the 20" Carrera. She loved the looked of it and was able to ride it no bother. She's just at the bottom end of the recommended height range for this bike. It is 7 speed, she has no notion of gearing yet but I reckon she'll get a few years out of it. Last night it was £225 in store or £240 online. The guy in my local Hally's said he'll do BC discount on top of the online offer (which was 10% last night). I went online this morning, the kids bikes now have 20% off so I ordered it to store and with the extra BC discount, it'll come in at £162

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/kids-bikes/carrera-saruna-junior-hybrid-bike-20-wheel