What bicycle?

Superjakes

Superjakes

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Times have changed since I was little. Back then, kids had bikes as a means of transport and they seemed to be more plentiful and affordable. Fast forward to today - city kids hardly ride bikes anymore because traffic is so kak and it is just too dangerous. I don't think schools even have bike sheds anymore, which is good as kids can no longer fight or smoke behind them. Bicycles are now sporting goods and rather specialised.

Here comes my question. As some of you might know, I am not an Oppenheimer and don't have the funds of one. I would like to buy my (tall) 6 year old son a bicycle. We have measured and determined that a 24" mountain bike will do the job. I have almost made peace with the fact that I cannot get one for R2000-ish, like I thought when I started looking. I will not be able to pay 4k and upwards for one. What would the best option be?

New Apex Element 24" - R3250
Used Avalanche Cosmic 24" (I think it is a 2020 model) - R1800
Used Titan Hades 24" - R3000
Any other recommendation? What should I be wary of and what should Iook for?

Thanks in advance!
 
You sure 24" inch is right..? My 7 year old is on the tall side too and a 20" is perfect..

Take him to a bicycle shop, not necessarily to buy something, unless they have an excellent deal you are happy to take, but rather so they can fit him properly..

As for what to look for:

Aluminium frame, double wall rims, hydraulic disc brakes..
 
WAslayer said:
You sure 24" inch is right..? My 7 year old is on the tall side too and a 20" is perfect..

Take him to a bicycle shop, not necessarily to buy something, unless they have an excellent deal you are happy to take, but rather so they can fit him properly..

As for what to look for:

Aluminium frame, double wall rims, hydraulic disc brakes..
Click to expand...
You might have missed the Oppenheimer bit with your hydraulic whatwhats and all that, ne?

We had him in a couple of shops, all agreeing that 24" will work (and I would like to believe that it could last a couple of years, seeing that the 16" BMX in my shed got too small for him very quickly).

8 speed or 21 speed - does it make a difference?
 
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Superjakes said:
You might have missed the Oppenheimer bit with your hydraulic whatwhats and all that, ne?

We had him in a couple of shops, all agreeing that 24" will work (and I would like to believe that it could last a couple of years, seeing that the 16" BMX in my shed got too small for him very quickly).

8 speed or 21 speed - does it make a difference?
Click to expand...
No, I did not, but you asked what to look for and hydraulic disc brakes would be ideal, but if you cannot find one within your budget that's fine, but you should be able to at least get cable disc brakes, as I have seen several 24" titan Hades in CPT with cable disc brakes for around 2k..
 
I have a very tall 6 year old girl and she has the girls version of this:

Shop Marvel Lucca 20 Inch Junior Boys Bike - Cycle Lab

Shop Marvel Lucca 20 Inch Junior Boys Bike Online - Find Exclusive Deals Today! Buy Now and Enjoy Fast Delivery and Hassle-Free Returns. Cycle Lab
www.cyclelab.com www.cyclelab.com
It is frequently on special and I got hers last month for R3499 new.
These bikes also come with 2x free services and there is a trade-up programme when they need to get a bigger bike.

Marvel Kids Clu | Cycle Lab

www.cyclelab.com www.cyclelab.com

She has plenty of room to grow but there is also a 24 inch version.
I am impressed with the quality for the price and I am used to bikes that cost as much as cars. It is Shimano 7 speed with hydraulic disc brakes. I love that it has a rigid fork rather then some fake shock that does nothing.

I looked at 2nd hand bikes for 2 months and they were either too expensive or abused (left outside to rust).
 
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Since I know everybody was so interested in me doing the right thing, and I thank you for that. I ended up pulling the trigger on this:
1749808707939.png

It seemed like a good deal, delivered to my house before payment.
 
Tman* said:
Second this.

You can get a lot more bang for the buck 2nd hand
Click to expand...
Looking for 20inch bike and cheapest decent is 2.5K on bikehub. Yoh.

But most sellers seem to be shops like bikegarage so they are probably keeping prices high like estate agents do.
 
Sideshow Bob said:
Looking for 20inch bike and cheapest decent is 2.5K on bikehub. Yoh.

But most sellers seem to be shops like bikegarage so they are probably keeping prices high like estate agents do.
Click to expand...

New for a little bit more.

solomonscycles.co.za

Apex Blaze 20 Boys BMX - Solomons Cycles

Apex Blaze 20 Boys BMX: lightweight Performance kids' bike with a 20-inch frame, power V-brakes, 2.125" tyres and racing number board.
solomonscycles.co.za solomonscycles.co.za
 
Bikehub is the bets place to start, they also have forums so people there cam give better specific advise.

Solomon cycles not a bad option if you are looking for some value buys.

Bikemarket best of both worlds, can but 2nd bikes that have been serviced and checked

Pre-Owned Kids Bicycles | Quality Pre-Owned Kids Bicycles

We have a wide range of Kids Bicycles from Titan, Apex, Avalanche Max, Giant, Signal and more. Visit our website for more information.
bikemarket.co.za bikemarket.co.za
 
Jam Sandwich said:
Bargains vanished long ago on there...
Click to expand...
Problem is that even private sellers also keep prices very high based on their lookups on that site. Some time ago, I sold one kids bike and I kept price realistic and it was sold within 3 days. You see same bikes unsold on that site for months. 2nd hand goods don't fetch much value these days. Unless it is something very special.
 
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