1st BMX (6 year old)

[jpc]

Hi

Advice appreciated:

My 6 year old has a CNOC 16 Isla Bike.   For those who are not aware, Isla bikes make award winning bikes specifically for kids and are apparently particularly light and do not have any adult parts that are found on more mass market child bikes.

I am looking at options for a BMX for his next bike and would appreciate recommendations, in particular on brands that are great for BMX's for 6-7 year olds?  Ideally it will be similar to an Isla Bike in its engineering approach and lightweight!

Thanks in advance

[griff]

I imagine Spen will be along in a bit, in the meantime welcome to RAD

[VOIVOD]

  Hi,what is your sprog intending to do with the bike? There are a ton of 16" inch street/park bikes out there at varying price levels ,same with race bikes.

[In2bmx]

Speak to Alan Woods . Alan's bikes in Wigan . 

Welcome to   

[Spen69]

I imagine Spen will be along in a bit, in the meantime welcome to RAD

Haha happy to oblige Griff

Welcome to Rad jpc. If you already get that Isla bikes are the best thing you could have bought your lad (well unless it was an Early Rider Belter of course...) but you're stuck now to move up to a BMX. You could try an 18" wheel BMX which is scaled down park or street style 20" but they are heavy, really heavy.

My 6yr old hated the 18" I bought him as it was easily twice the weight of his Belter so I found him a micro race BMX with 20x1-1/8" wheels and he loves it. He's never gonna be airing out a quarterpipe on it but he loves riding it round the Bolehills BMX race track up here in Sheffield and it's all aluminium with micro sized ahead-set forks and stem, so it's half the weight of any of his mates' bikes with loads of gears they don't need.

I got a couple of second-hand Redline Micro Race bikes that were a bit scruffy so I stripped them down, re-greased everything and bought new brake cables and a load of gumwall tyres off JTsmooth on here to give the bikes a bit of style and off both my kids went. I'm sure Haro make small ones too but there are quite a few modern firms that make them too. As long as the top tube and saddle are in-line or lower than the top of the rear wheel your son should be able to ride it.

Here's a picture of them both - my daughter has just turned 9 and still uses hers every week

[ Attachment: You are not allowed to view attachments ]

[BMX1973]

  to   

[jpc]

I imagine Spen will be along in a bit, in the meantime welcome to RAD

Haha happy to oblige Griff

Welcome to Rad jpc. If you already get that Isla bikes are the best thing you could have bought your lad (well unless it was an Early Rider Belter of course...) but you're stuck now to move up to a BMX. You could try an 18" wheel BMX which is scaled down park or street style 20" but they are heavy, really heavy.

My 6yr old hated the 18" I bought him as it was easily twice the weight of his Belter so I found him a micro race BMX with 20x1-1/8" wheels and he loves it. He's never gonna be airing out a quarterpipe on it but he loves riding it round the Bolehills BMX race track up here in Sheffield and it's all aluminium with micro sized ahead-set forks and stem, so it's half the weight of any of his mates' bikes with loads of gears they don't need.

I got a couple of second-hand Redline Micro Race bikes that were a bit scruffy so I stripped them down, re-greased everything and bought new brake cables and a load of gumwall tyres off JTsmooth on here to give the bikes a bit of style and off both my kids went. I'm sure Haro make small ones too but there are quite a few modern firms that make them too. As long as the top tube and saddle are in-line or lower than the top of the rear wheel your son should be able to ride it.

Here's a picture of them both - my daughter has just turned 9 and still uses hers every week

[ Attachment: You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Thanks very much.

So stick with the Isla for now by the sounds of it?

@Voivod he is trying to do little jumps on lifted pavements and just getting to know the bike really, but he has been to a Cheadle and Platt Field tracks in manchester.

For his next bike should I perhaps go with another Isla?  What age do you have a viable option for a bmx, where weight and size is right for them to have a smooth transition please?

[griff]

we had a day at Rom skatepark few months back and met this little fella

https://www.instagram.com/azurbmx/

he's just turned 4 and is already shredding it 

Never too young (or too old)

[jpc]

we had a day at Rom skatepark few months back and met this little fella

https://www.instagram.com/azurbmx/

he's just turned 4 and is already shredding it 

Never too young (or too old)

What is the size of tyre and make of that bike mate? well cool

[VOIVOD]

  I`d go with Spen`s 18"micro race bike ide,maybe a mini if he is big enough..Isla are not all that and not even a BMX.Most micro race bikes also use scaled down parts such as cranks,bars,stems.

[Spen69]

To be honest the Isla bike is brilliant but when your lad moves up a wheel size from 16" the speed he gains will be the big difference. Yes Isla use small scaled down components but so do most micro race BMX's these days - the Redlines I got my kids have 1" ahaeadset forks and stems, the cranks are 140mm or less and the brake levers small and fully adjustable for kids. The good thing is the Isla will sell for strong money on eBay and you could look for a second hand race BMX at your local BMX club or eBay.

Just to be 100% clear, the bikes in my photo use 20" wheels but they are skinny race wheels so 1-1/8" width not the standard 1.75" BMX size so totally different tyres (I know Voivod knows this)

When I was talking about 18" wheel bikes I meant the scaled down park bikes like the Kink Kicker I got off Gary72's son.

If you find something you think fits the bill then post a link up on here and we can let you know if it's suitable or not.

[jpc]

To be honest the Isla bike is brilliant but when your lad moves up a wheel size from 16" the speed he gains will be the big difference. Yes Isla use small scaled down components but so do most micro race BMX's these days - the Redlines I got my kids have 1" ahaeadset forks and stems, the cranks are 140mm or less and the brake levers small and fully adjustable for kids. The good thing is the Isla will sell for strong money on eBay and you could look for a second hand race BMX at your local BMX club or eBay.

Just to be 100% clear, the bikes in my photo use 20" wheels but they are skinny race wheels so 1-1/8" width not the standard 1.75" BMX size so totally different tyres (I know Voivod knows this)

When I was talking about 18" wheel bikes I meant the scaled down park bikes like the Kink Kicker I got off Gary72's son.

If you find something you think fits the bill then post a link up on here and we can let you know if it's suitable or not.

These pictured Redlines, and some of the other bikes I've seen kids on at the track look different to BMX's I remember as a kid, and have always thought of as BMX.  I think of BMX more like those of that cool little kid Griff posted.  What determines the style you go for and what are they classed as? Freestyle and racer perhaps? 

[Spen69]

Exactly that mate, freestyle (street or park bikes) or race bikes.

If your lad wants to year around a bit of a track get him a race bike as it will be close to his existing bike in terms of design. He won't be able to do any kick-turns but he will have a great time racing about.

[jpc]

Exactly that mate, freestyle (street or park bikes) or race bikes.

If your lad wants to year around a bit of a track get him a race bike as it will be close to his existing bike in terms of design. He won't be able to do any kick-turns but he will have a great time racing about.

I think we will struggle to get to the track enough make the most of a race bike, and the freestyle one will be more interesting for him as we have the back garden and we goto a caravan, where he can do more experimenting with tricks.  he already keeps showing me his one handed riding  and almost no handed...

So with that in mind, those pictured ones are race bikes right?  So what is the leading brand on lightweight freestyle bikes, and will it in fact be that much better for stunts than his Isla?  I have seen some small bikes with very big high handles... but they look a bit impractical??

[mattfx81]

My lad is 5, hes on a micro mini race bmx with 18" wheels for the track and he had a diamondback 14" park style bmx for the skateparks and santa will be bringing him a new 16" park bike.
All depends on his height for size fitting as brand to brand the toptubes, stems, cranks and bars are different sizes even for the same diameter wheel. Take him to a shop and sit him on a few and to be honest most of the park style bmx bikes in small sizes are overweight for what they are compared to the micro and mini race bikes.

[jpc]

My lad is 5, hes on a micro mini race bmx with 18" wheels for the track and he had a diamondback 14" park style bmx for the skateparks and santa will be bringing him a new 16" park bike.
All depends on his height for size fitting as brand to brand the toptubes, stems, cranks and bars are different sizes even for the same diameter wheel. Take him to a shop and sit him on a few and to be honest most of the park style bmx bikes in small sizes are overweight for what they are compared to the micro and mini race bikes.

Thanks

Which model/brand is the 16"?