Buying bikes for the whole family

[jjinsa]

Kids are about to get upgraded... small boy from a balance bike to a 16", bigger boy from his old 16" Raleigh junk to a 20" with gears.  Mom and Dad to get bikes just for following them around, riding with them when we go away on weekends.  Mostly dirt paths and tar/dirt roads.  Nothing technical

 

Dad - 29" Large frame - top contenders so far:
Titan Rogue SE2 2023 model - R7499 (normally over R12k it seems?).   Microshift Advent X, Titan Air fork, Nutt Hydr. Brakes

Avalanche Reflex Sport - R7299. Coil fork, Shimano Acera, Hydr. Brakes

Trek Marlin 5 Gen 3 2023 model - R10499. Suntour Coil fork, Shimano Altus, Hydr. Brakes

Mom - 27,5" around R5000 budget.  She will ride by far the least - maybe under 10 times in a year.  She will only need very entry level for camp grounds, farm roads, when we go away.  

Smaller boy 16" - My older kids Raleigh 16" for around R1200, was real garbage.  Do the Sportsmans Kerb 16", which are around 2000 do any of a better job?  The avalanche bolt for around R2500?  Any other recommendations under R2500?  Marvel from cycle lab?  Silverback Skid 16" R2999?

Bigger boy 20" - Around R5k budget.  So far I like the:

Avalanche Flash 20 for R5499 (Hydr. brakes, solid fork, Shimano Altus).  Some people say rigid fork is perfect, and lighter for 20", others say a coil or air is better.  But otherwise this bike seems to have good brakes and groupset.  Are Hydr. brakes nice for a child?  Or not necessary.  I am sure even mechanical brakes are huge step from the Raleigh crap. 

Sprocket 20" with internal gears R4499 - I like the idea of internal gears.  But this is a Hi10 steel frame, V brakes etc.  But seems a simpler step from his 16".  Do the 3 internal gears provide any real climbing power?  With his 16" now he really struggles up hills. 

Titan Player 20" 5699 - Shimano Tourney, Mechanical disk brake, Coil spring.  Seems specs slightly lower than the avalanche?  But I only hear good things about Titan. 

Marvel Lucca 20" R4999?

 

A lot of my questions are about the 20" - Hydr. brakes important or not?  Rigid fork or not?  Read so many conflicting opinions.  Also really interested in that sprocket and any reviews or comments?  Are they good quality?

16", just want it to be a step up in quality from the Raleigh, but nothing fancy.

For me, the titan Rogue SE2 at 7499 seems hard to beat, knowing how good their service is

 

[ChrisF]

In this price range ....

 

Speak to @RobertWhitehead about decent 2nd hand bikes for mom and dad.

 

Alternatively ....

 

Dad .. Titan gives best value for money.  Avoid the entry level Trek ... friend paid these school fees recently.

 

Mom .... you dont get decent new bikes in this price.  A heavy clonker that needs constant maintenance really is not the way to go ..... rather speak to @RobertWhitehead

 

Kids ...

16" ... much of a muchness .... decent price in the right colour and everybody is happy.

 

20" .... I am a Titan fan.  But the Avelanche is in the same segment .... some days the one is better, tomorrow the other .... my heart votes for the Titan.  But it can be a close call.

 

Get the better spec 20" from what is available on the day .... this bike will be handed down and needs to last.

[jjinsa]

Thank you. And thoughts on the below:

hydr brakes for the 20 - read that some think they are too strong / sharp for smaller kids?

fork with suspension. Read a few that thought no suspension was better. As it’s lighter and the kid is so small the bumps don’t affect them like adults. 

[RobynE 🚵‍♀️]

I would definitely go good second hand for all of them. They’ll retain their value better that way as well. 

And even though mom will only ride every now and then, a lighter bike with simple gearing will make a huge difference to how long she can ride with you guys.

I picked up a second hand 2016 Trek Stache a couple of weeks back and it’s a fantastic bike. @RobertWhitehead swapped the Avid brakes for entry-level Shimano and the bike is really lekker. 1x10 Shimano XT, Rockshox air fork. The bike was R6k all in. 

There are a few Merida/Silverbacks etc to be had for less money than those new bikes you’ve mentioned, with much better quality components. 

Nutt brakes are really horrible and AdventX is sadly no comparison to XT. I had a bike with AdventX and it got the job done but not the same experience at all. Parts are not as readily available as Shimano/SRAM. 

[RobynE 🚵‍♀️]

Viz the suspension - I personally wouldn’t bother on 16 or 20” bikes. From 24” upwards it’s a definite yes. 

Have a look for second hand Norco or Scott 20” bikes. They’re proper! 

[RobynE 🚵‍♀️]

If you filter the classifieds by kids bikes there’s a few to be had at literally half the price of your budget. NB if you bought those kids bikes brand new, the prices in BH Marketplace are the best you’ll expect to get for them to moment you take them off the sales floor. When you look at the ads look at the actual pics. Like there’s a Titan there that says 24” but it’s a 20”. 

[amac]

I started kids on new Avalanches. They served their purpose. I upgraded my younger child to a 2nd hand Momsen Superlight. The difference was amazing. The whole family enjoyed riding so much more. ( Maybe my older child was a bit peeved his sister could keep up with him.) I really recommend 2nd hand light bikes for young kids. 

[ChrisF]

3 hours ago, jjinsa said:

Thank you. And thoughts on the below:

hydr brakes for the 20 - read that some think they are too strong / sharp for smaller kids?

fork with suspension. Read a few that thought no suspension was better. As it’s lighter and the kid is so small the bumps don’t affect them like adults. 

 

No problems with hydraulic brakes.  Kid will learn to modulate the brake quickly, and a very handy skill to pick up as soon as possible.

 

Suspension .... rather concentrate on getting the tyre pressure spot on.  Ride behind the kid on a corrugated surface - the bike should not be "hopping".  It hops when the pressure is too high.

 

Due to their weight, or lack of it, tyre pressures may well be below 1 bar.

 

 

Gears .... if they are going to start joining the schools series, then they will need a few gears at the back to keep up.  The grips shifts work for a short while before it gets sticky ... upgrade to trigger shift for a few hundred rand.

[jjinsa]

14 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

 

No problems with hydraulic brakes.  Kid will learn to modulate the brake quickly, and a very handy skill to pick up as soon as possible.

 

Suspension .... rather concentrate on getting the tyre pressure spot on.  Ride behind the kid on a corrugated surface - the bike should not be "hopping".  It hops when the pressure is too high.

 

Due to their weight, or lack of it, tyre pressures may well be below 1 bar.

 

 

Gears .... if they are going to start joining the schools series, then they will need a few gears at the back to keep up.  The grips shifts work for a short while before it gets sticky ... upgrade to trigger shift for a few hundred rand.

Thanks.  The avalanche Flash 20" seems like it has all the right things.  Rigid fork, Shimano Altus (most others seem to come with tourney), Hydr. brakes.  Seems a winner for 5399.  And its green (his favourite - and we know colour is the ultimate spec on a bike for kids haha).  Also it has trigger switch, while most other have grip shifts.  Seems they have got it right.  

[Famous Amos]

On the kids range, have a look at the Marvel offering from Cycle Lab. They come with a Shimano drivetrain with trigger shift, and hydraulic brakes, plus they have a buy back program when your kids grow up, offering a large discount on a bigger bike plus free services.

https://www.cyclelab.com/marvel-kids-club

Silverback is also a really good option, most of their bikes are now coming out with Shimano drivetrains while most other brands are sticking with Microshift.

 

[jjinsa]

58 minutes ago, Bl4d3 said:

On the kids range, have a look at the Marvel offering from Cycle Lab. They come with a Shimano drivetrain with trigger shift, and hydraulic brakes, plus they have a buy back program when your kids grow up, offering a large discount on a bigger bike plus free services.

https://www.cyclelab.com/marvel-kids-club

Silverback is also a really good option, most of their bikes are now coming out with Shimano drivetrains while most other brands are sticking with Microshift.

 

I havent read good things about them, only to avoid.  So I felt worried.  Silverback I like too!  Thanks!

[droo]

4 hours ago, jjinsa said:

Thank you. And thoughts on the below:

hydr brakes for the 20 - read that some think they are too strong / sharp for smaller kids?

fork with suspension. Read a few that thought no suspension was better. As it’s lighter and the kid is so small the bumps don’t affect them like adults. 

Suspension - rather go rigid. There are a few decent 24" forks out there, but they're few and far between, and 20# and below they're even less common. A bad suspension fork is heavy and floppy and doesn't do the suspension bit very well, so rather save the cash and get a nice big squishy front tyre.

Hydro vs cable - hydro every time. Lighter lever action + better stopping power = more confidence. There will be a learning curve, it may be steep. But the end result will be better.

[ChrisF]

7 minutes ago, jjinsa said:

I havent read good things about them, ....

 

CycleLab or Marvel ?  (or both) 🫣

 

Anybody that has been in this game long enough had some good and some not-so-good experiences at CycleLab .... large group ... couple of good sales staff .... more casuals .... so luck of the draw about the service.  Get to know the staff at your local outlet and wait for the knowledgable staff to assist.

 

 

Marvel is the "house brand" of Chris Willemse Cycles, part of Cycle Lab for about 7 years already.  So from bikes to a wide range of extras you can get the Marvel equivalent.  Already said I am a Titan fanboy, but a well serviced Marvel should give decent service.

[Mook]

3 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

 

CycleLab or Marvel ?  (or both) 🫣

 

Anybody that has been in this game long enough had some good and some not-so-good experiences at CycleLab .... large group ... couple of good sales staff .... more casuals .... so luck of the draw about the service.  Get to know the staff at your local outlet and wait for the knowledgable staff to assist.

 

 

Marvel is the "house brand" of Chris Willemse Cycles, part of Cycle Lab for about 7 years already.  So from bikes to a wide range of extras you can get the Marvel equivalent.  Already said I am a Titan fanboy, but a well serviced Marvel should give decent service.

I am with @ChrisF on this one. Did a few recent purchases, online and shop, at the old CWC outlet in Tygervalley. My experiences were mostly good. The online store pickup arrangement could do with a kick under the butt, but then again ...................... you cannot win 'em all.

On a good day you get great service.

[JoeMerida]

Buy Second Hand but Try to Avoid the Cheaper Brands 👍

[jjinsa]

Scott scale 20 rigid fork, great condition used for 3999? Is that decent ?  Bonus - it’s his favourite colour.