Should I recommend a BSO?

[nuttycyclist]

My Nephew will be starting secondary school in September, I have been asked to recommend a bike for commuting.  2.5 miles each way.

One half of me says "proper bike".  The other half says "halfrauds --> BSO --> try it"



My thoughts are based on a woodland shortcut, ruling out a touring/racing bike, as well as a risk of vandalism/theft ridding him of the new bike.  (He's had his old bike for years, so a new bike should be new and not 2nd hand).




I can't work out how to start a poll, but should I suggest
a) BSO at cheapest option
b) Proper bike
c) n+1 --> (BSO for school plus proper bike for travelling to friends etc)

[fred the great]

I think a Haulfrauds sporty type bike for starters.

And a better one later if he shows any real interest in cycling as a result

[Gandalf]

Halfrauds often do half price offers.  I got my Carrera Kraken for £200 and it isn't a bad bike by any means.

[Giraffe]

About 28mm tyres, dropped bars and good clearances with 'guards. Practical for firm off-road stretch and no street cred so less likely to get nicked.

[clarion]

Revolution bikes from Embra can be good value.

[Charlotte]

I vote proper bike.

Anyone that's ever ridden a £50 BSO will know just how totally nasty they are.  I'd not wish one on my worst enemy, let alone on someone who's starting off cycling.  When you're young, 2.5 miles is a long old way and trying to do it on a shit bike will make it a joyless experience that he'll jack in as soon as he can.

Also, although your average BSO will probably be safe when it leaves the shop (I say probably, because I've seen some frigging unbelievable cockups rolling out of places like Halfords - forks on back to front and so on) it'll not be that way for long.  I don't have to tell you that having half decent brakes and tyres are crucial for stopping a bit sharpish.

My suggestion is that you scour eBay for a nice old steel MTB from the early nineties.  You don't say how tall the lad is, but if he's anything like most kids these days, a small adult frame may do the trick.  Such bikes are going to be kitted out with a better quality of brakes and transmission and you can be fairly sure that even if they get abused, they'll keep on working a hell of a load longer than a new BSO.

If he's not big enough for that, then look at a second hand Islabike or something from EBC like Clarion says.

Either that or if street cred is really important, maybe a proper BMX is the way forward?  I mean -  built like a tank with big tyres and a single speed?  That might be just the ticket, too.

[Wowbagger]

Nutty, how tall is your nephew?

And are you determined to go down the "new" route?

We have a couple of Raleigh bikes, both about £120 when new, which have seen very little service. They are both 12ish years old. One was Graham's, the other Heather's. I suspect one might be a bit big, the other a bit small. If either would suffice, be my guest.

[vorsprung]

A bike from halfords isn't necessarily a BSO

It doesn't matter if the bike is heavy, has a vast number of clunky gears which don't work very well or a bizarre and ineffective sus fork

What does matter is if the brakes work, does it have sharp metal poking out, are any of the parts made from cheese-o-metal and is the paint likely to peel off in weeks?

My daughters second bike that we bought her new for xmas cost 100 quid, I put schwalbe marathons on it and it was reasonably ok.  The gears were shit but everything else was fine.  We selected it by lifting up a variety of cheap bikes and seeing which one was the lightest.  It still weighed about a metric ton

Vorsprung jnr has just ( about a month ago ) upgraded to a Ridgeback Speed. 

[GruB]

I think the sort of bike will also be dependent upon how he intends to ride it and look after it.
A BSO may be the best option if he is rough and does not really give a toss.
On the other hand, if he takes more care and rides sensibly then perhaps a Bikehut Boardman type bike would be okay?

[ian]

My triumphant return to cycling was on a £150 near-BSO. I think there's a middle ground between the truly horrid bike shaped lump of pig iron and a bike that may be a bit heavy and poorly specified, but is perfectly rideable.

I do now have two additional bikes, but I still use the cheap bike for the majority of my commutes. Goes fine. I always wanted one of those Decathlon £125 road bikes, but the little Frenchies don't sell them any more.

[Bledlow]

My triumphant return to cycling was on a £150 near-BSO. I think there's a middle ground between the truly horrid bike shaped lump of pig iron and a bike that may be a bit heavy and poorly specified, but is perfectly rideable.

+1

I returned to cycling 24 years ago in Utrecht, with a secondhand Raleigh (because it had 3 gears & brake levers instead of being single speed & back pedal brake, like most cheap Dutch bikes) bought for cycling to work like my Dutch colleagues. Enjoyed it enough that I started cycling round the countryside on it, & when I came back to England 6 months later (selling the bike to a neighbour before I left) I bought a new cheapish Raleigh (anonymous steel, single chainwheel, straight bars). Enjoyed that enough that after a year I moved on to a 10-speed Orbit Gold Medal, on which a few years later I did my first Audax.

Hooked . . . . and initially by a battered old 2nd hand utility bike. It was a bit heavy, & the SA 3-speed had seen better days, but it was perfectly rideable.

[Zoidburg]

I would visit your nearest bike recycling project for something suitable.

[gordon taylor]

The kids at my school wouldn't be seen riding anything except a BMX.
There are forty of them in the shed every morning.
There is much adolescent drooling over half-link chains and shiny stunt pegs.

One snide comment about his "sensible" bike and he might never ride it again.

I'd get him exactly what he wants, up to an agreed price point.

[nuttycyclist]

One snide comment about his "sensible" bike and he might never ride it again.

I'd get him exactly what he wants, up to an agreed price point.

Thank you.

This was already in the back of my mind.

I think I need to get the balance between sensible, withstanding abuse, cheap enough to lose, and street cred.

[padbeat]

Primo, who isn't generally one for brand names or peer pressure, is 11 in September and in need of a new bike. Striking a balance between cost, quality and practicality, we're probably going to go for this one. I've had nothing but good experiences with EBC and the Revolution brand, and at £280 less than the Luath ...

[alecstilleyedye]

and get him a good lock.