Handy hints
Look after your bike
Lock it or lose it! Sadly your bike can be a target to thieves, so it makes sense to protect it as much as possible. Always lock up your bike, even if you're just leaving it for a few minutes. Never rely on a cable lock, as they can be cut with a pair of pliars in a few seconds. Ideally you want locks which have a Gold Standard Sold Secure rating, which generally means at least D-lock. That should go through the frame, one of the wheels and onto something secure like a lampost.
For a very useful video explaining how not to lock a bike, and what you should do,
click here to view
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Bike maintenance
Bikes are very simple machines, but they do need some TLC every now and then. For our bike maintenance notes,
click here
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If buying a children's bike, unless they want to be a downhill racer, it doesn't have to have suspension. All that does is add weight. Often childrens' bikes, especially those bought from toy shops or on the internet, end up being heavier than adult's bike, due to cheap, poor quality heavy steel being used, as well as having poor quality components.
Sometimes, like the bike shown in the photo opposite, they're not even built correctly, as the forks have been put on the wrong way round, as the brakes should be at the front, and the steering tube is extended way beyond the maximum safe limit.
Therefore avoid what looks like a bargain, as your child will end up with a bike that's hard to ride and is likely to break down, or worse, could cause injury.