A NEW BIKE - HALFORDS REVIEW

A bike for Christmas is almost a right of passage isn't it? Both me and John can pinpoint those exact Christmas days in our own childhoods, when your Mum or Dad wandered in at the end of present opening 'I think Santas forgotten something outside', queue the rush to the back door to find out what on earth it could be. Well, Noah is a lucky boy because his birthday happens to fall merely weeks before the big day meaning he unwrapped this beauty of a bike on the day he turned four. It's all he could talk about for the rest of the day, and is there any wonder?


Picking a bike for your child isn't easy, especially at Halfords as there is SO much choice, far more than we've seen anywhere else. I loved the variety in store, there was something for everyone with unisex designs too, it’s a great place to find bikes, scooters and ride on toys for your little one. We were so stuck with which bike to actually venture for that my Mum ended up picking another one for him at their house - completely spoiled I know. We opted for the Halfords Indi Frogster for a variety of reasons;

• It grows with him, meaning we can remove the stabilisers once he has learnt to ride completely.
• Whilst his confidence is building we can loosen the support of the stabilisers.
• It's unisex and not overly garish.
• It's a Y frame which makes it incredibly sturdy.
• Fantastic value for money at just £50 right now.
• It's incredibly lightweight

 

The staff in Halfords on collection were amazing, we could leave the bike to collect the night before his birthday meaning we didn't have to hide it around the house and live in fear of him stumbling upon it. They also offer a free building service, which means they will assemble the bike for you and have it ready and waiting to go when you collect. This is particularly great if you want to take your little one along with you to ensure the seat and stabiliser support is just right for them, because the staff will alter it to fit your needs. In fact before we left the staff asked if we had absolutely any questions, and were more than happy to answer them all, even though it was a busy time of year and they could have just sent us on our way - superb service I must say.

So, how does it ride? 'Really, really fast and cool' in the words of my now four year old. You can't ask for better than that can you? Noah couldn't wait to hop on when we arrived at the park, even though the first piece of pavement we embarked on, was a gigantic hill, he really wasn't phased. What better way to test out the breaking system? With John following fast behind off he went, whizzing down the hill. In his panic at the sheer speed he went at, he only grabbed for the front break which I assumed immediate disaster and that I was about to witness him head firmly over the handle bars but, I was wrong. The breaking system is firm, yet gentle so it slowed him down just perfectly which allowed me to breathe a huge sigh of relief as I feared this would be the first and last time he rode the bike if he'd have come off just then. It didn't take long before he grasped the hang of it and raced around the pavement in front of us, I was quite surprised at how confident he was given this is his first ever bike. I guess that's why the Indi Frogster really does make the perfect first bike, it's so sturdy John commented that he was sure it would hold even his weight - not something I was keen to try out mind. The bike was light which meant clipping it to the buggy when we reached steps or roads on our ramblings, wasn't a problem, it truly felt no different to attaching my bag to the pushchair. 

I asked Noah himself after his first ride out what he loved most about the bike and after telling him that 'everything' wasn't what I was looking for, he finally told us it's 'really fast', 'it doesn't make loud noises' and is 'a bit cosy' (I think he meant comfy). The noise factor is a point though, and something I hadn't thought of till he mentioned it, the bike is truly soundless which is a first that I've seen in stabiliser bikes, quite often you can hear them a mile before you see them, scratching along, but not the Frogster. If you're thinking of opting for the Indi Frogster this Christmas, you won't be disappointed, it really is the perfect childrens' bike. Noah is in awe and so are we. Not that you may be contemplating taking them out for a night ride at this age, or along busy roads, but for peace of mind the bike is laden with reflectors, on the pedals, the front, the back - everywhere. The steering is smooth which makes going around corners a doddle, I recall having a bright pink barbie bike as a child that if I went too far on the right around a bend, I'd tip, not ideal and thankfully something this bike avoids as nobody wants to discourage their little one when they're starting out. They have all the matching accessories too including helmets, bells and stickers I believe if you're looking for that little bit more to jazz it up - though it is pretty snazzy itself. As for us, I'm sure we're going to be getting many adventures out of this bike in the future, as Noah begins to outgrow it, Patrick will be the perfect age to hop on! 

*I was sent this product for review, though all opinions are my own.