Two great bikes, perfect for boys or girls
Our family loves cycling together, it’s a great way of bonding while keeping the kids outdoors and active. What’s more cycling together is completely free – once you’ve bought your bikes of course. We try to go for at least a couple of hours every weekend, and regularly cycle to the kids’ tennis lessons and Cubs sessions. But, young children do grow through some bikes fairly quickly, and once they get to a certain age kids become style conscious as well, so picking the right bike can take quite a bit of thought. To give you a helping hand here are two bikes, ideal for boys or girls, that your little one will look great on and love the ride.
Squish 24- ideal for a first geared bike for boys and girls.
No matter how much your child loves their first (or indeed second) bike – and believe me our seven year old daughter Ella loved her heritage bike – there comes a time when they need to progress to a geared bike, to keep up with you and/or their older siblings on those longer rides.
It’s a difficult decision to make too, as whatever bike you chose will hopefully be used for 3 or more years. My first thought when Ella was old enough was to go with another traditional girly bike but with gears, and I was almost at the point of investing in an Elswick Cherish 20 which looks lovely. Then I thought about seeking some professional advice and was pointed in the direction of Squish Bikes which have great reputation among parents for being lightweight, easy to use and well-proportioned. They’re also much less gender specific and exceptionally high quality. True at £399.99 they’re a fair bit pricier than the Elswick Cherish but I was assured that the extra money was well spent, thanks to the exceptional quality of Squish Bikes and the larger wheels – which would make keeping up with the rest of the family much easier.
So, I was quite excited when the Squish 24 (in Mint Blue) arrived by courier a few days later, almost built but with a few finishing touches like fitting the pedals and wheels required. Not being particularly technically minded I managed to confuse myself putting the front wheel on but a quick call to the helpline (and a few blushes) later the wheel was on and Ella was ready to hit the road.
The first thing that strikes you about the Squish 24, besides the rather cool hybrid look of course, is the exception lightness of the bike. It only weights 8.6kg and seven year old Ella had no trouble whatsoever lifting it completely off the ground.
The Squish 24 is aimed at children 8+ but Ella was able to reach the floor with the seat at its lowest setting, so we were happy that she was ready for it at her size – she’s just short of 130cm tall. After her ten year old brother had test driven it first, we put the Squish 24 into first gear and set her off on the pavement of our street to get her used to the frame and riding style, which was different to her heritage bike. There was some initial anxiety as this style of bike means leaning forward more than a heritage bike, but she soon took to the Squish 24 and within minutes she was also mastering the Shimano Rapidfire gear system and working her way through the eight gears.
Then we were ready to tackle a longer ride, into the countryside near our home. Ella was on fire, where only a week ago she’d been struggling to keep up because of a lack of gears and much smaller wheels than our bikes, now she was able to match our pace without us having to slow right down. Hills that used to mean I was dismounting and pushing her up, now presented no problem whatsoever. She was in heaven. I was particularly pleased with this as Ella has a heart condition that, while stable for now, worries me when she exerts herself too much.
Ella can’t get enough of riding her Squish and whenever I walk the dog in the evening, she wants to come along on it, which is nice and gets her outdoors exercising daily. She’s also well ahead of the pack when she’s riding with kids of her own age thanks to the lightweight frame, larger wheels and gears.
I’m not going to pretend I know much about the specifications on bikes – they can be found on the Squish website – but everything on the bike feels well-made and the larger price tag is money well spent as I imagine it will last Ella well past her tenth birthday.
I would highly recommend the Squish 24 for girls or boys aged 8+, while there are other sizes for younger or older children.
For more information see: https://www.tgc.bike/bikes-c10/squish-m3
