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The Bike Club image1.jpgBike Club: Pay-as-you-grow scheme for kids' bikes
An new pay-as-you-grow scheme for kids’ bikes means parents can exchange their little ones' bikes as the child grows up, without forking out for a new one each time.
Called the Bike Club, for a £5 monthly fee bikes are delivered to customers’ homes and then swapped for larger models when the last one has been outgrown.
The couple behind the Bike Club say the scheme means kids will always have a decent quality, lightweight bike that fits them and is well-maintained.
Buyer's Guide to kids' bikes + 14 great choices
Alexandra and James, founders of the Bike Club, say they want to get more kids cycling with the initiative.
They say: "It's a bit like renting a car for a longer period, only no one complains about scratches after you use it - the bikes are fully covered for general wear and tear, so you can relax about that.
"The bikes are genuinely some of the best on the market, they are made by Cuda Performance and are up there with Isla and Frog bikes (those are really nice kids bike brands)."
There are no pinks for blues and boys for girls here, either.
"The fleet colours are a little uniform," they say. "The Bike Club don't really believe in gender stereotyping the bikes. Still they look pretty cool coming in yellow and green or a red and blue finish. Your child can always make it their own by adding bells, lights and bags to suit their taste."
There is an age and height size guide on the website but if the bike doesn’t fit - or if a customer isn't happy with it - they will replace it.
There's a family discount for those with more than one small cyclist. Delivery charges apply to bikes delivered outside of weekends and outside of the South East and London.
Laura Laker is a freelance journalist with more than a decade’s experience covering cycling, walking and wheeling (and other means of transport). Beginning her career with road.cc, Laura has also written for national and specialist titles of all stripes. One part of the popular Streets Ahead podcast, she sometimes appears as a talking head on TV and radio, and in real life at conferences and festivals. She is also the author of Potholes and Pavements: a Bumpy Ride on Britain’s National Cycle Network.
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8 comments
Hooray for non-gendered colourways as well!
My son is currently in the transition from toddlerbike to (secondhand) Islabike rothan. It's terribly exciting.
This is a eat idea. Really like it.
As an aside, re:Isla bikes, my boy (4) is cycling a b'twin which I got for £60 in a sale (usually £70, I think). It's brilliant. Not much heavier than an Isla. Brakes are easy to use. Full chain guard. Highly recommend it.
Really interesting idea, and I'll certainly have a look. I guess the economics of it depend on how many kids you've got, and how well they/you look after their bikes. Our two both learned to ride on the same Islabikes balance bike, which we can probably sell on for at least half of what we paid, judging by prices on eBay. Part of the reason we've been happy to pay a bit extra for Islabikes and Frogs is that they tend to hold their values pretty well, so overall the cost of owning one can work out not much more than a cheap bike that'll get wrecked.
Hi Graham, thanks for the compliment on the idea.
We do understand that for large or extended families they might just prefer to buy the bike outright. There's two options that help with this:
1. we do family discount - this isn't yet clear on the site (we're still in early days) but for each additional bike at the same address, we'll offer a percentage discount
2. there's a buy-out options which again, isn't yet on the site in all its glory, but for a small fee (around £25-35), you can buy out the bike after 18 -30 months (the cost and time period is different for each bike)
Might also be worth a mention that the bikes we use are a performance range of bikes - they're in the same league as Frog and Isla - holding their value isn't the only advantage of having a higher-end bike.. check out our about page (www.thebikeclub.co/about-us) for more info
Alexandra (the Bike Club)
this is a great idea for those who can't justify the outlay for an isla or frog, knowing that it'll be outgrown within a few months (my kids seem to be growing about 1cm a month at the moment!)
it should probably be pointed out that prices are "from £5 a month" though, starting out at balance bikes...
Children grow too quickly don't they! I don't have any myself but I am the eldest sibling of 4 and they seem to just shoot up every other day! Thanks for pointing that little typo out, I'm sure road.cc will take a look
Is there a catch I'm not seeing? Seems remarkably well priced and a great idea!
Hi there! Alexandra here from the Bike Club. Sounds too good to be true doesn't it? I promise you, there's no catch, just a great idea and a passion to help more children love cycling