Good bike for an 11year old?

[sillywoman]

Our 11yr old son has asked for a new bike for Christmas. I think Father Christmas may well oblige as the poor boy has been cycling to school & back on his older sisters re-sprayed ridgeback for the last 4 years. My question is which bike. We're not made of money & our experience this year suggests that getting him anything too nice is a hiding to nowhere as it will be stolen as soon as the Christmas wrapping's off.

He needs something that will last him though - we don't want to have to replace in a year or 18months. We'd like him to have an aluminium frame as they're so much lighter & easier to maneuver. So can anyone recommend a good bike that could see our son through the next 2 or 3 years or so?

[vesti]

http://www.re-cycling.co.uk/ is worth a try.

Based under the arches at elephant and castle, they recycle! preciously used bikes. You would probably have to take your son with you and you might have to go a time or two depending what they have in. They get mixed reviews but we've had a couple of good bmx bikes from them. Typically better quality bikes than we would have bought new - names the kids go for! Second hand also means less likely to get nicked and you/they aren't stressing about maintaining the bike in it's shiny condition!

Our lads have typically had bmx's as they enter secondary school as they are a bit more rugged and tend to last a bit longer (don't grow out of them in same way as grow out of other bikes (cos you sit upright or stand).Don't know much about aluminium frames I'm afraid.

Dean's Garage in Beckenham have always given good advice too - and never sold us a dud.