Subscribe to a kids' bike, or buy one and sell it on?
Kids' bike subscriptions swap the bike for the next size up as your child grows, for a monthly fee. Buying used means paying upfront and selling the bike on when it is outgrown. This works out both totals for your family.
Modelling 3 bike sizes over 5 years, from age 4 until they outgrow a 24 inch bike.
Subscription
£964.39
Including a £34.99 collection fee per bike. Around £929.40 on a service that includes collection.
Buy used and sell on
£270
Purchase price less what you sell each bike for, plus servicing and wear items.
Over 5 years, buying and reselling keeps £694.39 in your pocket.
| Stage | Months | Subscribe | Buy and sell |
|---|---|---|---|
| First pedal bike (14 to 16 inch) | 18 | £179.82 | £40net |
| Geared bike (20 inch) | 18 | £269.82 | £55net |
| Junior bike (24 inch) | 24 | £479.76 | £70net |
Subscription prices are the operators' own published figures and are modelled per bike, so more children multiply the cost. A bought bike is inherited by the next child instead, so only servicing repeats. Resale figures are an assumption of roughly three quarters of the purchase price, not a measurement: our price data covers what kids bikes are advertised at rather than what they finally sell for, so we do not quote a recovery rate. The saving only exists if you actually sell each bike on.
How the two options compare
Take the first three sizes on their own, from age two through to a 20 inch geared bike. A subscription comes to £556.51 over four years, or around £521.52 on a service that includes collection. Buying those same three bikes used and reselling each one lands around £185 with servicing included. The calculator above carries on past that point to the 24 inch stage, which is why its totals run higher.
That gap is not the whole story. A subscription costs nothing upfront, includes servicing, and removes the job of selling an outgrown bike, which is worth paying for in plenty of households. It is also the better answer if you are not yet sure your child will take to cycling. Buying wins clearly once there is a second child, because a bought bike is inherited for nothing while a subscription doubles.
The full comparison guide covers the detail, and the kids' bike size chart explains which wheel size your child needs next.
Common questions
- Is a kids bike subscription cheaper than buying?
- Usually not. A subscription across three bike sizes works out at a little over £550 across four years, while buying the same three bikes used and reselling each one lands closer to £185. Subscription wins on convenience and on spreading the cost, not on total price.
- Is a bike subscription worth it for two children?
- Rarely. A subscription charges per bike, so two children cost twice as much, while a bought bike passes from the older child to the younger one at no extra cost and can still be sold at the end.
- How accurate is this calculator?
- Subscription prices are the operators' own published figures. Purchase prices are the middle of the observed second-hand range for specialist kids brands. Resale is an assumption of roughly three quarters of the purchase price rather than a measurement, because our price data covers advertised prices rather than completed sales.
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