The BTwin 14 is sold exclusively at Decathlon (who are huge in Europe), which probably explains the more continental style “step through” frame design, and the ability to deliver this bike at such a low price.
The frame is steel, which usually means a very heavy bike. However, the style of this one, with the low step over and lack of cross bar helps keep the weight down to 8.7kg.
This is still a lot heavier than a much more expensive aluminium framed 14″ wheel bikes – but it’s a lot less than the 10kg plus bikes you get elsewhere. Plus it has “proper” tyres – beware other 14″ wheel cheap bikes with foam or plastic tyres.
The very low frame itself will be easy for children to get on and off – especially important for children who would struggle to lift their leg over a higher frame. The braking system is designed specifically for smaller hands.
The stabilisers unscrew easily – although if your child isn’t ready to pedal we’d recommend a balance bike instead.
One thing to note is that this bike has a drum brake at the rear, which is very different to the other bikes we feature. This type of brake is popular in Europe, and is renowned for being very long wearing. It may slightly more difficult to find someone to repair it here in the UK if something did go wrong with it.