Guide

Electric or petrol
for a first bike?

We sell both and we are not precious about it. They suit different families, and the deciding factor is usually where you can ride, not the bike.

Start with where you will ride

If it is a garden, a paddock or anywhere with neighbours, electric wins before you have compared anything else. A petrol pit bike at eight on a Sunday morning ends the arrangement you have with the people next door, and no amount of enjoyment is worth that.

If it is a proper track or open land, the noise stops mattering and the choice comes down to how the bike rides and what you want to do with it.

Electric: what you get

Quiet, no fuel to mix, no carb to clean, and a power setting an adult can cap, which is the best safety feature on any first bike. Press go and it goes, which for a nervous child removes the whole business of clutch and gears.

The trade is run time. You get a battery's worth, then you charge. A spare battery changes the day out completely, which is why some of the range ships with one.

Petrol: what you get

Ride all day on a tank, and a gearbox and clutch to learn on, which is what they will need if they ever want to race. Petrol bikes also take a beating and keep going, and parts are everywhere.

The trade is noise, fuel and maintenance. They want servicing, they want the air filter doing, and they are loud enough to decide where you can use them.

Running costs, honestly

Electric is cheaper to run and there is not much in it to go wrong, but a battery is the expensive part and it will not last forever. Petrol costs more in fuel and servicing, but every part is cheap and replaceable.

Over a couple of years there is less between them than people expect. Where you ride is still the bigger question.

What we usually say

First bike, young child, riding at home: electric, power turned down. Older child who wants to race, riding at a track: petrol, and learn the clutch. Somewhere in between: come in and we will talk it through rather than guess at it.

Common questions