Kids Bike

[Bosie]

Hi,

I am looking for a kids road bike for an 11 year boy. Seems a bit silly to buy a new bike he will grow out of in a year.

Any advice or tips on procuring a decent used bike?

Should one buy a relatively big bike in the knowledge that he will grow into (and past it) fairly quickly.

He rides my Wifes 54in bike in the rollers with the saddle down as far as it will go, but his ideal size is obviously much smaller. (but will grow out of it before the summer

Craig

[David Hill]

Craig, I've gone through 6 different bikes with my 2 kids as they've grown over the past few years.

Lesson #1: get a cyclocross bike. I initially got my 11-year-old son a 24-inch wheel road bike, and then had to get him a 24-inch cyclocross bike, so he could ride 'cross, which is way more fun. The cross bike is more versatile, you can put fenders on it for winter riding, and even if it's not a sleek road bike, he'll be able to join Tripleshot Youth club and do all the 'cross stuff with the other kids, which is a blast.

Lesson #2: Buy a full-sized bike. If you can squeeze him onto a full-sized (i.e., 700 X 23/25 wheel) bike, then do it. He's going to grow, and the measurements may not be "ideal" at first, but it will last a lot longer. Don't mess around with a 24" or 650, or you'll be adding to the pile of bikes in your garage. There are lots of really good 47 cm cyclocross bikes out there, new and used, that won't break the bank.

Lesson #3: Don't over-buy on the first bike. Last summer we sprung for carbon bikes to make up for the increased weight of disk brakes, but my kids are really small, and they showed commitment of more than 2 years first, so we thought it a safe investment. Aluminum isn't sexy, but you can upgrade wheels and parts as you go, and as his commitment grows.

Lesson #4: Join Tripleshot Youth Club. It's a ton of fun, growing every day, and gets you out of the role of Parental Ride Enforcer. Lister runs the club with assistance from parents and coaches, and the kids are a great group. It's also a good network for finding equipment. Check the Tripleshot Youth Group Facebook page for more info... https://www.facebook.com/groups/3688877 ... 2/?fref=nf

I hope this is helpful.

[Kai dooley]

I have a 45 cm yellow/black Allez kids bike that I am selling for 650$ would you be interested

[Robgrant]

John Taylor bought our Jake 24 last year that his son may have outgrown by now. John?
Rob

[JohnT]

I've been off-line for a while, sorry for the delay.

The Jake24 still fits Andrew, but I am sure it won't by the end of the summer.

Saude from the jungle,

JT

[Robgrant]

I guess it all depends on how big your child is Craig. We bought the Jake 24 for my son when he was 10 and he got two years out of it. He is on a 47cm Jake now which should last him till he is 14. Jim Pauly may still have a ~50cm Jake, or Jake the Snake that his son grew out of. Jim rides TS and both of his kids are/ have gone through the TS youth program.

When we were looking last year, it seemed difficult to find a small road/ cross bike that was reasonably spec'd/ priced. The flip side is I don't think they are too difficult to sell once they outgrow them.

Happy hunting.
Rob

[David Hill]

If you're willing to buy "new", MEC carries (or can get) a 41 cm Ridley x-Bow (http://www.mec.ca/product/5039-213/ridl ... 0002+50013).

It's a great entry-level cyclocross bike that is great for road too. You may be able to get previous year's models for less than the price of the new ones ($1600).

The X-Fire is the carbon frame equivalent with 105 components. That's what I bought our two very small kids, and they should last until they get through high school (or a sponsorship deal comes through ). The Xbow is a little heavier than the Xfire, but a lot cheaper.

The 41 fits more like a 45, but still should be small enough for your son to get on. You can look for it used, but they go quickly.

[Robgrant]

Lots of small road bikes on the MEC gear swap site.