Battaglin Junior 22"

allmountain76
allmountain76 Posts: 328
edited December 2013 in Road buying advice
My eldest is really taking an interest in cycling now (7 years, but quite small for his age).

Ive been looking at the Moda Minor and the Islabikes Luath but he's still a tad short for either according to their size guides.

He would however fit the Battaglin Junior 22"
http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/FBB ... _road_bike

Wondering if anyone has any real world feed back on this (checked forum and nothing comes up) bike for smaller hands etc. Its all very well specced, especially when side by side with the Islabikes, do i take the plunge now and go for the 22" Battaglin or wait until June time and go for the 24" options?

My heart says now as hes desperate to get out with me over Christmas for some longer rides that his MTB wont allow. My head says wait until the nicer weather by which time he will just about squeeze onto a 24"

Comments

  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    That's a lot of money for a small wheeled bike - and it's such a specialist item that you might find it very difficult to move it on once he has outgrown it. I seriously would leave him on his MTB until he can ride a 24. At that age, the important thing is that he is riding. In any case, an MTB shouldn't be limiting his riding too much. My 6yo (he's older now) used to knock out 20 mile rides on his Ridgeback MX20 without issue...
  • rokt
    rokt Posts: 493
    I looked at the Battaglin for my son a few week back and it's O.K. but not worth £500. If you are willing to spend that kind of money look at a Vicini Katana from Cycle Sence in Tadcaster, it's a better bike and only £400 :lol: it come's in 20, 22 or 24" wheels.

    The previous post is wrong....buy a good quality child's road bike and look after it and you'll not loose much at all.
    Find a good one second hand, if you can and look at the price....

    I purchased a B'twin Triban 3 in a 45cm frame for my son but he's 9...my daughter who is 7, now informs me she would like a road bike :roll: but she's only small. I'm going to have a look at the new small Moda that's due out any time & the Vicini for her for Christmas.

    Both my children go to the local cycling & triathlon club and cycle on the running clubs track, that's the reason for a road bike.
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    Rokt wrote:
    The previous post is wrong....buy a good quality child's road bike and look after it and you'll not loose much at all.

    No, the 'previous post' is not wrong. I have no issue with the 'quality' of the bike, apart from the downtube levers, which are absurd. There is practically zero market for 20" wheel specialist road bikes like that - which is partly why they are so expensive, because they are not made in volume. Most riders in the youth U8 road category are on at least 24" and that is the size where money starts talking - not 20".
  • rokt
    rokt Posts: 493
    Quality "second hand" kids road bike change hands within the clubs my children are involved in for
    good money....fact, so sorry fella your wrong.
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    Rokt wrote:
    Quality "second hand" kids road bike change hands within the clubs my children are involved in for
    good money....fact, so sorry fella your wrong.

    And nobody has said they don't. But the point I'm making (which you've missed twice now) is how many of those Battaglin or Vicini 20" bikes do you see? I've not seen any in the National Youth Series rounds. In fact, I've never seen one at any youth event, and I've been to a few, believe me.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    I agree with Imposter... a bike with tubs for children will be very hard to sell second hand and frankly a bit OTT
    left the forum March 2023
  • rokt
    rokt Posts: 493
    Sorry, you're both wrong. Our triathlon club have people with young (6,7 plus) children that are waiting for
    other peoples children to out grow the bikes.

    You both must live in a poor area..... :lol::lol::lol:
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    Rokt wrote:
    Sorry, you're both wrong. Our triathlon club have people with young (6,7 plus) children that are waiting for
    other peoples children to out grow the bikes.

    How many of those Battaglin on Vicini 20" bikes are there in your club then?
    Rokt wrote:
    You both must live in a poor area..... :lol::lol::lol:

    And yet your lad has the cheap Btwin, not mine.. ;)
  • rokt
    rokt Posts: 493
    Cheap B'Twin ???

    Right size bike for him and it's as well made and spec'd as many if not all.
  • Shaun67
    Shaun67 Posts: 219
    Well that's made interesting reading :D

    I know the Triathlon Club that Rokt is talking about, I've looked into it for my son to join. We went to have a look at the track session last Friday evening and yes most of the 30 plus kid's were indeed on road bikes from the likes of Moda, Vicini, Felt and even a couple of Groupetto's. From what I saw most had 650 wheels but a good number of the young children had small wheeled bikes !

    I also noticed the club had a notice board with a bikes wanted section, is this why you don't see any for sale ?

    Keep up the good work Rokt & Impsoter it's quite entertaining.
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    Shaun67 wrote:
    Well that's made interesting reading :D

    I know the Triathlon Club that Rokt is talking about, I've looked into it for my son to join. We went to have a look at the track session last Friday evening and yes most of the 30 plus kid's were indeed on road bikes from the likes of Moda, Vicini, Felt and even a couple of Groupetto's. From what I saw most had 650 wheels but a good number of the young children had small wheeled bikes !

    I also noticed the club had a notice board with a bikes wanted section, is this why you don't see any for sale ?

    Keep up the good work Rokt & Impsoter it's quite entertaining.

    You are also missing the point. Let me try to be a bit clearer. There's no doubt that the demand for youth bikes is high - nobody has ever argued otherwise. But, specifically, the market for drop-bar 20" and 22" wheel road bikes is seriously limited - not just by the price of them, but by their narrow appeal. A 20" Isla Beinn, for example, is £100-200 cheaper and far more flexible for someone that age/size. By all means buy one of those Battaglins or Vicini 20s you've got the money, but I doubt it will be as easy to move it on afterwards - unlike an Islabike, or similar.

    I'm a BC L2 coach at a large youth cycling club BTW, so I have more than a passing interest in topics like this.
  • allmountain76
    allmountain76 Posts: 328
    Thanks for the impassioned input all.

    I'm not concerned about after sales value. His brother will inherit it after Harry and so I want quality, hence the Battaglin looking attractive with decent campy kit. I'm a big fan of tubs, I ride them all year round, another plus as far as I'm concerned! The only issue I have is the wheel size. I can see the point there as Harry is already talking about some racing and 24" will be more appropriate in that respect.

    Interestingly, Planet X have sold similar numbers of 22" and 24" apparently.

    Given that he's knocking out 20 miles now on the road on balance I may wait until his birthday next year and go for a 24" Battglin. I just don't get the Islabikes hype, the frames are undoubtedly well made but the spec is poor against the battaglin / felt f24 etc.

    Thanks again.
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 9,104
    Certainly up until under 14 I would only look at cross bikes if you want a drop bar bike for a kid. They just have far more flexibility in terms of what they can use them for and you can still do circuit racing on them with a set of slick tyres.

    Also a coach at a GoRide club so I've seemn this with plenty of youngsters as well as my own - those that turn up with a road bike often end upmselling it and buying an Isla Luath or one of the more recent imitators - Moda, Forme, Kona, Etc
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 9,104
    Also I know it's better to have a bike that fits but I've found kids can ride Isla bikes that the company thinks are too big for them just fine - doesn't stop them winning cross races like that. My daughter had a second hand Kona Jake 24 and I reversed the seatpost and pushed the saddle right forwards - it looked wrong but she rode it OK and in 6 months she'd grown enough to turn the post round again. At 7 an Isla 24 is probably rideable even for a small kid - and if it isn't it soon enough will be.
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    I would echo DeVlaeminck's comments above..
    allmountain76 wrote:
    I just don't get the Islabikes hype, the frames are undoubtedly well made but the spec is poor against the battaglin / felt f24 etc.

    The spec of the Felt, Battaglin, etc may well be better than the Isla - but the prices are also £100-200 higher and you end up with a less flexible bike
  • Jim C
    Jim C Posts: 333
    No hype with Islabikes. Bang on the money in every size, except for maybe the 20" where there is a lot of choice. We ve passes loads around our club. New ones U should lose no more than 50quid. 2nd hand you'll lose nothing. Circuit, cross, a bit of mtb. Even outdoor track if they have a feeewheelers league
    jc

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