Youth Bike

ktm phil

My lad is 12 years old and is due a new bike from the big man in the red suit (I know, unlikely he still believes!). He has outgrown his 24" wheeled Cube, and I am really struggling to find a suitable bike for him in the right size.

From what I can gather I think we need to find a 26" wheel, XS (14") frame. Would like Shimano running gear, half decent hydraulic discs and sensible forks for forest going type trails.

He's 150cm tall, budget sub £600ish, any suggestions?

Thank you :-)

larkim

My experience having done exactly the same a few years ago is that if you do buy something decent and reliable (and for £600 you certainly should be getting that) you'll find that he rapidly outgrows the frame size that is "right" at the current time, and you'll possibly be regretting not getting at least one size bigger.

We bought a Spesh HR in a 15.5 inch frame for him when he was turning 12, and now (shorty turning 15) a 19 inch frame would be right. I think had we bought a 17 inch frame at the outset, that would have had a better sweet spot of matching size and capabilities - as he's obviously got more competent in those years.

Of course, you can't predict how much he'll grow in that time, but I reckon a small kid on a large bike is a better option than a large kid on a small bike, particularly if you get a model which has a low-ish standover clearance anyway.

I'd definitely look at Decathlon - SWMBO has just got a RR 520 and it is really nice for the money. Or the RR 520 S if you want a half decent entry into full sus, which any 12 year old would be happy with.

The Rookie

Please don't by a Lardrock......

larkim

How much do the current ones weigh? Back in 2011 the 17inch was 13.6kg. Clearly not "light" but comparable with the Rockrider 520 (13.4kg in small without pedals).

Can't seem to find the weights quoted anywhere for the 2014 or 2015 models.

(Don't get me wrong, for £600 you should be starting to buy something lighter, but I'm just a little sceptical that the entry level hardrocks are in fact any heavier than the entry level decathlon or halfords stuff)

iwilldoit

Hi

Got our son who is 10 one of these so far so good.


http://whyte.bike/gb/models/crosscountr ... rt_pane1-1

ktm phil

I'm loving the look of that Whyte!

I am right in thinking the Merida and Specialized share the same frame?

cooldad

Merida are shareholders and make frames for loads of companies, including Specialised.

Worry less about the frame (most are OK,) and more about what hangs of it.

larkim

Is it just me, or is that Whyte really poor value for money?

Same weight as the Decathlon 520, similar fork (I might be wrong, but I thought the Suntour XCR forks were higher up the quality list than XCMs, but I might be wrong about that), similar chainset, same rear mech, better front mech, fewer gears, lower spec shifters etc. Whyte is 27.5 vs 26 for the Decathlon, which I suppose is a preference thing rather than a straight quality mark.

Difficult to see where £150 extra outlay is going, other than towards the brand name.

cooldad

They are and it is.

bartimaeus

I had exactly this issue, and I went for 2nd hand and 'upgrades' - so an XS Rockhopper (£220) which had Deore kit and Tektro Auriga hyraulics, and then added some Rebas (£150). I also swapped for better pedals, and a shorter stem and some flat bars to keep the front low and the reach right. It's about 12kg I think [edit 12.4kg]... so light enough.

My lad also got some XT shifters the next Christmas... so his HT now has a better spec than mine.

ktm phil

Thanks for your input, ordered one of these at £549 from our local Cube dealer. Seems a good spec for the price......

http://www.cube.eu/uk/bikes/mtb-hardtai ... reen-2015/

FRAME Aluminium Lite, AMF, Internal Cable Routing, Easy Mount Kickstand ready
COLOR grey´n´black´n´green
SIZE 14", 16", 18", 20"
FORK Rock Shox XC30 TK Coil 27.5, PopLoc, 100mm
HEADSET CUBE No. 10 semi-integrated
STEM CUBE Performance, 31.8mm
HANDLEBAR CUBE Rise Trail Bar, 660mm
GRIPS CUBE Performance Grips
REAR DERAILLEUR Shimano Deore RD-M592, 9-Speed
FRONT DERAILLEUR Shimano Alivio FD-T4000, Downswing, 31,8mm
SHIFTERS Shimano Altus SL-M370, Rapidfire-Plus
BRAKE SYSTEM Shimano BR-M355, Hydr. Disc Brake (160/160)
CRANKSET Shimano FC-M430, 44x32x22T, 175mm
CASSETTE Shimano CS-HG200, 11-34
CHAIN KMC X9
RIMS CUBE SX, Disc
FRONT HUB Shimano HB-RM33
REAR HUB Shimano FH-RM33
TIRES Schwalbe Smart Sam Active, 2.25"
PEDALS CUBE PP MTB
SADDLE CUBE Active 1.1
SEAT POST CUBE Performance Post, 27,2mm
SEATCLAMP RFR Varioclose 31.8mm
WEIGHT 13,8 kg

The Rookie

Not a particularly good spec for the price, no.

Same price as a RR 8.1 and a much lower spec.