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Took my 9 year old round Guisburn red on saturday and had to leave out the loop around Whelpstone crag as the uphills were getting a bit too tough with 5 gears. So the time has come to replace his ridgeback mx20 for something with more gears and 26" wheels. Your recommendations and experiences please.
Just built up a 14 inch scandal for my lad- he loves it and its built up very light even with deore kit on.
Miss Rock Jnr (age 10) has a specialized hardrock. 24" wheels, 14" frame and 21 speed. Front forks and an ally frame. It's a great little bike and will last through her teens I'm sure.
Have a look on the on-one web site. there is a riders bikes bit quite a few 14" there to look at. You can a buy a new one and get about 80% back when you sell it.
info.
http://www.on-one.co.uk/help/what-size-bike/
Built up an On One Scandal for my boy - SRAM X.9 here.
Did make a mistake initially - put an 11-32T cassette on the back, but the geering change from his 24" wheeled GT was a bit much, so changed it for an 11-34T to give more or less the same geering as the GT for big climbs. I really should have thought that one through a bit better in the first place 😳
My nephew has a cannondale f6 disc 2008 in small, it's about 13'' I think. It's a good bike juicy 3 brakes, dart 2 fork. Really happy that you get to spend time like that with your son, I love riding with my nephew, teaching him to bunny hop!!!
Just bought a 14" Kona Blast Deluxe for my 13yo. I think at 9, he'll be a little too small unless he's been on the milk. My 10yo rides a 12" Kona Hula, which is a great bike. But to be honest, a Trek 220 or Specialized Hardrock 24" will serve just as well.
If you want the Blast, give Rutland Cycles a call, it's not cheap, but is £300 off!
Do you get bikes that small? Something like this?
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I'm 5'11" and ride a 14" frame it's only a 22" top tube and 40mm stem but even that's far too long for any 9yr old I've ever seen.
get a bike that fits him ie. 24" wheel.
14 inch One ones are ****ing long, I didn't get on too well with my 456 due to the length. Much happier with my 14 inch (xs) bfe, TT is shorter...
My lads 10 now, but very tall: about 5'7". He's had a few 26" wheeled bikes 14" 456 (got for his 8th birthday, later sold to a mate of his), and an XS Giant Trance (stolen), now has a small Marin Attack Trail (but almost outgrown that!).
Some of the best options I think for teeny 26" wheeled bikes. Sure he'll have done just as well with something from Decathlon but Dad's vanity prevented that!
To do it right you need to get air forks so you can set them up for his weight. Also a super short stem.
Also in my experience kids don't get on too well with front mechs (even on double not triple chainrings): hardly ever end up using them, when they do end up getting cross-chained, and don't have the thumb strength to shift back up to the bigger ring. My son seems to have a strange aversion to shifting down and takes great delight in pushing the biggest possible gear he can, despite (or probably because of) the frustrated shouts of "change down!" from me behind. After last weeks ride I'm taking off his front shifter!
yes they do make bikes that small....(i have a womens specialized hardtail thats a 13 inch frame (bronze coloured with mint green arrow down the side... sitting there doin nowt at the moment ! having probs selling it as there arent too many short ass people around lol ! great condition...
My 9 yr old (not especially tall) has ridden specialized hardrock 13" all summer and its not too big! Covered 15 miles of Wyre Forest with lots of tech stuff yesterday and loved it.
Whatever frame you go for, look at putting on 24" wheels first.
Also recommend a Trek MT220, 24" wheels, triple chainset and well built at that age.
My youngest is now 12, but is quite small and still on 24's; Identiti Dr Jekell and a Norco B-Line.
Funny also that my eldest two (16 and 15) have now also 24" wheeled bikes after finding out how 'chuckable' the youngest's are.
+1 Air forks and if FS either rear air can or the lightest spring possible.
9 year old who's approx 145 cm tall is fine on a 14 Cube. They have a slightly shorter TT than a lot of the frames out there, and a noticeably shorter head tube.
Cut the bars down, fitted a 40 mm stem, adjusted the brake reach and saddle position. The only downside fit-wise is the crank length, but otherwise it's a good fit and riding position. Air forks for kids all the way.
Big ring is a waste of time and never used, so I'll put a bash on there sometime soon. A 1 x 11 alfine is probably the ideal young kid's geared setup if you're building something up.
Scott also do small frames (12" or 13" IIRC).