Inpd

Buying road bikes for kids is a pain since there isn't that much choice but what could be better than having a riding companion whose always ready to go?

A few items have come on the market in the last few years by Diamondback that are worth looking at and I bought.

If your kid can handle STIs and 25 mm tires then https://www.amazon.com/Diamondback-Bi.../dp/B00FC1TMQA is a great bike. It routinely goes on sale for under $300 with Amazon and is hard to beat. What I like about it, is that they've literally shrunk everything down for the kid but still made it a proper road bike. It weight about 16 pounds and the Alex Rims and 25mm tires are pretty good. It has a bottom of the line Claris drive train but its complete Claris drive train (STI, FD, RD, Cogset, Chain etc.) so its very smooth. The frame is nice and stiff and the steel forks are pretty good at absorbing road noise.

If your kid can't handle STIs or the 25mm tires on the above bike then the same bike is available as a flat bar road bike (see https://www.amazon.com/Diamondback-Bi...+insight+youth) Personally I think this bike is a big step under the previous bike. Not only is it heavier (about 23 pounds) but the equipment is much cheaper Shimano Tourney and they've cut corners by not having a sealed BB but instead a loose ball BB. But its an interesting design since its a flat bar road bike with 32mm tires. You can get this bike at Performance/Sports Chalet etc on sale for $220.

If the Podium 24 doesn't go on sale then another alternative are the 17inch men's hybrid road bikes such as Nashbar Flat Bar Road Bike There are loads of these flat bar road bikes around and they are often available in very small sizes suited for a teenager. These offer a good bang for your buck but the Podium 24 is hard to beat when on sale.

rebel1916

Um, the Podium claims Sora shifters. And gives no geometry. Or even frame size.

Inpd

That's an Amazon snafu. It's definitely Claris STI Shifters, FD, RD etc.

For Size Guide section the Diamondback site for specs: 2015 version (Podium 24 (Youth)) and the 2014 version