Juan Foote

I had purchased this back in late Oct and have been hiding it since then for his Christmas present. He has ridden it a few times, we have a few minor fit issues to work out and I have been getting the derraleurs dialed in. It is an '11 Specialized Allez double with the 2300 group. I have been very happy with the operation of the groupset, it really is a quality set for entry level IMO.

He is quite satisfied with it, to the point that he went out and rode it in the rain in his pajamas on Christmas morning. Since then he has put in a bit more than 100 miles on it. He is pretty sore from getting used to the new positioning, but loves being able to keep up with me as compared to the smooth tired MTB he was riding with me before. He is already able to ride away from me with a few pedal strokes, and smiles like the cat that ate the canary.

Looking forward to years of enjoying the sport together.

Mike F

Excellent! That smile says it all

Jed19

Nice bike and kid!

Now tell him to ride it like he stole it

LOGICK ONE

nice!

Mansram01

Congrats! Now if I can only get my son to love cycling. I suspect he will later...

Trek760

This is awesome. Well done sir.

RacerOne

Good stuff. Get him clipless and he'll really leave you hanging.

SlimRider

Times like this, are golden...

Bike riding with your kid is a priceless event.

Always express your love for your kid with quality time and life will be its own reward!

You're a great dad!

I salute you!

- Slim

a1penguin

Nice looking boy you've got there. Great job getting him interested in cycling rather than sitting in front of a video game. Congrats!

shoemakerpom

I hope to do the same with my son. Right now you have something I have always wished for. Make the best of it since these years seem to pass so fast.

abstractform20

i have the same photo...weird. where did you buy yours at?

Brazos

Pretty cool. My daughter is 7 right now but I want to introduce her to cycling (real road cycling) when the time comes. It will give us something to do together. It will also give her a lifetime sport. What I mean by that is she can always ride until she is very old. My sister for example have her kids into cheerleading (it's a sport now). They spend tons of time and money practicing and going to competitions. There is nothing wrong with that. My only question is when her girls are my age (40) are they going to invite their friends over to do some cheers? Of course not. So in the end they spent all this time and money developing skills that will really be of no use to them later in life. On the other hand cycling they could do.

X-LinkedRider

Bikes make the best gifts! I gave three bikes as gifts this year, not that any of them were this nice. The Allez is a better than great entry level road bike. The only thing entry level are the groupset and wheels. (I hated my stock Alex/Formula wheels and have since moved them to my touring bike and are now being replaced.) However, both groupsets and wheels make great subsequent gifts when he puts a couple thousand miles on the bike. He will enjoy the hell out of it I am sure. I hope you get the fit issues corrected.

And cheer is always of use....

roflmao147

I'm very jealous of that kid lol I'm sixteen and my dad is a farmer, so doesnt take much heed to my interest in cycling. I've had to buy all of the kit I own by working for a builder to gather funds, I guess I appreciate it all the more, but any how, get the kid some clipless pedals, they make all the difference happy riding

bianchi10

Thats fantastic!

Shroomy

Walmart

Juan Foote

Thanks so much for the encouraging comments.

This bike has the CXP22 wheels. They are heavy, but quite durable. I figured that buying a better bike would allow more options for upgrades later and not having to do anything for a frameset well into the future, if ever. Assuming that he sticks with it, and puts the miles on, I already have plans to upgrade the groupset to something 10 speed next year.

X-LinkedRider

Great Stuff!

I just bought a set of these (for my touring bike) for less than 150 direct from the dealer. For the money, you CAN NOT get a better deal. And they would match the bike. Lol. Yeah the CXPs are 'okay'. There is just something about stock wheels that just never agree with me and my riding.

ahsposo 

I'll bet he can drop you like a hot potato.

Juan Foote

Of that, there is no question...just so long as the ride doesn't go a few miles over 30. He bonks like a rock at about 32-33 miles right now. It is super predictable, and I plan rides around it. If we are going farther I make sure to stop and get him a "snacky packy" and an electrolyte drink somewhere about halfway in. By the time he rides a few months he will likely be looking to join the b-c group while I am still struggling off the back of c. I really hope so, I always had a considerable talent for cycling as a kid but no one to encourage it.

Hendricks97

I bought my 10 year old a Fuji Roubaix 2.0 this year and we went on our first group ride yesterday. He spent the entire trip right behind the leader and had a blast. He still has some endurance issues, but hes building up and we will be riding GOBA together (400 miles in a week).

X-LinkedRider

That is pretty incredible Hendricks. Good with with the kid on this one...