Originally Posted by wineberry

Hello everyone - hope I'm posting in the right forum.

I would appreciate suggestions for purchasing a new bike for my nephew. He needs something faster than his current 24” mtn bike which has a pair of smoother tires & clipless pedals, but is still not ideal for our 30-mi rides on smooth road. I’d like a versatile bike for around $900. There are local mountain beginner to advanced bike trails that we’d like to try out, but I anticipate the bike will be mostly for light off-roading, smooth roads and hills.

Is there such a thing as a “do it all” bike? Do we need two bikes, each one specifically designed for one application or are there all-around cross or mountain bikes that can perform in all our riding conditions? Is a cyclocross better than a road or mountain bike for bike tricks, and riding off-road and on-road? Or should I get a lighter, better quality 24” mountain bike with a pair of slicks and possibly a rigid fork?

Because he’s a 9.5 yo, 53” with a 23” inseam, the LBS recommended a women's Specialized Dolce or Vita road bike with 650c wheels and keeping his mountain bike for off-road. I don’t think either comes with 650c tires. They also said they can put fatter tires on the road bike. Since he’s not racing cyclocross, should I just get a road bike and invest in an extra set of wheels?

I don’t think there are as many options for fast 24” tires as there are for 650c tires. Also, which tire is better to avoid pinch flats from the bike tricks?

The brands my LBS offers are Specialized, Cannondale, Jamis & Raleigh. I would prefer to purchase from them if it’s not too much of a compromise to limit ourselves to said brands.

Many thanks in advance for your suggestions.