Txtigah

My ten year old son has really gotten serious about biking. He is currently riding a cheap mountain bike with road tires. I would like to purchase him a road bike but I am not willing to pay $700 for bike he will probably grow out of shortly. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Lyndel Williams

twahl

I'll try again since it got scrolled down a bit on the General Disc. Forum:

Have your bike shop fit him for a bike that's a little large but manageable, maybe with a shorter stem. That should allow him for at least a couple of years, or more likely, 3-4 years, worth of growth. Make sure it gets good maintenance and is kept clean, and when he grows out of it you'll be able to get a fair price for it to get a new bike for him.

Adding to that: You should be able to get a very nice bike for under $700, maybe consider a nice used bike if one of your local shops deals with used, just make sure it's not way too big for him. Even if you only get three years out of a $700 bike, and sell it for half what you paid, it's still a little over $100 a year for him to ride. The initial cost may be difficult to swallow, but you're buying something that will last and will have resale value.

Snopup7

Though your son may be getting serious about riding, he's 10. Who know what he'll be into next year. $700 is a lot to spend on a bike for a 10 year old. No offence and maybe your son is the exception, but I've seen my friends get brand new name brand bikes for their kids only to see it lying in the front yard in the rain. Check out garage sales. Many times you run across a good deal under alittle negelict. My daughters have grown through several bike in the past few years. I have alway found them good bikes at garage sales that only needs alittle tweeking to get it running like new.

This last weekend: My middle daughter (age 7) needed a new bike. Garage sale - $5.00. add new chain - $9.00. grease up bottom bracket barrings, tighten up loose things, pump up tires, WD40 break levers and cables - 20 minutes. 1-1/2 hours after I bought the bike, including the time it took to get a chain from the LBS, we were on the bike trail 10 mile loop. Front brake still kind of squeeks little when she stops hard. It rides as good as any new bike, cost about $14.00 and alittle time and it will last for some years to come.

wphelps

Your son will probably out grow what ever you buy him, but if you spend enough money on it, you will probably make sure he takes care of it as well. One thing for sure he will know the difference between a $100 35lb department store bike and a $500 20lb Felt road bike. These bikes are fairly rare and have a strong resale if they are taken care of. Teaching a child to take care of something that is of high quality is an important lesson in life. And in the mean time he can be riding around on 15 less pounds of bike. Who knows that 15 less lbs may just be the difference between enjoying riding with his Dad or not. Happy fathering!!!!

alanbikehouston

The entry level Trek mountain bike comes in a wide variety of sizes. The "extra small" ladies version would fit many ten year olds. Nothing especially "lady-like" about the bike, other than the compact size.

And, it does use standard wheels and tires, unlike many "youth" models. And, by adding a longe seatpost, and higher and longer stem in a year or two, it would probably give you two or three good years of service before moving to a larger size.

The "list" price is around $250, but many shops in my area use this model as their "promotional" bike, and often have it on sale for $199 or so. Far superior to any bike from a department store or discount store, plus the service you would expect from a Trek dealer.

wannaride

While not cheap, if you really want him to get into biking, I think this is what you should get him:

Karenemt

My 10 year old felt the same about cycling last summer. I was very lucky to have a friend give me the frame (older steel but perfectly fine), some older Look pedals, and small handlebars for him. I only paid $300 to have the whole bike assembled. I really did not want to buy him a new bike at that point.

It was well worth the money - he's still riding and loving it. He can totally do "C" pace road rides of 20-30 miles with me and our local cycling club.

Now he wants his own track bike.....

atbman

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/ukstore/f...ptPereId=33009

The French sporting superstore chain Decathlon do a 24" wheel road bike Decathlon 7.0 and they have 4 stores in the US, including 2 (at least) in MA. In the UK it sells for £119, so it will be well below the $700 quoted elsewhere. It was well reviewed in the May edition of Cycling Plus (UK mag). It weighs in at 11.1kg or 23lb(ish)

Probably the best value small bike anywhere

phinney

I seem to remember from Lance's book that his very working class mom bought him a very expensive bmx bike when he was a kid. Seems to have worked out ok for them.