RobDek

I'm looking to purchase a 2010 model Specialized Hotrock Girl's 24" 21-spd MTB in gloss purple/pink for my daughter's upcoming birthday. The 2011 model's colour scheme are blah compared to this bike. Any equipment changes from 2010 to 2011???

She measures 57" tall with an inseam of 24"....is this the right size bike for her??? Unfortunately, I want this to be a surprise and it's a special order so I can't get her to try it first. Ass-backwards I know but that's the way it is... ;-)

Lastly, are Specialized bikes worth the price premium...approx CAD$75.00 difference compared to the Kona Hula, Opus Recon/Star or the Trek MT220??

2010


2011

mulveyr 

My daughter, 8 years old, is 48" tall and fits perfectly on the Hotrock 24, with about 3" of seatpost showing. I don't know her inseam offhand, but I would have doubts that a child nine inches taller would fit on that bike very well - my son is 53 inches, and I'm betting he has only a year or so left on his Boys Hotrock 24.

I know you want it to be a surprise, but it would likely be a much better idea to make the "surprise" a trip to your LBS where she can try the same model/size. Who knows - maybe she'll like the new color scheme a lot better than you do. ;-)

When I got the kids their hotrocks, I decided to get the 7 speed version, and I think it ended up being a MUCH better idea for young kids. It certainly hasn't limited them - I took my son on a 200 mile tour last fall, and he had no problems at all on his bike.

RobDek

I checked out some 26" MTB's today with a 13" frame and they're massive...with the seat totally slammed down, she would just be able to reach tippytoe but the reach would have been uncomfortable for her. lol...sometimes I think it's easier to buy a car...

mulveyr 

How about trying out a road bike? Something with a lower BB might work out.

ArizonaAdam

my 2 cents: buy something cheaper because undoubtedly this will be a temporary bike. And I'm a huge Specialized fan and they are worth the money, even though they're mostly made in Asia now if that matters to you. If she's almost 5 feet tall she'll be on a 26" in no time. As for equipment changes, I can't imagine it's anything most people would notice. Your shop may even be willing to swap out shorter cranks if she only needs an inch on a 26". And the old model year is usually cheaper or on sale, at least here in the US. Finally, you don't give her age for privacy, I assume, but the black/blue will "age" a lot better than pink. If she stays short enough she may not want a pink bike at age 25 (I keep bikes forever, my oldest was my first in 1991). And finally-finally, unloading a pink 24" bike may be a hard sell. Good luck!

RobDek

She's turning 9 but I would like to get two seasons out of the bike. Worst part is that she can't hand it down to her younger sister as she's taller.

atbman

Not suggesting that you buy an Islabike (UK mail order), but you might check with her sizing chart on https://www.islabikes.com/bike_pages/..._Chart_web.pdf. To turn her metric chart into inches, divide no. of centimetres by 2.54. I've done a quick Excel check and her inseam measuremnt seems to indicate a 24" bike, but her height seems to indicate a 26" wheel bike.

However, if she finds the 13" frame 26er to large, that might indicate that she is tall for her inseam size, so the 24" is the most likely bet, at least as far as Islabike proportions are concerned (which may be different from the Spesh..

For what it's worth, my experience is that kids get more out of a bike which fits them reasonably well, than one which stretches them. In particular, the cockpit length makes them lean too far forward, putting stress on the lower back. It also means that their arms are pretty stretched out, even straight, so that they're not able to bend their arms to take up any vertical movement easily when riding over rougher ground. This, in turn, leads to a reduction in their bike control.

Given that she's still growing both in terms of height/weight and and development of neuromuscular co-ordination, a more upright stance will give her more control, especially off-road (or even kerb-hopping)

IN the UK, at least, Islabikes has taken the market by storm, because of how carefully thought out the frame and components are and because or their value for money. I don't suppose that it would be practical to get one shipped over to you

RobDek

I've consigned myself to go with the Specialized Hotrock 24". Most likely won't last her all that long but safety & control are paramount....also don't want her to get spooked. I just can't see how a kid can be comfortable on an oversized bikes especially in less than ideal conditions such as trails, etc. If it was just casual street riding...well maybe perhaps.

Thanks for your input. I checked out the pricing for Isla...good gravy they're pricey!!!!

I may consider the Ibex Alpine 440K for my younger daughter who's just slightly taller this Fall but we shall see.

https://www.ibexbikes.com/IBEX_BIKE_S...Alpine440K#top

atbman

My pleasure. Islabikes are a bit pricey, but then, many things in the UK are in relation to US ones. However, their saving grace, apart from the qualityrice ratio (quite a few kids in our club have them) is their resale value It#s not uncommon for people to get 60% back on resale after 2 years and 75/80% on one year old bikes - which softens the pain somewhat. And in a world where people pay pretty startling prices for console games and have to keep on getting them for their beloved children, something whose fun quotient keeps them on their bikes is not to be sneezed at

RobDek

My daughter's bike arrived this morning at the LBS...I'm very pleased with the colours and details...I'll try to convince her to change out the seat...it's a bit over the top in girliness... lol

atbman

Looks a nice piece of kit and, given the height of the front end, should last her for a while. One of our parents did find that he had to source a longer seatpost before his daughter grew out of it.

For what it's worth, our experience is that kids learn how to use their gears much faster if they ride off-road routes with some reasonable changes of gradient pretty frequently.

Hope she enjoys it and refrains from beating you up in a year or two