Advice please - Whyte 403 or Kona Fire Mountain for 10yr old
Discussion
I have narrowed the choice of bike for my 10 year old sons Christmas Present down to two. He is on the verge of being too big for the 24" wheel bikes so I am looking at XS 26" wheel bikes (13" frame).
First option is the Whyte 403 for £625 (http://www.whyte.bike/403). It is built specifically for younger / smaller riders (i.e. narrow bars, shorter crankset and brake levers, etc) and weighs in at 26.7lbs. Looks great but I haven't seen one in the flesh for him to stand over and it comes at a price.
Second option is the Kona Fire Mountain which is their XS frame (13") and 26" wheel version (http://2016.konaworld.com/fire_mountain.cfm) - looking at the frame dimensions it seems almost identical to the Whyte 403 but perhaps crucially it is not a bike built specifically for younger riders (it is 27 speed, the bars are very wide so would need changing to 640mm). Cost is normally £599 but I can get one for £399 on a promotional deal and there is one local to me I have seen. Weight comes in at 32lbs.
It is the weight saving of 5.3lbs which makes me think that the Whyte should be the one to go for as it will be the far better to ride, but there is a £226 price difference between the two......
Any other suggestions for the first 'serious' bike (26" wheel) for a 10 year old?
First option is the Whyte 403 for £625 (http://www.whyte.bike/403). It is built specifically for younger / smaller riders (i.e. narrow bars, shorter crankset and brake levers, etc) and weighs in at 26.7lbs. Looks great but I haven't seen one in the flesh for him to stand over and it comes at a price.
Second option is the Kona Fire Mountain which is their XS frame (13") and 26" wheel version (http://2016.konaworld.com/fire_mountain.cfm) - looking at the frame dimensions it seems almost identical to the Whyte 403 but perhaps crucially it is not a bike built specifically for younger riders (it is 27 speed, the bars are very wide so would need changing to 640mm). Cost is normally £599 but I can get one for £399 on a promotional deal and there is one local to me I have seen. Weight comes in at 32lbs.
It is the weight saving of 5.3lbs which makes me think that the Whyte should be the one to go for as it will be the far better to ride, but there is a £226 price difference between the two......
Any other suggestions for the first 'serious' bike (26" wheel) for a 10 year old?
Sounds a great idea but unfortunately I don't have the time or tools to do that - out of interest, what weight are you aiming for your finished bike for your 11 year old? It is the weight of the Kona I've linked to above which is making me hesitate but it is an adults 27 speed bike in xs compared to the Whyte which is child specific.
Thanks for all of the above comments - I have ordered the Whyte 403 an pick it up tomorrow.
Whilst I am sure that a better bike could have been made from either buying a frame and parts or even the Kona and then upgrading components, the Whyte suits in terms of compromise to get a reasonably light bike 'out of the box'.
Whilst I am sure that a better bike could have been made from either buying a frame and parts or even the Kona and then upgrading components, the Whyte suits in terms of compromise to get a reasonably light bike 'out of the box'.
cavey76 said:
We have had a 403 for my average sized 11 y.o. for about 6 weeks now. He loves it. Needed to tune the fork, i.e. Let out some air apart from that it is like a grown up Islabike. He had a Beinin 24 before. I think you have made the right choice.
I agonised over getting a XS adult bike thinking I'd get more from it but I am glad we went 403 as he steers and controls the 403 with the same sort of natural confidence he had on the Beinin. I reckon someone at Whyte spotted Isla's and thought, oi oi, we could have some of that action.
Thanks, that's good to hear. Picked it up yesterday and it seems a very well put together bike. I agonised over getting a XS adult bike thinking I'd get more from it but I am glad we went 403 as he steers and controls the 403 with the same sort of natural confidence he had on the Beinin. I reckon someone at Whyte spotted Isla's and thought, oi oi, we could have some of that action.
Those Dawes Academy 26"' per the post above at £599 to look a very good bike - 0.84kg lighter than the Whyte which I've bought (although the forks on the Dawes weigh 1.87kg vs the Suntour forks on the Whyte at 2.36kg so maybe a future fork upgrade on the Whyte would get overall weights similar).
The Dawes also has good spec components which make the Whyte look a little pricey - shame I didn't see one locally to me as I'm sure it would have been a great option but overall I think the Whyte fits the bill.
Quick update, my son loves the bike and on lowest seat setting it fits him well with plenty of room to grow with it. Just been on a ride for few miles to try it out.
Despite cold hands(!) he seemed to be comfortably in control and really glad i went for this now rather than an xs small adults bike. Would recommend to anyone else for 10-11 year old.
Despite cold hands(!) he seemed to be comfortably in control and really glad i went for this now rather than an xs small adults bike. Would recommend to anyone else for 10-11 year old.
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