What MTB for a 10yr old?
Discussion
Evening all,
My youngest (just approaching age 10) has outgrown his Frog 62, so I'm looking at the next stage up, and am looking for advice on what bikes to consider?
He'll happily ride anything up to a red trail centre trail, and pretty much all riding will be properly off road.
I've so far found the Frog MTB 69 and the Whyte 403, both of which are 26" bikes with 100mm travel, hydraulic discs and a 1x8 drivetrain. Both also retail for £600. The Frog is, I think, new, and second hand Whytes seem to be rarer than hens' teeth.
Ideally, I'd prefer to be spending in the £300-400 bracket, and am happy to buy second hand, but don't want to stick him on a heavy old clunker!
My youngest (just approaching age 10) has outgrown his Frog 62, so I'm looking at the next stage up, and am looking for advice on what bikes to consider?
He'll happily ride anything up to a red trail centre trail, and pretty much all riding will be properly off road.
I've so far found the Frog MTB 69 and the Whyte 403, both of which are 26" bikes with 100mm travel, hydraulic discs and a 1x8 drivetrain. Both also retail for £600. The Frog is, I think, new, and second hand Whytes seem to be rarer than hens' teeth.
Ideally, I'd prefer to be spending in the £300-400 bracket, and am happy to buy second hand, but don't want to stick him on a heavy old clunker!
No, not a plug for Frog, although as always with them and Islabikes, I suspect that may actually prove the cheapest option overall if their residuals are anything to go by.
This age seems to be a really difficult one to deal with, though. He's not big enough for the smallest adult frames, but the kids' specific bikes at this point are painfully expensive when he's still going to grow out of it.
His older brother has an On One Inbred with a 1x10 chainset, Hope Pro 2 hubs, decent Shimano hydraulic brakes and the like, but at least with that, I know when he outgrows it, I can get a larger frame, move everything over and sell the old frame. It's not quite as easy here, as youngest is also going to be outgrowing the child specific brake levers and cranks...
This age seems to be a really difficult one to deal with, though. He's not big enough for the smallest adult frames, but the kids' specific bikes at this point are painfully expensive when he's still going to grow out of it.
His older brother has an On One Inbred with a 1x10 chainset, Hope Pro 2 hubs, decent Shimano hydraulic brakes and the like, but at least with that, I know when he outgrows it, I can get a larger frame, move everything over and sell the old frame. It's not quite as easy here, as youngest is also going to be outgrowing the child specific brake levers and cranks...
mikey P 500 said:
Couldn't you buy an extra small adult bike (would be a similar frame size) or even a 24" wheel dirt jump bike, loads of both of those around second hand.
I suppose an XS adult bike might possibly work, but would've thought it would still be too big for an average-sized 10yr old, unless there are some really diddy adults out there?Dirt jump bikes hadn't come to mind at all. Wouldn't the geometry be all wrong for trails riding?
I've just contributed to the pot to get my tallish 10 year Godson one of these in the xs adult size Focus Whistler SI 11g It seems a nice bit of kit, complete with the latest in marketing bs, a 1x11 gearset.
My son is 11 in January, he has for the last few years been riding a Cube 240 sl. Was a bit pricey at £500 and had to drive 200 miles to get it as they are quite hard to find. However, it has an air fork, hydraulic discs and 20 speed. Ive just bought him for xmas a Voodoo Canzo as this is now on the verge of being too small.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/cube-kid-240-sl...
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/cube-kid-240-sl...
Edited by Vantagemech on Sunday 17th December 20:19
For f sake..when I was around 10 my Bike was a single speed cheapo used $5 fixie, at that age I didn't really cared what kind of bike I had.. I was on it all day everyday...- IT WAS A BICYCLE! and it was awesome...., fixed my own tyres and all that. there is a half of that bike still somewhere, last time I had a look at it - it was just lol such garbage, back than= it was the best thing ever..
Cmon...this is getting just stupid! You are better off putting that money in trust fund or investing in stocks for him.
Cmon...this is getting just stupid! You are better off putting that money in trust fund or investing in stocks for him.
bagusbagus said:
For f sake..when I was around 10 my Bike was a single speed cheapo used $5 fixie, at that age I didn't really cared what kind of bike I had.. I was on it all day everyday...- IT WAS A BICYCLE! and it was awesome...., fixed my own tyres and all that. there is a half of that bike still somewhere, last time I had a look at it - it was just lol such garbage, back than= it was the best thing ever..
Cmon...this is getting just stupid! You are better off putting that money in trust fund or investing in stocks for him.
Good Lord, what complete and utter bCmon...this is getting just stupid! You are better off putting that money in trust fund or investing in stocks for him.
ks!Let's see... on the one hand, I can further encourage a hobby that will help keep us both healthy and ensure we have hours of fun together. On the other, I could set up a "trust fund" with £500 and what? Leave him behind when I go riding?
I think I'll stick with putting the money where it will deliver the best returns and go with the bike, thanks!
How about a Calibre for £379? Great spec and reviews for the price.
http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/calibre-two-two-v2-mou...
Edit: Hmmm - no XS frame size, so might not work for him.
http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/calibre-two-two-v2-mou...
Edit: Hmmm - no XS frame size, so might not work for him.
Edited by WindyCommon on Sunday 17th December 22:59
Kermit power said:
Good Lord, what complete and utter bks!
Let's see... on the one hand, I can further encourage a hobby that will help keep us both healthy and ensure we have hours of fun together. On the other, I could set up a "trust fund" with £500 and what? Leave him behind when I go riding?
I think I'll stick with putting the money where it will deliver the best returns and go with the bike, thanks!
Don't be such a retard, buy a good used £50 bike and spend the rest of the $ where it matters.ks!Let's see... on the one hand, I can further encourage a hobby that will help keep us both healthy and ensure we have hours of fun together. On the other, I could set up a "trust fund" with £500 and what? Leave him behind when I go riding?
I think I'll stick with putting the money where it will deliver the best returns and go with the bike, thanks!
Nowadays I rarely ever see kids riding their bikes.. I HOPE yours is exception tho!
I was chatting to the HOPE guys at the bike show this year. They were plugging the Hope academy, you rent the bikes and change the size as the child grows.
http://www.hopetech.com/hope-academy/
http://www.hopetech.com/hope-academy/
bagusbagus said:
Kermit power said:
Good Lord, what complete and utter bks!
Let's see... on the one hand, I can further encourage a hobby that will help keep us both healthy and ensure we have hours of fun together. On the other, I could set up a "trust fund" with £500 and what? Leave him behind when I go riding?
I think I'll stick with putting the money where it will deliver the best returns and go with the bike, thanks!
Don't be such a retard, buy a good used £50 bike and spend the rest of the $ where it matters.ks!Let's see... on the one hand, I can further encourage a hobby that will help keep us both healthy and ensure we have hours of fun together. On the other, I could set up a "trust fund" with £500 and what? Leave him behind when I go riding?
I think I'll stick with putting the money where it will deliver the best returns and go with the bike, thanks!
Nowadays I rarely ever see kids riding their bikes.. I HOPE yours is exception tho!
I was unfortunate enough to have crap, heavy cheap bikes when I was a kid back in the Seventies. Not my parents' fault, as there weren't really any alternatives back then, but it was enough to put me and my friends off riding as soon as we got access to cars. Fortunately, I got introduced to mountain biking on decent kit, and haven't looked back!
These days, I see loads of kids on bikes every time I go anywhere near a trail centre. Sure, some of them will be on second hand £50 bikes, and some of them might possibly go more than once, but most won't, as it's a dispiriting, off-putting experience trying to lug a heavy bike round a few miles of singletrack.
Fortunately, there are plenty more kids out on the trails absolutely loving it because their parents have decided to invest in decent bikes to help ensure their enjoyment.
Just to pick a completely random example off Youtube, here is the sort of trail my 9yr old is already riding on a regular basis on his rigid Frog. Of course I could get him a cheapo second-hand piece of crap for £50, but given that it would ruin the enjoyment for him and also for me, why on earth would I want to do that? I have no desire to create another kid who used to ride a bike once upon a time!
You say you rarely see kids riding bikes any more. Did it ever occur to you that maybe that's because their parents are lumbering them with crappy £50 bikes?
My two boys are perfectly happy to go out riding for 2+ hours and 10+ miles with me on a regular basis. I'm how having to shift my 12yr old's guitar lessons to an after school slot (which will be a complete pain in the arse!) because his current Saturday group session means we've "only" got time to get a couple of hours of riding in in the morning, and he wants to do more. He's riding a rather nice hardtail, and it's going to be even nicer in a week, as he has actually settled on a £90 dropper post for Christmas rather than Xbox games or whatever.
Of course, in your book I'm presumably a retard because I'll be lugging a couple of mountain bikes away with us for Christmas so that he and I can head out for a trails ride on Boxing Day rather than having a day of not talking to each other whilst he gets to grips with his new Xbox game, but hey, if that makes me a retard, I'm happy to be a retard!
You keep giving your kids crap bikes and telling yourself you're really doing it for them whilst soullessly putting a few quid into a trust fund for them. I'm sure they'll really thank you for it in later life!
Morning Kermit, hope you're well mate.
How tall is your lad?
At 10 I had mine on a £350 Felt in Small, 26" 8x3 gearing and hydraulics, only a spring loaded fork not air but it was enough bike for many many laps of Bedgebury and Swinley, also saw him round more challenging places like Cannock and Dalby until he grew out of it.
Mioved it on on ebay for £220.
£130 well spent
(Imagine tryng to do Cannock on a £50 single speed clunker
)
How tall is your lad?
At 10 I had mine on a £350 Felt in Small, 26" 8x3 gearing and hydraulics, only a spring loaded fork not air but it was enough bike for many many laps of Bedgebury and Swinley, also saw him round more challenging places like Cannock and Dalby until he grew out of it.
Mioved it on on ebay for £220.
£130 well spent
(Imagine tryng to do Cannock on a £50 single speed clunker
)Kermit power said:
If you think spending a reasonable amount of money on a healthy family activity makes me a retard, then I can only express my sympathies to any children unfortunate to have you as a parent.
I was unfortunate enough to have crap, heavy cheap bikes when I was a kid back in the Seventies. Not my parents' fault, as there weren't really any alternatives back then, but it was enough to put me and my friends off riding as soon as we got access to cars. Fortunately, I got introduced to mountain biking on decent kit, and haven't looked back!
These days, I see loads of kids on bikes every time I go anywhere near a trail centre. Sure, some of them will be on second hand £50 bikes, and some of them might possibly go more than once, but most won't, as it's a dispiriting, off-putting experience trying to lug a heavy bike round a few miles of singletrack.
Fortunately, there are plenty more kids out on the trails absolutely loving it because their parents have decided to invest in decent bikes to help ensure their enjoyment.
Just to pick a completely random example off Youtube, here is the sort of trail my 9yr old is already riding on a regular basis on his rigid Frog. Of course I could get him a cheapo second-hand piece of crap for £50, but given that it would ruin the enjoyment for him and also for me, why on earth would I want to do that? I have no desire to create another kid who used to ride a bike once upon a time!
You say you rarely see kids riding bikes any more. Did it ever occur to you that maybe that's because their parents are lumbering them with crappy £50 bikes?
My two boys are perfectly happy to go out riding for 2+ hours and 10+ miles with me on a regular basis. I'm how having to shift my 12yr old's guitar lessons to an after school slot (which will be a complete pain in the arse!) because his current Saturday group session means we've "only" got time to get a couple of hours of riding in in the morning, and he wants to do more. He's riding a rather nice hardtail, and it's going to be even nicer in a week, as he has actually settled on a £90 dropper post for Christmas rather than Xbox games or whatever.
Of course, in your book I'm presumably a retard because I'll be lugging a couple of mountain bikes away with us for Christmas so that he and I can head out for a trails ride on Boxing Day rather than having a day of not talking to each other whilst he gets to grips with his new Xbox game, but hey, if that makes me a retard, I'm happy to be a retard!
You keep giving your kids crap bikes and telling yourself you're really doing it for them whilst soullessly putting a few quid into a trust fund for them. I'm sure they'll really thank you for it in later life!
Did not read , lul.I was unfortunate enough to have crap, heavy cheap bikes when I was a kid back in the Seventies. Not my parents' fault, as there weren't really any alternatives back then, but it was enough to put me and my friends off riding as soon as we got access to cars. Fortunately, I got introduced to mountain biking on decent kit, and haven't looked back!
These days, I see loads of kids on bikes every time I go anywhere near a trail centre. Sure, some of them will be on second hand £50 bikes, and some of them might possibly go more than once, but most won't, as it's a dispiriting, off-putting experience trying to lug a heavy bike round a few miles of singletrack.
Fortunately, there are plenty more kids out on the trails absolutely loving it because their parents have decided to invest in decent bikes to help ensure their enjoyment.
Just to pick a completely random example off Youtube, here is the sort of trail my 9yr old is already riding on a regular basis on his rigid Frog. Of course I could get him a cheapo second-hand piece of crap for £50, but given that it would ruin the enjoyment for him and also for me, why on earth would I want to do that? I have no desire to create another kid who used to ride a bike once upon a time!
You say you rarely see kids riding bikes any more. Did it ever occur to you that maybe that's because their parents are lumbering them with crappy £50 bikes?
My two boys are perfectly happy to go out riding for 2+ hours and 10+ miles with me on a regular basis. I'm how having to shift my 12yr old's guitar lessons to an after school slot (which will be a complete pain in the arse!) because his current Saturday group session means we've "only" got time to get a couple of hours of riding in in the morning, and he wants to do more. He's riding a rather nice hardtail, and it's going to be even nicer in a week, as he has actually settled on a £90 dropper post for Christmas rather than Xbox games or whatever.
Of course, in your book I'm presumably a retard because I'll be lugging a couple of mountain bikes away with us for Christmas so that he and I can head out for a trails ride on Boxing Day rather than having a day of not talking to each other whilst he gets to grips with his new Xbox game, but hey, if that makes me a retard, I'm happy to be a retard!
You keep giving your kids crap bikes and telling yourself you're really doing it for them whilst soullessly putting a few quid into a trust fund for them. I'm sure they'll really thank you for it in later life!
bagusbagus said:
Did not read , lul.
That's quite OK, poppet. I've just read the thread where you were whining about not being able to ride up hills on a st, heavy old bike and everyone else just told you it was because you're an unfit knacker instead, so I suppose I can understand why you're now trying to tell others that all they need is a st old bike to try and make yourself feel better! Still, you feel free to keep your s
t old clunker, and I'll stick to buying my youngest a proper bike so we can enjoy riding together. Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff