Bike for ten year old

[Tony]

My granddaughter Marin who is turning ten has been riding with me for a year. She is now riding a heavy girls cruiser and really enjoys doing three to four mile trips with me two to three times a week. She also rides to school even day. Marin wants to start doing longer rides with me on our local bike trail.
I would like advice on what may be a good choice for her. I don't want to spend over $500.00, and want a bike she could ride without out growing it too quickly, shes tall for ten and growing fast.
Thanks for any advice!

Tony

[biker.caliente]

Definitely get her a gear bike if she already knows how to shift gear. She'd have an easier time with hills and finds it more enjoyable. A good used one would be a good start as they tend 'baby' their shiny new bikes.

I got my son a Novara (REI) off Craigslist. It is a good used one and much lighter than what you find at Target, Walmart and the like. When my son becomes better at hills, I will get him a new one this Christmas.

[pdmtong]

she is likely right on the verge of fitting an adult bike or actually there if she is tall for her age. that means a 13" mtb or a xs road bike.

craigslist is your friend.

get the mtb (more stable) and swap the knobbies for slicks to make it roll faster.

[bargainguy]

So a bike that could accomodate trails, rides to school and still fit as the rider grew. The last part is the toughest; it's hard enough to properly fit a bike to a grown adult, but accommodating a growing teen is even tougher.

Here's my thought, take it for what it's worth. Don't blow your $500 all on one bike. Start her off on a lighter MTB than her cruiser, maybe an older steel one as they're so easy to come by in the used market. Then as she grows, upgrade her to a nicer MTB, hybrid or road bike, depending on which direction she wants to take.

BTW, I get this from parents all the time - they want to buy a bike three sizes too big for their growing teen. So big the kid couldn't straddle it. I ask them: "Do you walk around in shoes three sizes too big for you?" "Of course not." "Then why would you want to put your kid in that position? It's a safety issue if the bike doesn't fit them properly now, not three years from now."

[Nooch]

How tall is tall?

Unless she's going off road, I'd say shoot for a trek 7.1fx, stagger, 13"...

If off road, maybe a specialized myka...

assuming of course, that she's around 5'..

[pdmtong]

How tall is tall?

Unless she's going off road, I'd say shoot for a trek 7.1fx, stagger, 13"...

If off road, maybe a specialized myka...

assuming of course, that she's around 5'..

forgot about the trek fx bikes. thats a great call.

for reference, when my daughter was 9 and around 4'8 she was on a 24" wheels.

she got on 26" / 700c wheels around age 10. size xs mtb and 44cm road

now at 5'2.5" and 13 she is on size small mtb and 48cm road.

[josephr]

Definitely get her a gear bike if she already knows how to shift gear. She'd have an easier time with hills and finds it more enjoyable. A good used one would be a good start as they tend 'baby' their shiny new bikes.

I got my son a Novara (REI) off Craigslist. It is a good used one and much lighter than what you find at Target, Walmart and the like. When my son becomes better at hills, I will get him a new one this Christmas.

Got my daughter a Trek 3400 mtn bike in a 13" size, with 26" wheels. It was huge for her at first, but now its too small as she's gone from 4'11" to 5'8" in three years. Was dropping off old clothes at the Salvation Army store and wandered through the bikes and got lucky -- was for sale for $75. Also, when older daughter went to college, found a specialized hard-rock at a thrift store for $100. It has old Shimano parts on it, but when she brings it home at the end of the semester, I throw it up on the stand and I'm always amazed at how great that thing shifts still.

We have a used bike shop here as well....but if you have the time, I'd slug through the thrift stores for under-priced decent stuff.
Joe

[josephr]

she is likely right on the verge of fitting an adult bike or actually there if she is tall for her age. that means a 13" mtb or a xs road bike.

craigslist is your friend.

get the mtb (more stable) and swap the knobbies for slicks to make it roll faster.

yep....mtb with slicks or specialized crossroads are nice too.
Joe

[kevinvc]

I've been going through the same process for my two kids (ages 10 and 11) as well. IMO, mountain bikes aren't a good choice at that age unless they're going to be doing fairly legitimate mountain biking. They are often oversized tubes with extremely low quality shocks that don't benefit the ride at all. The result is a bike that's often heavier than an adult aluminum bike that's a lot of work for them to ride.

There are a few options out there though that are versatile and reasonably priced. My son is currently riding a Specialized Hotrock 24 with standard forks (no shocks). We've got slicks on it for his everyday riding, but have used knobbies for trails, mountain biking and even a couple of kiddie short track races. It's got a sloping top tube, which is nice for younger riders when off road. I just put on a rear rack to carry his trumpet to / from school.

Torker has decent bikes with 20 and 24" tires. They have flat bars, grip shifts sloped top tubes and standard forks.

Fuji actually has a kid's sized cross bike with 24" tires and drop bars if you want to start their training early.

All of these are under $500 new. It's a lot of money to put out for something that they'll outgrow within a couple of years, but they will retain some resale value. And it can't be overstated how important it is to start kids off on a bike that is comfortable and fun for them to ride. We know far too many people who have bought cheap clunky pieces of junk that wind up broken or abandoned with the kids turned off to wanting to ride.

[evo111@comcast.net]

I bought my 9 y/o son a Torker with 24 inch wheels - got a deal for under $300 at the LBS most for paved trail rides and light off road trails. Decent wheels and tires they even have presta valves.

[Tony]

Thanks all for the great advice!

Tony

[GregL]

Keep an eye out for something like this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2011-Redline-Conquest-24-Kids-Cyclocross-Bike-No-Reserve-/331013978047?pt=US_Bicycles_Frames&hash=item4d11f877bf

These pop up often for sale, usually in great shape with few miles. My daughter rode one between ages 10 and 12. Ours came with two wheelsets, so swapping off between road and light trail riding was a snap. Of all the kids bikes I have seen, this was the most versatile and among the lightest. When my daughter outgrew it, the bike moved on to introducing another kid to the world of enthuisast bikes.

- Greg

[Tony]

I think this CONQUEST 24 is what I'm looking for!
Thanks you!

Tony

[pdmtong]

the other choice in 24" road is this

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Trek-KDR-1000-Kids-Road-Bicycle-/200961128519?pt=US_Bicycles_Frames&hash=item2eca377847

it's no longer made.

I bought one that was three years old at the time for my daughter for $400.

sold it 2 years later for $450.

[Nags&Ducs]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281160263418?ssPageName=STRK:MEDWX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1435.l2649

I put a bid in for it but didn't win. Was thinking of getting it now for my son to grow into. Probably would have had to wait 5 more years but would've been worth it.

[wvridgerider]

I have had good luck with the Trek kids bikes. They are very adjustable. Gears and hand brakes for sure.

[pdmtong]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281160263418?ssPageName=STRK:MEDWX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1435.l2649

I put a bid in for it but didn't win. Was thinking of getting it now for my son to grow into. Probably would have had to wait 5 more years but would've been worth it.

That's a pretty cool bike. The 44cm specilaized dolce i had for my daughter was quite similar and it also had 700c wheels - rare in the small sizes. Likewise it also had Tiagra shifters / triple which she found to required too much throw for her small hands so when it came time to shift we stopped and I shifted the front up for her. So we essentially rode it like a 1x9 for FD upshifts. Her 48cm has 105 10sp which she can shift on her own the over throw is easier and less travel. It's too bad the lower groups are not as user friendly

[christian]

2016 105 Di2. It's gonna be PERFECT for the little ones.

[pdmtong]

2016 105 Di2. It's gonna be PERFECT for the little ones.

If that ever comes to pass and the price is right it'll be a home run for women and teens/kids.

[cmbicycles]

I think you should look at one of these in a 24" depending on her height, which I didn't see, but then maybe swap the tires for something more road/light trail appropriate. If she is tall enough you may want to skip to the 13" adult bike.

One of these already has her name on it too.
http://www.marinbikes.com/us/bikes/description/2014-bayview-trail-24-girls/

[krhea]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v66/KRhea/DSCF3547_zpsf946d2e4.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/KRhea/media/DSCF3547_zpsf946d2e4.jpg.html)

This is what my 10yr old daughter rides and she loves it, so do. A Specialized "Hotrock Street" with 24 x1.5 smooth tread tires that just fly down the trails and on the road. It's a 7spd, great warranty and it fits her well and should for at least a year or two...hopefully. We purchased it spring 2013.
I searched and shopped forever looking for the right bike. I didn't want a stupid front shock, didn't want a million gears, didn't want knobby tires and I didn't want to spend a fortune. This bike had everything I was looking including a great retailer. I'll take off the smooth tires and install knobbies a couple times fall when she hits a couple cross races. She does at least two a season.

We do not ride anything rougher then packed surface stuff and mostly it's paved rails to trails and on the roads. This past summer she set her mileage "PR" by riding 37miles and she was stoked, tires but stoked.

In our area it's OK to spend a bit more on a quality kids bike because the resell value on good kids bikes is always pretty high.

KRhea

PS I'll post our newest daddy/daughter project in another thread...

[pdmtong]

KRhea
PS I'll post our newest daddy/daughter project in another thread...

I for one would be interested in seeing what's up your sleeve since you always do things just right.

[pbarry]

I have a 10 year old Trek 24" wheel girls MTB that you can have for actual shipping cost + 40, (what I paid for it). Low miles but will need a little TLC. Pm me if you'd like it.

[alancw3]

i have bought severl bikes for my grandsons. hand brakes and deraillures. all have been problematic. recently i bought this bike (24 inch wheels) for my oldest grandson (10) he loves it and i think bulletproof. i was actually surprised at how well made it was for the price ($88). came in box direct from walmart (two days). easy to assemble (20 minutes). wheels perfectly trued ot out of box. funny how the other children in the neighborhood thought it was so cool! can't say enough about this purchasing epxerience

http://www.walmart.com/ip/24-Huffy-Boys-Cranbrook-Cruiser-Bike-Burgundy/12509647