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Help me please...
My son is 11 years old, riding at Hillingdon, starting to race XC, full on, full throttle riding (Surrey Hills, Wales etc).
Current bike is a well used and excellent Orange Zest 26 - 11 speed Sram + Sram discs, RS 30's Gold, 26" wheels that he is now getting too big for.
I was thinking a Orange Clockwork in small/27.5 similar spec.
Any other thoughts on 27.5 good spec hardtails I should look at? I will look at used, but might go new.
Clockwork is a trail bike rather than XC race machine isn't it? I would probably be thinking of something lightweight like an older Giant XTC
yeah a giant xtc29 would be epic depending on his sizing... but for XCracing i'd be looking for the lightest thing on the planet for my budget. What he may lose in it's tech skill, he'd gain in flat out speed.
Canyon have just launched some kids sized bikes in a new range, worth a look.
https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/mountain-bikes/youth-kids/
Also Kids Racing do some
https://kidsracing.co.uk/blogs/bikes-components
As do Junior Worx:
http://worxbikes.com/junior-bikes/
Personally I've re-purposed my 26'er for 13yo Junior as I want to avoid spending £1000's as he grows out of them...
I know it’s probably not what you’re after, but if any parents want to get a mint cond. Giant Anthem X 29er in Small, step this way! Mrs BS wants to sell her Alu frame, Reba forks, x01 11s group, Hope race X2 brakes, Hope hubs on light bicycle carbon rims with revolution spokes, reverb and carbon bars. Superb hardly ridden condition. £1200. She’s 5’6 and the post is a long way out of frame so I reckon 5’2 and above…
For the record, I’m thinking 26” XTC rather than 29” (unless he’s tall enough of course)
If you decide to go a bit more well rounded I have a XS Ragley Blue Pig 27.5 with matching fork and wheels I'm selling. Just PM me.
First up how tall is he, secondly how confident is he on a bike?
My (just turned) 10yr old is on an XS Spesh Rock Hopper Elite with 27.5" wheels, he's 143cm tall and is very confident on a bike, so when we got it for him he could ride it easily.
Basically you're looking for the combination of the lightest bike with the biggest wheels he can handle, not forgetting the availability of good XC tyres as this is where the most speed is generated from for "free".
For the record, I’m thinking 26” XTC rather than 29” (unless he’s tall enough of course)
If the 29'er is a tad too big, get it and slot a pair of 27.5" wheels in there, given that Giant went all in on 27.5" wheeled XC bikes a few years ago, then it won't be an issue.
If he is already racing xc on a 26" (and getting too big for it) then it will only be a very short time before he is needing / wanting a 29er. Go to a national xc and 90% of the juvenille race will already be on 29ers (and very handy on them too).
I'm a bit out of touch with what is available at the moment. We luckily picked up a small Whyte 29er frame that was NOS from the Torq racing team (so handily used up 135mm qr wheels we had lying around). Trek do some decent aluminium race 29ers that aren't crazy money. Plenty of people also go the direct Chinese carbon route (there is a recent thread on XC ones somewhere).
I am thinking a 29'er on a say 16" frame is an odd thing? I was assuming a 27.5 on a 16 frame (small adult) HT was my next port of call. Current bike is a 26 on a 13" I think.
I am thinking a 29’er on a say 16″ frame is an odd thing? I was assuming a 27.5 on a 16 frame (small adult) HT was my next port of call. Current bike is a 26 on a 13″ I think.
Nopes The Spesh HT's are a 367mm / 14.3" seat-tube in small as is the Chisel, the Epic FS & HT are a bit longer at 400mm . 15.75" SO it's a common size configuration.
I have a small sized Brand-X HT-01 hardtail frame for sale. My son is quite tall and rode it until he was almost 13.
I got an On One Whippet for my 11yo daughter who is 152cm. Fits really well and being carbon frame 29er with a rigid carbon fork it's light and fast enough to make me have to put effort in to keep up with her!
Similarly - I have a small carbon on one maccatuskil with 32 factory's, slx, bonty wheels and a dropper that could suit that the Mrs wants to upgrade. Inbox if interested.
Someone I know is selling a Canyon exceed CF SL 6.9 Pro race in XS, not sure if thats any use?
Well my son races a pretty heavy £500 Marin hardtail with 27.5 wheels, he still seems to enjoy it and does ok even though some of those he is racing are on £3k carbon bikes and wearing skinsuits.
All above seems valid. He sat on a Vitus FS 27.5 size small, at Swinley yesterday and it did look right. He is about to grow out of the Orange that is a 13" frame running 26". He is 11yo/155cm High and 75cm IL.
I have just been given a £500 voucher for Chain Reaction so must admit a Vitus 27.5 HT for under £1300 running a very good spec seems to good to ignore.
I think he need a 'go-to' bike first, then maybe if the racing bug bites I find something faster.
Ahem... classifieds... Almost unused Kinesis X in size XS with carbon Mavic wheels, carbon RS SID World Cups and short-travel dropper..... 🙂