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Our nearly 11 yo started a mtb course a few weeks ago and uses his XS giant trance. He is absolutely loving it and really getting into it. Great stuff! Took him to Pembrey last week and we rode on the beach etc, spent a nice day together. And here comes my question.
The 3x9 drivetrain is OK, but didn't want to do anything to it incase if he wasn't going to use it. One of the brake levers is bent out of shape, the other brake sort of works and stays like it no matter how much I try to bleed it, LX brakes.
Do I take this opportunity to source the parts to upgrade it all, possibly 1x10 too, or do I keep maintaining it as is? If I ask him I can pretty much guarantee what the answer would be.
No reason to swap out the 3x9. Put some new brakes on it and it'll be good to go.
I love riding bikes and fettling them, we’ve spent the whole of today doing those two. We’ve been where you are, and now well well beyond. I reckon keep the 3x9, easy gears to push and that’s what’s really important at that age, I’d look out for decent second brakes on here and up grade those. Most important thing I found back then was making it light, that encouraged sprog James the most and before I knew it he was passing me...
Fettle away, everyone like new bike bits but not sure 1x10 is best for that age. My 2 lads 11+14 would struggle wirh 1x10
I would go 1 x actually with a 30t chainring and 40t cassette. Get them used to it, save weight, make it simpler. My son (6) seems to manage ok on 1 x 8.
Just swapped my 12 year olds small Giant trance over to 1x10 with a 30 up front and a 11-42 outback. He manages to get up everything he got up on his 2x10 set up. It's all down to personal really. Personally I did it to save weight.
Deore 1 X 10 30t and 42t is fine for my eldest (11).
She likes the simplicity and the 42t sprocket is very low.
It's not the cheapest upgrade though.
I'm hoping that with new XT & SLX coming out, the current 11 speed groupsets will get a big price reduction. This would make a parts upgrade, rather than a new bike, far more attractive.
A couple of years ago I got SLX 7000 1x11 with brakes, BB and rotors for £249!
Would be nice if it came down to that again soon.
The answer is always yes 😉
I built my lads a pair of Spesh Hotrocks. S/H full bikes are usually knackered, but the frames are pretty bombproof, & light. They get on ok running 1x10. Both bikes are ridiculously light, the XS one especially as it runs carbon rigid. It’s about 21 lb. I’ve some Sid’s to go on shortly.
I'd sort the brakes either something decent from the classifieds or some entry level hydraulics. If the rest works I'd leave alone unless I had a stash of spares to upgrade from.
I've got some deore m6000 calipers + non-series deore style levers that I've just taken off a 2017 trance that you can have if you want.
The rear brake has been cut so will need bleeding and a new olive/insert. Front should be fine.
I love the way people glibly use the Americanism "swap out" when the swap might turn out to be harder than thought as well as expensive. It really is only a fashion thing and a triple is perfectly good for a younger rider. Save your money until the child knows how to look after a decent bike and isn't crashing as much.
My youngest had a XS Trance, great little bike. I fitted a 1 x 10 on it and a set of XT brakes from a mate. He used to ride that bike everywhere and loved it.
So the answer is yes, you can sell it on when he outgrows it and some other youngster will get a great introduction into mountain biking.
3x9 is fine, it will be robust and the bike will be moved on before you know it. Brakes are definitely worth the money spent, nothing scarier than rubbish brakes!
Leave the gears, sort the brakes.
My 9-year old seems to be able to climb pretty much everything using a 1x9 with a 32 tooth chainring and 12-36 cassette which came on his Frog mtb, so you could try that.
Or, you could try it with a 30 tooth on the front if needed for a little more help on the hills.