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So the eldest boy has really taken a shine to jumps and stuff, and whilst I like to kid myself I
do alright on the Solaris longshot down the runs I'm clearly out of my depth 😀
He's picking it up on my old Superlight (2001) - as he weighs nothing I'm thinking its OK, but it is clearly somewhat cross country oriented when comparing with most modern kit (80mm ish either end). However, as he's small for his age, 26" wheels look right... his mate has a Whyte 806(?) 27.5 wheel in Medium and its way too big for him.
He's now expressing an interest in building or buying something more suitable, so looking for some advice. I was thinking something like an old 5 Spot with some longer forks .. or a newer slacker hardtail?? I think something like a T130 would be perfect but I don't expect to see one small enough and cheap enough. Not really sure whats best to know what to start looking for, so any advice appreciated.
(PS - yes I know you can ride anything on anything etc. but if he wants to spend money on this over V Bucks or drugs then I'm happy to help out a bit. Has already suggested a skills course for his birthday).
depends if he wants a fs or ht.
although he is light I'd get something quite burley if he rides big features or rides hard as repeated hits will cause something not designed for this type of riding to fail after time. Just get an xs I would image. A fs would probably be a better choice for a bike park. Enduro bikes and even dh bikes are generally used at bikeparks, although some people run jump bikers. I would have thought someone like kona do decent bikes for his size ( xs or small maybe )
If I go to a bike park I ride a tough 4x ht bike or a freeride fs bike both with dh bars, stems etc, wheels etc. It only takes a few crashes and a weaker bike would fail.
depending on what he wants to ride, slack and long is pretty much the oposite of what you want for dirt jumps, if you want a mountain bike you want something half-way to a bmx. Bike parks are a different story, a mini dh bike\enduro bike is kinda ideal for that.
Full suss, dh/enduro seems to be the flavour of the day (local park is Tidworth, but Wind Hill and BPW sooner or later) going by other riders - lot of Whyte T130 up hence mentioning that, but I think sticking 26" will help sizing (and cost) overall ... but I never did this kind of riding 10 years back so I'm not sure. Was thinking a BFe but the full runs do seem more FS territory.
5lab - that makes sense, certainly more bike park end. He has a BMX and park access too, this is where this started, so I think it's that 'bigger ' end to look at. Can always pass the superlight on to a brother there is no lack of them 😀
Thanks all, useful perspectives.