Old 06-18-18, 05:43 PM
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canyonblue737
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Trek 820 MB (adult) vs. Trek Superfly 24 MB (kids) for 10 year old 4'9"?

It was time to get new bikes for my kids and I'm a bit torn on what to do for my son after visiting my local Trek dealer where I have been a happy customer for 13+ years for our family bike needs. My son just turned 10 years old and is 4'9". It's predicted he will have an adult height of around 5'7". He was on an unusably small Trek Superfly 20 (that's a 20 inch wheel MB) and I assumed when we went to the shop I would get him a Trek Superfly 24 (24 inch wheel MB) to replace it. The Superfly 24 is aluminum framed and the website shows it is for 8-12 year olds who are 4'4"-4'11" in height. That was the same progression his older sister had in the girls version of these exact bikes. The dealer salesperson (who I felt was trying to push his 2018 in-stock models over 2019 models they could order for near immediate delivery) tried him on a adult XS 13 inch frame Trek 820 MB, their steel framed entry level MB. This is a 26 inch wheel real deal MB, and heavy, because it is the cheapest Trek adult MB. The 13 inch frame is what Trek considers an "XS" for adults and suggests heights 4'10'5" - 5'1.5" so about an inch more than my son is. The bike of course has a sweet matte black finish my boy loved and you could certainly adjust the height of the seat so he can ride comfortably but he does look pretty small on the bike but that maybe because I'm used to him being so large on his 20" wheel bike that it looks like a BMX! He rode it around in the parking lot and LOVES it and badly wants it over the Superfly 24. The salesperson seems to think the 820 is the way to go as he is just on the bottom edge (actually just below it) of the suggested height for the 820 and therefore it would last us longer by nearly 2.5" of height so at least an extra year or two before he would outgrow it vs. the Superfly 24 where he would already be smack dab in the middle of the size range.

I'm concerned I'm about to buy him a heavy steel framed adult man's bike for a skinny 10 year old soccer kid vs. a lighter aluminum "kids" bike that would fit him better with smaller, thinner tires that wouldn't tire him out as quickly. What would you all do, the "kids" bike is actually $70 more I assume because its aluminum vs. steel since both bikes have similar grade components. Money isn't an object but I'd rather not get the bike he doesn't want as much and see it only last a year or two vs. get a bike he thinks is awesome and would last him 3-4 years and even costs less. My real concern is that it is a bit too big right now and I bet with the bigger tires and steel frame it will tire my 10 year old skinny soccer kid out way faster than the other bike that he is already right-sized for. Our riding is all flat-land suburbia with at worst gravel trails and the most gentle of hills.

Thoughts? Thanks!

Last edited by canyonblue737; 06-18-18 at 05:47 PM.
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