Hi, @
Hockeyjunkie. Welcome to the forum.
I'm not familiar with the Moda but I have owned a PlanetX Pro Stealth Carbon. I've also seen a fair amount of junior racing and watched a few rise to the top of the US National ranks and know a few who were Junior World Champions. I also have a son that didn't race track much, but did participate in traditional track & field ("athletics" for the non-US folks) as well as ball sports where similar topics about equipment came up.
Even though you may see some of the top junior racers with fancy kit...it doesn't matter as much as you think it might. Frankly speaking, a gear-restricted 12 or 14 year old simply isn't able to travel fast enough to experience any of the marginal gains that an aero frame would provide. Their timed performance on the carbon aero frame would be identical to that when using a round-tubed steel frame.
The only benefits to having such a frame would be psychological. The psychological gains are very real, but can also be gained through coaching and the understanding that that other kid's LOOK L96 doesn't actually propel him any faster than his legs will take him. Sorta like the kid on the basketball court with the $300 LeBron James sneakers on.
That being said, the psychological rewards can come from a different direction. Meaning, maybe the kid earned the bike by doing chores, making good grades, or paying dues and winning through his local divisions on his crappy old steel rental frame. There's nothing wrong with that either.
I'm not trying to pass judgement on why the kid is getting such a frame, just want you to know that the lack of having such a frame won't hold him back. Just like the lack of having LeBron James' sneakers wouldn't hold a young hooper back. And for you as a parent to not feel guilty for not sending the kid out into competition with the (seemingly) obvious things that help him win.
You might ask, "But the top kids all have such frames. Why?". From the situations I've witnessed first-hand, it's usually because:
- The kid asked for it for Christmas/Birthday.
- The kid earned from the parents it by winning, say, the state championship or having great grades.
- The kid bought some of it with their own money in one of those "if you earn x% I'll pay the rest" type of life lessons.
- The parent and kid have been in the sport long enough to collect nice bits here and there on the cheap. This happens with trackies on all levels. The big scores come when someone is getting out of the game and is liquidating their kit. That's how I got my Mavic IO/Comete set, LOOK 496, Felt TK-FRD, 1st SRM cranks, etc...
But, never because it actually made them faster.
As one parent to another, I just wanted to put all of that out there
OK, so what really matters?
I wrote this back in 2012 for new racers in general:
Originally Posted by
carleton
Every new racer sees all of the gear and whatnot and wonders what they should get. The fancy frames and wheels are the most obvious to new racers. Many think that is the key to being faster because all of the fast guys have them. That's not the case. The fast guys have them because at that level, they are winning and losing races by seconds and less than a second. New racers win and lose buy 10s of seconds (if not more). You can put a new racer on a $20,000 World-Class bike and they'll still get slaughtered and their flying 200M time will still be in the 15" range. I've seen this happen.
For best results (in my humble opinion) spend money in this general order:
- Track season pass (ride/race as much as possible)
- Road Bike
- *basic* equipment (chainrings, cogs, tools). Notice that I didn't say fancy carbon or aero gear.
- Race entry fees (but this should be covered in the season pass)
- Clinics
- Skinsuit, aero helmet, booties
- Diet for Athletes book. This will change your energy and fat levels.
- Gym membership (if you plan to be a sprinter)
- Coaching (optional really)
- Travel to other tracks for regional type events to broaden your horizions
- Aero front wheel
- Fancy carbon/custom frame
- Aero disc
The returns diminish as you go down the list.
And that was written with strong, fit adults in mind. Kids move slower, so they don't experience aero gains nearly as much.
The best aero gains kids get is from drafting. The kid that drafts the best (picking the right person to draft off of, not the one who has the balls to ride closest to a person's wheel) tends to be very successful.
If the list above, the following don't matter for children:
- Diet for Athletes book. This will change your energy and fat levels.
- Gym membership (if you plan to be a sprinter)
- Travel to other tracks for regional type events to broaden your horizons
Here is the complete thread. It's a great read:
https://www.bikeforums.net/track-cyc...ack-racer.html
OOOOKay. After all of that. To answer your original question: Moda Arco or PlanetX Pro? I'd say PlanetX Pro simply because it's been around for a while and it has really long dropouts which comes in very handy. Not because it's carbon. The aluminum Arco may be as stiff or stiffer. But, a 12 year old won't be able to apply enough torque to either to experience flex in either.