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What size bike for my son?

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What size bike for my son?

Old 09-12-19, 09:52 AM
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BigPoser
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What size bike for my son?

I want to build my son a bike who will be turning 10 at the end of Oct. I'm not sure if I should run 24" or 26" inch wheels. His current 20" bike is maxed out on the seat post and needs more so I'm guessing 24" would be best. He's 4' 4" tall currently if that helps.

Not sure on the kid sizing.

Thanks in advance.

Brandon
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Old 09-12-19, 10:28 AM
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24" still. And if it's an actual mtb frame, a smaller frame would be good for longer as it's easier to control on trails when they are 10, 11, and 12.

...but one they hit 11.5 to 12, all bets are off since some shoot up quickly and others linger and dont grow for a bit.

I built up a 26' frame for my almost 13yo daughter this past winter. It's a 13" frame.
She is 4'11 right now and it fits, but there is a ton of room as she grows. I could see that lasting her till she is 5'3 or so.

My almost 9yo daughter is on a 24' bike and its big for her. It's a 12" frame.
She handles it perfectly fine on roads and paved trails, but she gets wobbly once on singletrack.
Full disclosure...she is 4'3" with the hand eye coordination of a drunk, so take that size assessment with a grain of salt.



Basically, you are right at the point between the two sizes and one will fit for right ow but who knows for how long, while the other will be huge right now, but eventually fit.
Personally, I would buy a 24" frame off CL, update it with quality components, then build the 26" frame so all those components can transfer over once your son grows and it fits.



Edited to add- I just realized this is in the road forum. Smaller wheel = less toe overlap and allows for more traditional frame geometry. Just something worth considering.
For context, my oldest daughter rides a 650c road bike that has a 44cm sloping top tube.
I would figure that the reach with drop bars would be significant for a 10yo to handle a 26" frame, unless there are some concessions made on geometry to allow for it all.

Last edited by mstateglfr; 09-12-19 at 10:56 AM.
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Old 09-12-19, 11:54 AM
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Perhaps the better intermediate step might be to add a longer seatpost and stem for now. Get him by until he truly needs the larger frame. My oldest son turns 8 this October and is 4' 2" and still fits great on his 20" wheel bike. It's a good enough bike that I plan to adjust it to fit for as long as I can, at least until his younger brother can still using it so another 2-3 years hopefully.
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Old 09-13-19, 02:57 AM
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I got a 24" bike for my 10th birthday. It lasted me a bit more than 3 years. The next bike I got, for Christmas when I was 13, was a brand new 22/23" frame with 700c wheels, so essentially the size of bike I ride to this day.

I see early-mid teens around here riding to school on 29ers etc all the time.
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Old 09-13-19, 08:58 AM
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@BigPoser, I went through something similar for my then 8-year old daughter. Details in the thread below, but the TL;DR version was to get her an intermediate bike, and then get a proper road bike once she is older. I eventually got her the previous year's model of the Liv Alight 2 (Size Small) which has 700c tires. The seatpost is currently at it's lowermost position, and she's been enjoying her bike this whole summer. She was 4'5" when we got the bike and about 4'7" now.

https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycl...s-my-pick.html
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Old 09-13-19, 11:28 AM
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small steps. seemed like my kids got new bikes every 1-2 years until they reached adult size. fwiw - used bikes help with the ever increasing cost of having kids
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