My sons birthday is in 3 months and he is outgrowing his 20inch bike.
Ideally I would get him an air suspension hard tail like the Woom off Air, but its beyond the budget, and not many available on the used market.
So I am looking at coil suspension bikes like the Giant STP 24 which are a bit heavier, or rigid bikes with slightly fatter tyres (2.35" vs 2.2") like the Specialized Rip Rock.
We do mostly trail riding and plan on taking him along some blue trails.
The above bikes are just examples, I will probably look at the used market for equivalent models, but any advice on which type of bike may be more suitable for him for the next 3 years or so.
by HaashGnash
2 Comments
My son has the Giant STP 24… he loves it and gets along just fine on green/blue singletrack.
Benefit to rigid is the same for kids and adults alike: it forces you to pick better lines and learn better form.
Plus at 7-8 some rattling around isn’t as uncomfortable due to their insane strength to weight ratio and inherent ability to bounce off objects that would put me in the hospital.
I’d go rigid and squirrel away the extra cash for when they go through their next growth spurt and need a new bike in 2yrs.