My kid is moving into adult sizing this year and I’m a bit stuck. I was thinking of getting him a YT Capra Core 1 https://us.yt-industries.com/products/bikes/capra/core-1/647/capra-mx-core-1/ – we mostly ride smooth jump lines in VT and from time to time I can talk him into doing some beginner single track with me. Not a fan of 29’s for somebody his size and have no idea if a mullet set up will help or hurt him.
by Aaaassssssssa
2 Comments
Personally, while the kid is growing, I would get him a older 26 enduro bike, and throw a 27.5 front end on it. Gonna be a lot shorter, and easier for him to jump and do tricks, and most importantly super cheap.
But otherwise, Id go full 27.5.
Wheel size does not really matter for bike sizing unless you are talking extra small frames as some XS only fit with 27.5. At 5’ 2” and growing you don’t need XS.
29 vs 27.5 vs MX is more of a function as to how the bike will perform not so much the bike fit. Yes, it will be a bit easier to maneuver a smaller bike on 27.5 wheels but the real question is: what’s the best option to get you the longest usage window for your child’s size and near term growth?
You want to upsize the bike so they can grow into it but not so much that it’s unusable now. Not enough and they will need a larger bike in 6mo or a year.
This is where I like to recommend people check out Specialized “S Sizing”. The bikes with S Sizing have similar stand over heights but just longer reach numbers. This makes the bikes easier to upsize.
Right now your kid is an S2 (small) but could easily be fit on an S3. This will allow them to ride that bike until they are at least 6’ tall.
How can this be? The import geometry numbers are thus: Stumpjumper Evo Alloy
S2 S3
Top Tube 541 564
Reach 428 448
Standover 749 757 (negligible difference)
Stack 617 626
Stem Length 35 50
Basically, you can shorten stem by 25mm on the S3 and the reach will be pretty similar. The bike might feel a tad big at first. You could probably get away with a Medium Capra but it will feel bigger and they will outgrow it faster IMO
Stumpjumper Evo Elite is on crazy deep discount for a much better kitted out bike than the Core 1. Yes, it’s $1000 more but it’s a better bike and you likely won’t have to buy a new bike until your kid is 6’ tall or an adult 🙂
(edited for formatting)