Lightweight, performance-oriented boy's 20" mountain bike?

January 20, 2009 2:24 PM

Lightweight, performance-oriented boy's 20" mountain bike?

My Google searches are returning results that are much too broad, so I'm hoping a fellow MeFite has already covered this ground, so to speak: Does anyone know/can anyone recommend a performance-oriented 20" boy's mountain bike? We've been doing a bit more technical riding with our eight year old son -- fire roads, some mud, some stuff that's hilly -- and after some difficulties yesterday I'm just curious about what's out there. (And if forced to choose, I'd choose a lightweight XC bike over a heavier DS bike, though I'd welcome recommendations for either type if the bike itself was a really good one.)

His current bike is fine in many ways (it's a Diamondback, fairly recent, has a front shock, dual hand brakes, and a six speed shifter), but between the HEAVY steel frame and the HEAVY chromed rim/chromed spoke wheels, it must weigh 30 lbs or more. And despite the nice feature-set, the brakes aren't all that good, the shock seems to rob energy when climbing, and it weighs a ton. In short, it's a bike that looked really good on paper and on the showroom floor, and it performs fine on playgrounds and bike paths, but you begin to have regrets as soon as you take it off-road.

I'm not looking for anything custom or too outrageously expensive, and I'm not even sure if this is something we're going to pursue, but after seeing his current bike hold him back on yesterday's ride, I'm just curious if performance-oriented boys bikes exist?

FWIW, although he's obviously still developing as a rider, he's a strong and active youngster who seems to be on his way to becoming a good athlete. And he likes biking, which is something his mother and I both like, and something we like to do as a family. His current bike is fine for many types of riding and we now know its limitations, but the gear-person in me really wants to know what better alternatives are out there, even if they are only in the nice-but-can't-afford-it category.

posted by mosk to sports, hobbies, & recreation (4 comments total)

I've always had good luck with bikes from Gary Fisher and looking over the specs from their PreCaliber 20 it seems like you would see potential weight savings from the frame and wheels. But I'm suspect of that fork.

A quick search of major manufacturers, here's the Specialized 20" offering for example, shows similar components on an aluminum frame at that size. If I was in in the market (my son is still on training wheels and has yet to see dirt) I'd shoot for something like that PreCal and ask the shop to swap out the suspension fork for something rigid. Kids are tough and the suspension is probably sucking up more energy than bumps and negatively effecting control more than aiding it. If it wasn't for a set of banged up wrists, I'd probably still be riding full rigid.
posted by paxton at 3:39 PM on January 20

The Ibex Alpine youth bikes (20incher here, mtbr reviews here; 24incher here, mtbr reviews here) look like an awesome deal right now. 8 years might be a toss-up between the two, but both of those bikes are very solidly under 30 lbs.
posted by tigrrrlily at 6:38 PM on January 20 [1 favorite]

Thanks, Paxton and tigrrrlily - those are both great suggestions. I just can't believe those Ibex bikes, they look incredible! That Ibex 24 looks like a very sweet bike, with some impressive component choices (F/R mechanical disk brakes on a kid's bike?! You gotta be kidding me!) Given that my son is tall for a 2nd grader and there's a lead time in ordering, the 24 may even be the better size for him by the time it arrives. Hmmm...lots to think about. Thanks!
posted by mosk at 4:42 AM on January 21

Update: Pre-ordered the bike in mid-February from Ibex -- went with the 24" Alpine II 440k for $399 + $40 shipping. Received it May 20. In a word: Wow! It is a very sweet bike. The overall fit and finish are excellent. It comes mostly assembled -- the front wheel, seat, pedals and handlebar need to be mounted, but these are very easy to do, and the bike comes with the correct tools to complete the assembly if you don't already have them in your toolbox. (The handlebar has the shifters and brake levers already mounted, so it just needs to be attached to the stem.)

Once assembled, I spent a few hours going through the brakes and shifters and getting those dialed in. I would expect to have to do this on any newly purchased bike, as the drivetrain is typically not properly adjusted out of the box. I'm also a tinkerer at heart.

The drivetrain components are Shimano (a mix of Alivio and Deore), and the quality is excellent for a bike in this price range, and almost unheard of for a kid's bike; you're not going to confuse these components with those from the XTR gruppo, but they are real components, in standard sizes, and of a very acceptable quality level. The shifters required a bit of adjustment to shift crisply, but this wasn't a big deal. After running the gears and chainstay length through a chain length calculator, I elected to remove a link of the chain, shortening it from 54" to 53". The net result of these adjustments is a bike that rides shifts accurately and crisply.

The brakes (F+R mechanical discs!) are knock-offs of the popular Avid mechanicals, but they seem well made, with (again) an appropriate number of adjustment points. Our bike's brakes rubbed a bit on initial assembly, but I was able to adjust the pads to spread them out (using the pad adjustment set screw, not the cable adjustment), and the wheels now spin without contact.

The other components are quite good -- the wheels and hubs are lightweight allow pieces, the frame is hardened 6160 AL tubing, with nice welds and a wishbone-style rear end. The bike weighs a very respectable ~26 lbs! In fact, the only component I'm not super thrilled with is the front fork, but given the price point they were shooting for, I'm not sure what else they could have done, as a "decent" fork would have completely blown their $400 pricepoint.

On the whole, I couldn't be happier with this purchase! I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a quality mountain bike for their child. Even though it is larger, it's significantly lighter than our son's previous bike, a 20" Diamondback. We live in a very hilly area, so the lighter weight and improved gearing will make a big difference for our son. He is also thrilled with the new bike and can't wait to ride it (duh!) Now, I just need to teach him how to use the trigger-style shifters, and how to think in terms of 24 gears instead of the 6 he had on his old bike.

Thanks again, tigrrrlily, for the excellent recommendation!
posted by mosk at 1:59 PM on May 21