Bike for 12 year old

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esawers

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#309394 15-Oct-2023 17:50

I have seen some good recommendations for bikes on here previously, for our older son we bought a Trek Roscoe 7 on sale based on the recommendation here.

Our younger son is almost 12, on the taller side (not far off an Adults Small bike) but isn’t as athletic, and is due for a bike upgrade.

My husband is looking at $299 Warehouse bikes but can anyone recommend a bike on the cheaper side for a preteen who is just getting back into biking. Mostly commuting to school but there will be some trail riding as a family.

Budget $300-700 ideally but open to all suggestions.

jonathan18

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#3147762 15-Oct-2023 18:30

My initial piece of advice is NO $299 WAREHOUSE JOB!

The only thing that bike will be good at is convincing your son that biking is uncomfortable, slow and certainly not enjoyable.

While you can certainly get something decent for a budget up to $700 (eg, I would suggest disc brakes as a no-brainer, and these won’t be standard at the low end), you’ll also get much better VFM going second-hand. Kids can grow out of their bike fairly quickly, and it’s far easier to swap one s/h bike for another when needed.

Edit: This age/stage can be a tricky time to select a suitable bike for a kid, as (you point out) they’re often not far off a small adult; but it can be that the frame shape, reach or similar is just not quite right. What size bike does he have now, and how tall is he? While the frame size guides can be useful to give an indication, there’s nothing like actually trying the bike for size (This applies just as much to adults - I recently bought a ‘M’ e-bike, which theoretically was perfect for me, but had to swap it for a ‘S’ due to spring-based seat post.)

Batman

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#3147766 15-Oct-2023 18:36

get an adult small bike from torpedo7 or evolution cycles or similar

esawers

551 posts

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#3147771 15-Oct-2023 19:03

jonathan18: My initial piece of advice is NO $299 WAREHOUSE JOB!

The only thing that bike will be good at is convincing your son that biking is uncomfortable, slow and certainly not enjoyable.

While you can certainly get something decent for a budget up to $700 (eg, I would suggest disc brakes as a no-brainer, and these won’t be standard at the low end), you’ll also get much better VFM going second-hand. Kids can grow out of their bike fairly quickly, and it’s far easier to swap one s/h bike for another when needed.

Edit: This age/stage can be a tricky time to select a suitable bike for a kid, as (you point out) they’re often not far off a small adult; but it can be that the frame shape, reach or similar is just not quite right. What size bike does he have now, and how tall is he? While the frame size guides can be useful to give an indication, there’s nothing like actually trying the bike for size (This applies just as much to adults - I recently bought a ‘M’ e-bike, which theoretically was perfect for me, but had to swap it for a ‘S’ due to spring-based seat post.)

He has a Scott Scale 24” JR at the moment, and its on the too small side. He’s 155cm
Happy to get him a Small adults with the seat right down but as you say he needs to try them out.

jonathan18

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#3147773 15-Oct-2023 19:18

If you’d prefer new, have a look at your local bike retailers’ clearance options as that can be a good way to find something decent at an ok price. A quick search turned up this Kona (well-regarded brand) which specifically mentions it’s got a shorter reach (only size left is S): https://www.evocycles.co.nz/Product/99539/kona-splice

(That’s more a city bike that can go on bike paths than mountain bike trails, but there’ll be similar options if you want something more rugged.)

Stu1

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#3147828 15-Oct-2023 19:56

This is really good just got small for 12 year old who is 160cm

https://www.evocycles.co.nz/Product/500839/giant-talon-4-mtb-metal

esawers

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#3147834 15-Oct-2023 21:05

Thanks everyone
In that price range I’m comparing the
Giant Talon 3
Trek Marlin 4
GT Agressor Sport
Specialised Rockhopper Sport

The Giant and Specialised specs seem superior but whether he needs those specs or not.. I’m not sure about the fit on any of those brands.
I had been looking secondhand but we thought he might appreciate new stuff nice the other son had a new higher spec’d bike

Stu1

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#3147840 15-Oct-2023 21:18

Giant and GTs are good midrange bikes for treks, recommend taking him in to a bike shop for the right size frame. It’s a good time to buy as clearance on last year’s models