15 Kids' Bikes & Their Riders from the Southern XC Round 1

 That is my hope as a father of 9 and 5 year olds. Both have saved their allowances, worked extra chores shovelling the decks in the winter, saving birthday money, etc. to pay towards a real mountain bike (I agreed to pay the rest if they could save $250). Now my oldest is on a 24” Scott and my youngest saved up to buy his brother’s Riprock 20. Some people can’t believe we pay that much for a kids bike, but the level of stoke can’t be matched for them when they got the bikes. My hope is they keep at the sport growing up. For me, spending my money on mountain bikes kept me from spending it on partying when I was a teen and ask while in university. I’d rather save for that new fork or frame! Kept me out of trouble and kept me in shape! Hopefully I can keep up with them still in a couple years LOL.

 Also thank my dad for dragging my butt out for a ride even when I wasn't super excited to get out sometimes. It has turned into quite the obsession in my adult life!

 I am trying to do the same thing my kids. Bought them both 24" Trailcrafts and within a week they were riding more efficiently and effortlessly. I don't regret what I paid for those bikes because they have the same joy on their faces and as I do when I ride. Their recent bikes were 20" Trek and Specialize and they were ok bikes that were too heavy for kids. Made it hard to climb and maneuver quickly. The Trailcrafts drivetrain alone allows them to smoke it up the hills. I am about to sell the Towee because they barley need it now. It sucks how expensive it can get, but these products make it so much more fun and reliable for the kids, and my back thanks me more when we occasionally need to hike a bike.

 @kwmtrumpet: How much is a Trailcraft, moderately equipped? Trying to figure out what to get for my 9 year-old...

 While I've always appreciated my parents paying for bikes and parts when I was a kid, the older I get the more I appreciate how much time they spent driving me to BMX races/practice while similtaneously running a small business. Damn, that must have been exhausting!

 @DirtbagMatt: Around $1600ish for the standard bike setup and it is a fantastic, solid bike! Great customer service and great part selection. If in stock, they are pretty quick at getting it out the door. Had my daughters bike in about a week. Crazy! And I was able to get tubeless setup too for both my kids bikes.

And their bikes can get crazy too. Carbon Rims, Wireless drivetrain, and I think they just came out with a carbon frame.

 I spent lots of money on my kids bikes. And I gladly will spend more. I never attached too much value to my possessions and money on my account. And it’s not like I have loads of it. The only thing I am really emphasizing when talking to my kids is that equipment doesn’t matter much. Only the skills. That learning to be good at something translates to other parts of life. It’s a work that pays off and everyone appreciates progress. You may not be a Semenuk, but when people see you improve and go at it, they respect you, no matter how much worse of a rider you are compared to them.

I find it very valuable to take them to skateparks, because that’s the environment where you can’t cheat, you can’t start talking amazing stories of what you did. Same with Dirt Jumps. The whole of you is for everyone to see. Whereas in MTB you are hidden in the woods, often ride alone, and even if you ride behind somebody you can talk crap all day long of which group of rocks you jumped over, how you went sideways of which jump, where you nearly died.

But I told them that If I ever see them give someone crap for having crappy bike, skis or skateboard or whatever I’ll sell their stuff away and buy them worst crap I can find

 some riders stay at the "daddy pays the bills" step

 @RedBurn: Haha, yeah, I kind of wrote that to avoid the "look at the spoiled little dentist kids" comments. It doesn't have to be that way!

 @justwaki: Easter Monday reborn?
Welcome back

 do not buy 29ers for kids....

 More like lots of future orthodontists!

 Not always true, the really good kids can easily master bigger bikes. They are trying to win races and smaller wheels hold them back. My friend's 8 year old son is super talented and can easily whip around a bike with big wheels and he has a wall of trophies, he also rides a bmx :-)

 @Keepiru: Agreed...ridiculous

 Yeah the kid on the Scott scale sure have a couple year on that bike.

 That Epic looks monstrous. Maybe they can ride it, but should they ride it? I think learning on the appropriate size will result in better outcomes. There could be outliers that can whip a 29" when they are 8, but I wouldn't advise it for most kids.

 Except for the poor kid on the Early Rider... get that kid a bigger bike!

 There are some serious standover issues on a couple of those bikes for sure.

 Because they will

 @derekr: $€£ though

 @ichabodchain: you nailed it with the "he also rides a bmx" comment. THAT is why he is able to win races and throw a bike around. BMX is the ultimate bicycle to develop bike handling skills.

 @Keepiru: 36ers for everyone!

 Unfortunately, adults aren't the only ones affected by marketing. Kids see Nino or Kate on a 29er, and they want a 29er.

 @TimTucker: OMG!

 As long as he does so in a dinosaur hoodie, I'm all for it.

 or...may discover freeride, it lives.

 the other McAllister kid is also riding a rigid, wonder if they are brother and sister?, the parents must be onto something....

 Props to the parent for teaching proper taste and not simply buying the best of the best.

 I came to say Roran McAllister for the Win! Kids got style, fro from the helmet, dinosaur hoodie, bikes actually dirty, looks like the future of free-ride right there!

 these early riders are super bikes! My daughter has a 16" belter and the single speed belt is easy and clean for them to learn and ride in the first place; but I would definitly go suspension and gears later

 Kids are soooo light, my 40lb daughter is on a 14" Pello Romper, which is full rigid. I run just a few PSI in the tires and she doesn't get bucked around too much.

 @ryan1980: Total agreement. All he needs is for someone to draw a waxed moustache on his face, and the editor-in-chief job at "The Radavist" is his.

 @Narro2: I'd say almost certainly. Twins, possibly (if their ages are listed somewhere, I don't see it).

 Luxury! When I was a kid my dad would come back home from work, take my bike and hit me with a motorcycle helmet

 dentist kids? :-) sorry ...but do kids at this age really already need a carbon full suspension....

 @freeskifreak:
Nah not really but if there parents want to live their dreams through their kids, sorry so I mean invest in them, their cash to spend

 @justwaki: home? You were lucky to have a home. We all lived crammed together in a great big hole in the ground...

 Mind boggling to get downvoted for being grateful for having a bike as a kid, on a bike website. I guess I should have been rich, or maybe had no bike?

 @Feideaux: Did your father make you drink poison?

 @freeskifreak: The game here is: my bike for the kid and I get a new one for myself Waiting my 7 year daughter inherits mine...

 @freeskifreak: Non of us "need" anything other that food, water and shelter. Jealous much?

 @freeskifreak: They absolutely don't. On the other hand, most bike-store-brand kids bikes are stupid-heavy, especially on the smaller end.

If you compare, say, a 20" Giant kids bike to a 20" Spawn or similar, the difference is absolute night and day.

I try to think of bikes for my kids as a percentage of bodyweight. My 30lb bike is about 15% of my body weight. For my 90lb 12-year-old, a 30lb bike would be 33% of his bodyweight. For his 8-year-old 55lb sister, even if I spent $3,600 on a Trailcraft Pineridge Carbon that's only 17lbs., its would still be 31% of her bodyweight.

IDK what the solution is. Probably to just let kids ride heavier bikes and be OK with it. We were fine. They'll be fine.

It'd be cool if there were more kid-spec components available though, that were appropriate durability for kids, without breaking the bank, or the scale.

 @justwaki:yes, AND he'd wake us up half an hour before we went to bed...: )

 @atourgates: I understand what you are saying, but at the same time, I think there is more to it than just weight. I dirt bike with a group of friends. I weigh 150 lbs and ride a 300lb dual sport, but my 350lb friend rides a 250lb ktm. He's a very fit 350lbs, and we ride at pretty much the same pace. I'm not sure what correlation there is between bike and rider weight. Interesting to hypothesize.

 @woofer2609: I can say from personal experience with downhill biking that the bike weight thing gets overblown. My kid was a very good downhill rider during the ages of 8-10 years old riding a 24" wheel bike that weighed about 36 lbs despite him weighing probably 80 to 85 lbs. What was important was having air in the front/rear suspension to tune it right for the kid's weight. But it wasn't just him, we had an identical 2nd bike that same age friends would try and borrow and they did just fine with a similar weight ratio. (Each bike was just $550)

Now uphill xc riding, I suppose it can be an issue, but it's only more in relationship to what the other kids are riding and if you're doing it for fun vs. racing or having to try to keep up with mom/dad with their $5000 high end bike.

For middle and high school kids in our NICA team/league it is definitely harder for them when they have a very heavy low end bike to keep up with other kids (up and down trails) Sometimes it's the bike, and sometimes it's the kid. The other big issue I see are too big of bikes especially with 29" wheels that make going down tight switchbacks hard for some as they don't yet have the skill level.

 @losidan: Is it not possible that the dad rides and races too ? I happen to be mates with the young lad on the Boardman, he was also the youngest kid EVER to do the 8' vertical drop at Swinley Summit too and now the youngest to do the new Black Run gap at 25' in length last weekend. His dad rides lots too, currently on a Bird AM9 actually.
My lad runs a Specialized Sworks Enduro, am i living my dreams through him, heck no, i was racing before he was born. But we're all planning on going to Morzine if the world opens up this year, to live my dreams through my son, no, to play on the trails myself, but doing it with my son and his mates, well, that's MASSIVE bonus.

 @HaggeredShins: Incredible ! i was attacked yesterday for suggesting that riders give the right of way to hikers , people on horses and children . ???

 @weeksy59: I would fully expect it is highly likely a parent/guardian of the child would be an avid enthusiast or racer themselves. As is said in the remark, it's the persons cash and spend it how they wish. I have no issue that whatsoever. In fact kudos to them/you for having a shared interest.

 @losidan: No problem mate, it just felt like you were having a pop at all the parents and trust me, we're not all sideline only, the majority of the kids parents race in things like XC and enduro, i wasn't racing at the weekend, my lad was, but my race was full so couldn't enter. the kid with the Boardman has an older brother who's 12 who was also racing, both mine and him were on 160mm Enduro bikes and propped up the back of the field. Who'd have known how fast XC Race kids are, especially on lightweight carbon bikes with fast rubber LOL.

This was my lad doing the black gap on Sat the day before the XC Race...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=sX7CkUHdbYY

I can't do the black hahahaa, but i'll do the red stuff...

 @weeksy59: he made that look super smooth and casual. Nice work.

My tongue in cheek comment comes from many many years experience of seeing BMX dads ball out their kids for not winning or riding what they perceive as well enough. I've seen young kids called, stupid, useless, idiots and even C bombed before now.

I remember a dad having a go at his kid little un for not pedalling enough on the final straight on one of the longest in the country. I did take the time to tell him that by that point of the track even standing up is an achievement.

 @losidan: The stark contrast between "everyone's a winner" and "you exposed your whole family to shame!"

 @atourgates: Besides weight there's also the relative size of cranks. Some of these kids bikes come with no less than 165mm. That's 10mm shorter than an adults! I always got custom cranks for my kids in the 127 to 145mm range

 I decided long ago Never to walk in anyone's shadows If I fail, if I succeed At least I'll live as I believe No matter what they take from me They can't take away my dignity

 @artistformlyknowasdan: Sexual Chocolate!!! Give it up!! They sing so fine!!!

 @DirtbagMatt: lol - love that movie!

 @DirtbagMatt: priceless. let your soul glow

 My 7 year old is perfectly between a 20" and a 24" (he's 4'2") ended up getting a good deal on a Norco Fluid HT 24" and it's a little big but he can manage and at the rate he is growing it will fit him good in no time.

 Company sites are a great source for that info.

 Inseam more important than height.

 When my son was 6 he rode a 20" specialized hot rock. I but a spinner 300 air fork and front disc on it. I think we had 8 block tires on it, blackjacks, maybe?, rode a junior BMX race bike at the time We had old bombshell 135mm cranks on it.

then he got a 24" big hit grom from age 7 to 9, heavy AF but he rode bike parks on it. I mulleted it with a 26" up fron for the last season. 152mm cranks from Suntour and a 1x10. Rode an Expert BMX at the time

now at 11 he is on a XS 26" hotrock that I made a 1x9 and put on a air fork, 318mm bars, dropper. He has a 27.5 XS Marin hawk hill 1 on order. He might need a size S by the time we get it though. He's now on a Expert XL BMX 160mm c ranks

The pedals are VP-001, same set has been on several bikes. They're bombproof.

 You sound motivated.

 I did try but as you can imagine it can be a little complex to get everything sorted with kids. The Boardmans and the Vitus are pretty good entry level here in the U.K. I agree there are some nice bikes here but you don’t need one to start that’s for sure

 My 6 year old's bike was about $800. I love bikes and all, but wouldn't have sprung for it if there wasn't at least some resale value. Maybe the parents of some of these kids are thinking the same thing?

 Don't go to a BMX national race. You'll freak out at the $2500 carbon bikes that 6 year olds ride.

 @Mandownmedia: Just grabbed a Vitus Nucleus 24 for my 8-year-old. Even with shipping to the US, it was still a killer deal for the spec/capability and weight. Nevermind the added benefit of being actually available to buy in 2021.

But yes. Getting your kids into mountain bike racing certainly isn't a low-budget pursuit, even if you're trying to do it on the cheap. I just tell myself to think of all the money other parents are spending on soccer/hockey/football leagues/coaching/travel and the like.

 @avanwin: this race took place in Reading, England. It’s on a main arterial carriageway to London. This area is arguably one of the wealthier areas of the country, as all the city workers commute into work each morning. Not everyone is loaded but it’s the equivalent to the suburban belts around a major city in the states.

Middle class kids at races with their middle class parents, who’ll likely also be racing. It’s just a game of “keeping up with the Jones’s”.

 @husstler: That is why I bought my daughters a Spawn. Resale value. After they both outgrew it, I ended up giving it to a family in need for their first daughter to learn to ride/pedal on. So much for resale value.

 @husstler: For sure on the resale value.

With the local kids XC racing league here my observation has been that you can spend $600 on a bike and then turn around and sell it for $300 a year or later when the kid outgrows it or you can spend $1600 on a bike and then resell it for $1300 a year later.

Everyone has fun and the total cost winds up about the same, but the kids whose parents can afford the higher initial investment generally outperform the kids on heavier bikes.

 Rolling up to an XC race on a bike with Butchers would be an insane power move. "Yeah, they've got my name on the side. Rolling resistance is trash but so are your handling skills MEGAN."

 @sjma: thats why I roll rocket rons

 Props for having a work ethic, and being stoked on bikes. But keep in mind how privileged you are to be able to 'earn' $3500 by doing chores - in most households doing chores isn't paid work, it's just called "pulling your own weight".

 For the kids around here that do XC racing, it's usually done for competitive advantage -- most will time their laps and make the switch to bigger wheels as soon as they start seeing a consistent improvement on bigger wheels. Even after making the switch, the bike they race with won't necessarily always be the same bike that they spend most of their time riding.

 I like the way they've achieved their steep seat angles, too...

 Yes... Their names are the wrong way round though haha. Great race series, they build fun stuff for the kids race. Really well run.

 @WillLongden: sorry will I didn’t note down which colour bike was which when I put there names down

 @Mandownmedia: no worries, they were so chuffed to get a photo, thanks for doing it. Really cool idea.

 Hope they outgrow them quick, then pass down a good bike to a younger sibling or sell it next year to a young racer.

 or the next purchase is just a frame with re-useable parts...

 Every kid is different when it comes to motivation and not everyone has the internal motivation to want to ride just for the sake of being on a bike.

For some kids, competition is what drives them.

For others, having a destination that they want to get to works well.

With my 4 year old, trips to McDonalds for French fries or chicken nuggets are enough motivation to get him to go out and ride (it's about 2 miles each way).

 Judging by their tops, yes. (from memory he's team manager/something or other at Madison Saracen)

 I was waiting for some one to ask woody did his bike like I normally do. The hold your back tyre and let go trick. It was a little tough todo with the younger kids so I gave up and thought why not add the kids to! With there mum and dad’s permission obviously. And I couldn’t find woody to re do his.

 Now we know why the tasks were assigned as follows:
@Mandownmedia: Photos
@Nick_Bentley: Words

 ... or so I thought

 Probably still managing to convince everyone they are the best thing ever for kids like they have done for years. Luckily my kids dodged them.

 @BertRoot: bought three, two of them new. Sold them used for near what I paid new. Got my kids riding confidently. I think they are a good bike especially at the little wheel sizes. Just thought they might have more representation in the U.K., their xc bike seemed capable enough.

 Normally there are still loads of Islabikes for the youngest riders at these races. My kids have been through three Islabikes, they've been superb for the kids and also kept their value when sold. As they get a bit older there is more choice of great kids bikes at good price points these days though so mine are on different brands now.