I have twin 8 year old girls who started in triathlon last year and are committed to the sport. They’ve completed a number of kids triathlons and will continue to compete. So far they have been using Walmart kids bikes but I can see that we’re at the point where they need better bikes. From the pics of the USAT Youth Nationals this years, it looks like the kids in their age group were on proper road bikes. Yet, I’m struggling to find a road bike that will fit my girls. They’re only 4’ tall and their current bikes have 20" wheels. That size fits. I can’t seem to find any available road bikes until you hit 24" size. Wondering if anyone has a suggestion?
24-in bikes are kind of an oddball size. I would get a decent bike shop quality bike for a few hundred bucks as they grow into the sport. In a few years they would be able to grow into one of the smaller bikes with 700c wheels and at that point you could get into a decent used bike to get them through a season or two before they outgrow it.
The sport gives them a wonderful chance for affiliation and belonging with a group of peers and adults from outside of the school setting. If it were me personally I would not spend a lot of time worrying about getting a $600 bike for a fourth grader and would rather just concentrate more on the quality of the experience and the memories. But that being said there are a few manufacturers that make bikes for kids in that size that are good quality and cost an arm and a leg I believe pinarello does for example
My kids didn’t race at that age. But we were living a car-free life. So bikes were their only choice for transportation freedom of any significance. Redline Conquest with 24" wheels were a big hit. Originally cyclocross bikes, much ligher than ordinary bikes for kids that size/age. I don’t think we even changed out the knobbies because they were such a huge step forward anyway. There’s also Frog, Isla, I don’t remember what else. There’s a Conquest on eBay for $200 right now. All the bikes I bought for my kids have filtered through the neighborhood over the years. A lot of good riding by a series of kids, never regretted spending a penny.
My daughter is 12 has been on a Argon 18 Xe 650. Its a little bigger than a 24" bike but has given her a number of years riding and racing on it… Still fits well and she will be on it for at least 1 more year.
We even picked up some used 650c Zipp carbon wheels to loose a little weight and give it that real race bike look.
I just bought a FROG 67 (24inch) for my son. Well, i bought it about six weeks ago and still waiting for it to arrive to the bike shop from the UK. I live in Canada. He rode the Frog 20 inch for about two years and I can’t say enough positive things about the bike. Lightweight, durable, etc. It was the perfect bike which his sister is now going to inherit.
But it wasn’t cheap. If you have two to buy then that would make me pause. Not sure about the resell value but i’m sure it’s fairly high.
Felt make some small bikes; I think both road and CX, and I want to say the F Jr and FX 24. A small CX bike with road tires would work as well. But that’s no good if 24" is still too big. Once they get a smidge bigger you can find some nice xxs/xs/650c bikes that will last them another foot or so of growing.
My daughter ride a frog 64 for a while. Technically it’s a cross bike but came with two sets of tires. 24’ wheels.
One of my students is 9 and tiny and has a Bianchi. They’re pretty common here in Europe. (Finland)
Take a look at Isla Bikes, if you can get them where you are.
Just well thought out in the little details - shorter cranks, smaller grip diameters, smaller brake levers that kids can actually reach and pull, etc.
And hold good resale value when they do grow out of them.
Fuji made some good size options. My 8 and 10 year olds have Fuji ace 650 bikes that have 650c wheels. They also had the Fuji ace 20 that had 20†wheels and was a flat bar bike. We find them for around $400-500.
Are the kids tri’s on the road? The tri’s my kids have done (ages 6-8), were mostly on sidewalks/paths and a road bike wouldn’t be much benefit especially given the short distance they race. My kids ride a Trek Wahoo 24" and Cleary Owl which seems pretty ideal for the terrain they have raced on. My kids also ride on sidewalks, paths and trails not the road so for daily use, these type bikes seem like the best option.
Those are children’s fun races. The whole idea is for children to have a fun and safe experience using typical children’s equipment. When I watch these events, I often see adults running alongside their children spewing this steady stream of advice. Why can’t we just allow children to have ownership and assume they can find their ass with both hands? The point of parenting is developing people who don’t need us eventually.
Some janky old huffy with the fork mounted backward is fine, it’s a freaking fun race. It seems like dad’s are generally the most ridiculous with this stuff. Careful what you wish for, you end up with third grade travel soccer…