A friend of mine’s sixth grade son finished 2nd out of 75 kids in a local triathlon on a mountain bike. Of course, now he has dreams of Kona and when his mom suggested slicks on his mountain bike as an upgrade he was crestfallen. Needless to say, he wants a road bike and I’ve been asked for a suggestion - I’m a roadie, not a triathlete. BTW - he’s 5’2" and, of course, growing.
I did the kids road bike search a few years ago and was fortunate to find a 24" Trek on the (former) Serotta Forum, but they no longer make a kid’s road bike. I recall Fuji and Blue had bikes though I believe they are fairly pricey.
A couple of questions: - Are top kids using aerobars or just a standard road bikes in these events? Are there any other brands or retailers to consider? Nothing on the Atlanta Craigslist.
You’re gonna get all manner of different answers, they’ll be a picture posted of some kid with a tricked up bike, aero helmet and flash wheels, and people will say just let the kid have fun.
My advice…
Not sure what sixth grade is, thinking same as Year 6 here in NZ, so approx 9 - 10 year old. Couple of our youngest kids who train with the group are Year 7 and 8 and they ride aero bars on their mini road bikes. I personally think they look super cool whizzing by the old fellas as they catch them in the club handicap race. So first piece of advice, if they can afford them and its the kid that wants them - aero bars are fine. Get em used to them for a long while away from racing though. And use mini clip on type bars - like the ITU style. You could even get some MTB bar extensions and put them there for them just so they’ve got something to jump onto and practice the aero position.
My second piece of advice would be to sit the kid down and get them to watch some ITU racing…don’t let them dream of Kona FFS…
At 5’2" he can ride a smaller road bike that has either standard or 650 c wheels. Better to get an ok frame and better components so he can change out frames as he grows. Tell him to dream bigger than Kona…
My son is 9 and 4"10. He raced in a tri this summer on my SM Scott Contessa(52). It was a little big for him, but was way better than his mountain bike and he didnt even care that it had pink handlebar tape I think road bike first, then worry about bars and pedals and such.
Always find it strange when Organisations sanction against things like aerobars for youth. It’s like they know nothing about sensitive ages for development. You’re better off getting a kid to learn on them * properly early. Keyword properly.
At our club races it’s the old guys who’ve just brought a set last weekend that are the menace!
TT bikes with full set up different, but mini clip ons are great for kids to get used to.
How does that work if USAT says they are not to use them… ? Seems stupid to have two sets of rules… rich kids will just have 2 bikes.
I guess its up to the RD, but I’m not really sure. I’m just a father and volunteer, but my personal opinion (which is not worth much) is that these races (Toughkids and ANY kids race) are for the kids to have fun, race hard and learn a little.
Unfortunately for some of these kids, their parents didn’t read the rules, but given that, I find it hard to “punish” the kids. Now when they “behave badly” - thats on them and making them re-rack their bikes properly, put their helmet in its spot etc. - that is what should be enforced (and I do as a volunteer)
I believe that if it is a USAT Youth certified event then aero bars, full disc wheels and aero helmets are banned. If a youth races a USAT certified race that is not a youth race, then s/he can use aero bars etc. These rules just went into effect this year, so, yes, there are kids with both kinds of bikes thanks to the sudden change in rules. And no, that doesn’t mean they are rich kids or have rich parents, it just means our kids weren’t going to be able to race any youth triathlons if we didn’t scrounge up the cash for a road bike.
My daughter rode a fuji for a while and now has a Trek Lexa that was discounted because the new models had come out. At the end of each tri season you should be able to find stuff on craig’s list or with local tri groups. Also, if you talk to your local bike shops, a lot of them are doing a trade-in program where they buy back or credit the outgrown bike when you buy a new one.
…are for the kids to have fun, race hard and learn a little.
Agreed. Here’s what my eight year old daughter quietly did with her finisher’s medal from a recent IronKids event (which followed the new USAT Youth rules of no aerobars, no aero helmets and no disc wheels):
Sometimes the kids help us keep it all in perspective.
For my daughter, who is 4’ 6" 11-y.o., we’re looking for a small-framed, used womens 650c road bike – no aeros. But they’ve been hard to find and a bit pricey. I’ve scoured Craigslist for a few weeks now. Actually, I’ve been looking since her last (which was our first) sprint tri, when she completed it on her brother’s hand-me-down single speed BMX bike. She is a fantastic little athlete, whose frustration at being passed turned into determination. I love that girl.
Fuji makes a youth line. My 10 year old son is on a Fuji Ace. There are several models of the Ace - the Ace 20, Ace 24, and then the 650. Great little bike, although a bit heavy. My son has used this bike in 3 (longest bike portion was 13 miles) and he’s never had any problems. If I remember correctly, we paid about $375 for the bike last January (new from our local Tri Shop). Good luck and it sounds like he’s off to a great start!
