Bike sizing advice for a 9 year old boy

ociarba

Hi all. I'm looking advice on the right size bike to get. My son is turning 9 soon and looking at bikes for either the birthday or Santa. He's outgrown his Virus 20. I'm torn between a Trek Wahoo 26 or an xs Orbea Onna 27. I'm worried the Orbea will be a bit too big for a while and I think the handlebars seem quite wide at 70 cm. With the the trek he might outgrow it too soon. Also saw a Cube acid 260 on bike discount de but I don't how how long it would take to ship. There's not much difference in price across all 3. I'm just worried I'll get the sizing wrong. Thanks in advance for any help and advice

Ginger83

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058323679/bike-sizing-advice-for-a-9-year-old-boy

I have the same issue with our daughter who is 11 soon. She has outgrown her bike. After much debate we decided to get a full sized ladies hybrid. She is quite tall and her inside leg measurements match. The new bike is also the same weight as her old one and she's only going to get taller and stronger.

dickdasr1234

Obviously going to a specialist bike shop is out of the question

CramCycle

There is no way to even hazard a guess without height and leg measurements, you could always tell him it would be a good idea for Santa to include these in his letter. Everyone will shoot me for saying this but kids, and humans in general, are very adaptable so I would go for the bigger, but more importantly, actually ask him which he prefers the look of. More likely to ride a bike he likes the look of.

ociarba

I did go to a bike shop. That's where the idea of the adult size bike came from. I just thought he looked about stretched on it. I'll take him to another shop today that has a 26 trek wahoo and see what it looks like. And importantly see what he thinks of it

8valve

From experience, this age group can be the hardest to get bike fit right for.

I would always advise parents to go with as large a bike as possible, to allow for a few years growing...you do't want Santa having to bring another bike in a year's time!

This might be an XS adult MTB (they all want MTBs!) or something like a Giant ARX, with its sloping toptube.

IMO, safety and the child being able to handle the taller/longer bike is paramount:

1.When seated on the saddle, they should be able to touch the ground AT LEAST with both tiptoes, ideally with both balls of their feet.

2.Ideally, there should be an inch clearance between the top-tube and the groin, in case of sudden emergency stops and having to come forward off the saddle.

3.If bars are too wide, it's common for bike shops to take an inch or two off either end to narrow them, to stop the child looking like they're holding a scaffolding pole when trying to steer.

4.If the child looks stretched forward, moving the saddle forward on its rails and fitting a shorter handlebar stem will help with this.

5.Adult sized brake levers can also be 'wound in', so young, small fingers can reach them safely.

Tombo2001

I got my son an XS Giant adults mtb bike when he was 10; he would have been a tall-ish kid for his age and just about fit on it. He used it until this summer actually; by which time he had massively outgrown it. His next bike was an XL😂.

ociarba

Thanks everyone for all the advice and help. It's great to hear people's different experiences. In the end I went with the trek wahoo 26. He cycled both at a bike shop. The adult MTB was a stretch too far. He didn't look at all comfortable. Could barely reach the handlebars. The trek is a big step up from what he has and there's plenty of room for him to grow. He looked far more comfortable and confident in it. The adult MTB was about 50% heavier as well. Here's hoping for a good few years cycling from the trek fingers crossed. Thanks again everyone