[Mtb teacher]

Hey guys. I have a little brother that wants to do mountain biking. But we're trying to figure out which bike we should get him.

It's between the specialized rip rock 20 inch coaster bike. And the track precaliber 20 inch six speed bike. It's between these two bikes because they are the highest quality with a low enough stand over height for him. My budget is about $350.

Do any of you guys have these bikes? Which one would you recommend? And also will the single speed be enough for him. I know the rip rock is a single speed which is why I probably won't end up getting it. But it has fatter tires then the precaliber.

And lastly does the precaliber 20 suspension actually work?

 

[DickyT]

If the terrain you ride in has any climbs, single speed will not be adequate. He will be pushing the bike uphill most likely. I looked at the Precaliber for my son who weighs 32 lbs, and the fork may as well have been rigid, he did not weigh enough to make it useful.

I ended up scraping together a little more money and got him an Orbea MX 20 Team Disc. That is outside your budget though. If you have climbs and the need for gears the Trek is probably the better choice within your budget. If you can come up with another $100 the RipRock 20 with derailleur and disk brakes is a great bike. I almost got that over the Orbea for the tire size.

 

[benyl]

Have you looked at the Scott scale jr 20+?


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[Mtb teacher]

I will probably end up getting him the trek because I can get it for a slightly lower price at a dealer nearby. And I know the people pretty well. After hearing what you said about it I will probably get rid of the front suspension fork until he's heavier and a little older and replace it with the rigid fork. Any other recommendations for 20 inch bikes with Low stand over Heights?

 

[rabitoblanco]

Check out this thread for a bunch of options:

http://forums.mtbr.com/families-riding-kids/20-mountain-bike-options-736542.html

A neighbor has that Trek and it seems pretty ok. Also, don't forget to check Craigslist for any of these bikes-- where they run about $70 in reasonable shape.

Good luck,

Ridwan

 

[Mtb teacher]

Do you know where I can find some fatter 20 inch tires? Like 2.3 or bigger

 

[rabitoblanco]

Do you know where I can find some fatter 20 inch tires? Like 2.3 or bigger

I don't know.

But honestly, unless you have bought a used bike that needs tires anyway, don't waste the money.

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[DickyT]

Do you know where I can find some fatter 20 inch tires? Like 2.3 or bigger

With knobby tires I have not found any, unless going plus (20 x 2.5) which won't fit my sons bike.

There are a few choices in 2, 2.1, 2.125, 2.2 then the jump to 2.5 for knobby tires. Everything I found in 2.3, 2.35, and 2.4 were all street style bmx tires.

Not to say they aren't out there, but hours of googling 20 x 2.x gave me what I listed above in size. I ended up going with some Kenda Smoker 20x2 for new tires. I've had my son ride through sand on the 2.1 Kenda small block 8's that came on his bike, did a tire swap and rode through the same sand pit. He was much more stable on the bike with the large lug smoker's despite being narrower. Both tires were aired low at 12 psi, which seems to be a great psi for him at 32 lb. I put a wrap of tubeless tape on the rim and Mr. Tuffy liners in the tires to add some durability at the low psi.