I'm looking to buy a road bike for my 13 year old son. Based on his cycling inseam, he would take a 51 cm frame.

Any thoughts, suggestions, experience etc. in choosing a road bike for a young boy who will grow out of the bike in a year or so?

Obviously, the boy doesn't need a carbon frame - steel or perhaps aluminum will be the order of the day.

But I'm curious to know if perhaps a compact crank might be a good idea, or what the suggested gearing on the back end should look like. I'm not keen on getting him a triple.

Names of manufacturers would be helpful (Schwinn or Jamis perhaps?) I'm looking to spend less than $750.

Thanks for your input.

Trek is always a winner, and steel might be good to start at...however, he may have an easier time with aluminum. I would get a 21-speed bike, too.

Trek 1000 SL. $600 or so, aluminum, looks great and performs just as well. A great entry level road bike for a child. I speak from experience, bought my 13 yr old son this bike last year. He loves it and its been great for him. When your child outgrows it, just sell it for $400 or so. Can't go wrong.

Road Bike for 13 year old

Definitely a good trade.

In your price range Jamis has a couple of strong contenders.
Ventura Comp - aluminum - weighs 21.25 lbs.
Satellite - chromoly - weighs 22 lbs.
The Ventura line in particular has gotten good press the last couple of years. Check out:
http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/reviews/index.html

If he can actually ride a 51 cm bike, I would look for something used. I would strongly suggest getting a bike with a decent gruppo and transferring the gruppo when he outgrows the frame.

I've been racing since I was 12, I've been through the "what do you do when you outgrow a bike" process a few times now. Buying a cheap trek with the hopes of trying to sell it later is not a winning strategy. Try to go used if you can.

Are you looking for a 'good bike" or a "good enough" bike?

In the "good enough" category I found this surprising solution for my 12 yo:

http://www.amazon.com/GMC-Denali-Boys-24-Inch-Road/dp/B000GU68S2/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1199762768&sr=8-2

No it's not up to our standards, but it's not so bad for the price, for a kid that will treat it rough and only use it a couple/3 years, with no racing planned. One of the reviews on Amazon is mine.

Or, go the used route.

Or:
Piedrahita 24" Wheel Complete bike
http://www.chucksbikes.com/store/

Definitely a good trade.
I teach a whole slough of these creatures every day...I could really have quite a nice stable of bikes if I worked it correctly...:wink5:

Would anyone recommend that he go up to a 53? - it may fit him by midsummer - especially during the prime growth years. Also he may extend the amount of time his son can ride it.

What do you think?

Giant? The sloping tt will make it more flexible in fit and there is good value in their builds. In any case, with a growing kid, getting a relatively good fit will be tough as the target size keeps moving.

go to ebay or RBR classifieds. all you need is shimano 105 and decent wheels.

If he can actually ride a 51 cm bike, I would look for something used. I would strongly suggest getting a bike with a decent gruppo and transferring the gruppo when he outgrows the frame.

I've been racing since I was 12, I've been through the "what do you do when you outgrow a bike" process a few times now. Buying a cheap trek with the hopes of trying to sell it later is not a winning strategy. Try to go used if you can.

I built my daughter a bike for Christmas and got her a Leader frame. They are $129 and completely standard in BB, seat post size, etc.

When she outgrows it, I can move everthing to the next bigger size and throw away the old frame at no big loss.

I cut the steerer big enough to fit the next size bigger frame, so I won't have to buy a fork again until 2 frames bigger.

You need to buy three ultra cheap frames (sub $200) that you can swap components from one to the other as he grows. Tiagra should be good enough until he is 16 or 17.

My dad was a pretty serious amateur racer, he bought me a road bike and kind of pushed me too hard when I was around 13... long story short, I wound up not riding again until I was 19. So don't push the kid too hard. If there's genetic predisposition towards 2 wheels, it'll manifest itself naturally eventually.

agree on used, and waiting if growing like a weed... compact crank is a good choice (he'll be gear limited if racing anyway). avoid 24" wheels if at all possible

i went thru this last year,son was 13 wanted to ride a roadbike like dad.he had only ridden a bmx bike,so picked up an older cdale downtube shifters and all.he loved it rode it for around 2 months.i sold it for what i paid,and picked him up a newer bike with newer 105,as he out grows it will just get a new frame from leader or chucksbikes.try craigslist or ebay.good luck!

I like the Leader and moving components idea. That's what I will do when my son gets just slightly bigger. I might even keep the steer tube a bit long (with spacers on top) so that he can keep that as well.

Bought my 12 year old daughter an XS giant OCR - super rig for the purpose.

Nice frame - extra brake levers on the flat of the bars, adjustable angle stem, triple, STI, carbon fork, and 700C wheels. She loves it although she shot up and maybe a small is now more in order.

About 550 out the door - which with what bikes run is a pretty good deal. These also see to retain a decent resale value 9 have a 7 year old with her eye on it).
:thumbsup:

I built my daughter a bike for Christmas and got her a Leader frame. They are $129 and completely standard in BB, seat post size, etc.

When she outgrows it, I can move everthing to the next bigger size and throw away the old frame at no big loss.

I cut the steerer big enough to fit the next size bigger frame, so I won't have to buy a fork again until 2 frames bigger.
DOH! I sure wish I would have done this on my son's 49cm Nishiki Tri-A, (which by the way is for sale)

A company called Argon 18 makes road bikes specifically for kids.

Not 100% sure why vilter is against triple, but components from something like below can last forever - especially with the upgrade frame idea. A little more upfront, but 105's with decent components to transer onto improved frames...

http://www.rscycle.com/s.nl/it.A/id.13235/.f?sc=7&category=53

Had a similar experience with my son a couple of years ago. He was 12 at the time. He paid half for a Trek 1000 from the shop (brand new). It was fitted for him. Cost was $750. He raced last year so we changed out the drivetrain with eBay shimano 105/Ultegra mix for another $300. He did well and is going to race some more this year. If your 13 yearold is motivated enough to put in 1/2 the money into a bike, get a good one at the beginner level (Trek, Jamis, KHS, etc.) and get him or her involved with a junior development program (even if s/he doesn't want to race yet) to learn good skills.

Your insights are very helpful.

Good Luck with everything. It is exciting when you can share something special like cycling with your son.