Bike for my Son

My son just joined the high school team. Couple questions:

I need to upgrade his bike. Should I get a full suspension 26er or a hard tail 29er? I imagine these two will be around the same price. I'm thinking $500-$800. Doable?

Of course the 29er will be faster. I think this first year while he is in 9th grade will be a year of learning and getting experience. Does anybody have a lead on a bike? I have been surfing the KSL.com classifieds. He will need a medium and I can give it to his younger brother next season and perhaps get him a better bike.

What are the trails like? Here are the list of races. He will be in the north region: https://www.utahmtb.org/racing-1/#races

I I would hit up the bike shops they should be getting rid of their rentals and 2016 and 17 model bikes at a good discount from now through August Howard about a Giant Talon 27. 5 wheel.

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

So he's a ninth grader, and you're going to get a medium...is he over 5'8 yet? If he's anywhere near that tall, get him a 29er.

I love mt. biking and have two very nice ones. I occasionally eyeball Craigslist for the heck of it. I'm not sure how good of a bike you're going to get for less than $800. One thing is for sure, you want to get him a nicer bike, because the cheap parts and suspension won't hold up and you'll spend the money replacing stuff or the bike simply be discarded for something more expensive...so spend the money now, I say.

I think you're going to have to shell out about $1500 for a nice bike. That would be for bikes that are selling up to two grand. That way you'll pass on a good bike to the other kid.

I endorse the 29er, but there are some very nice 26" bikes that sell considerably cheaper.

Hardtails are going to be a lot cheaper, too. If these trails are fast and smooth, that'll do the trick There's lots and lots of trails in Moab and Fruita that work just fine with a hardtail. A nice, quality hardtail, that is.

Good luck and don't forget to look those used bikes over real good and be picky. You might want to read up on "Tips for buying a used bike", so you don't overlook something that'll need fixing soon.

FYI - I'm a coach on the Corner Canyon HS team and have been for 5 years. We have won the state championship the past 2 years. I tell you this so you understand I know what I'm talking about.

If the kid is going to race XC he needs a 29er. About 70% of the field races 29 hardtails for a number of reasons. The two biggest being they are fast and affordable.

The first thing you should do is talk with your coach as NICA racers get some huge discounts on bikes direct from the manufacturer through the league, also some teams have local shop sponsorships for more discounts. The last year my daughter raced we picked up a new $2000 bike for $1200 through this type of deal.

The HS courses are pretty smooth and fast, with no major obstacles. Think riding Corner Canyon and you get the idea.

What school will your kid ride for?

And if you really want to talk more about any of this massage me your phone number and we can chat.

PS - The high school MTB races are awesome.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...261e9c1e11.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...215f802292.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...1399d2206d.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...b009fa2f34.jpg

Well shit, there ya go!

let's get this overwith early... Flats or Clipless?...

Here are a couple video's I put together when my daughter was racing. This will give you a good idea of what to expect at a NICA high school race. I think I have a video of all the race tracks you will race on this year if you want to see them, some are better then others. You can double the number of racers and spectators now as the league has quadrupled in size since it started. So even with the split to a North and South division the numbers at the race are double. To give you an idea Corner Canyon had something like 74 kids the first year, and this year last I heard we had 178 kids signed up for the team. FWIW - Corner Canyon is the largest team in the nation, our team is bigger than some leagues :-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7riPgMvYOk&t=1s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPFMMEEfA9k

Awesome. Thanks for all the tips everybody. He will ride for Bingham. I knew you were involved and had kids that raced in this Shane. My wife has a brochure that lists all the bikes and the discount we could get from canyon bicycles. It is like $300-$400 off on some bikes. I believe there are discounts at several shops. My neighbors son bought a Cannondale and got a great deal.

I need to look that over and see what size he really needs. He rides a medium right now, but it seems a little small. It could be a smaller medium. I'm thinking hardtail 29er is the way to go. They are in this price range as well. I may end up upgrading a few components over the years, but his brother will get it next and probably end up racing too.

http://www.canyonbicycles.com/produc..._pr=500-749.99

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by double moo

let's get this overwith early... Flats or Clipless?...

---

Clips on the trail bike, flats on the long travel.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by accadacca

http://www.canyonbicycles.com/produc..._pr=500-749.99

---

I'm surprised that you can get a decent bike for less than $800.

Anyway, perhaps look at the 2012 to '15 Trek Superfly. Awesome bike.