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Kid's bikes- man they are heavy
 

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Brian Kelly
Joined: 12 Jan 2004
Posts: 653
Location: Gig Harbor, WA

8/4/13 10:30 AM

Kid's bikes- man they are heavy

We just picked up the first "big kid" bike for our daughter, a lightly used Specialized HotRock 24

http://www.bikepedia.com/QuickBike/BikeSpecs.aspx?year=2004&brand=Specialized&model=Hotrock+24+21-Speed+Girls#.Uf5-D23DKG4

Doing a side by side lift test with my own hardtail (21" steel frame, Xt/LX components), her bike outweighs mine by a good few pounds. I know kids bikes will have lower end components, with more steel than aluminum in those parts, but I was surprised just how noticable the difference was.

I may dig in to the parts box to lighten up a few things (swap out the handlebar and maybe seatpost) but I'm guessing most of the weight is in the stuff that isn't easily upgradable (frame, fork and wheels).

Anyone out there had any experience with trying to upgrade a kids bike? Does the low end suspension fork really make a difference vs. rigid when they are that light (~55lbs)? She could probably ride this bike for at least a few years (just big enough for a 24"), so I don't mind putting a little time and money into it to make it better. Plus I get to tinker a little...

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

8/4/13 10:40 AM

I remember getting my son a Trek 220. Considering how quickly they grow out of them, it was a lot of coin even @ cost I got it for. It was reasonable weight wise I thought. The Hard Rocks @ the LBS where I worked sure felt like Walmart bikes to me.

I think it really come to cost. Cheap bikes are going to be non alloyed thick AL and Hi Ten steel at best? They are way overbuilt. But kid on a steel butted tube or thin AL frame is going to destroy it, or at least dent the heck out of if I think.

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Dave B
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 4511
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

8/4/13 5:05 PM

It's a combination of rapid turnover (kids outgrow their bikes so fast) and harsh treatment that makes kids bikes heavy and cheap.

How many parents, even dedicated riders, are going to put the $800 - $1000 needed to get a decent quality frame and components into a bike their kid will outgrow in a year and beat to death while it fits?

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ErikS
Joined: 19 May 2005
Posts: 8337
Location: Slowing boiling over in the steamy south, Global Warming is real

8/4/13 5:11 PM

On a better note.

Both my boys learned to ride a bike on a Powerlite mini. It out lasted them both, was scary light but even I could ride it.

Then both graduated to a 24 inch Trek mtb that even has seen some trails and it is going strong.

The key is both bikes had quality builds and repairable parts. A parent of multiple children can benefit from quality bikes.

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

8/4/13 5:14 PM

"A parent of multiple children can benefit from quality bikes."


And all those kids can benefit from being able to stop them due to quality brakes/rim et al.

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Wayne
Joined: 21 Jan 2004
Posts: 1475
Location: Newark, DE

8/4/13 5:58 PM

When my kids started riding a few years ago I couldn't get over how heavy their bikes were. To this day, every time I pick their bikes up to stick in the back of the minivan I think, "holy shit that is heavy!".

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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC

8/5/13 11:06 AM


quote:
but I'm guessing most of the weight is in the stuff that isn't easily upgradable (frame, fork and wheels).

Maybe not frame, but surely you can throw your own spare wheels on it to see if it makes any difference?

(and if you have a spare fork sitting around, you can swap that in too)

I can't imagine replacing the "smaller stuff" such as derailler or brake is going to result in any substantial weight reduction. So as long as those function well, I don't see much point in change...

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Brian Kelly
Joined: 12 Jan 2004
Posts: 653
Location: Gig Harbor, WA

8/5/13 11:28 AM

24" Wheels

Unfortunately, it's a 24" wheeled bike so the simple wheelswap isn't an option. Most of the "cheap" parts all seem to function fine for now so I'm not in a rush to change anything, but aI will probably look for upgrades as parts wear out.

MTBR has a Family forum and that made for some entertaining reading. Over $1K for a 16" kids bike?!? That's some investment for bike the kid will outgrow in a year.

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Wheels
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 1160
Location: Needham, MA

8/5/13 12:31 PM

My 1974 Schwinn Varisity

weighed ~45 lbs with the stuff I had on it. My first Schwinn, coaster brake bike, weighed close to that.

My lightest bike, a Seven Axiom, is about 24 lbs. My Serotta is about 26 lbs.

Wheels

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KerryIrons
Joined: 12 Jan 2004
Posts: 3234
Location: Midland, MI

8/5/13 7:02 PM

Some stuff

That 45 lbs. is quite the number. A Schwinn Varsity with the steel fenders installed weighed 38 lbs. So you added 7 lbs. to that, or 10 lbs. if you didn't have the steel fenders. What the heck did you "add on"?

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Wheels
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 1160
Location: Needham, MA

8/5/13 8:15 PM

I have seen higher base weights

While never having weighed mine, I have seen several references saying that the base weight was ~42 lbs. I had the "standard" bike and wheels, no fenders. I think my bike was their second largest size, so it may have been a little more in weight (I think). I had a rack on the back. The kind with the mouse trap-like spring loaded clamp.

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sanrensho
Joined: 20 Feb 2004
Posts: 835
Location: North Vancouver

8/6/13 1:10 AM

Sub 23 lb

I was able to get my daughter's 12.5" (26-inch wheel) bike to sub-23 lb fairly easily, by building from the frame up and with careful parts selection. This included ditching heavy disc brakes and front suspension for V-brakes and an aluminum rigid fork (Mosso) from Ebay.

We skipped 24" wheels entirely and went straight to 26", I didn't see the point in a 24" bike that my daughter would outgrow in one year.

I could get the bike into the 21 lb range fairly easily by going to 165 or 170mm outboard cranks (rather than 160mm square taper), lighter wheelset (currently 1,868 grams) and other judicious upgrades.

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Anthony Smith
Joined: 12 Jan 2004
Posts: 848
Location: Ohio

8/7/13 2:46 PM

look used

We have found a number of used 24" wheel road and track bikes manufactured in the 40s through the 70s made of high quality steel (R531) with tubulars which our kids have used--didn't pay more than 150.00 for any of them used. Also Don Ferris built us a road/track convertable 24" wheel bike with an 11" seat tube which 2 of my kids rode and is currently being used by a teammate's 8 year old son. Steve Hed also built us a set of deep carbon 24" wheels which our kids used on those machines.

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Dave B
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 4511
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

8/7/13 7:17 PM

Cost?


quote:
Don Ferris built us a road/track convertable 24" wheel bike with an 11" seat tube which 2 of my kids rode and is currently being used by a teammate's 8 year old son. Steve Hed also built us a set of deep carbon 24" wheels which our kids used on those machines.

So what did this exotica cost and how many parents who are not extremely dedicated riders would be willing to pay it?

Of course, given the willingness to pay large sums of money, you could build a truly light child's bike, quite possibly well under the UCI pro limit. Again, how many parents would do it?

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Anthony Smith
Joined: 12 Jan 2004
Posts: 848
Location: Ohio

8/8/13 3:40 PM

Cost

The older road bikes didn't cost that much-less than 150.00 and most of the modernizing/upgrading was from stuff I had laying around. Don did the frameset for 800.00. Steve did the wheels for less than 1000.00.

We also have a 24" tubular "display model" Zipp disc for the bike (came free).

All in all, this cost less than a good set of skates and goalie leg pads for a comparable age child.

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Anthony Smith
Joined: 12 Jan 2004
Posts: 848
Location: Ohio

8/8/13 3:43 PM

BTW PS

That bike has now gone through 4 different riders and my currently 13 month old (late in life surprise baby) should be able to ride it in another 5 years or so and get onto the track with it. So good bikes amortize their cost over time. Then there are always the grandkids.

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

8/8/13 4:41 PM

"Then there are always the grandkids."


That is some serious amortizing!

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