A fact of life: you can't stop a kid from growin. To wit, time to cast about for new steeds for both our young racers.
Found a great deal online for Will the Thrill, to set him up into his first 26" wheeled rig.
Check it!
- 13" alum frame, 29 pounds all told. Saves 7# off his steel 24" wheeled Schwinn.
- 24 speeds, deore rear derailleur
- 80mm front fork, adjustable, lockout
- Mechanical disc brakes
- WTB saddle, rims
- all wrapped into a stealth black frame- Noice!
It shipped straight from an online retailer, cuts the LBS middle man and requisite markups.Saves Team Heitman a good bit of cabbage, all the more important considering we need to stretch our pesos on into another more qualifying 29er for Shredder.
Setup is a snap:
- Unbox & unwrap
- Set wheels
- Install handlebars
- Connect front brake cabling, adjust brakes.
- Install pedals
- Adjust saddle, shifters, bars to fit.
- Shifts great right out of the box!
The boy absolutely loves it. Loves the weight savings, the big mo' offered by the 'big' hoops, the all-stealth package. Customized it right away with a gold Poison Spider sticker he's been saving for the better part of two years for just this occasion. Wooot!
Roll on Dude!
I have seen these online bike offers pop us advertisements while I'm surfing the net. I noticed they were "off brand" for the most part, and I've wondered what the quality was like. I'm looking forward to a follow up report. The 29ers from the source I saw online (which I believe to be the same source from whence you made your purchase) had some really tempting price points.
ReplyDeleteI'll make sure to post our findings. We have purchased 2 prior adult bikes from direct online retailers- worked out well enuf that the Mrs is still using hers 4 years later. They were both full susp frames that suffered a bit of pedal bob, but with otherwise good components. I cracked a frame that was replaced under warranty, but that was enuf for me to upgrade into a boutique manuf when I next upgraded my 2 wheel drive. For a hardtail, I'd take another serious look online. I figured for a kid who's gonna grow out of this frame in 2-3 years- there's really no risk at all. Will's came from bikes direct. I've read good things about Airborne. Our previous Ibex manuf folded, the current management struggling to return. I think online can fit the bill in certain circumstances, some types of riding- riskier for full susp. Happy hunting out there Jay!
DeleteI cracked an aluminum frame on a Fisher once so I have no particular allegiance to boutique brands. I'm wiling to try anything that has decent components. Thanks for the reply.
DeleteYou bet Jay- let us know how it all shakes down~. Mjh
DeleteLook at all the fly rods and reels you could have bought!
ReplyDeleteWell after near 20 years of casting a fly, I can attest we have a good supply of those- thankfully kids won't grow out of their favorite 4wts for a good while. Bikes now- I figure we have up to four more before these kids head out on their own.
DeleteGotta love a new bike! I have great memories of my dad bring home a new bike for me as a kid. Didn't matter much where he got it, just that he got it. Good stuff Mike. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteChris
Truth be told- I dunno who's been more excited- like Christmas for the both of us! Mjh
DeleteGood stuff Mike - congrats to Will! Looks like he doesn't need it - but you can always throw in 24" wheels on a 26" frame as well to get another year or two out of a bike for growing kids, with both 24", or 24/26 setups. There are some pretty good rims and tires....and a 24" rear actually is a pretty nimble bike in rock gardens. A foto of Jeni's 24/26 setup at the Growler a few years back:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mcturge.blogspot.com/2009/05/original-growler-2009-edition.html
Now all he needs is a trip to White Mesa. ;-)
well you just blew my mind with the 46'r, cool beans. Had no idea, thx for the tip. RE: white mesa, Will's a fair hand out there, hoping he can rip the east side with those big hoops. Thx for checkin in~ mike
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