Best bike for 10 year old boy

[MIKELKK]

My son turned 10 in May, but is small for his age. Weight = 25kg and 1.3m tall - so very small. I opted for the Momsen JSL40 (24") - weight is 10.3kg. It's a great buy. He can handle & control the bike. It has an air shock and very good components. We've done a couple of rides at groenkloof doing 300m ascent in 15km and he can peddle it up hill. That was important to me. For a small kid to peddle a 12 or 13kg bike uphill is tough and then the enjoyment fades. Not to speak about pushing the same bike uphill if he / she cannot ride it.

 

My advise is... go to the shops and see how your son fits onto a XS 26" bike. I looked at many XS 26" bikes and they were just to heavy (entry level bikes - I didn't want to spend a fortune) and big for my son to be comfortable on them. I'll rather "waste" money with the 24" and let him ride it for 2 years and have 2 years of enjoyment vs. struggling and loosing interest. But, for a bigger 10yr old I would probably have gone for the XS 26". I see the gradual migration from 20" to 24" and eventually to 26" as an investment in time with my son. Money well spend :-)

 

So, again my advice is: go do some measuring and fitting and see what he'll be comfortable with vs. what you would like to get him :-).

 

Good luck.

 

Thanks ACM for the thoughtful advice.