Why ? My lad has a 2016 SWorks enduro. He does massive gaps and is racing in this series in Sept. He loves riding his bike and him and his mates put in as many hours digging as they do jumping... Nothing wrong with treating your kids, being mean to them doesn't encourage them to get better, supporting them physically, emotionally and with kit, that does.
Disagree... I'm not putting my 11, 8 and 4 year olds on janky bikes that will yield a potentially poor riding experience, not to mention the possibility of us having to walk it out of the woods. They don't get S-Works bikes, they're usually second hand and they help me build them up and also pass them down to their siblings (because you can do that with a quality bike). But it's unrealistic to expect an 8 year old to buy a proper MTB when adults struggle to do that themselves.
And FWIW, they don't have video game consoles, social media or any of that other stuff so yea... I'll buy them a proper MTB. If that means I'm over-indulgent, so be it.
@Chadimac22: In my defence, we only paid £1500 for the Sworks. He doesn't get pocket money, anything we would normally give, goes on uplift days and bike stuff. People pay £50 for Xbox games for their kids, i pay for a day at Bike Park Wales... it's all good... You simply cannot beat times on a trail with your lad, it's incredible. Especially once they get to the stage where they now destroy you on the descents but still say "daddy you're doing really well" hahahahaa.
Silly comment. My son rides his heart out so why wouldnt i want to get him a bike he deserves. Thats his norco pictured above, he placed 8th out of 16 on monday in the 10 and under...he is only 7. His face after racing was worth the money
I got my 8 year old daughter a nice 24" Rocky Mountain this year, she loves it, appreciates it, and you spend more outdoor time with the kids (considering she was once scarred of every single flying bug and spent hours on youtube indoors).
However the Saracen Mysts with the 40's on them may be a bit overkill LOL
@weeksy59: Totally get it. I arbitrarily threw out the "S-Works" label as a general expression of "the most expensive bike possible". But if I could find a used 26" in a XS frame size, I'd snatch it up as well.
When I were a lad....
If kids back up their rigs with skills and big balls riding that make me feel inadequate, then they deserve it. If they're more interested in the cost than the value, that's a different story. But these guys are racing, they shouldn't be on a Raleigh Lizard like I was in 1990.
Well that’s a shitty attitude. Cause they will have more fun or be safer on a crap bike then you would? Don’t ask your kids to do anything you wouldn’t willingly do.
@weeksy59: The most advice I get on how to raise my kids is from people who don’t have kids. Keep doing your thing, sounds like your doing something right.
It's racing, so the commitment level is hopefully there from parents and offspring alike.
IMO a shit bike (within reason) is fine to blat about the local spot and learn on (regardless of age) but once you start competing the grams which translate into tenths start to matter as soon as you can understand the principle.
Bonus points for parents who make their kids wash the Swamper after each race. Only fair.
@Steventux: Oh yah I believe in kids learning some hard work in trade off for cool stuff. I grew up that way, worked for my folks a lot, never made an "allowance" per say but dad let us have cool things like dirt bikes and such. Then we enjoyed said cool toys as a family.
@Chadimac22: I agree.. I go a little cheaper route though.. I buy older decent MTBs and restore them.. I even get them painted in the colour the kid's love.. (more important to my daughter than to my son, tbh). Currently, I am restoring an old TREK Remedy (about 10y old).. but can still be of excellent value.. Maybe the Geometry is a little old but doesn't matter for the kiddos.. Of course, If your kids are semi-pro and do massive stuff, they need proper bikes... But mine are just average Joes like their dad =)
The bikes above are a whole different ball game though.. that would also be above budget for my own ride....
But you would still buy yourself a nice bike.... lol. Just like the gentleman mentioned below kids have untapped an unlimited potential, I guess if you’re waiting to find out until they’re older you truly would never know there potential. Good luck with that parenting mentality....
@Chadimac22: + I do not see any reason why not to justify top of the shelf bike for the kids/spouse who are only entering the sport;
I will provide more pleasant experience for them, will cause you less head ache maintenance wise... Also for the kids bikes they will fly away of FB marketplace for 3/4 of original price to the next happy family within hours;
I have this argument with my 82 YO dad. And the question i ask is do you want to ride with your kid or will they just be riding with their buds around the block on their CCM/Huffy etc...
If you actually want to ride with your kid then you gotta spend. My son at 8 outclimbs many adults. Not really much different than buying your kid a dirt bike other than he likely will get more exercise. However if you want to ride with your kid and teach the above lesson perhaps downgrade your bike to a huffy and ride with them?????
Now the above bikes were there for a race, do you really think a kid on a rim brake rigid huffy (suspension doesnt work after a day) would be safe on any DH track?
Giving him a huffy and watching him try to ride like he does would just be bad parenting. But yeah let's just keep thinking kids dont freaking SHRED. The kids scene is off the chain man. Time to support it instead of telling them to get off the lawn and go ride a 50lb shite bike...because they are a kid.
@nickmalysh: That was my approach too. I know that my kids are over-bikes, but we have a great time riding as a family. I didn't want any obstacles in the way of this becoming something that we all enjoyed together. Crummy/heavy/draggy vs. nice/light/smooth gear was firmly in my control and I was fortunate enough to have the disposable income.
I respect your opinion as it’s definitely one way to go. My 8 yr old is now on a ‘21 Norco Fluid 24 and his riding and enjoyment have gone through the roof! My 6 year old rides a spawn and she too loves it! It’s LIGHT for her and the quality parts make It safer. Cheers.
@weeksy59: Great comment, ride and have fun. That £1500 will be the best investment ever because MTBing is a lifelong activity unlike lot's of sports (I'm a rugby coach) and certainly Xbox, PlayStations etc.
@freeriderayward: I wouldn’t worry dude! Your negativity towards supporting your children in any aspect of life, will see the opposite sex queuing up to start a famil….. oh wait…….
@gardino71: Thanks mate... and thanks to all. It's an amazing time as i'm sure some of you know. Day trips to Morzine this year is a part of our family holiday, days out at Bike Park Wales. The trick though is not to push them into things, but to still allow them to grow. Don't become one of the pushy parents standing on the sidelines at a football game screaming at their kid and calling them stupid because they miss a chance to win the game. Encouragement and fun.... that's the priority EVERY time... FUN. You then have them doing stuff like this... www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoFM6ua76sc
@dirtydozen: The bike looks awesome. Really helps their confidence for sure. Looking at the pic Im guessing you slackened the head angle. Looks closer to the sight which is cool.
Had this exact thought, thanks dad for that 24" Specialized Hotrock with a RST 100mm fork. He put a Kenda Nevegal tire on the front for a family Moab trip and I thought I was the coolest shit on slickrock
i dont understand the 'kids dont deserve expensive bikes' mindset and comments. If a child is passionate about something, why not get them good equipment to enjoy that hobby/sport on? Assuming as a parent you can afford it (or choose to forgo expensive stuff for yourself so you can invest in your child).
its such a weird position to take. assuming you are able to afford a decent bike for you kid, why would you proactively make the situation harder for them to enjoy the sport so you can take some moral high ground over your kid cause you had it tougher. teach them the value of what they have and how lucky they are (as all of us are)
I think there is a very big diff between getting your kid a bike they will be competitive on at age 10 and having a full fox factory, saint etc. kitted out Saracen or mondraker dh rig that runs $10k+.
Most of those bikes would allow their kids to have fun and definitely be competitive. The factory support looking rigs are just a flex and dick measuring contest for the parents.
@wilsonians: i do get what you are saying to a point, but if someone earns six figures, i suspect a 10k Santa Cruz is the same as a 1k Giant/trek/whatever to someone who earns a quarter of that. Its all relative to someone's disposable income.
I guess the thing that puzzles me the most is why some folk have such an aggressive stance on it. Life is too short.... but hey, such is life!
@v7fmp: Oh for sure, some people get so butthurt over it. Do I laugh a little and shake my head at the outrageous $ some people throw at their kids activities, sure. But I'm not gonna get mad over it haha. But if someone genuinely thinks their 8 yr old kid NEEDS a full carbon Myst with factory everything.....then its clearly a "if I spend more money my kid will be better" approach to it.
@wilsonians: but that's not the point being made. how expensive the bike is all relative to what someone can afford. what you class as competitive would still be a massive stretch for some and the 10k build may be nothing to those buying them. The point is towards the comments that would actively give their kid worse than they could afford in some 'that'll learn em' 'you must be suffer to get somewhere in life' mentality.
@RPJN: Ya, fair point. Guess my question is at 8 years old, does a kid genuinely know the difference between that 3k santa cruz and the 10k Saracen? I agree, people actively giving their kids total shit bikes "to suffer" is dumb and won't lead to them having fun. But I also think that giving your 8yr old a world cup ready DH rig is a little ridiculous, even if you can afford it. Theres a nice middle ground...which a lot of these bikes fit nicely into.
@wilsonians: most adults couldn't tell the difference (me included) and probably don't 'deserve' the bikes we're riding but that doesn't stop us wanting/buying them!
Also probably the first time a santa cruz has been used as the cheap example! ha
@wilsonians: It's a good question. As my lad has developed he went from a small Liv Embolden ladies bike, to a Specialized enduro in a small, he noticed the difference, but to him it wasn't night and day. But we then got a crazy deal on the Sworks from a lady who's daughter races it in EWS and couldn't resist. But as he's now getting older and faster and jumpier he's starting to notice subtle differences, little things that are not right, when he wants an extra 5psi in his shock or how his shock is responding to a certain feature and whether we want volume spacers in it. As they get bigger they learn both about the bike and themselves. We're also working on spannering so everything i swap/do he also does with me so he picks up tips, tricks and techniques of spanners. I absolutely agree there has to be a limit to an extent.. My lads bike costs a fair bit more than mine, but i think he deserves it, both as a rider and as a kid.
@wilsonians: Just to let you know the Mondraker is my daughters bike and she is sponsored by a Mondraker backed team. She rides all the blacks and double blacks in UK with only 1 or 2 exceptions and is fully committed to racing, oh and she’s 10 years old... I’d do a little more research before making comments.
@wilsonians: I would argue that kids would notice differences in weight of the bikes (Ie more expensive) compared to adults. You have to remember the relative weight of the kid vs the bike. We can more easily wrestle around a bike that is 1/6th our body weight compared to a 50lb kid that is riding a bike that is practically 1 to 1.
And like others have said if the kid likes it and you can afford it then go for it. My daughter rides a $1500 bike because that is as much as I can comfortably spend on her but if I made more I would spend more no questions asked because she loves the sport so much.
Sorry I didn't assume your 10 yr old was on a mondraker sponsored team....thats not exactly research that is readily available Good for your daughter, there are of course exceptions. But in most cases, having an 8 or whatever yr old on a full factory kitted rig is like buying a 16 yr old new driver a Ferrari.
@wilsonians: I think that is probably where to comments come from above.. paying 2-3 grand for a decent rig for your kids, so they have half a chance of really enjoying the gnarlier stuff and even beat you on it, is a great thing to do, and should be done.. but the above bikes are really for the little pros.. I am sure, some of them might be even sponsored, or at least partially.. then the budget looks suddenly a little different....
@wilsonians: 16 year old with a Ferrari would still make sense if they were racing in a series of other supercars. These kids aren't dropping off kerbs outside the house they are racing downhill.
Yeah, I feel the same. I'd love it if my kid was big into cycling - he's not - bike are transportation for him. So he gets a a solid but affordable ride. He's into 3-printing and engineering. I'm jealous of his shop, and I'm the one who paid for it.
@wilsonians: We had like 5 or 6 supercars impounded here due to speeding and I think they all went to the same private high school and all have learner plates
I'm pretty sure this hobby isn't costing parents any more than hockey players at a high level. If your kids are playing AA or AAA hockey that's a few grand a year.
But if you think this is exclusive omg you are in for a surprise. a Dirt bike costs the same and that is without racing. Go carting , horses, figure skating, etc.... I bet an expensive gaming computer costs as much as some of these and the kid sits inside their whole life.
These people upset about what people spend on kids mountain biking should go to a loretta lynns qualifier and see what those dads spend on their kids to race motocross.
I mean shoot pick any event that kids compete in and you will find parents who are more than willing to spend money to see their kids have the proper equipment and at very early ages. If the kid enjoys it and you can afford it then why not splurge a little on them. The whole Idea of I couldn't have it as a kid so you shouldn't is not helping anyone.
As a parent simply invest £3k every 2 years for the first 8 years and they too could be raking in £5k a year come year 9! Come year 15 you will start making returns of approximately 0.5%! after flights and insurance.
Sick bikes. I wonder how much more most of us would have developed if we had opportunities and bikes like that as a child.
Not to say I didn't go full send on my CCM pursuit black ice edition in the local ATV trails. I'd imagine that's how a lot started.
@optimumnotmaximum: Afford? Afford?! Cor-blimey, you must be one from of them posh families... when I were a lad, we had to beg, steal or borrow the same knackered bike repeatedly from close family members, just to get a ride in. And all the trails near our house ran uphill, in both directions...
I'd happily toss up the coin required to get a decent small bike for the lad like any of these. Unfortunately, very few if any of the above can be purchased in Oz and those that are like Commencal are more than I'd spend on my own bike let alone one that he'll grow out of in a year or two. And if there's no new bikes then there's not much in the way of second hand either...so it's generic shitters with some good components for you, Lad till you grow up enough to thieve my rides!
My son did a few races on a £500 nukeproof and did well , when it was obvious this wasn't a passing phase we got him his dream bike which he still rides 3 years later. Knowing some of these kids and my pals sons the level of youth racing is really , really high . As long as they look after their bikes and keep them maintained theres no problem.
You will notice the growth when they transition to a good bike. I have a 50% policy with my kids. Teach them to work and respect there stuff but also make it available for them.
Stoked for these kids but the reason I haven't/won't put my boys on the most modern high performance bikes is the upgrade/downgrade factor. You can never move on to a lower end bike, only up, and if a 10 year old is ripping on a $2000 bike and they grow out of it now you can't put them on a $1500 bike with lower end components, you will likely get them on something newer and nicer not just bigger. And on and on, until they are a young adult turning up their nose at a perfectly good bike that doesn't have the latest and greatest, and thinking that they need the absolute best components to be safe/go big/have fun. And to me, the notion that you can't have fun on a slightly outdated bike is a very sad aspect of our sport.
@GilesSTurner: that's what I'm saying the little guys won't know the difference until they're a young adult and trying to buy a bike on their own and *need* a top shelf bike to have fun
Jammy bastards don't know they're born. I swear when I was 13 we were literally rescuing bikes out of skips at the local tip to fix up and ride. I had to starve and save my dinner money for a year, deal ciggies in school and sell my games console just to buy a Mongoose Menace. #okboomer
Back in 1995, I worked the whole summer cutting trees to buy my first decent mountain bike. When I received the pay check, there were 200EUR missing to buy the bike. My father told me he would give me the rest, I had to go back during the November's holidays to work at the supermarket. Probably the best lesson for kids to suffer and pay their own bikes!
$2000 truck with $3000 of bikes on the hitch rack shows that priorities are in the right place. Even better if parents bike is worth less than the kids’.
You really think families racing bikes are rich maybe they prioritise there income differently to you some people like holidays expensive trainers coats and car’s my income goes on bikes diesel a van and uplifts definitely not rich just spent not the same as all the life coaches on here I’ll settle for great memories with my kids than a comfortable bank balance and nice things for me ! Buy your kid a cheap bike that’s awesome I won’t judge you
Has anyone considered it's possible to give your kids expensive things while also teaching them the value of those things and to be humble about what you have?
it's great to see brands with good kids bikes. It wasn't that long ago that jackson goldstone was apparently struggling to find small enough bikes to shred on..
unpopular opinion- but i dont think these bikes should even exist.
theres no way a kid could buy these bikes on their own, so it just increases the divide between rich and poor - alienating the poor kids who will never get the chance to participate (and would likely have been as good or more likely better at the sport if they'd been given the chance.)
in my opinion, there should be very limited choice of items for kids - and only when they are old enough to earn a wage, should there be options for them to buy. (like we have for adult bikes.. fairplay, if you have worked hard, buy your carbon bike and you might make other adults want to work harder)
yes, even without expensive kids bikes, a kid might have rich parents and have one of everything i.e. xbox, skateboard, scooter, bmx etc. but at least their items aren't miles better than their friends who might only have only one of those items because their parents had limited funds.
you can get a job at little ceasers at 14 im 13 and have a $2k dollar fs trail bike (norco fluid fs3) in a adult size small mind you im short for my age and most kids hit adult sizes in the 5th or 6th grade, seriously all my friends at school are 5 foot 5 to 6 foot in the 7th grade
@PNWRiders: good for you dude, I'm just saying you didn't earn it did you? because you're not old enough to work. so someone must have bought it for you.. which is great for you.. you'll get an early start and you'll be flying down hills before your friends at school from poorer backgrounds can even start working at little ceasers to save up. not to mention that a lot of those kids will probably have to spend that money on other things first - the things we take for granted.
its not a dig at you by the way, its not under your control.. im just commenting that, back in the day expensive bikes for kids didn't exist... and every kid could wash some cars to afford the bmx or skateboard that everyone had. it was way more inclusive.. but this sport isn't anymore
i dread to think how many carwashes i'd have to do to even get near the cheapest bike in this list - nevermind the ohlind demo8, the santacruz or the summum. Mental
Most of these kids will have started out on 20" wheel hardtails and wrecked them, and moved onto a full sus. This is what all three of my boys have done and they are all skillful riders now. Hardtails begin to hold them back very quickly once they start to get fast.
out of interest, what do you consider as someone who is 'rich'? A salary of a certain amount? The size of their home? The amount of cars or bikes they own? Genuinely curious and not being a troll.
None of these bikes would be more than 2 grand used. If they're good at it and will use it, it doesn't matter. £2K is nothing anyway, I paid more than that for fuel.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqAC8kqt2yg
And FWIW, they don't have video game consoles, social media or any of that other stuff so yea... I'll buy them a proper MTB. If that means I'm over-indulgent, so be it.
Thats his norco pictured above, he placed 8th out of 16 on monday in the 10 and under...he is only 7. His face after racing was worth the money
www.instagram.com/jacobbmx125
I got my 8 year old daughter a nice 24" Rocky Mountain this year, she loves it, appreciates it, and you spend more outdoor time with the kids (considering she was once scarred of every single flying bug and spent hours on youtube indoors).
However the Saracen Mysts with the 40's on them may be a bit overkill LOL
I think the comment was more aimed at the parents flexing with the factory/world cup level Saracen and mondraker rigs....
IMO a shit bike (within reason) is fine to blat about the local spot and learn on (regardless of age) but once you start competing the grams which translate into tenths start to matter as soon as you can understand the principle.
Bonus points for parents who make their kids wash the Swamper after each race. Only fair.
The bikes above are a whole different ball game though.. that would also be above budget for my own ride....
I do not see any reason why not to justify top of the shelf bike for the kids/spouse who are only entering the sport;
I will provide more pleasant experience for them, will cause you less head ache maintenance wise...
Also for the kids bikes they will fly away of FB marketplace for 3/4 of original price to the next happy family within hours;
If you actually want to ride with your kid then you gotta spend. My son at 8 outclimbs many adults. Not really much different than buying your kid a dirt bike other than he likely will get more exercise. However if you want to ride with your kid and teach the above lesson perhaps downgrade your bike to a huffy and ride with them?????
Now the above bikes were there for a race, do you really think a kid on a rim brake rigid huffy (suspension doesnt work after a day) would be safe on any DH track?
youtu.be/CwnohpCG3EM
Giving him a huffy and watching him try to ride like he does would just be bad parenting. But yeah let's just keep thinking kids dont freaking SHRED. The kids scene is off the chain man. Time to support it instead of telling them to get off the lawn and go ride a 50lb shite bike...because they are a kid.
My 8 yr old is now on a ‘21 Norco Fluid 24 and his riding and enjoyment have gone through the roof!
My 6 year old rides a spawn and she too loves it! It’s LIGHT for her and the quality parts make It safer.
Cheers.
You then have them doing stuff like this... www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoFM6ua76sc
Most of those bikes would allow their kids to have fun and definitely be competitive. The factory support looking rigs are just a flex and dick measuring contest for the parents.
I guess the thing that puzzles me the most is why some folk have such an aggressive stance on it. Life is too short.... but hey, such is life!
Also probably the first time a santa cruz has been used as the cheap example! ha
We're also working on spannering so everything i swap/do he also does with me so he picks up tips, tricks and techniques of spanners. I absolutely agree there has to be a limit to an extent.. My lads bike costs a fair bit more than mine, but i think he deserves it, both as a rider and as a kid.
And like others have said if the kid likes it and you can afford it then go for it. My daughter rides a $1500 bike because that is as much as I can comfortably spend on her but if I made more I would spend more no questions asked because she loves the sport so much.
At least they are outside.
But if you think this is exclusive omg you are in for a surprise. a Dirt bike costs the same and that is without racing. Go carting , horses, figure skating, etc.... I bet an expensive gaming computer costs as much as some of these and the kid sits inside their whole life.
As long as they look after their bikes and keep them maintained theres no problem.
The best bike for kids
theres no way a kid could buy these bikes on their own, so it just increases the divide between rich and poor - alienating the poor kids who will never get the chance to participate (and would likely have been as good or more likely better at the sport if they'd been given the chance.)
in my opinion, there should be very limited choice of items for kids - and only when they are old enough to earn a wage, should there be options for them to buy. (like we have for adult bikes.. fairplay, if you have worked hard, buy your carbon bike and you might make other adults want to work harder)
yes, even without expensive kids bikes, a kid might have rich parents and have one of everything i.e. xbox, skateboard, scooter, bmx etc.
but at least their items aren't miles better than their friends who might only have only one of those items because their parents had limited funds.
so someone must have bought it for you.. which is great for you.. you'll get an early start and you'll be flying down hills before your friends at school from poorer backgrounds can even start working at little ceasers to save up.
not to mention that a lot of those kids will probably have to spend that money on other things first - the things we take for granted.
its not a dig at you by the way, its not under your control..
im just commenting that, back in the day expensive bikes for kids didn't exist... and every kid could wash some cars to afford the bmx or skateboard that everyone had. it was way more inclusive.. but this sport isn't anymore
i dread to think how many carwashes i'd have to do to even get near the cheapest bike in this list - nevermind the ohlind demo8, the santacruz or the summum. Mental