| Title: | Bicycling |
| Notice: | Bicycling for Fun |
| Moderator: | JAMIN::WASSER |
| Created: | Mon Apr 14 1986 |
| Last Modified: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 3214 |
| Total number of notes: | 31946 |
The number-one daughter is 9 years old, and, like her dad, likes to go fast. She has been riding a Ross "Mt. Jefferson" a couple of years. This is a down-sized mountain bike style with (I think) 20-inch wheels - everything is scaled down from an adult-sized bike to fit small people. With few exceptions this bicycle was ridden on roads, not off-road. Looking around the bike shops it's apparent that there's something for any size person as long as they want a mountain bike. Downsized versions of road bikes do not seem to exist. I toyed with the idea of picking up the smallest frame I could find - I've seen used ones down to 47cm - and building that up. However I think that would still be too high. Ideally the small frame would be matched with proportionately-sized wheels. I know 24-inch wheels exist because Terry uses them for front wheels on their woman-sized bikes. Unfortunately, a frame built for 700c or even 26-inch wheels will have the brake pivots too far away from the rims if you went down to a 24-inch wheel. I'm reluctant to get into major frame mods like relocating the brake pivots. If a Terry front fork could be found, that would take care of the front, but you'd still have the back that would need to be changed. For reference, Emily stands 55 inches now - if we got something for next year she'd be about 57 (4 feet 9 inches). Seat, stem, and crank adjustments should permit 3 or more years of riding one size frame before she'd graduate to a bigger size. I don't mind investing a few hundred for a bike because her sister (2 years younger) can put more miles on it when Emily's too big for it. I think it's great that short/young folks can get bicycles to fit them that have most of the big-bike features (dual hand brakes, derailleurs) that we take for granted - compared to 30 years ago when you would only find a one-speed with coaster brakes. Unfortunately, it looks like the only choice is mountain bikes, which burdens the kids with something unnecessarily heavy and slow - especially if they ride primarily on roads. Any ideas? Spare parts/frame of appropriate size? I'd like to hear from you.
| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2845.1 | ELWOOD::DCARR | Tue Sep 13 1994 15:38 | 30 | ||
> Any ideas? Spare parts/frame of appropriate size? I'd like to hear from you.
My 14 year old daughter (Linda) is 4'9", her 10 year old sister (Ginny)
is slightly shorter. Last year when we looked for a bike to replace
Linda's 20" 5-speed, it was tough finding a bike that was small enough
for her. We wound up at Buchika's in Salem, NH, and purchased a girl's
model named the Ground Force by Univega. 24" wheels, small frame (don't
recall the size offhand, though I can look it up), all Shimano components.
The brake levers have a nice curve to them and fit her small hands, plus
they're adjustable (distance between lever and handlebar). Icing on
the cake: its purple. :-)
This bike is not "unnecessarily heavy and slow" :-), with 18 speeds
(index shifters), she moves along quite well. We liked the bike so
much, we purchased a 94 model for Ginny. The 94 model has some slight
differences; major one being the addition of bar ends. Univega also
make a Ground Force-S; I believe that model has front shocks. Price
for the Ground Force was $250 for each bike (Ginny's was bought this
year at Idle Times Bike Shop in Eastham on the Cape).
Although you specified road bike only, your daughter might like the
Ground Force. We're now a 3 Univega family. Dad was having difficulty
keeping up with daughters #2 & #3 on their Univegas, so I bought myself
a Univega as well. :-) Not sure if Univega builds road bikes,
I've only seen their mountain bikes at these two shops. Other noters
may know or you might want to call Buchika's and ask.
-Dom
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| 2845.2 | Another possibility. | LUDWIG::ASMITH | Tue Sep 13 1994 17:00 | 5 | |
Re 0.
If the road bike effort fails you may want to just replace the
knobby tires on a mountain bike with smoother ones. The setup should
be plenty fast for your child.
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| 2845.3 | WMOIS::GIROUARD_C | Tue Sep 13 1994 18:08 | 6 | ||
<- Also (while tube angles will be different) you can go with
drop bars, racing saddle, a more traditional shifting set-
up... Sorta create a pseudo-road/MTB machine. Might prove to
be a little expensive however.
Chip
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| 2845.4 | Cannondale compact | VMSNET::R_OLSEN | Ron Olsen | Wed Sep 14 1994 17:10 | 8 |
Check out Cannondale's "Mid season catalog" for 1994. They have a new
2.8 frameset called the "compact" frameset. It comes in smaller sizes,
I think the biggest framesize was a 55 or so, an is build with shorter
small cyclists in mind (I think...).
FYI
Ron
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