# Early Rider Belter Trail 3 vs Woom 4 Supra



## stevelim (Jul 23, 2008)

Looking at options for my 5 yo who has really taken to mountain biking but is limited on trail and around town (hilly Seattle) by her singlespeed Cleary Hedgehog. 

Narrowed the next bike down to a Woom 4 Supra (which will take 1.9-2.1" knobby tire according to their CS) or an Early Rider Belter Trail 3 (rigid fork). 

Woom is lighter with wider range derailleur gearing. Early Rider has disc brakes (pretty wet where we are) and internal hub. 

Anyone have any experience with either or both? Anyone know what the gear ratio on the Early Rider is?


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## stevelim (Jul 23, 2008)

stevelim said:


> Looking at options for my 5 yo who has really taken to mountain biking but is limited on trail and around town (hilly Seattle) by her singlespeed Cleary Hedgehog.
> 
> Narrowed the next bike down to a Woom 4 Supra (which will take 1.9-2.1" knobby tire according to their CS) or an Early Rider Belter Trail 3 (rigid fork).
> 
> ...


Adding the Spawn Savage 1.0 also to the list.

Also, for those interested according to Early Rider the gear ratio on the Belter 20 with the I-motion 3 speed hub is 1.64 (46t front, 28t rear)


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## RMCDan (Feb 28, 2008)

stevelim said:


> Adding the Spawn Savage 1.0 also to the list.


Personally, I'd choose the Savage over the Belter or WOOM. Cheapest (substantially so compared to the Belter), wide-range drivetrain and discs.



stevelim said:


> Also, for those interested according to Early Rider the gear ratio on the Belter 20 with the I-motion 3 speed hub is 1.64 (46t front, 28t rear)


SRAM's spec sheet for that hub lists the range as 186%, though they don't specify what the actual gear ratio equivalents are. Depending on how they're calculating the range that could be slightly less or substantially less than the 11-32 cassette on the WOOM.

https://www.sram.com/sram/urban/products/i-3-disc-brake

Based on SRAM's marketing materials for their 11 and 12 speed drivetrains my guess is that it's probably "substantially less." Why? SRAM claims their 10-50 and 10-42 cassettes have 500% and 420% range, respectively. By that math the 11-32 cassette on the WOOM has 291% range.


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## stevelim (Jul 23, 2008)

Also, I plugged these into an online gear calculator and got 24.3-45 gear inches for the Early Rider and 18.7-54.4 for the Woom.


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## Delgado (Sep 9, 2016)

The lightness of the WOOM is definitely intriguing and is (I think) one of the most important factors in choosing a kid's bike. I can't help but feel that the parts spec lends itself more to neighborhood cruising and light walking trail use than the burlier (but heavier) Spawn Savage. Most notably the 2 bolt stem and 1.5" tires.

The geometry shows that the WOOM is surprisingly a little slacker (68° vs. 70° head angle) but also has a shorter cockpit and overall wheelbase; so maybe it would be better for a smaller rider or one who prefers a more upright riding position.

My 47" tall 6 year-old absolutely loves his Savage and has no problems maneuvering the bike in our local technical BC trails. I did swap out the stock Kenda Small Block Eights with a set of Schwalbe Little Joe 2" tires now that it's getting a bit muddy out there and he's beginning to out-climb me on the short/steep stuff!

I think either bike would be amazing for any 5-6 year old. The SRAM Automatix 2 speed hub was a dealbreaker for me when I was considering the Rocky Mountain Vertex 20; I have a feeling the I-Motion hub on the Early Rider would be equally limiting on climbs. Sitting down and spinning on an easy gear while chatting excitedly and making our way to the trail head is one of my favourite parts of our rides! Also, I think it's important to learn to read the trail and anticipate shifts; might as well get that started at a young age.


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## stevelim (Jul 23, 2008)

Thanks for all the input. A green Spawn Savage 1.0 popped up in the US store on sale ($510) so I pulled the trigger on it. As a bike tinkerer (with a large spare parts bin) I think the Spawn is a bit better specced to do that.


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## stevelim (Jul 23, 2008)

Also, grey still on sale on the US store if people are interested


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## Delgado (Sep 9, 2016)

Awesome! 
I'd be interested to see what you upgrade on it.
So far we've done tires, pedals, and grips


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