# A new XS 26" bike for my 10 year old girl



## sungchang (Aug 31, 2004)

My 10 years old girl was in between sizes, 24" vs. XS 26". I originally picked up a used 24" Specialized Hotrock A1-FS for her, but reading the forums I got the idea that she might actually do well with a XS 26" bike. At the same time, I also needed a 24" bike for my 8 year old. So instead of picking up another 24", I went the route of picking up a XS 26" for my older one, and hand-down the 24" to my 2nd one.

It's a new 2009 Cannondale F5 Women's Petite (XS). I was a little concerned with the stand over as Cannondale runs a little high, ~27". I would have preferred ~25". But she seems to be handling it well enough.

Stock it weighs 29.7lbs which is a little on the heavy side...I will slowly upgrade the components to lighten it a bit.


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## Call_me_Clyde (Oct 27, 2004)

*That smile tells it all*

She looks pretty happy there, and the bike size will also allow her to grow into it, too.


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## sungchang (Aug 31, 2004)

Call_me_Clyde said:


> She looks pretty happy there, and the bike size will also allow her to grow into it, too.


Yeah she was really happy as blue is her favorite color. Both of my girls were dying to take it off-road, so I took them both to local trail yesterday. My oldest had her first fall as she got too overconfident...few scrapes, but she is looking forward to riding the next time In the meantime, I might need to pick up some knee/shin guards & elbow guards for her.


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## Call_me_Clyde (Oct 27, 2004)

*Sounds like a real trooper!*



sungchang said:


> Yeah she was really happy as blue is her favorite color. Both of my girls were dying to take it off-road, so I took them both to local trail yesterday. My oldest had her first fall as she got too overconfident...few scrapes, but she is looking forward to riding the next time In the meantime, I might need to pick up some knee/shin guards & elbow guards for her.


Get her back out again quickly, she'll be fine. BTW, just checked out the specs on that bike, and looks like dad did a real nice job in picking out a very nice bike for a 10 year old. :thumbsup: That bike should last her at least until she physically out grows it, and should be able to be handed town to her sibling. Smart buy!

Bob


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## Yoriel79 (Oct 4, 2011)

Maybe I need one soon


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## In-Yo-Grill (Jul 19, 2011)

Nice bike...

Getting her something that she can grow with is a plus for sure. My wife rides a Specialized XS and it weighed over 30lbs off the rack. Since then I've upgraded things little by little and it's now a very manageable 25.5 lbs. She's loving how light it is and keeps up on our road rides with ease.


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## sungchang (Aug 31, 2004)

25.5 lbs is a nice weight reduction from the starting point. I am not sure if I will go to that level, but I would like to get it under 27 lbs at some point. I will replace components as they wear out.


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## KAriadne (Sep 14, 2011)

For this season, my daughter needed to move from a single chainring to a triple and from rim brakes to disk brakes. Rather than move her from one 24" bike to another, we got her a 13" frame with 26" wheels. Right decision!

Not only did she love going from 24" to 26" as much as I loved going from 26" to 29", with all the growing she has done this summer, we have raised the seat several times.


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## Javier (Aug 1, 2006)

SungChang,
How tall is your daughter in this picture?
I am trying to compare to my 8 year old.

thanks,
JEB


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## ashaw (May 3, 2009)

Thanks for posting. I'm at the same crossroads with my 10yo daughter and thinking of an xs 26er. hmmmmmmmmmmmmm!


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## sungchang (Aug 31, 2004)

Javier said:


> SungChang,
> How tall is your daughter in this picture?
> I am trying to compare to my 8 year old.
> 
> ...


She might be ~52 to 53 inches in the photo. I haven't measured her recently, so I am not sure though.

I think it might be a little too big for a 8 year old unless she's on the tall side. My 2nd daughter who is 8 year old seems to fit the 24" much better.

I also looked at GTw Avalanche 1.0 in XS. That bike definitely had much better stand over height, and my daughter fit it much better. But it was a little more than I wanted to spend.

Cannondale F5 built up weighed 29.7lbs. On the first ride, it got a goathead on the front. While changing the tube, I decided to make some changes:
o changed stock Nevegal (weighed 1.7 lbs each for wired version) to spare Panaracer Fire XC folding tires that I had (i think it weighed 1.2 lbs each)
o changed the front tube to Forte lite tubes (130g), kept the rear tube the same
o changed the cassette to a spare XT cassette that I had
o changed the stock pedals (pretty nasty stuff, my daughter hit the rear of knees during the fall and it cut her up a bit) to spare plastic/rubber pedals that I had lying around...will eventually move her to a Time ATAC XS pedals when she's ready

Those changes alone brought the bike down to 27.7 lbs, drop of 2 full pounds. I will slowly upgrade her components with as they wear down.


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## sungchang (Aug 31, 2004)

ashaw said:


> Thanks for posting. I'm at the same crossroads with my 10yo daughter and thinking of an xs 26er. hmmmmmmmmmmmmm!


The decision was an easy one on my part as I have 2 other girls who will be able to use it as as they grow up.


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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

Nice bike, I saw one on EBAY and I would have bid on it except I had already started buying parts to build one.


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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

Keep in mind guys, you can buy one of these and re-lace the wheels to a 24 inch rim. Brings the stand over down. Save the spokes and rim and when they're ready make it a 26 inch wheel again.


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## KMan (Dec 30, 2003)

Nice bike!
I'm looking for a 13"/small bike for my daughter as well. Did you get this 2 year old model (2009) from your LBS? I'd love to find a year or two leftover (to save a few $$) on a new bike. I actually need to get two now....my son has outgrown his 20" and I need to move him to a 24" now. I had hime try out a 13" bike....but It's just too big for him right now.

Michael


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## sungchang (Aug 31, 2004)

KMan, check your PM.


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## KMan (Dec 30, 2003)

sungchang said:


> KMan, check your PM.


Got it thanks! I sent the seller a note to see if they have any left. I also dropped by Performance bike today to see if a small Focus Whistler would fit her.
Focus Whistler Mountain Bike-U.S. Exclusive - Mountain Bikes
It's just a tad on the big side for her, but I think it would be manageable for her. Price on the Focus is tough to beat at $499...and I think the XS Cannandale when shipped would end up being the same cost. I going to wait until I hear back from the seller for a price and work from there.

Thanks again,
Michael


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## sungchang (Aug 31, 2004)

The next time you are at performance, check out the GTw Avalanche. They have XS size which has great stand over height.


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## ashaw (May 3, 2009)

Almost done building my daughter's 10th birthday present, just waiting for the purple pedals.
The frame is a Giant ATX Pro: 3.5 lbs, ebay/HongKong special. Seems really sweet. I ordered purple anodized bars, skewers, post clamp, bottle cage, chain and pedals and basically had the rest already or stole parts from my other bikes. 25 pounds!
Standover will be pushing it a little, but by springtime shouldn't be an issue. Fun project, but tough to pull off covert for a surprise.


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## ashaw (May 3, 2009)

*better pic, maybe*


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## ashaw (May 3, 2009)




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## sungchang (Aug 31, 2004)

Nice build, and a wonderful bd present. Love the color concepts.


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## ashaw (May 3, 2009)

sungchang said:


> Nice build, and a wonderful bd present. Love the color concepts.


Thanks, she loves it. We gave it to her two weeks early while the weather was nice (and I was too excited to wait any longer). Eventually, I'll find an old Judy or other lighter fork and lose the 4 pound Revelation.

We did a 6 mile dirt road ride and she loved it. She was quick to comment on how much smoother it rode over chatter compared to her 20" fully rigid. Proportionately, it looks like she is riding a 29er.


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## weltyed (Jan 21, 2004)

ashaw said:


> Thanks, she loves it. We gave it to her two weeks early while the weather was nice (and I was too excited to wait any longer). Eventually, I'll find an old Judy or other lighter fork and lose the 4 pound Revelation.
> 
> We did a 6 mile dirt road ride and she loved it. She was quick to comment on how much smoother it rode over chatter compared to her 20" fully rigid. Proportionately, it looks like she is riding a 29er.


the more i read up on these, the more i realize i should get an extra small for The Boy when he gets that tall.

are you using 24" wheels? if so, did you build them yourself?


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## ashaw (May 3, 2009)

weltyed said:


> the more i read up on these, the more i realize i should get an extra small for The Boy when he gets that tall.
> 
> are you using 24" wheels? if so, did you build them yourself?


No, sticking with 26 so far. I'm itching to take a crack at wheel building but have not. If she has a tough time on trails this coming spring I may consider going 24". The other thing to consider is growth potential. My daughter may be comfortable on this frame well into adulthood. My wife is 5'3 and I'm 5'8, so I do not expect my daughter to outgrow this. Depending on your son and age and if any younger siblings factor in this becomes a tough call.


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## weltyed (Jan 21, 2004)

The Boy just turned six and is 4'2. he has a 20" ss with a coaster and rear v brake. i thought getting a geared 20" was a bit much. he now has the hand brake down and sins out the gear. he is getting a bit too tall for the bike, and im sure by spring he will be pushing the limits of the bike.

i am 5'7 and The Wife is 5'2, but there is height in our family. i thought if we went with an xs The Girl could grow into it once The Boy hits his adult height in 8th grade.



ashaw said:


> No, sticking with 26 so far. I'm itching to take a crack at wheel building but have not. If she has a tough time on trails this coming spring I may consider going 24". The other thing to consider is growth potential. My daughter may be comfortable on this frame well into adulthood. My wife is 5'3 and I'm 5'8, so I do not expect my daughter to outgrow this. Depending on your son and age and if any younger siblings factor in this becomes a tough call.


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## khaotom (Mar 14, 2011)

Can you PM with the dealer please? My son is 10 and riding GT Stomper 24. He thinks the bike sucks on the trail. It rides fine on the road but when it get to the twisties, it is not very "flickable". My wife and I both test rode it to find it a little stiff, but we can't really pin point on what is wrong. I am exploring other options now.


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## ashaw (May 3, 2009)

that may be very practical given that bb ht. should only be an inch higher than a 24" kids bike. And with a sloped TT, like the cdale sungchang posted, standover shouldnt be much higher either.


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## sungchang (Aug 31, 2004)

The cdale has pretty high standover for a XS size. While searching for bikes, I found GT Avanlanche XS to have very good standover...might want to check that out. I am also on stock 26" wheels. I just checked my daughter's height and she grew quite a bit in the last six months. She's 4'11" (59 inches) tall now.


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