# 24" Cannondale Race/Trail/Street comparison



## backinmysaddle (Jul 27, 2011)

My daughter has been on a 16" specialized hot rock for couple years and due to a rapid growth spurt this winter I think she'll go right to 24" by her birthday in May if I get her a good quality model with the right geometry. So far I have been really impressed with the Cannondales, my local shop has the Race and Trail in stock and then I came across the Street online as well (which is really cool and worth a look Street 24 Boy's - STREET - BOY'S - KIDS - BIKES - 2015). They all seem to be the same frame (look at specs for medium size frame, they all match up exactly), just slightly tweaked builds. Trying to figure out if the Street is a good match and looking for other suggestions.

I will pass her bikes down to her younger brothers so happy to spend $500 ish for this one. The kids all ride pretty solid, trails with some bumps but nothing crazy. For this next step I'd like to get her something w 7spd freewheel, but only 1x drivetrain for simplicity, rigid fork and disc brakes (or at least the mounts so I can swap some on at some point) and good geometry/light weight.

Street- comes w/ rigid lefty fork, w/ discs, and has clearance for trail tires, but has 3x drive train (I'd mod this to 1x, so maybe some cost there, along with cost of new trail tires). No idea what this thing weighs, but the trail/race have suspension and are around 26 lbs, so I think this must be lighter, probably a couple of pounds w/out that heavy suspension fork. This seems to be what I want to get her...

Race- has mounts for discs but comes with cantilevers, has front suspension and 3x drivetrain (so that's 3 items to replace to get the bike I really want).

Trail- has mounts for discs but comes with cantilevers, has front suspension and 3x drivetrain (so again that's 3 items to replace to get the bike I really want).

I feel like I could probably get the street for $450 and do the 1x mod and the new tires for right around $500. Anything out there that would be this quality and that configuration for $500 that I am missing? I've looked at Spawn (too pricey) and otherwise dont find anything that matches the 24" Cannondale Street.


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## Notaskitrail (Apr 29, 2012)

I compared the same bikes you mention, race/trail/street. I went with the 2015 Race size medium. Got 10% off without much trying.

I was able to see the trail and race side by side and the race just seemed nicer. The front shocks are definitely nicer. 

The other thing I liked is that medium has a bent top tube. more stand over clearance. I thought that was important when going off road and stopping and standing on uneven terrain. I bought mine for a 9 year old girl.

The non disc brake was not an issue because we are not downhilling and the caliper brakes have plenty of stopping power. Just teach the kid to use both brakes. And I think the non disc brakes are easier to maintain.

Don't give up on the 3x so quick. It can add weight but kids do like the range and do in fact use the granny gear.


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## Cinq (Jan 2, 2003)

Depending on the terrain, may I suggest to get a small chain ring and a cassette as big as possible. Compared to body weight these bikes weigh a tonne and climbing on them is really hard. I upgraded a 20" Hotrock to 9 speed, 11-36.

Leaving the 3x front is also a good option. My oldest boy is on a 24" Kona with triple front rings and often uses the granny gear.

Suspension forks on most kids bikes are awful, the fork in the Kona doesn't move at all, even when I put my 75 kg on it :-(

Kind regards,

Clemens


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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

The thing your missing is that the race has an actual Air shock for the $500. It'd cost you around $200 to pick up a decent 24inch air fork aftermarket

The wheels you're going to want to upgrade anyway to get some lighter ones, so you can add discs to the Race pretty easily.

That's what I did with my Daughters Race 24.


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## backinmysaddle (Jul 27, 2011)

Thanks for the suggestions. One thing I didn't note: This is for a very tall but light 5 year old, so I am trying to keep the thing simple and not add too many new gizmos. Given what we ride on and the single speed she now uses, I'd plan to go 1x with gears largely set to give her more granny (which is all she really needs now), I love the idea of doing 9spd for more range. We're not riding anything fast, so for now 1x with granny range is probably fine, it's uphill range she needs. My goal w her is to get her on a bigger frame (she now looks like a monster on the 16" hot rock) and just add rear gears and hand brakes to the mix. She just isn't going to use the front derailleur for now so I see no reason to leave 3x on there for the start, it's just more crap to get in her way and cause her to hesitate. I'm also pretty set on a rigid fork, dont see much value in suspension now for the trail riding we do.


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## stom_m3 (Jun 28, 2011)

How tall is your 5 yr old? Riding too large of a bike will hurt confidence.


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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

stom_m3 said:


> How tall is your 5 yr old? Riding too large of a bike will hurt confidence.


I just caught the age and while I know age is a poor indicator for bike sizes, she'd have to be an extremely tall 5 year old to be ready for a 24 inch bike.


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## Fargo1 (Oct 19, 2012)

I've been contemplating building a bike for my kid or getting one of these Cannondales as well. I too don't see any reall benefit to a suspension for my kids. Although the air fork on the Race could actually be worth the weight penalty. I may be wrong, but I believe that disc brakes are typically heavier than cantilever. So although the rigid fork is lighter, their may not be as much weight savings as you think. Next time your at that bike shop, ask them to weigh the two Cannondales they have. I'd be really curious to what the weight is on them. I currently have a Raleigh Scout I picked up for my build with a rigid fork and it weights 25lbs with a kickstand. Most bikes with a front suspension are a good 3-4lbs heavier.

Also, have you considered the Isla Beinn? Islabikes Beinn 24 - lightweight bike for kids aged 7+ Apart from the disk brakes, I think this is the bike you are looking for. My understanding is that they also run smaller than other 24s so it might be a good match for your kid.

Another item to really watch is the crank length. Kids bikes are terrible at their geometry. My kids Raleigh has a 165mm crank. Thats an adult sized crank. I personally feel it should be closer to 140mm or 152mm at the most. Its another reason I really like the Beinn. I probably would have already purchased the Beinn myself except I have 2 kids about the same size so I need to by 2 bikes. So I'm trying to find out what sized bike will last the longest for each kid.


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## backinmysaddle (Jul 27, 2011)

Yup, that is the one other on the short list. I'd have to do some gearing work though, not sure 32/32 is right on a 1x, but do love the 8 speed. Cannondale has better granny gear for sure and is spec'd with 152mm crank. I dont think the added disc brake weight is anywhere near balancing out the heavy suspension fork. But I will see what they have in stock and put on the scale. The bummer is that the store where I can get Cannondale at 15% discount doesnt stock these and so I cannot weigh, but I did see on a UK website that the Street was listed as around 21lbs which is believable. I havent seen the Street in stock anywhere, just the Trail 24 and Trail 20.

BTW on sizing, both the Cannondale 24s and the Beinn24 have amazingly low standover height, around 22in. My daughter is a month away from her 6th bday (the bike is going to be a present) and is right there. So I think the 7 year old suggestion is entirely dependent on geometry. Whatever happens, these kids are lucky their daddy is really into riding, I didnt get bikes like this when I was growing up ;-)

As far as longest lasting, that is the thing about the Street, I think I can add a shock on their when she's heavier and ready for that, even plunking down some additional money would be fine if I get 1 year out of the street before needing the fork. I figure she'll be on this thing for 2 years, then I'll move it down to her brother and maybe she'll be able to fit on an XS 26er?



Fargo1 said:


> Also, have you considered the Isla Beinn? Islabikes Beinn 24 - lightweight bike for kids aged 7+ Apart from the disk brakes, I think this is the bike you are looking for. My understanding is that they also run smaller than other 24s so it might be a good match for your kid.


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## GSJ1973 (May 8, 2011)

backinmysaddle said:


> BTW on sizing, both the Cannondale 24s and the Beinn24 have amazingly low standover height, around 22in. My daughter is a month away from her 6th bday (the bike is going to be a present) and is right there. So I think the 7 year old suggestion is entirely dependent on geometry. Whatever happens, these kids are lucky their daddy is really into riding, I didnt get bikes like this when I was growing up ;-)


Yeah the 22 inch standover is super low for sure. We got our son a 24" at 7.5 years old, with the seat slammed but that was a 24" standover bike as I recall. It was really too big for him thinking about it in hindsight. The only down side I think is they might outgrow the 22" Cannondale when they are 8-9 and not quite ready for a 26" (or 27.5") when the time comes. Just a thought.


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## backinmysaddle (Jul 27, 2011)

I was at my local store yesterday and they are all out of the 24" Cdales on the floor, so I couldnt weigh them. But for kicks I had my daughter try out some 20" Cdales and got them weighed. The 20" Cdale trail (w cheap suspension) came in mid 23 pound range. By comparison, there was a 20" specialized hot rock Street with rigid fork, it was 22 pounds. That really makes the Islabikes look like the best option. For camparison, their 20" bike is listed at 17.3 pounds and is pretty much the same design as the hotrock and for $100 more you shave about 6 pounds!!


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## Notaskitrail (Apr 29, 2012)

The med size 24 cannondale Race weighs a flat 26#. Now that the snow is melted here in Boston, we have been on some rides. The bike is a solid bike, nice components and rolls great. Air shock is much better than spring. 

My 9 year old is about 50 inches tall and the standover height is just right on the medium.


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