# Light Kids' Bikes - Opus Fever & Cannondale Street 20



## phlegm (Jul 13, 2006)

I've been searching for a lightweight bike for my kids, but trying to bear in mind the abuse they tend to take, and the lifespan of a given frame as they grow. One thing I won't do: buy another steel-framed monster on the cheap. As an example, my eldest son's outgoing 20" bike weighed 31 lbs! (Was a 2012/2013 20" Norco "Turbo".) That's just too much for small legs.

*Bike #1*
By fluke I stumbled upon a great deal on a new 24" 2015 Opus Fever for $699 (MSRP is 899 CAD). I'm not a fan of Promax in general, but it has a decent mix of SRAM and Shimano otherwise, along with fully hydraulic brakes, air-based fork, and light frame. Claimed at 26.2 lbs / 11.9 kg, and it weighed 25.9 lbs stock on my scale.

It came with 3X8 gearing, and to be honest, my 7-year-old probably won't benefit from the complexity of 3 rings. So, I decided to try a 1X setup for him with a 32T ring from Raceface. I had a spare 10-speed cassette on hand, so decided I might as well upgrade the drivetrain, so I grabbed a Shimano Deore M615 for $35. This is great, as this "Shadow Plus" version has a clutch which is beneficial for 1X setups anyway. Added a Shimano 10-speed shifter as well.

With the upgrades, we've dropped another 1.5 lbs to 24.54 lbs, and eliminated some complexity.









*Rant re Bike #1:* Good thing I made some of the changes I did on that first bike. I discovered that the bike shop had misrouted the chain in the rear derailleur. That's a super-rookie mistake. Next, upon removing the cranks (to convert to 1X), I noticed that the splines were mashed down for the first couple of mm. Looks like the idiot who assembled the bike didn't line up the splines correctly, and hammered on it a few times. Talk about terrible, terrible bike builds. (I won't name the shop.)

*Bike #2*
For the 5-year-old, I know that:
1. He isn't hitting things that would require suspension.
2. He is too light, even for a lightly set coil fork.

Given that, we opted for a 20" street bike, which would save weight and complexity (and money) - the Cannondale "Street 20 Boy's". No changes from stock here, aside from a few orange bits for "bling". The weight is a manageable 21.78 lbs, which is great.









Thought I'd reference some weights, as I found it difficult to find good information when searching. It's amazing that you can easily build a 24" bike that is 7 lbs lighter than a 20", and find a different 20" that is 10 lbs lighter, without breaking the bank.

Thanks to fellow forum contributors on kids' bikes joeadnan, and xc71 for ideas in other threads.


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## bbd25 (Mar 30, 2015)

That's great. Good idea going 1x. I just bought my 8yr old the new 2015 giant xtc 24! It also has hydraulic breaks and adjustable air fork w/ lockout. $600... He loves it and so do I. I was pump for him and he's doing great with the 3x but would like drop it to at least a 2x to loose just a tad more weight. Its not too heavy by no means but I'd like to drop it a couple more lbs. If possible.


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## phlegm (Jul 13, 2006)

Yeah, going 1X is an easy 1.5 lbs of weight loss, and of course for younger kids having just one ring is just a bit simpler for them.


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## MOJO K (Jan 26, 2007)

Dropping weight from my Mojo girl's bike I grabbed a set of Schwalbe Mow Joes (I think it cost $45 for the pair at the time) and set um up ghetto tubeless with a split 16" tube.


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## phlegm (Jul 13, 2006)

MOJO K said:


> Dropping weight from my Mojo girl's bike I grabbed a set of Schwalbe Mow Joes (I think it cost $45 for the pair at the time) and set um up ghetto tubeless with a split 16" tube.


Not a bad idea. I hadn't considered tubeless for the kids.


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## baltobrewer (Apr 22, 2015)

If your kid isn't into all that shifting, why not look at Cleary bikes. Cleary Bikes
No affiliation. Looking to get one for my son to replace the steel behemoth he currently trudges around on. He is good with SS. The 20" is 19 lbs. Not bad.


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## phlegm (Jul 13, 2006)

I wasn't necessarily against shifting, but multiple rings added complexity that they didn't need. So far 1X has been pretty good.

I like the fact that the Clearys don't have extra crap on them that isn't needed. End results is a nice, light bike, which is great.


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