Topic: Looking for Full-Suspension 21-27 Speed 20" Mountain Bike

[barrydeancalhoun@mac.com]

Greetings,

I'm looking for a 20" (wheel) full-suspension mountain bike for my son with at least 21 speeds.  He is 9 years old and currently has a 20" dual suspension bike (that we got at a garage sale), but it only has 6 speeds, and it's not enough for him when we hit the trails.  His older and younger brothers and I all have 21-27 speed bikes, so it's getting hard for him to keep up when we hit any hills.

I was in the market for a similar bicycle for my 8-year-old son last year, and had a very hard time finding such a bike anywhere.  Eventually I came across a new 20" full-suspension Triax 21-speed on Craigslist that I purchased and which he has ridden successfully ever since.

I've had a very difficult time trying to find any 20" dual suspension bike with multiple front sprockets for my 9-year-old in the past week, despite extensive Internet searches.  I know the Triax is a pretty low-quality bike, but I can't even find any of those anywhere online (including eBay or Craigslist).

Can anyone provide a source for such a bike?

Also, is there a classified ads section of this forum?  That would be the first place I'd look if I could find it.  :-)

Thanks,

Barry Calhoun

[Darrinw2001]

Barry,


How tall are your boys? 20" wheels (BMX) are really small for trail riding. you have to pedal more to maintain the same speed as a 24 or 26 inch bike. My 9 year old is right at 5" tall and he has been on a 26" wheel since he turned 8. You will have better luck finding what you are looking for in a 24" wheel bike at least, and your boy will be keeping up fine. 


Any way, here is a 20" on CL right now http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/bik/2081655178.html


and a 24" http://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/bik/2065346608.html

[Scott]

Barry,


How tall are your boys? 20" wheels (BMX) are really small for trail riding. you have to pedal more to maintain the same speed as a 24 or 26 inch bike. My 9 year old is right at 5" tall and he has been on a 26" wheel since he turned 8. You will have better luck finding what you are looking for in a 24" wheel bike at least, and your boy will be keeping up fine. 


Any way, here is a 20" on CL right now http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/bik/2081655178.html


and a 24" http://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/bik/2065346608.html

Wow!!! I would have guessed that boy was at least a foot tall

[barrydeancalhoun@mac.com]

Darrin,

Yeah, my boys are only 4' 6" tall.  While they can pedal a 24" bike (my oldest has a 24"), they do not feel comfortable on it because they can't reach the ground easily (and it's much heavier).  The 20" bikes fit them both very well.

Thanks for the links.  Unfortunately, neither of those bikes is  full-suspension with a front derailleur (only 6 gears again).   

The Triax that my youngst son has would work great.  However, I can't seem to find anyone who carries them.  Does anyone know of a source for the Triax bikes?

Thanks,

Barry