Hi everyone,
I've got a nearly 10 year old that is currently on a Norco Fluid FS 24 (24" wheel) that he looks to be outgrowing at 143cm tall. I've put a 60mm stem on it to buy a bit more time, but ultimately I'm looking for the next size up. Like everyone, I want to maximise the life of the next bike, but still want something that fits and is fun to ride.
I'm currently looking at a Norco Sight A3 27.5, which seems the best bang for buck (would love the A2, but it's more than $1000 more). The problem is I'm torn between sizing. According to Norco, he should be on a Sight Jr, but that's barely bigger than his current bike and I can see him outgrowing it again inside 2 years. I haven't been able to test ride a Sight Jr, but I have tried him on a Sight A3 Medium and he seemed to cope with it okay (just a parking lot test ride).
The Reach on his current 24" is 350mm. The Sight Youth is 395mm and the Sight Medium is 455. So effective 10cm longer for the Sight Medium. The standover difference between the Sight Youth and the Sight Medium is only 2.3cm and he can already safely clear the top tube on the Sight Medium
All the Sights have extremely low top tubes (compared to other bikes) and he can stand over the top tube of the Medium with both feet flat on the ground, so no real risk of injury. So I guess my question is, if all other things are equal, i.e standover is fine and seat to pedal is fine, what is the downside in having a bike that is too long for someone to grow into, aside from maybe being a little bit hard to manual for the first year?
Basically I'm looking for someone to tell me that I'm not a bad father for going straight to the Sight Medium, but any insight on sizing and the downsides of doing this would be helpful!
I've got a nearly 10 year old that is currently on a Norco Fluid FS 24 (24" wheel) that he looks to be outgrowing at 143cm tall. I've put a 60mm stem on it to buy a bit more time, but ultimately I'm looking for the next size up. Like everyone, I want to maximise the life of the next bike, but still want something that fits and is fun to ride.
I'm currently looking at a Norco Sight A3 27.5, which seems the best bang for buck (would love the A2, but it's more than $1000 more). The problem is I'm torn between sizing. According to Norco, he should be on a Sight Jr, but that's barely bigger than his current bike and I can see him outgrowing it again inside 2 years. I haven't been able to test ride a Sight Jr, but I have tried him on a Sight A3 Medium and he seemed to cope with it okay (just a parking lot test ride).
The Reach on his current 24" is 350mm. The Sight Youth is 395mm and the Sight Medium is 455. So effective 10cm longer for the Sight Medium. The standover difference between the Sight Youth and the Sight Medium is only 2.3cm and he can already safely clear the top tube on the Sight Medium
All the Sights have extremely low top tubes (compared to other bikes) and he can stand over the top tube of the Medium with both feet flat on the ground, so no real risk of injury. So I guess my question is, if all other things are equal, i.e standover is fine and seat to pedal is fine, what is the downside in having a bike that is too long for someone to grow into, aside from maybe being a little bit hard to manual for the first year?
Basically I'm looking for someone to tell me that I'm not a bad father for going straight to the Sight Medium, but any insight on sizing and the downsides of doing this would be helpful!