Road Bike or Hybrid or Cyclocross for 9.5 YO

Hello Everyone

My nephew wants a ‘fast bike with thin tires’ for our 30 mi rides. The brands my LBS offers are Specialized, Cannondale, Jamis & Raleigh. I would prefer to purchase from them if it’s not too much of a compromise to limit ourselves to said brands, and only if we can get a proper fit.

The LBS said rather than a cyclocross, we should get a road bike, and keep his mountain bike for off-road. He is 4'5” with a 23.5” inseam. We’re interested in the 41cm Jamis Ventura Comp 650c which would have to be ordered. However, I expect the Ventura will also be too big, just as the Dolce was. How can the 41cm Jamis Ventura have specs/geometry similar to the 44cm Specialized Dolce? If it’s too big, should we consider the Specialized Vita Step Thru since he‘s a smaller rider?

Is a step thru less structurally stable? Should this be a concern with a 70lb rider that likes to do wheelies and bunny hops? The stand-over height on the Specialized Vita is 25.28”. Is this measure to the center of the sloping tube on the step thru? Will this bike still be too big for him?

Also, wondering if going from his 24” mtn bike to a hybrid would significantly improve his time and speed. The mtn bike already has micro knobby tires & clipless pedals. Is the Vita hybrid more mountain bike or road bike? Supposedly, it’s the female version of the Specialized Sirrus.

I was hoping the compact-framed Vita would easily fit the one bike for everything role. But I’m not completely sold on the Vita because of (1) 700c tires on a small frame (would prefer 650c), (2) crank length (170), and (3) bike weight. Also, I think he may quickly outgrow a hybrid and eventually want a true road bike.

But if it fits properly, we will consider it as our choices are limited. If we change the seat height and stem, will this put him at a less than optimum riding position?

Am I over thinking this? At the end of the day, he wants something that’s fast and lightweight, and we know we have to compromise given our limited choices.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

If you are riding together on all of the rides, can you invest in a tandem that can be adjusted as he grows? In my Saturday training group, one couple has two children so they have two tandems, with a parent in the front and a child behind. Yesterday our ride included a 7.5-mile Category 3 climb and the two tandems made it to the top of the climb, and I was super impressed. It might solve the fit problem and that way your nephew can get a road bike when he is taller or more fully grown. And that is the limit of my knowledge on tandems.

I can't answer all of your questions, but I ride with someone who has a Vita. I see it as more of a road bike, actually, a flat bar road bike/hybrid than a mountain bike. I have a Jamis Coda as my second bike and I think the Vita is actually lighter and somewhat similar. The only way you answer your questions about the stand over is to get him on the bike.
Just one note. My son started mountain biking at 13. He got a road bike at 14 and pretty much taco'd the wheels like the first week because he thought he could jump the curbs, etc., like he did with the mountain bike. That was an expensive lesson. So your nephew might need a warning about no popping wheelies with his new bike.
It's great that you are helping your nephew get into road cycling. Not sure about the tandem. Does he want to do that? That would severely limit him to riding only when auntie can ride.

We bought a hybrid for my 9yr old daughter last year and it works well. She rides on the road with me all summer the CCX in fall. I'm waiting for her to seriuosly commit before we buy her a roadie cuz she's growing so fast. She's almost 5ft and wears 6.5 shoes so I know she's gonna be taller soon. Her bike is sturdy but not too heavy and I figure if she can go 12-13mph on this she will be strong when we get her a roadie or cross bike.

DarcyInOregon, thank you for the suggestion, but neither of us are interested in a Tandem. Two years ago, he outgrew his FMF BMX mini race bike. He has wanted something fast & lightweight with skinny tires & gears ever since.

Crankin, I’m certainly concerned about the ability of a road bike to handle the regular rough & tumble of everyday street riding of a young rider, which is one of the reasons we initially considered a cyclocross bike. But our LBS said the cyclocross is really not much sturdier than a road bike.

Do you think the Vita hybrid is a fragile bike to be treated with kid gloves, or a solid bike that will stand up to most of the usual use younger kids can dish out? He only weighs 70 lbs. Although he said he understands that a road bike cannot handle tricks as well as his bmx & mountain bikes, I anticipate he’ll be jumping some curbs. Structurally, do you think a step thru hybrid will be OK?

Thanks.

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Originally Posted by jelee1311

We bought a hybrid for my 9yr old daughter last year and it works well. .....she will be strong when we get her a roadie or cross bike.

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Yes, I'm thinking the hybrid is the way to go. I changed the tires & pedals on his mtn bike, but he really wants something faster.

jelee1311, did your daughter feel a significant performance difference with the hybrid?

I don't think the Vita is for jumping curbs. It's not fragile, but it's not a mountain bike.
I would get him a hybrid, with skinny tires. That should suffice until he has grown a little more. And you don't have to be so perfect with the fitting, as with a road bike.

My son rode a hybrid for quite a while and then wanted something faster. The hybrid pretty much kept him sitting upright. I took him out to try a few bikes more for size than brand. He's always been pretty good about knowing what "feels" right. He decided to wait because he could not comfortably reach the brake levers, even though everything else was okay. About 7 months later he was ready and we found a bike, he had grown enough that he did not need the frame size we originally looked at either. He is a bit shorter than me, but rides a slightly larger frame.

So, yes, take him with you so he try some out and get a feel for a road bike.

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Originally Posted by radacrider

So, yes, take him with you so he try some out and get a feel for a road bike.

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We haven’t had luck trying out smaller/shorter frames because most dealers don’t stock them as they’re considered dead stock. Found a dealer with a 43cm Trek 1.2, but it was out of my price range.

My LBS sold me a used Cannondale Bad Boy hybrid in a petite size that my nephew really liked. The salesperson said it was fine but I thought it was too big because he didn’t have any clearance, but he was able to tip toe.

I really appreciated all the suggestions. Thanks.