Holy Growth Spurt!

[zoom-zoom]

You gals may remember last Christmas...when we hid DS's present in the shower for unveiling the next AM:



He's ridden it a fair amount this year, but not as much as we would have expected. He has shown little interest in actually racing CX (mostly he likes to go and play with other kids at the races. He doesn't have much of a competitive personality). And the stinker has already pretty much outgrown his bike. We had hoped he'd get 2 years out of it, but he's grown a HUGE amount in the past year (upwards, only, heh).

Last Sunday our LBS had a fat bike demo day and DS was able to ride a friend's XS Mukluk Ti. Dear gawd, he is well and truly hooked. It's all he can talk about (he's actually found something to talk about that's not LEGO or zombies or weapons, heh). He loves going off road, but my sluggish old Cannondale mountain bike (since I got my El Mariachi I've talked to several people who said they tested that same bike and found it to be a horrible dog. After seeing the Nevegal tires referred to as "Never-gos" I suspect the tires are a big factor) made it hard for him to keep up...hills were a total no-go. And sand scares the bejeezus out of him. It would help if the bike weren't so hard to get up to speed and motor through the sand.

On the Mukluk he motored right up hills and rolled all over sand and logs like they weren't even there. He was giddy the whole way and like a new rider. Now he and I are both lusting over the same bike.

...and trying to figure out how to swing it. If we sell the Cannondale and his Redline CX bike we'd probably be able to cover almost half the price of a Muk 3...

I look forward to the day when he's done growing.

[indysteel]

Out of curiosity, Zoom, what size did your son test out and what's his inseam. DH and I have talked, although not very seriously, about getting fat bikes, but my short 29.5 inseam makes it tough. I don't really need one, and am not sure I want one, but I'm curious nonetheless.

As for your son, my advice is to get him a decent hardtail that fits. You'll pay less for it than a fat bike and it won't be so painful when he outgrows it in a year or two. The Mukluk, as you know, isn't cheap. It would be a shame if he quickly outgrows it. And an HT that fits him and isn't a dog like the Cannondale should be just as fun.

[zoom-zoom]

Out of curiosity, Zoom, what size did your son test out and what's his inseam. DH and I have talked, although not very seriously, about getting fat bikes, but my short 29.5 inseam makes it tough. I don't really need one, and am not sure I want one, but I'm curious nonetheless.

As for your son, my advice is to get him a decent hardtail that fits. You'll pay less for it than a fat bike and it won't be so painful when he outgrows it in a year or two. The Mukluk, as you know, isn't cheap. It would be a shame if he quickly outgrows it. And an HT that fits him and isn't a dog like the Cannondale should be just as fun.

Oh, the fat bike would be for us to share until he's significantly taller than I. Mostly it would be mine, but he could ride it when DH and I go out on our mountain bikes. I could ride it with DH on the beach or in the snow sans the rugrat. At this point it doesn't pay for us to invest in a bike just for DS -- he's simply growing WAY too fast (he's almost 12).

He tested an XS...I think the standover is ~27". I'm not sure of his inseam...probably ~28". I know it's a bit shorter than my 30", but not much. I have ridden a S on 3 occasions and still have ample clearance for that.

Fat bikes are perfect around here. Long and very snowy Winters (except for last year) and endless miles of Lake MI beaches and sandy 2-track roads. There is part of me that almost wishes I'd gone with a Mukluk instead of the El Mariachi.

At the very least we're going to try different tires on the Cannondale, since it fits him so well right now and probably will through next Summer.

[indysteel]

Ah, that makes sense for you to share the bike. Sounds like a good plan!

[emily_in_nc]

Once he's done with his too small bikes, you might be able to sell them to some of the very petite ladies right here on TE!

[zoom-zoom]

Once he's done with his too small bikes, you might be able to sell them to some of the very petite ladies right here on TE!

We already have at least 2 potential takers for his little Redline...the nice thing is those really hold their value well! We'll likely CL the Cannondale. I imagine shipping on that would be more than most people would bother to pay for a bike that's probably not worth more than $300.