Is this spec any good for 1st MTB for 14 year old

[Wayneb71]

Local bike shop have BH Spike 29er reduced from £500, down to £289 we are looking for a reasonable entry level hardtail bike but cant find much info on these bikes.
Spec is below.
The salesman is telling us its a great entry level bike, they also do a 27.5" version too, which may suit him better.

Anyone advise if this is any good?

Thanks In Advance!

Wheel Size: 29"
Frame: 29" Alu
Fork: SR Suntour XCT HLO
Gear Shifters: Shimano Altus
Front Derailleur: Shimano Acera
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Acera 8 sp
Chainset: Suntour XCT 44/32/22
Cassette: Sram PG 820 11/34
Brakes - Details: Shimano 395 180mm/160mm
Weight: 12.9 Kg
Tyres: Rubena Ocelot 2.10
Wheelset: Rodi Freeway

[Threevok]

Have a look at some reviews, but at that price it looks OK

I wouldn't have paid the full £500+ for it though

[SimonCelsa]

You won't find much better new for less money than that......

Perfectly adequate bike I would say, good to upgrade should the usage dictate & you haven't lost much if it gets chucked in the back of the shed should the novelty wear off,

all the best Simon

[eileithyia]

What does the 14yo want, within a reasonable price bracket of course.....
No point buying him something that is not street cool and gives him no cred with his mates...... or he is unlikely to use it...

I would agree not to spend too much, they usually grow out of bikes in about 18 months or at least that was my experience of son at that age..

[pjclinch]

Do have a look at Gumtree and similar. I got a fairly nice Cannondale that was effectively unused for £300 last year, absolute bargain (owner decided he's ride to work so he bought what appeared to be a nice bike, friend gave hom a lift every morning so bike wasn't used, he put it on Gumtree for half price).

This machine replaced my 20 year old EBC Contour 400, which dates back to the days when suspension cost Real Money (tm) so it doesn't have any, and the 'Dale is better in all respects bar the colour scheme. That old EBC never limited my MTBing aspirations: even an old and rather basic MTB is entirely good enough to have lots of fun. The only reason I replaced it was the transmission was at the point where the whole lot needed replacing and the cost was probably more than the bike was worth.

Pete.

[[XAP]Bob]

Does it fit him?

[Wayneb71]

Thanks everyone!

They have the bike in all sizes so size isnt an issue at the minute, its for a birthday present so would prefer new - I have looked on Gumtree and agree that there is some real bargains out there if your quick.

The street cred thing is why we are looking for mountain bikes, in reality a Hybrid would be more suitable, but all his mates have mountain bikes with 29" wheels. I have managed to convince him that 27.5" wheels will be more suitable for him.

Reviews are very few and far between, and the spec means very little to me, other than the shop recommending it to me. The reviews I have found have been very positive.

I wish I could find someone who owns one.

Thanks

[[XAP]Bob]

29 is likely to be very large for a 14yo I'd have thought

[Wayneb71]

Its 29" wheels,

Frame size is available in all sizes.

Thanks

[[XAP]Bob]

Yes, but such large wheels requires a certain amount of frame, or significant compromise

[Wayneb71]

Ah, I see, thats the sort of advice we`re looking for, I guess its just the in thing for the kids to have the huge wheels, I would prefer him to go along the with 27.5" wheels.

I doubt it will be used for anything other than school and gentle trails at the moment. He prefers the look of the big wheels, but in reality wont need them

[eileithyia]

If 29er is what his friends have and he wants, then best to get it.... yes 27.5 might be your preference and might be more practical.... but better he rides it than he stuffs it in the shed and won't go near it because it is not what he wanted.
When transistor radios came in, a friend of mine got his daughter one, but despairing of the fact her friend's all sounded tinny and off station, got an expensive one that tuned in well, she used to have tuned slightly 'off' so it sounded like her mate's transistors.

[[XAP]Bob]

A bike that is ridden is worth much more than one that isn't...

But you do need to be confident that the fit isn't too compromised at the start of the bike's life.
I don't know how large your 14yo is, nor have I looked at new MTB for a *long* time...

[Kojak]

Totally agree with the last 2 comments.
I don't think 29er will hinder him if the bike fits properly in general.
What are the plus point for smaller wheels?

[Wayneb71]

The plus points for smaller wheels are purely based on handling ability for the terrain he will be mainly using it on.

He is average height for his age, probably around 5`7, but still growing of course.

Thanks