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Submitted by
ionstorm
a TriathleteDate Reviewed: June 7, 2009
Strengths: A real kids' road bike -- FAST! Kid friendly high leverage brake levers (long reach but easy to pull), triple crankset for those steep hills, component level/cost ratio just about right. Sooooo cool for a little kid to ride around town.Weaknesses: Availability of 24" road tubes and tires, maybe Gripshift on the bar tops would have been better than downtube shifters. Came with ugly vinyl bar tape.Bottom Line: This bike is actually a D2 24" not a Xenon, but I believe it is similar. This is a great kids' road bike. We got it over the winter and my 9 year old son raced his first tri this year on it yesterday, smashing his bike split compared to his mountain bike, and averaged almost 30 km/h! Despite the very short stem, reach is still a bit long and I was worried about the stretch to the brake levers which are also far from the handlebars. But these old style non-shifter aero brake levers (see SheldonBrown on these) have high leverage and are easy for small hands to pull, so stopping has been no problem. The downtube shifters require ability to ride this short wheeelbase bike one handed, though, which took some time. And yes, it takes some effort to teach them how to manipulate the levers to get the gear they want. Small hands also have problems with STI levers, though, so I wonder if gripshift on the bar tops would be better. It's all worth it -- he just loves it! I do believe there is a need for speed...
Favorite Ride: fast
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At: used
Similar Products Used: Decent aluminum frame kids 20" wheel mountain bike
Bike Setup: Added cyclocross-style interruptor brake levers on bar tops for safety, but the regular levers are so easy for small hands to pull from the hoods position, they aren't really needed. Changed the smooth edged clip/strap pedals for pedals with grippier teeth and strapless plastic toe clips, put on proper cork bar tape.
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