Great Performance With Shockrock Bike
Product: ShockRock 24 Kid’s Mountain Bike
Description: A kid’s mountain bike with 24-inch wheels, SR DuoTrak front fork suspension, 18-speed Hyperglide gears with Grip Shift. Specialized Cannibal tires. Custom saddle, Shimano brakes and derailleurs, chromoly and steel frame, and “S” grips. Comes in Team Red colors only.
Pro: A bicycle built for kids using adult’s design specs - a true performance bicycle. The grips are easy to hold onto and offer security, even when the bike is shake-rattle-and-rollin’ over rough terrain. The brake levers and lever-to-handlebar distance has been carefully sized down, and the brake cable system has been streamlined, making it easier for smaller hands to control speed. Tires are built for traction. Although it isn’t top of the line, the SR DuoTrak suspension is more than enough to smooth out the bumps and jumps a child will experience.
Con: No quick release front wheel. True, a quick release wheel in the hands of a child could be perceived as one more hazard we could do without, but lets face it. If a child is being allowed to ride a bike with this much performance, then that child should be taught enough to care for both the bike and themselves. The bottom line here is that without a quick release front wheel, transporting the bike is much more problematic - you can’t just rip the wheel off and place it on a Yakima or Thule roof rack for instance. That means trunk carrying, which few cars have the precious room to spare.
If you have to change a tire, and since this bike is built for performance, one would surmise that it will be ridden off road, increasing the deflation opportunity in remote areas. I would also like to see the bike come with a chain stay protector. On a bike of this quality, adding a $2 part to protect an expensive paint job doesn’t seem too much to ask.
Comments: This ain’t no kids bike! It’s a mature-looking bike for those with slightly less than mature tendencies. With looks this good and performance this hot, your child will have to keep the bike chained to a wall to keep it from migrating to some other child’s garage. What isn’t fair, is that my daughter now has a better bike than I do at half the price … if only the bike was just a bit bigger.
Suggested Retail: $310
Company: Specialized, 15130 Concord Circle, Morgan Hill, CA 95037; 408 779-6229