Source
r/BicycleEngineering•
Fil_Kay

Frame strength of youth vs adult bike

Hello all,

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Is there a difference in frame strength between youth bicycles and adult frames? I'm wondering if the tubing and welds used on youth frames are comparable to those on adult frames, more specifically on mountain bike frames with rear suspension. I assume most manufacturers simply reduce the dimensions but use the same supplies and manufacturing processes when creating a youth version of an adult bike.

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I'm looking at picking up a youth frame for an ongoing project for myself, as I can't find anything suitable in a full-size, but would like to make sure the frame itself will be solid enough.

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Thanks in advance!

Posted Jun 7, 2019, 7:46 PM UTC

44
miasmic•

Kids bikes are actually often stronger because of the smaller dimensions of the tubes. Only a small handful of specialist high-end brands make lightweight framed bikes for kids that aren't overengineered like they were mini-adult bikes.

This is especially the case with the wheels, the cheapest wheels are very poor in strength at 26" or bigger but at smaller sizes the low quality is largely or completely overcome by the natural increase in strength from smaller diameter.

If you look on Youtube there's plenty of examples of people doing crazy stunts on cheap kids bikes that you would not expect a similar quality adult bike to stand up to.

This video is particularly good:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Qvrk8Bgv7A

9
Statuethisisme•

Based purely on the mass of children's/youth's frames, most of them will be as you have surmised, made from the same tube stock.

There are some exceptions, specifically lighter frames made for children, but these are typically more expensive, you can see some examples on this site

4
Fil_KayOP•

Much obliged, I appreciate the confirmation. The ones I'm looking at definitely do not fall into that specially-designed, expensive category, so I don't think I should have too much trouble with them.

3
bikederp•

Short answer, no. Same tube stock. Longer answer; few brands have spent the design resources to build/spec a bike appropriate for younger/lighter riders. I think if they did, then you'd see more super lightweight frames running rigid forks and plus sized 24" tires.

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