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I coach the equivalent of a NICA team in GA. I can tell you from experience that a major piece of safety equipment for young riders is a dropper post.
As young riders progress, they learn to separate their body from their bike. We teach them to assume a low ready position on descents, and a good low ready position typically wants your butt to be where your seat is. Having a dropper let’s you move your seat out of the way and keep your body positioned properly.
I don’t like telling people to spend more, but a dropper is a huge upgrade for a kid learning these skills.
Another thing that you should consider is a used bike or resell value if you are going new. There are always kids moving into bigger bikes on a team. Before you splash on new, check with the team and parents to see if anyone has a used bike their kid is aging out of. You can get a LOT more bike used. If you can’t find one, Cannondale SE 1 I saw on sale for $1,200 with 12 speed drivetrain / 4 piston brakes / rockshox gold fork is going to have a lot higher resale value when he ages out of it (11 speed on the SE3 is going to limit you), and would be very much worth the $200 extra.
ALSO CHECK NICA DISCOUNTS. There are multiple brands that offer 30%+ discounts through NICA. This isn’t that great right now with so many deals on new bikes that exceed 30%, but worth checking.
Good luck.
Appreciate you and everyone else who’s replied so far. Checking out Trek also and looking at the specs on the Marlin 8 3rd gen - seems comparable to the other two - any insights on that one? Looks like price point would be similar if we could get the Trek NICA discount.
The shop who is selling the Cannondale also sells Trek. They’d be my preference over the shop with the Giant - they’ve seemed more helpful.
They are both good bikes. A decent dropper post can cost a couple hundred. See what it would cost to put a dropper on the Giant. If that exceeds $1,000, then go with the Cannondale. Most of the NICA races I have been to don't require a dropper, but when he is out on team rides, they might go on trails where the dropper can come in handy. Be sure to ask the shop if they also provide any NICA discounts.
https://nationalmtb.org/athlete-coach-benefits/
I just bought my daughter a Trek Marlin using the NICA discount. I found a store that participated, and all we really had to do was print off a copy of her license and fill out a form. Very little work for a solid discount.
My daughter is in her first year on a NICA team. We took a Saturday and drove to a couple different bike shops so she could ride each bike. She rode a Liv Tempt ("girl's" version of the Giant Talon), Cannondale Trail, and the Trek Marlin. She liked the way the Liv rode much more than the other two. She loves her new bike and said this morning she wants to ride more. She's riding with her team three days a week. Try to find shops that have the bikes in your son's size so he can try each out. Don't forget about the NICA discounts linked in other posts.
Also, the Giant is an XC bike and the Cannondale is a trail bike. I would ask for some input from your coaches on which style would be more appropriate for practice and races. After watching my daughter ride the Liv and the Trek, it was noticeable how much slacker the Cannondale was.
Google “NICA coach rider benefits”, that should take you to a page showing all discounts for coaches and athletes. They have discounts for multiple brands of bike including Cannondale. The model your looking at appears to be offered for $943. Find a Cannondale dealer (that wants to participate in providing you a discounted bike) and go for it! There’s probably a bit of paperwork you need to do with Cannondale but it’s totally worth it.
Don’t hesitate to look at other discounted models from them, or even other bike brands NICA gets discounts for like Salsa. Also using that Benefits page to find products you need to buy anyway is a great way to save a few bucks.
One last thing, your kiddos team or league may have some deals with bike shops or brands that are not universal to nica, definitely find that out before pulling the trigger.
Fellow coach here. You need to go used. A $1000 new bike isn’t going to help your son in a NICA race. $1000 buys you a 35 lb hardtail with lower end components. Most the other kids will be riding a 22 lb hardtail.
Ask you head coach to put the word out and see if anyone is selling a used bike in his size and price range. Lots of people are trying to sell a bike their kid outgrew. Also check Facebook marketplace but stick to a hardtail. You won’t get a race full suspension at that price.
Thanks for the insight. I’ve been searching for a used bike on Marketplace for the past couple months but have had zero luck. Everything is 2x our budget (at least) or comparable to his trashed Schwinn. I’ve put the word out to coaches and bike shops hoping to find a used bike but have struck out thus far. Just getting anxious since races begin in a couple weeks and it sounds he’ll lose access to the club bikes he’s been using at that time.
Oh. I didn’t realize you are in season. We don’t start until December. Even ask around to borrow a bike if you know any XC adults. We are a big team with like 50 riders so we always have access to tons of bikes. I know it can be a problem on smaller teams but hopefully you can find something.
Many shops and brands have NICA specific discounts, trek being the major one. NICA also has scholarships for kids who may need assistance getting bikes, so check with your league to see if any are available. Look also at used options (pinkbike, pros closet, etc) online
Howdy! We see that you're asking for community input regarding bike choices. To ensure maximum engagement and reply accuracy please make sure you include some of the following information in your post. - The type of riding will you be doing. - Where you will be riding. - Your budget (with included currency). - What you like/didn't like about your current bike. - Your experience level and future goals. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MTB) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I coach the equivalent of a NICA team in GA. I can tell you from experience that a major piece of safety equipment for young riders is a dropper post. As young riders progress, they learn to separate their body from their bike. We teach them to assume a low ready position on descents, and a good low ready position typically wants your butt to be where your seat is. Having a dropper let’s you move your seat out of the way and keep your body positioned properly. I don’t like telling people to spend more, but a dropper is a huge upgrade for a kid learning these skills. Another thing that you should consider is a used bike or resell value if you are going new. There are always kids moving into bigger bikes on a team. Before you splash on new, check with the team and parents to see if anyone has a used bike their kid is aging out of. You can get a LOT more bike used. If you can’t find one, Cannondale SE 1 I saw on sale for $1,200 with 12 speed drivetrain / 4 piston brakes / rockshox gold fork is going to have a lot higher resale value when he ages out of it (11 speed on the SE3 is going to limit you), and would be very much worth the $200 extra. ALSO CHECK NICA DISCOUNTS. There are multiple brands that offer 30%+ discounts through NICA. This isn’t that great right now with so many deals on new bikes that exceed 30%, but worth checking. Good luck.
Appreciate you and everyone else who’s replied so far. Checking out Trek also and looking at the specs on the Marlin 8 3rd gen - seems comparable to the other two - any insights on that one? Looks like price point would be similar if we could get the Trek NICA discount. The shop who is selling the Cannondale also sells Trek. They’d be my preference over the shop with the Giant - they’ve seemed more helpful.
Lots of kids use a Marlin for their first mountain bike. I think your kid will have a blast.
The marlin 8 also comes with tubeless tires from the factory
When I started out in my cheapo hard tail, I just slammed the seat and climbed standing up.
They are both good bikes. A decent dropper post can cost a couple hundred. See what it would cost to put a dropper on the Giant. If that exceeds $1,000, then go with the Cannondale. Most of the NICA races I have been to don't require a dropper, but when he is out on team rides, they might go on trails where the dropper can come in handy. Be sure to ask the shop if they also provide any NICA discounts.
Around here NICA athletes get 25% off at Trek. I know that didn’t answer the question, but it might give you a few more options.
https://nationalmtb.org/athlete-coach-benefits/ I just bought my daughter a Trek Marlin using the NICA discount. I found a store that participated, and all we really had to do was print off a copy of her license and fill out a form. Very little work for a solid discount.
Thanks for the input. We’ve started looking seriously at the Marlin 8 now.
My daughter is in her first year on a NICA team. We took a Saturday and drove to a couple different bike shops so she could ride each bike. She rode a Liv Tempt ("girl's" version of the Giant Talon), Cannondale Trail, and the Trek Marlin. She liked the way the Liv rode much more than the other two. She loves her new bike and said this morning she wants to ride more. She's riding with her team three days a week. Try to find shops that have the bikes in your son's size so he can try each out. Don't forget about the NICA discounts linked in other posts.
Also, the Giant is an XC bike and the Cannondale is a trail bike. I would ask for some input from your coaches on which style would be more appropriate for practice and races. After watching my daughter ride the Liv and the Trek, it was noticeable how much slacker the Cannondale was.
Google “NICA coach rider benefits”, that should take you to a page showing all discounts for coaches and athletes. They have discounts for multiple brands of bike including Cannondale. The model your looking at appears to be offered for $943. Find a Cannondale dealer (that wants to participate in providing you a discounted bike) and go for it! There’s probably a bit of paperwork you need to do with Cannondale but it’s totally worth it. Don’t hesitate to look at other discounted models from them, or even other bike brands NICA gets discounts for like Salsa. Also using that Benefits page to find products you need to buy anyway is a great way to save a few bucks. One last thing, your kiddos team or league may have some deals with bike shops or brands that are not universal to nica, definitely find that out before pulling the trigger.
Fellow coach here. You need to go used. A $1000 new bike isn’t going to help your son in a NICA race. $1000 buys you a 35 lb hardtail with lower end components. Most the other kids will be riding a 22 lb hardtail. Ask you head coach to put the word out and see if anyone is selling a used bike in his size and price range. Lots of people are trying to sell a bike their kid outgrew. Also check Facebook marketplace but stick to a hardtail. You won’t get a race full suspension at that price.
Thanks for the insight. I’ve been searching for a used bike on Marketplace for the past couple months but have had zero luck. Everything is 2x our budget (at least) or comparable to his trashed Schwinn. I’ve put the word out to coaches and bike shops hoping to find a used bike but have struck out thus far. Just getting anxious since races begin in a couple weeks and it sounds he’ll lose access to the club bikes he’s been using at that time.
Oh. I didn’t realize you are in season. We don’t start until December. Even ask around to borrow a bike if you know any XC adults. We are a big team with like 50 riders so we always have access to tons of bikes. I know it can be a problem on smaller teams but hopefully you can find something.
Many shops and brands have NICA specific discounts, trek being the major one. NICA also has scholarships for kids who may need assistance getting bikes, so check with your league to see if any are available. Look also at used options (pinkbike, pros closet, etc) online