Cleary Bikes - Awesome Kid's Bikes

**Danno** · 06-12-2016, 07:03 PM

If anyone wants to sell one of those Clearys...

**bagtagley** · 06-13-2016, 07:02 AM

Day one of camp wasn't ideal. Little nerves driven breakdown as we were leaving the house, and a lot of stress about her abilities once we got there. They had a geared 24 incher for her. Despite being a pretty nice bike, it was really heavy and unwieldy compared to the Cleary. She tried it out a couple of times through the day, but despite riding it fine, she was never comfortable with it. Doing drills while trying to figure out a completely different bike was a bit too much, so we stuck with the Cleary. I can see why they suggest gears, though. They did a few drills, then had them on the trails for the rest of the camp. They did a lot more riding, and climbing, than I expected.

Day two saw a huge turnaround. She rocked it. Major improvement according to the coaches, and she got a call out for being the only girl on a singlespeed. Gotta keep the momentum going, which means new bike. When I bought the Cleary, we sized some bikes and I did all the measurements, and she was solidly on a 20", but that Cleary is too damn small for her. It was obvious as soon as we arrived and saw smaller girls on bigger bikes. I know she's grown a lot since December, but I feel like I'm losing my mind. There were girls her height on 26" bikes! I don't regret getting the Cleary because I think its size and weight allowed her to learn and progress, but fuck, I was hoping to get more than 6 months out of the thing. Luckily, we got blue, so I can just give it to her brother.

Originally Posted by wkd-rdr

Enter the DiamondBack Sync'r 24 (suggestion from a friend who said he researched everything and found it to be the best price point available.)

Been looking at that since you posted. I was already planning to get that 5% Amazon card, so could make the deal work. Just need to come up with the rest. I like the idea of familiar sizes and standards. I'm concerned that 32x36 won't be low enough, though. I watched a lot of capable kids riding this weekend, and on any moderate incline, they were almost all spinning granny. I could put a 30t and an 11-42 on it, but that makes it a much less attractive deal.

Originally Posted by Danno

If anyone wants to sell one of those Clearys...

I'll likely be selling a Hedgehog here soon. I'll let you know.

**Danno** · 06-13-2016, 09:18 AM

Originally Posted by bagtagley

I'll likely be selling a Hedgehog here soon. I'll let you know.

thanks, but I need a 20 incher.

**Dantheman** · 06-13-2016, 09:24 AM

Originally Posted by wkd-rdr

Enter the DiamondBack Sync'r 24

Nice, those Sync'rs are really well spec'ed for the price.

Originally Posted by mcsquared

After watching my 5yo struggle with the coaster brake specialized I got him for his birthday (he would panic and take his feet of the pedals, crash, hate riding bikes) I popped for a cleary and it was night and day. Kid is killing it now.

Awesome!

Originally Posted by bagtagley

Day two saw a huge turnaround. She rocked it. Major improvement according to the coaches, and she got a call out for being the only girl on a singlespeed.

Double awesome!

Originally Posted by bagtagley

but fuck, I was hoping to get more than 6 months out of the thing.

Dang, growth spurts are a bitch.

**bagtagley** · 06-14-2016, 07:47 AM

Just don't think the Sync'r is the right fit for my daughter. There are some badass bikes out there for kids, but I'm not spending the money for a Trailcraft or Spawn, at least not at this stage. Seems like the Cleary Meerkat may be the way to go. It's got everything she should need right now at a solid price point, it's light, and it's easily upgradeable as she progresses. Anybody with some experience have thoughts on lightweight 24" bikes?

**Dantheman** · 06-14-2016, 10:19 AM

What specifically has you leaning towards the Meerkat over the Syncr? I know you were concerned about the gearing, but the Syncr's 32x36 is only 1% higher than 28x32 on the Meerkat. With that Amazon deal, the 1x10 setup and the spidered cranks on the Syncr you could add a Sunrace wide-range cassette and 30t ring and still be out-the-door for less than a Meerkat (and you get a pretty solid suspension fork too). It would cost a lot more to make similar changes to the Meerkat since it's 1x9 and has a fixed chainring.

**bagtagley** · 06-14-2016, 11:08 AM

Weight, mostly. 22 lbs vs 29 lbs. I've already got an 11x36 cassette I could put on. With the AJ discount, that helps with cost quite a bit.

No first-hand experience, but it seems like people prefer the air version of that fork, which is what I'd put on eventually. Keep it coming, though. Not saying I'm right, just where my head is right now.

Edited to add, there's also an emotional aspect. I like Cleary bikes, I like that they're steel - not based on any performance advantage, just cause - and I like the way they look. They're sweet little bikes.

**Dantheman** · 06-14-2016, 12:29 PM

Originally Posted by bagtagley

Weight, mostly. 22 lbs vs 29 lbs.

Damn, I didn't realize the weights were that different. I figured they were much closer given the frame materials.

Originally Posted by bagtagley

No first-hand experience, but it seems like people prefer the air version of that fork, which is what I'd put on eventually.

Ah, I thought the Syncr had the air version. That's probably where a lot of the weight is. There's some people on MTBR with the XCR Air and RST F1RST forks on their kids' bikes and it sounds like both work quite well. There's pros and cons to each. The RST is about 150g lighter thanks to alloy stanchion tubes, but the Suntour comes in a 80mm version and looks cleaner since it lacks v-brake bosses.

Originally Posted by bagtagley

Edited to add, there's also an emotional aspect. I like Cleary bikes, I like that they're steel - not based on any performance advantage, just cause - and I like the way they look. They're sweet little bikes.

Agreed. Jeff also seems like a really nice guy who's worth supporting. There's a few things I wish they would change, such as ditching the fixed chainring cranksets and narrow hipster bars, but overall they make great bikes.

This guy on MTBR would be the one to ask about customizing the Meerkat.
http://forums.mtbr.com/families-ridi...s-1013315.html

He's also a Cleary dealer. He had another post somewhere where he mentioned a drastic improvement in his son's riding when he moved from a Hotrock 24 to the Meerkat. The Hotrock was actually lighter, but the geo on the Meerkat made it much more nimble and responsive despite the weight penalty.

**wkd-rdr** · 06-15-2016, 02:16 PM

Originally Posted by bagtagley

Just don't think the Sync'r is the right fit for my daughter. There are some badass bikes out there for kids, but I'm not spending the money for a Trailcraft or Spawn, at least not at this stage. Seems like the Cleary Meerkat may be the way to go. It's got everything she should need right now at a solid price point, it's light, and it's easily upgradeable as she progresses. Anybody with some experience have thoughts on lightweight 24" bikes?

I'll just add my perspective.

All kids will use granny gear for anything that's not downhill (I guess I do the same, granny is granny, and I ride her a lot). So I don't worry about gears. She can climb much better on the Sync'r 24 than the HotRock 20 and they are similar in weight. (bigger wheels?)

Speaking of weight, I've dropped a pound by getting a lighter handlebar (also narrower, the stock is too long @ 720mm), and making it tubeless. The Sync'r has some meaty tires which adds weight, but also some cushion, they could be swapped with something light for more savings. I'm at 27lbs now. (Cleary says Meerkat is 24lbs)

The fork, yeah the air version would be better. The preload is as soft as it can be and she can bounce it and it helps, but its still set for someone twice her weight. But she digs it, and it surely helps soften bumps. One ride and, 'I'll never ride my pink bike again'. She picked up the thumb trigger shifter in about 30 seconds, and liked it better than the old twist 6 speed. I'm not sure how the Cleary shifter functions, looks a bit strange.

The sync'r looks/feels (yes I rode it) like a mini mountain bike. Its a good package, great geo, and can be upgraded along the way.

new bars/grips $20

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**bagtagley** · 06-15-2016, 02:55 PM

Thanks for the perspective, wkd-rdr. You're right about the weight, not sure where I read 22 pounds. Seems like the DB would be pretty easy to lighten up for not much money. I'm still on the fence.

**bagtagley** · 06-17-2016, 03:47 PM

There's a used "very good" condition Sync'r on Amazon for $450. I've bought lots of used like new stuff and have been happy, but never below that. Good deal if it's just an open box.

**bodywhomper** · 07-11-2016, 03:47 PM

[moved to other thread]

**DasBlunt** · 07-13-2016, 07:19 PM

Damn, Stucky cunts up another good thread.

**alias_rice** · 07-30-2016, 07:02 PM

Does anyone have any experience with this one?
http://www.commencalusa.com/ramones-...16-c2x17825573

It's a few lbs. heavier (18 lbs) but I can also get it for about $50 less than the Cleary and $110 less than the Spawn, and seems like a pretty nice bike. It's time to get my 5 year old off his POS Walmart special.

**LightRanger** · 08-08-2016, 10:42 AM

Originally Posted by Steven S. Dallas

Not to thread jack, but when the time comes for a balance bike check out FirstBike. Plastic frame is very light and durable, the design is super safe (all bolts and other connections are fully recessed, range of motion on the fork is limited for stability and so they can't over rotate the bars and stuff it), and it has a pretty powerful rear disc hand brake that my kid picked up on easily. They run a little big but it's a great item. This is the one Luc has- not the coolest colorway but they have some sweet ones.

Yo SDS, thanks for this recommendation. Got one for my twins (son is way bigger than his sister, so we only need one at the moment). Definitely a step above the other balance bikes I've seen.

**Dantheman** · 08-12-2016, 01:38 PM

Originally Posted by alias_rice

Does anyone have any experience with this one?
http://www.commencalusa.com/ramones-...16-c2x17825573

It's a few lbs. heavier (18 lbs) but I can also get it for about $50 less than the Cleary and $110 less than the Spawn, and seems like a pretty nice bike. It's time to get my 5 year old off his POS Walmart special.

Those are good little bikes with positive reviews from several owners on MTBR. A similar bike to consider is the Stampede Sprinter 16 (https://stampedebikes.com/product/sprinter-ss-16/), though it looks like they're currently out of stock. The major drawback to either compared to the Spawn is that increasing the gear ratio requires new cranks and/or a new rear wheel. That may or may not be an issue for your kid. For reference, I have my son's Hedgehog geared at 34x13, but he really loves to stand up and hammer.

**bodywhomper** · 08-30-2016, 12:16 AM

Originally Posted by XXX-er

so instead of buying yer kid a run bike buy them a half decent 16" with pedals and take the crank/pedals/chain/ trainer wheels off, when the kid asks you for them put all the parts back on, it will probably be cheaper/less hassle

This is what we've done for all the kids.

Our daughter finally clicked with one of the bikes with the drivetrain assembled over the weekend. She's balanced fine for years with using this bike as a balance bike. She's six and it took a while for everything to click because we live on a dirt road that is not flat, and it's a bit of a sag (and production) to get to someplace that is flat and paved. This past week, we hung at a campground with plenty of flat and safe dirt and paved areas. She spent all of her free time pedaling around. On to the nearby flat dirt trail systems....

We paid $20 for that bike (used) in 2008.

**Sirshredalot** · 03-31-2018, 11:16 PM

I think I'm in the Gecko market. Is anyone holding?

**Danno** · 04-01-2018, 08:15 AM

I'm in the owl market.

**Ritalin Kid** · 04-08-2018, 11:10 PM

I picked up the Specialized Riprock 20 that has gears and disc brakes for my 5.5 yr old...total game changer from his single speed with coaster brakes. First time at Duthie he was having fun on the single track and not having to walk up all the hills (he kept in the granny gear most of the time). Also good brakes adjusted to require a short pull and pivoted slightly up have stopped him from dragging his feet to slow down when he gets going too fast.

Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

**bagtagley** · 04-09-2018, 09:43 AM

I'm selling my son's Hedgehog if anybody is interested. He learned how to ride on it, but we could never keep his interest. He loved his balance bike and scooter, but not his Hedgehog. So, it's basically new.

**Canada1** · 04-09-2018, 10:23 AM

I have a trek MT 60 20" for sale. It's not light, but it shifts well, is hyper adjustable to get several seasons out of it and is $75.00. In park city and I won't ship. Aluminum frame, Shimano grip shift.

It was a good bike for my daughter, and still works great!

**PowderPig** · 04-09-2018, 11:06 AM

Originally Posted by bagtagley

I'm selling my son's Hedgehog if anybody is interested. He learned how to ride on it, but we could never keep his interest. He loved his balance bike and scooter, but not his Hedgehog. So, it's basically new.

Maybe interested in the Hedgehog. How much, and where is it located? Color?

**cmcrawfo** · 04-09-2018, 11:34 AM

anyone know what kind of cord that is on the first page? and how do you secure it to both of the bikes?

**Dantheman** · 04-09-2018, 01:07 PM

Originally Posted by cmcrawfo

anyone know what kind of cord that is on the first page? and how do you secure it to both of the bikes?

That was just a bungee cord I was using to test out the concept. I later upgraded to a medium RuffWear Roamer (https://www.backcountryedge.com/ruff...D_BwE#284=6534) that I removed the leash clip from and added a couple biners from an old quickdraw. Worked great. I made attachments on my seat tube and his head tube using a couple of those big industrial zip ties.

This company launched about a year ago: https://towwhee.com/

Looks like a quality product. From my experience it seems a bit long for anywhere with switchbacks or turny trails in the trees, but it seems to work well for them. The kids in their video seem old enough to be pedaling themselves, but I digress.