Young lad's touring bike?

[MrBent]

Hey, Y'all:  I'm shopping around for a young lad (15).  His family does not have much cash, so I'm getting some folks to chip in for a decent bike.  He's a keen rider and did a 350+ mile mountainous tour with me last year on a bike I loaned him.  He really needs his own ride.  He's about 5'7" with about a 32" inseam, but I don't think he's going to grow A LOT more because his family is Indonesian.  So I'm thinking about a 20" frame.  Anyway, here's the bike I'm thinking about.  I wanted your input.  My plan is to put in a smaller granny--as small as will fit, hopefully 24t--and put on some bar ends.  I'll set it up with the other basics, pump, seat bag, bottles.  For the money, this seems like a great choice. 



Link to bike info.http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/road/fx/72fx/

Thoughts?

Thanks!

Scott

[Bikearound]

I'd say you've made a good choice. Some might bring up the issue of drop bars and hand positions for long distance touring but I tour with straight bars and I like them. You might have to use P clamps for rear racks if you plan on using fenders also but that isn't an issue. I think this is a bike he could ride for many years to come. The only problem with straight bars is that you run out of room quickly for lights, computer, handlebar bag etc. but if you can live without some of that stuff you should be ok.

[MrBent]

Yeah, looks like the Trek is going to work out.  I think he was probably keen on a drop bar, but this bike had the most touring-ready stuff for the price.  I set him up with a rack, pump, etc., and we did our first ride today.  He hasn't been riding enough, but he did okay on a 20+ mile ride with over 2,000 feet of climbing.  We have a couple of months+ before we tour in June.  He'll be ready!  It's a sharp bike and shifts nicely.

Cheers,

Scott