# First mountain bike for my 14-year-old **URL:** \ **Category:** What to Buy\ **Tags:** mountain-bike\ **Created:** [November 5, 2026, 12:11pm UTC](https://community.escapecollective.com/t/first-mountain-bike-for-my-14-year-old/6101 "2026-11-05T12:11:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![D\_Mase](https://community.escapecollective.com/user_avatar/community.escapecollective.com/d_mase/32/2068_2.png) [@D\_Mase](https://community.escapecollective.com/u/D_Mase)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 12:11pm UTC](https://community.escapecollective.com/t/first-mountain-bike-for-my-14-year-old/6101/1 "2026-11-05T12:11:02Z")
Hey everyone! My 14-year old enjoys riding their hybrid bike around our suburban area. They’ve expressed the desire to start going mountain biking with me and I am really struggling with how to find them a good first bike. They’re not particularly good at bike handling, so I’ve been looking for something with a trail geometry and fork travel. I’m wondering if (1) there are any hardtails worth looking at and (2) where on earth you can find a used bike at a reasonable quality and price point? My FLBS can cut me a deal on a Salsa Timberjack with a decent build, but it’s still over $1k US; online used bike shopping seems like a total mess (TPC: too expensive; Facebook/Craigslist: bad bikes, mostly stolen). Any suggestions? Thanks!! ---
**Author:** ![Henoch\_Getz](https://community.escapecollective.com/user_avatar/community.escapecollective.com/henoch_getz/32/4455_2.png) [@Henoch\_Getz](https://community.escapecollective.com/u/Henoch_Getz)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 3:05pm UTC](https://community.escapecollective.com/t/first-mountain-bike-for-my-14-year-old/6101/2 "2026-11-05T15:05:03Z")
Are you located in the US? In my area there are a few very active mountain bike clubs with forums and/or Facebook pages, I think a good start would be to post on those if anyone is selling a bike? I have seen a few posts like this on my local mountain community forums. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Mase](https://community.escapecollective.com/user_avatar/community.escapecollective.com/d_mase/32/2068_2.png) [@D\_Mase](https://community.escapecollective.com/u/D_Mase)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 3:50pm UTC](https://community.escapecollective.com/t/first-mountain-bike-for-my-14-year-old/6101/3 "2026-11-05T15:50:02Z")
I am, yes. In my area the big mtb organization is [https://more-mtb.org/](https://more-mtb.org/) . I will see if they have forums! Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Henoch\_Getz](https://community.escapecollective.com/user_avatar/community.escapecollective.com/henoch_getz/32/4455_2.png) [@Henoch\_Getz](https://community.escapecollective.com/u/Henoch_Getz)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 4:24pm UTC](https://community.escapecollective.com/t/first-mountain-bike-for-my-14-year-old/6101/4 "2026-11-05T16:24:49Z")
Also check and see if they have a FB page. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_S](https://community.escapecollective.com/user_avatar/community.escapecollective.com/tom_s/32/396_2.png) [@Tom\_S](https://community.escapecollective.com/u/Tom_S)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 4:51pm UTC](https://community.escapecollective.com/t/first-mountain-bike-for-my-14-year-old/6101/5 "2026-11-05T16:51:48Z")
My son rode a Trek Marlin for a full NICA season in 8th grade. It’s totally fine! Start on a lower end bike, get involved in the community and if your kid stays interested and wants to progress, then you’ll more easily identify what type of riding they like and what features are really important. I know it is frustrating giving a kid a lower end bike, especially for smaller kids who would really benefit from a lighter bike, but they don’t know any difference and it won’t be the deal breaker which determines if they will or won’t continue riding. ---
**Author:** ![BJM](https://community.escapecollective.com/user_avatar/community.escapecollective.com/bjm/32/3462_2.png) [@BJM](https://community.escapecollective.com/u/BJM)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 9:03pm UTC](https://community.escapecollective.com/t/first-mountain-bike-for-my-14-year-old/6101/6 "2026-11-05T21:03:58Z")
My kids both had Marlins, great value bikes. They also rode a really old 26" SC Heckler of mine I brought back to life for them. ---
**Author:** ![Matty](https://community.escapecollective.com/user_avatar/community.escapecollective.com/matty/32/2981_2.png) [@Matty](https://community.escapecollective.com/u/Matty)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 10:45pm UTC](https://community.escapecollective.com/t/first-mountain-bike-for-my-14-year-old/6101/7 "2026-11-05T22:45:26Z")
Polygon Xtrada (6 or 7 for the dropper post) within the budget? ---
**Author:** ![D\_Mase](https://community.escapecollective.com/user_avatar/community.escapecollective.com/d_mase/32/2068_2.png) [@D\_Mase](https://community.escapecollective.com/u/D_Mase)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 12:52am UTC](https://community.escapecollective.com/t/first-mountain-bike-for-my-14-year-old/6101/8 "2026-11-06T00:52:20Z")
> [@Tom\_S](#): > > I know it is frustrating giving a kid a lower end bike, especially for smaller kids who would really benefit from a lighter bike, but they don’t know any difference and it won’t be the deal breaker which determines if they will or won’t continue riding. Thanks! A used Marlin seems to be the only used thing in a reasonable price range I could find. I don’t mind the build on it being low end nor do I mind the weight…however the geometry and fork travel are not very slack/long and there’s no dropper. I strongly doubt she’ll want to race XC so I was hopeful to get something more able to help her feel confident on the rough stuff. But I may end up there anyway since a $300 used Marlin is a decent bike and is cheap! ---
**Author:** ![D\_Mase](https://community.escapecollective.com/user_avatar/community.escapecollective.com/d_mase/32/2068_2.png) [@D\_Mase](https://community.escapecollective.com/u/D_Mase)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 12:54am UTC](https://community.escapecollective.com/t/first-mountain-bike-for-my-14-year-old/6101/9 "2026-11-06T00:54:28Z")
Interesting, it would be about the same as the Salsa. So maybe? I’m not sure how to get one around me (DC). ---
**Author:** ![Matty](https://community.escapecollective.com/user_avatar/community.escapecollective.com/matty/32/2981_2.png) [@Matty](https://community.escapecollective.com/u/Matty)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 1:22am UTC](https://community.escapecollective.com/t/first-mountain-bike-for-my-14-year-old/6101/10 "2026-11-06T01:22:44Z")
[https://bikesonline.com/collections/hardtail-mountain-bikes](https://bikesonline.com/collections/hardtail-mountain-bikes) I don’t believe you’ll find an instore presence anywhere though. Without further details I assume the fork is steel so probably weighs a ton, which might be a turnoff. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_S](https://community.escapecollective.com/user_avatar/community.escapecollective.com/tom_s/32/396_2.png) [@Tom\_S](https://community.escapecollective.com/u/Tom_S)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 1:50am UTC](https://community.escapecollective.com/t/first-mountain-bike-for-my-14-year-old/6101/11 "2026-11-06T01:50:08Z")
More capable bikes just enable us to go faster. Kids don’t have any expectation of how fast they could go with a better bike, they’ll make do with what they’ve got, and just go slower! We all used to ride short travel, twitchy / steep geos, and it was a blast! ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_S](https://community.escapecollective.com/user_avatar/community.escapecollective.com/tom_s/32/396_2.png) [@Tom\_S](https://community.escapecollective.com/u/Tom_S)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 1:55am UTC](https://community.escapecollective.com/t/first-mountain-bike-for-my-14-year-old/6101/12 "2026-11-06T01:55:13Z")
I got one of these and it’s great! Super cheap and easy to install. Granted, most our riding is up, up, up and down, down, down. So easy to stop and adjust. Totally understand the utility of a remote actuated, quick adjust option, but this works when you really need it. [https://www.jensonusa.com/ks-exaform-speed-up-dropper-seatpost](https://www.jensonusa.com/ks-exaform-speed-up-dropper-seatpost) ---
**Author:** ![Robert\_Bennett](https://community.escapecollective.com/user_avatar/community.escapecollective.com/robert_bennett/32/2144_2.png) [@Robert\_Bennett](https://community.escapecollective.com/u/Robert_Bennett)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 11:34am UTC](https://community.escapecollective.com/t/first-mountain-bike-for-my-14-year-old/6101/13 "2026-11-06T11:34:25Z")
I run a mountain bike program at a boarding school in NC. I have boys aged 13-18 in our program and the majority of them use our school owned Giant aluminum hardtails without issue. We are in Western NC and even the least skilled kids eventually become capable of riding true singletrack sucessfully. Most big brands have a similar mtb on offer. Most full suspension bikes in that price range are going to be so heavy. I feel a lighter hardtail is better than a heavy full suspension bike. A few bullet points based on my experience -I would try to get Shimano or Sram brakes. The Tektro brakes that came on my Giant fleet are junk and when a kid crashes the brake lever tends to break. The Tektro are also a pain to change pads or do a bleed. -Tubeless with quality tires makes a huge difference over the stock tube type. -If you join NICA team in US, Specialized and Trek offer generous discounts on bikes and equipment -NICA teams often are a source for used bikes as kids grow or upgrade their bikes. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Mase](https://community.escapecollective.com/user_avatar/community.escapecollective.com/d_mase/32/2068_2.png) [@D\_Mase](https://community.escapecollective.com/u/D_Mase)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 11:47am UTC](https://community.escapecollective.com/t/first-mountain-bike-for-my-14-year-old/6101/14 "2026-11-06T11:47:41Z")
Thank you! Very helpful. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_S](https://community.escapecollective.com/user_avatar/community.escapecollective.com/tom_s/32/396_2.png) [@Tom\_S](https://community.escapecollective.com/u/Tom_S)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 3:25pm UTC](https://community.escapecollective.com/t/first-mountain-bike-for-my-14-year-old/6101/15 "2026-11-06T15:25:53Z")
> [@Robert\_Bennett](#): > > If you join NICA team in US, Specialized and Trek offer generous discounts on bikes and equipment > > -NICA teams often are a source for used bikes as kids grow or upgrade their bikes Yes, this is true in California as well. ---
**Author:** ![Henoch\_Getz](https://community.escapecollective.com/user_avatar/community.escapecollective.com/henoch_getz/32/4455_2.png) [@Henoch\_Getz](https://community.escapecollective.com/u/Henoch_Getz)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 4:32pm UTC](https://community.escapecollective.com/t/first-mountain-bike-for-my-14-year-old/6101/16 "2026-11-06T16:32:27Z")
If you are in DC/Baltimore area there has got to be a Giant dealer near you. This looks like a pretty epic deal at $750, comes pretty well equipped, tubeless ready Maxxis Tires, Dropper post, Shimnao drivetrain, only place I see that they cheeped out is with the Tektro breaks, but I think that if I were you, I’d just get this today and be done with the shopping, you can buy it locally, so still get a shops support etc… [https://www.liv-cycling.com/us/lurra-2-2023](https://www.liv-cycling.com/us/lurra-2-2023) I bought my kid a Liv last December when they had a similar deal, bought it at a local shop and even though it was so cheap they still are giving me the same free service they offer on all of their bikes.