Bikes Store-4U

GMC Denali Girl’s 24-Inch Road Bike Sized for the smaller rider, the GMC Denali girl’s 24-inch road bike is perfect for kids who are still growing or who are stature-challenged but still want a high-quality ride. The frame size is 16 inches, while the stand-over height is 21 inches, giving it all the strength, durability, and style of the full-size Denali but in a proportional size. More significantly, it’s outfitted with a full array of elite alloy components, including a sturdy triple-chaining alloy crank set, precision brakes, easy-to-grip handlebars, and smooth- rolling wheels.

Hill climbing is made easier thanks to the sturdy crank set and trusty Shimano TZ40 derailleurs, which round out the drive train, while the Shimano Revo 21- speed twist shifters provide precise, hassle-free shifts. Other details include a lightweight 36-spoke wheel set with V-profile rims, Kenda tires with color accent trims, and a lifetime warranty on the frame and fork.

Customer Review: Girls GMC Denali 24" wheel road bike
This is exactly what you pay for, a department store level road bike. It is not going to measure up to a racing standards road bike for kids such as a Felt, Fuji, etc. and does not advertise to do so. It really can’t be beat at its price point though, and if you are like myself and can’t justify spending a large sum of money for a bike your child will out grow in a couple of years, then this may be the bike for you. This bike will need some work when you get it though, so be prepared for a little bike mechanic work. The wheels will most likely need trued, ours did; no big deal. The handlebar/stem assembly is kind of odd with an undersized bar and an oversized stem with spacers to make up the difference; this too was fairly easy to remedy with different bars and stem. The brake levers are still to large for smaller hands to operate, so I installed in line cross top bar levers which required some work since it is very crowded with the grip shift up on the bars. I am considering installing smaller brake levers in the future as my daughter improves her riding skills. This bike has an aluminum frame which is a plus and is not that heavy too. I think it makes a great starter road bike, we plan on riding some organized 15-25 mile rides together and my daughter wants to race some kids duathlons and triathlons, which is why we purchased a road bike. The upgrades could cost 60-80 dollars if you do your on mechanic work, but if you have a source for cheap parts or shop around a bit you could get them for 20-30 dollars, I did, but keep this in mind before you purchase. She likes the wider tires, says it is easier to balance than the narrower tired racing bikes we test rode. As a beginner road bike for 9-11 year olds, especially those light and short in stature, this is a good deal.
Customer Review: Nice bike but brakes are an issue
This bike is really nice. It looks sharp, is built great for the price point, and is the only thing I found under $300 that was the right size in between the avg 24" kids bike and a small framed adult bike.
We bought this bike for our 7 yr old daughter. She is avg size and strength and could not use the hand brakes at all. We had to spend another $80 to modify the bike so it was safe for her to ride. After several prof opinions we ended up replacing the twist gear shifters with thumb leaver shifters plus added another set of small hand brakes under the handlebar at each side of the stem. We could not safely fit a second set of brakes on the bar without switching the shifters out.
If GMC could just add another set of hand brakes this bike would be perfect!

[tags]Road, bike[/tags]

This entry was posted on Friday, May 29th, 2009 at 4:57 pm and is filed under Road Bikes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.