Some folks hit the used market and slowly drip themselves into the poor house one repair at a time. Some folks buy a brand new full-suspension bike and after a year of hard riding, they’re shocked by the estimate to keep it rolling. Whether it’s a high-end super-sled or a very basic rig, it costs at least $1000 a year to keep a well-ridden full suspension bike, of any level, running. 

In fact, that money runs out quick between the front and rear suspension service, a frame bearing overhaul, brake bleeds, pads, drivetrain parts, and etc. And sure, arguments about better longevity aside, a high-end cassette, chain, or chainring costs more to replace than basic stuff but whether you have Deore or XTR a sintered Shimano brake pad costs the same. 

Worse yet, corners cut on that basic rig to hit a certain price point often mean shitty headset & frame bearings, crappy rear hubs, and other parts that will need to be replaced sooner than the higher quality units that come with a bigger initial investment. 

Avoiding the ancient-and-abused full-suspension market for a fresh example means no money burned replacing cracked frame components – or worse trying to find a replacement frame that your components are compatible with if the frame ends up being an unserviceable write-off. But, keeping a rear shock working optimality costs at least $200/year on a bike that is being ridden. Add another $250 outlay every year or two for frame bearings and labour on many bikes (there are some winners out there that have larger bearings that are better shielded and will last longer). 

This is no different when it comes to buying bikes for kids, tweens, or teens. Dropping $2500 on a full-suspension bike for your 8-year-old, who is going to ride it a ton, is actually committing to the first payment on a yearly investment to keep it running or the karma-hit of flipping it for too much money to another parent when you know damn well that it’s a pending money pit. 

I’ve recently chatted with a few friends about bikes for their teenagers. These are big kids that love mountain biking but aren’t going to be lining up for World Cup DH Racing or hitting the EWS. They are riding black trails on Fromme and Seymour and need bikes that are fun and capable for those sport surfaces and one of the key goals – whether parents are going halfers or putting up the up-front purchase cost – is that their kids will be able to look after at least some of the maintenance costs. 

Powered by chores, if you will.

And that’s how we’ve got to this month’s edition of “you should buy a hardtail,” just this time it’s for your kid. A modern hardtail, with good-enough parts that aren’t too expensive to replace when they break or wear out where it’s actually realistic a weekend job or even mowing the lawn, will keep it in action. No hardtail propaganda here about how they’re actually a ton of fun or any unsupported claims about how they’ll make your teenager a better rider, they’re just straight-up a heck of a lot cheaper to keep running. 

There are plenty of good options for an initial investment under 2K with figuring out birthday and holiday gifts sorted out from that moment forward. You’re still looking at brake pads, brake bleeds, some tubeless sealant, a fork service, and a chain after a year of use (okay, so more frequently for the tubeless sealant) at least a couple of those jobs you’ll be able to do at home together. 

And you’ll be surprised how much fun they’ll have, and how well they’ll keep up, even riding with their friends on brand new full-suspension rigs – and especially riding with their friends on clapped-out full-suspension rigs. That’s in addition to how much easier and cheaper it is to keep the bike riding fresh.