Advice for buying mtb for child

surball

I’m thinking about getting a 24” bike for my son. It will actually be used off road in the likes of ballinastoe so I want to get something decent and light. Currently he is riding a 16” bike and it is a little bit small for him, he is aged 7. Is the jump to 24” too much or should I go with 20”?

What are people’s thoughts on suspension? Should I bother?

Where is good to look for second hand bikes? Adverts hasn’t had a great selection over the last while.

Budget would be about 500 if new and maybe 300 for second hand.

Caroline_ie

Hello. When it comes to kids bikes, it's not about how old they are, it's about their height. Most 4'2 ( 130cm) kid would be equally able to ride a 20 and a 24 in bike, but I would always recommend them to go for the 24, because the child will only grow one direction

If your child is 127/130cm, go for the bigger size.

I'm biased ... but below is a link to a good selection of 24 inch bikes. I have most of them listed ones in real life and they're all good bikes for a 7 years old. If you're after suspension bikes, at 7, you don't need 160mm travel If you're not after anything too serious, the Vitus are quite light (no suspension) and the kids Nucleus ( with suspension) gets great reviews. A lot of them are out of stock at the moment, though.

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/s?q=kids+24+bike&cat=direct

El Vino

I always bought my kids really good bikes as there were 3 of them and we just passed down the line when each one moved onto the next size.

Check out the Riprock 24 from Specialized if you can get hold of one. They have really chunky tyres for a small wheeled bike and very good standover height.

https://www.specializedconceptstore.co.uk/product/2610/2016-riprock-24/

surball

Caroline_ie wrote: »

Hello. When it comes to kids bikes, it's not about how old they are, it's about their height. Most 4'2 ( 130cm) kid would be equally able to ride a 20 and a 24 in bike, but I would always recommend them to go for the 24, because the child will only grow one direction

If your child is 127/130cm, go for the bigger size.

I'm biased ... but below is a link to a good selection of 24 inch bikes. I have most of them listed ones in real life and they're all good bikes for a 7 years old. If you're after suspension bikes, at 7, you don't need 160mm travel If you're not after anything too serious, the Vitus are quite light (no suspension) and the kids Nucleus ( with suspension) gets great reviews. A lot of them are out of stock at the moment, though.

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/s?q=kids+24+bike&cat=direct

I measured him up and he certainly would be tall enough for a 24 inch bike. Thanks for the tips. Now I just need to find bikes that are in stock.

surball

El Vino wrote: »

I always bought my kids really good bikes as there were 3 of them and we just passed down the line when each one moved onto the next size.

Check out the Riprock 24 from Specialized if you can get hold of one. They have really chunky tyres for a small wheeled bike and very good standover height.

https://www.specializedconceptstore.co.uk/product/2610/2016-riprock-24/

I am in the same boat for my kids. I will be handing any bikes down the line so willing to spend extra. I like specialized bikes and that one looks great.

Curiousness99

All about getting something light imo as it’s makes it a bit easier on the hills, bike also needs to fit so don’t go the he or she will grow into it. Front suspension is a Decent benefit imo. I’ve had a few specialised a cube bikes for the kids, all pretty good and there’s demand for them when you go to sell

Full face helmets all the way for kids too, definitely saved one of my kids a few teeth I reckon

I’d Check adverts etc (or bike to work scheme!!)

surball

Curiousness99 wrote: »

All about getting something light imo as it’s makes it a bit easier on the hills, bike also needs to fit so don’t go the he or she will grow into it. Front suspension is a Decent benefit imo. I’ve had a few specialised a cube bikes for the kids, all pretty good and there’s demand for them when you go to sell

Full face helmets all the way for kids too, definitely saved one of my kids a few teeth I reckon

I’d Check adverts etc (or bike to work scheme!!)

Good point on the fill face helmet. Hadn’t thought about that.

xxyyzz

The canyon offspring bikes are fantastic. We've had the 16 and currently the 20". They have a great spec and a very sturdy frame. The Vitus nucleus 24 looks like a great little bike but I'm not sure a suspension fork is going to benefit a 4 stone child. It's just extra weight. I'm half thinking of the Trek Roscoe 24 because I think the plus tyres might be more beneficial than a suspension fork, otherwise maybe the Whyte 303.

Whatwicklow

xxyyzz wrote: »

The canyon offspring bikes are fantastic. We've had the 16 and currently the 20".

I am looking at one of this canyon's in a 20" for my lad at the moment, before I pull the trigger how did yours work out?

boomdocker

I've had a couple of Islabikes, and a few Specialized kids bikes through our family (4 kids)
The Islabikes are great - I would definitely go for rigid, at 7 he does not need suspension and you will get a far better,lighter rigid bike
The Specialized (20" and 24") were also great, but in hindsight the Islabike were significantly better

Mate of mine has 9 year old who is currently on this bike, and I must say it's fab, and he's a flyer on it
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/commencal-ramones-24-kids-bike-2020/rp-prod183849

There's a huge difference between a bike of a few hundred quid and say >400 for that age group. But remember you get what you pay for! I know it can seem a bit mad to spend that money on a bike your child will grow out of, but if you want them to get into it and enjoy it, it's worth every penny in my view
And providing you keep it in good nick, you;ll always get a decent few quid back for a good kids bike.

xxyyzz

Whatwicklow wrote: »

I am looking at one of this canyon's in a 20" for my lad at the moment, before I pull the trigger how did yours work out?

Pull the trigger. It's a fantastic little bike and very intelligently designed for kids. There's loads of standover clearance on the top tube and the frame is bombproof. The brakes can be a bit fiddly to adjust the reach so small hands can reach the levers but you'll have that issue with any brakes. Once set up correctly they're grand. There's a good solid little drivetrain on it too. I thought my lad would struggle with the gears but they became second nature within a week. It has a nice surprisingly long wheelbase also so very stable going down hills at speed.

krissovo

Best investment we made were Frog bikes, similar to Islabikes and these transfer down to our other kids very well.

Lightweight, strong, good components and easy to use gears and brakes.

krissovo

xxyyzz wrote: »

The brakes can be a bit fiddly to adjust the reach so small hands can reach the levers but you'll have that issue with any brakes.

Not true for all bikes, Islabikes & frog bikes have brakes that have been engineered to work out the box for smaller hands.

xxyyzz

krissovo wrote: »

Not true for all bikes, Islabikes & frog bikes have brakes that have been engineered to work out the box for smaller hands.

Hydraulic or cable?