Best 24" wheel kids mountain bike?

[graememac]

I'm looking at getting my son a decentish mountain bike for xmas without breaking the bank. has anyone got any recomendations for a bike around the £200 mark?
I like the look of the specialized hotrock but have only seen it at £270 at the cheapest. any ideas?

[scrwright]

define best, went shopping with my 7yo for his birthday and ended up with a Saracen TT junior, maybe not the best for the price but it was the best as he liked the colour, wouldn't have any other bike.
can be had from about £170


this years is a boring blue colour
http://www.saracen.co.uk/bikes/junior/tufftrax-jnr...

[graememac]

To define best would be....
front suspension or rigid frame, something fairly lightweight as loads of these kids bikes weigh more than my mountain bike! something with decent components on that will last. That saracen looks ok for the money though

[FWDRacer]

www.islabikes.co.uk - Beinn 24 seems to meet your criteria - if a little expensive. Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten etc...

[graememac]

I do like the isla bikes but the model that would suit him would be the benin 26" small but thats £350, a little too far over budget. will have to keep an eye on ebay!

[Mars]

My son won't accept anything without disks next time around (he's on a 20" wheeler - 24 next). Can't blame him after I've spent a fortune on my bikes. There are no disk braked 20" wheelers (the odd one has a front disk which just looks wierd and is exceptionally heavy) but there must be some decent 24"ers. He deserves it though - he uses his bike a lot, and now I've a hardtail, we'll be doing more tracks and trails.

[Silver940]

Carrera Blast? I was looking at a Luna for my 8 year old, same bike essentially. Comes with disks, not too heavy. In Halfords so easy to go look at.

[v8 jago]

Mars said:

My son won't accept anything without disks next time around (he's on a 20" wheeler - 24 next). Can't blame him after I've spent a fortune on my bikes. There are no disk braked 20" wheelers (the odd one has a front disk which just looks wierd and is exceptionally heavy) but there must be some decent 24"ers. He deserves it though - he uses his bike a lot, and now I've a hardtail, we'll be doing more tracks and trails.

What bike has he got ?? Im trying to pin a decent 20" bike down for my 4 yr old and 7 yr old and its a mine field.

[Gretchen]

My nine and ten year olds both have Trek MT220 s.

From the Evans Cycles site:


 
The Trek MT Track 220 Boy's 2011 Kids Bike (24 Inch Wheel). With its durable aluminium frame and front suspension, the MT 220 is ready for all the fun your child can shell out. The Dialled crank has two pedal positions for growing legs, and the quality Bontrager, Shimano and SRAM components keep the ride going.
 
This bike is suitable for children aged between 9 and 11 years old. For more information please contact us or visit your local store.
 
Frame:Alpha White Series Aluminium
Fork:Dialled SR Suntour suspension, 50mm
Front Derailleur:Suntour XCM
Rear Derailleur:SRAM 3.0
Shifters:SRAM 3.0 Dialled, 21 speed
Chainset:Dialled adjustable length 127mm-152mm
Chainrings:42/32/24 tooth Chainrings
Cassette:Shimano 14-28 tooth, 7 speed
Pedals:Dialled 24" size, platform
Front Brake:Linear pull
Rear Brake:Linear pull
Brake Levers:Dialled alloy levers
Handlebars:Bontrager SSR 560mm, 25mm rise
Stem:Dialled, 65mm , 25 degree
Rims:32 hole aluminium 24" rims
Front Hub:Alloy
Rear Hub:Alloy
Front Tyre:Bontrager SX, 24x2.0"
Rear Tyre:Bontrager SX, 24x2.0"
Saddle:Dialled 24" size, padded
Seatpost:Steel
Weight:29.23lbs (13.26kgs) Approx.

They're great bikes. Both boys have learnt to ride on these and they still have a good few years in them. Around your budget I think too.

Edited by Gretchen on Tuesday 15th November 20:50

[Mars]

v8 jago said:

Mars said:

My son won't accept anything without disks next time around (he's on a 20" wheeler - 24 next). Can't blame him after I've spent a fortune on my bikes. There are no disk braked 20" wheelers (the odd one has a front disk which just looks wierd and is exceptionally heavy) but there must be some decent 24"ers. He deserves it though - he uses his bike a lot, and now I've a hardtail, we'll be doing more tracks and trails.

What bike has he got ?? Im trying to pin a decent 20" bike down for my 4 yr old and 7 yr old and its a mine field.

I did a fair bit of research and settled on the Ridgeback MX20.

Money wasn't the consideration, so I did look at the Islas but to be honest they're no lighter than the Ridgeback, even with the sus fork, and as soon as I saw the hydroformed frame on the MX20, and the enormous rear drop-outs, I realised that I couldn't break that (at 100Kg), much less my 6yo boy (at 23Kg).

It's a great machine. Very short throw and easily-pulled brake levers. Effective brakes too. 6-speed twist grip which he's easily able to use. He loves it.

The only negative is that mounting a bottle holder hasn't been easy because of the shape of the low-standover frame but I made a bracket and mounted it to the back of the seat.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... mount solution?&mid=64855

[v8 jago]

Thanks for that !! Ill have a look and see where i can get one local and check it out.

[GreatGranny]

Bought my 11 year old a Rockrider from Decathlon last year.

Its rigid with V brakes and budget kit but after a year nothing has broken on it and she rides it 3-4 times a week even if its just around the corner to her mates house.

The best thing was the £129 price tag!

However I thinks its 26" wheels with a small frame. Don't know what 24" bikes they do.

[Silver940]

Looks good value actually

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-52-alu-2011-i...

[gary71]

I've just bought a Trek MT220 24" wheel bike for my son £80 from eBay. Nice spec for the money (£80!)

A new saddle & chain and he will be off. It only weighs around 12kg. His previous was a Halfords Carrera 20" which although not a big 'brand' is very well put together and a good spec weighing in at 10.5kg, we bought that one new so maybe we can cover the cost of Trek come sale time in the spring!

I'm still looking for a similar 24" wheel lightweight girls bike for my Daughter, maybe a Specialized Hotrock, but they do seem to hold their money on eBay. Still I guess you can sell them on in a couple of years for minimum deprecation.

Anyone selling?

[gary71]

That Decathlon option looks quite reasonable...

[Liquid Knight]

I had a pair of double wall Atom Lab rims on Hope hubs. The rims outlasted the hubs and I replaced them with twenty4seven dark angel ones. That was the wheels spec' when I sold the bike two years later.

There are a few on eBay...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pair-Atomlab-GI-DH-FR-DJ...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Atomlab-Pimplite-Standar...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Atomlab-Pimplite-Standar...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AtomLab-GI-Genral-Issue-...

...is he old enough to made his own wheels?

[Silver940]

Went into our LBS on Saturday and they had a launch weekend 20% off everything. Bought my daughter a Ridgeback Destiny. Seems a nice bike, light (12kg), decent feeling forks with adjustable pre-load. She loves it.

Edited by Silver940 on Monday 21st November 08:39