24” kiddo bike recommendations

[primov8]

Visit your local REI or Cannondale dealer and check out the Quick 24. Our 8yr. old son loves his Quick 24 and so much lighter (about 18-19lbs) than his previous single speed bike (34 lbs).
He had originally wanted a jr road bike since his 10yr. old sister started riding one this summer but he didn't feel comfortable riding it.

[SeanScott]

The 24" is a odd couple of years. Either they are inexpensive and heavy, poorly made or really expensive. My kid only rode it for a year before growing out of it.
My 9 and 11 year old are both on used 26ers that are really high quality bikes with high-end components that did not cost very much because of not being invogue anymore.
They will most likely be able to ride these for many years to come.

[pinkshogun]

i have an older steel Performance Expresso with 24" (571) skinny tires if anybody is interested. double wall wheels/tires/drivetrain has very low mileage

[msl819]

Originally Posted by texbike

My 11 year old is taking a MTB class with a local club and is currently on a 24" wheeled Specialized HotRock. It's a nice little bike. Unfortunately, it's a bit small for him, but a 26" wheeled bike is still too large. Tough spot. We'll eventually transition him to a 26" FSR that we have, but he isn't ready for it yet.

On a related note, it's crazy the MTB bikes that the other kids have been showing up with for the class/club events - Yeti, Santa Cruz, high-end Treks and Specialized. Crazy! I've been helping out with the classes and using my old MonoCog 29r that's older than most of the kids in the class.



Good point! It helps to be in love with your bike.

Texbike

I was looking at a 24” bike for my 10 soon to be 11 y/o. He is currently around 5’1”. At which point should they be moving up to 26” wheels? I don’t want to buy and it be too small in six months. Of course, there is no way of knowing when and how much he will grow. Should I pass on 24” in favor of 26”?

[texbike]

Originally Posted by msl819

I was looking at a 24” bike for my 10 soon to be 11 y/o. He is currently around 5’1”. At which point should they be moving up to 26” wheels? I don’t want to buy and it be too small in six months. Of course, there is no way of knowing when and how much he will grow. Should I pass on 24” in favor of 26”?

I'll move our 11 year old to a 26" wheel bike when he's able to comfortably use the larger bikes. Until then, we'll keep him on the 24" wheeled Specialized. It's not age-related, but more about his size and level of comfort on the bike.

And yes, there are a LOT of really nice, older 26" wheeled bikes out there for very reasonable prices.

Texbike

[p nut]

Originally Posted by msl819

I was looking at a 24” bike for my 10 soon to be 11 y/o. He is currently around 5’1”. At which point should they be moving up to 26” wheels? I don’t want to buy and it be too small in six months. Of course, there is no way of knowing when and how much he will grow. Should I pass on 24” in favor of 26”?

Lots of Pro-women at 5' - 5'3" riding 29ers. Personally, I'd just skip 24 and move straight to 26".

[SeanScott]

Originally Posted by p nut

Lots of Pro-women at 5' - 5'3" riding 29ers. Personally, I'd just skip 24 and move straight to 26".

I can't agree more

[dookie]

Wasn't there a Trailcraft 24 for sale here recently? If it's in the budget, it's great.

Sent from my LM-G820 using Tapatalk

[HenryA]

My grand daughter’s Fat Chance Yo Betty is ready for a new rider.

She grew five inches in the year since I bought it for her. Its as nice a classic bike as you could want with a very dropped top tube with lots of stand over room. New tires last year and a good tune up, Ergon grips too. She’s really enjoyed riding it, but its too small now and will be even “too smaller” by spring. At 5’ 5” and 100 pounds she is ready for a new ride.

Its light and fast unlike most purpose built kids bikes. And this particular bike was almost unridden when I got it. The original tires still had the little nubbies on them, but I replaced them with some nice small knob semi MTB tires which proved to be a perfect match.

If you want I can send some pics. Let me know.

[DRZRM]

Both my 8 & 11 year olds are on used 26" disc frames with 24" tubeless wheelsets. I also picked up the SunTour short cranks so the lower BB is offset with higher pedals. If you want 24 specific, also look at the EarlyRider.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by kgreene10

My kiddo is just about tall enough for a 24” bike. We want something for mostly street riding but some mixed use. Light is good b/c my guy weighs just 49lbs currently.

I have narrowed it down to Woom 5 and Prevelo Alpha Four. The former is more upright, the latter cooler looking and more aggressive. The Woom uses grip shifters and is lighter by 3lbs. The Prevelo uses rapid fire shifters.

Any experiences? Happy to consider other bikes if I’ve overlooked a gem.

Cleary..Got the below for my 8yo grand daughter..GREAT bike, light(ish), works great. GREAT bike..

https://www.clearybikes.com/products/meerkat-24-5-speed

[leftsidedrive]

Cleary, Woom, and Isla all make excellent bikes for kids. I have a friend that works for Woom in Austin. He likes working there and says it's a good company with a high quality working enviroment. If you are in Austin, support a local company!

[kgreene10]

Originally Posted by leftsidedrive

Cleary, Woom, and Isla all make excellent bikes for kids. I have a friend that works for Woom in Austin. He likes working there and says it's a good company with a high quality working enviroment. If you are in Austin, support a local company!

I like the idea of buying local. Even if the company isn’t based in the US, it’s US branch is in Austin and that means local jobs. I was a touch disappointed when our inquiry about establishing a relationship with our large local club was (nicely) declined. But Woom is still in the running. At the moment my kiddo prefers the look of the Prevelo though.

[binouye]

I'll put in another plug for Trailcraft. Their bikes are well thought out and my daughter loves hers. The 26" has low standover, so it might be possible to skip 24" and move to 26" wheels, which opens up the range of good tires. She had an upgraded 24" KHS, since passed along to another kid, but the Trailcraft is nicer.