Viewing 28 posts - 1 through 28 (of 28 total)
  • 9yr old – jump from 20" to 26" or shell out on 24" for a year or two?
  • sonnyjim
    Free Member

    Young Sonnyjim is quickly outgrowing his Hotrock 20 so will be getting a new bike this year. When he jumped from his last bike onto the hotrock he seemed to loose a fair bit of confidence going up a size so I am a bit wary of throwing him onto a 26″ bike straight away.

    The main question is that I have read posts where people have done 20-26″ around that age, but has anyone had issues with their kids just not getting on with a bigger bike?He is above average height but his weight is probably best measured in ounces rather than stones which also concerns me.

    Ideally I would like to build something for him because its something he and I would enjoy doing. Building a 26″ bike seems like it will be a whole lot easier for getting quality 2nd hand frame/parts and would be upgradeable in the long run, but for a 24″ bike best bet seems to be to go for off the shelf (isla-bikes & commencal).

    I have been scouring ebay for a frame and for 24″ wheels but they don’t seem to be that abundant.

    Recommendations for frames/wheels for 24″ & 26″ are welcome.

    Cheers

    Sonnyjim

    paladin
    Full Member

    My lad outgrew his Islabikes bein20s recently, no way he’d fit a 26″, so got a 24″ hoy bike. Very similar to the 24″ Islabikes (including weight, but £100 less. Will now keep an eye out for a small 26″ frame over the next year or 2, as well as bargain parts to fit on it. I have no regrets buying Islabikes etc, as the resale price is ridiculously close to the original purchase price.

    lecky94
    Free Member

    My 9 year old some grew out of a 24 inch islebike in 14 months ,got him a xs whyte with 650b wheels this xmas and he handles it no problem ,hes riding rocky sections better than ever due to the bigger wheels. just hope it lasts him a few years..

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    StirlingCrispin
    Full Member

    Thump moved to a 26″ 2nd-hand Kona from a 24″ Isla bike at 9 and a wee bit.

    Upgraded it with 2nd-hand bling (XT 9-speed shifters and brakes, Hope wheels etc) for not much – and he loves it.

    xyeti
    Free Member

    I’d go 24″ for that period In-between, my lad out grew his 20″ just as he was about to do his cycling proficiency at school so a 26″ would have almost been a crime with the head teacher. I sold his CUBE Team 20 for almost what I paid for it and bought a Specialized Hot Rock in 26″ for half price at the Spesh shop in Harrogate,

    The jump up at that point was just a tad too much, mind you he will soon be on a 29er, 5’4″ and 11 Years Old. Scary.

    sonnyjim
    Free Member

    OK mixed views as I expected. I might shove on a shorter stem and try him on his mums 15″ Malt 2 when I get home and take him for a ride, see how he gets on with that. I would say he’s still a bit small (he turned 9 two days ago) but if he can cope he might just have to bare with the hardrock till the summer and I’ll pick up a short 14″ frame for him.

    If he does struggle then its an Isla Creig 24 for him, as mentioned the resale value would not hurt the wallet even if it lasts him a year.

    Thanks

    eemy
    Free Member

    My middle boy went straight from a 20 inch to a 26 inch wheel when he was 8. It was maybe a bit too early but he loved it and it got one up on his big brother who still had a 24 inch hotrock.

    I got him a 14 inch Trek frame and built it up with a mix of some new and old parts. The cost soon adds up but you end up with a decent bike with decent kit on it. Did have some bother finding an extra-small frame at the time though

    Stoner
    Free Member

    Tried my 9yr old on 26″ after beinn 20″ and he wasn’t quite there yet so have gone for 24″ for 12-24 months

    cheekyget
    Free Member

    I got my boy a 24″ last October for his birthday ….perfect size ..although he may out grow it this year.
    On the flip side ..his friend got a 26″ for Xmas , and when I took them both out , the one on the 26″ didn’t look very confident…..and the bike looked over sized on him….so I would be very doubtful in taking him with us Single Track style!!

    bigdaddy
    Full Member

    I have a 24″ Islabike Luath for sale if you’re interested – my boy has just outgrown it and moved onto a 650b size – it is a road bike mind you not an mtb. My view is having the right size makes a real difference – I think the jump straight to 26 would be too much

    PeterPoddy
    Free Member

    I’ve sold quite a few of all these sizes bikes. I’ve also had a tape measure out on some of them.
    My personal view is that, in most cases, there’s an inch or less between a 24in bike and a small 26in bike and that it makes more sense to go straight to the 26in. If it’s a bit long, fit a shorter stem, but otherwise the 24in size is mostly redundant.

    TiRed
    Full Member

    Would you say the same for shoes? 😉

    I’ve bought numerous 24″ bikes for Teen1/2, nephews and nieces. Go second hand, buy a decent brand such as Kona, Specialised, Giant (not Isla as too expensive if only one user) and sell/pass on. Bought a lovely Giant off here only last week.

    I also have XS Giant 26″ bikes, but you will need to be on the milk if only 9 yo. It can fit, but will be a compromise for a while.

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    THIS

    IMHO Its like putting them on a gate

    It might depend on how tall your 9 year old is though

    transporter13
    Free Member

    My 8yo son has been on a scott voltage for about 4-5months now and he loves it..much prefers the stability when going fast compared to his old 24″ wheel bike…he mainly rides dh and a bit of xc.
    If the reach is an issue then that can be over come by really short stems and higher rise bars…as can leg length with 152mm length cranks and small chainrings

    I do have a 15 inch kona coilair frame and older fox float frame sat in the shed that i dont want a lot for…if thats any use to you?

    hammyuk
    Free Member

    My youngest did the jump – xs Kona on 26″ wheels, 50mm stem and for all of an hour was a bit wobbly.
    Now she’s a menace!

    br
    Free Member

    You wouldn’t ride a bike that didn’t fit, so why do folk make their kids?

    My son went from 20″ to a Trek MT220 with 24″ wheels. Then when he needed something a bit more I put 24″ wheels on a small 26″.

    Rode it for about 4 years like that, before putting 26″ wheels on it.

    I just bought new 24″ disc wheels from CRC, worked out at less than £100.

    poah
    Free Member

    depends how big he is. Lewis would be too small for a 26nand then that bike won’t last him long either.

    sonnyjim
    Free Member

    Thanks for all the info. Looks like I’ll wait till I eventually get home from work and try him on the wifes bike with a couple of tweeks. Should be pretty evident after a short local ride if he will take to the big jump.
    Anyone know of any decent frames that will take a 24″ wheel that are easyish to come by if I go down that road?

    Which wheels were those b r?

    Thanks

    curvature
    Free Member

    24″ is the way to go.

    My son had a 24″ Genesis when he was 7 and will be 9 this coming March. My opinion is that the 24″ bikes provide a far better riding position that is more in keeping with the size bikes that we would ride as adults.

    Yes he can ride is Mums 26″ and his sister’s 650b bike but the proportions are all wrong and he sits in the bike and not on it.

    Just my opinion. At the end of the day you wouldn’t buy a bike that was too big for you.

    donkeydave
    Full Member

    I have recently gone through this with my son all ways had isla bikes and was on the 20 inch wheel one, wanted to try a 26 mtb but even a 13 inch merlin malt 1 was too big.
    All the 24 inch wheel ones did not seem as though they would last very long so in the end went with a carrera abyss 26 inch think it was just under 200 pounds and with some small mtb tyres will be great for a good few years.
    Honestly look this bike up its brill for the money and also light.

    br
    Free Member

    Which wheels were those b r?

    I just used their custom option, Sun rims on Shimano hubs.

    curvature
    Free Member

    You can get Stans Crest rims in 24″, not cheap but they do build up into a lovely set of lightweight tubeless wheels.

    In reference to Donkeydave’s comment about the kids bikes “All the 24 inch wheel ones did not seem as though they would last very long” I would suggest that maybe he is right if you are looking at kids bikes in Halfords.

    Decent kids bikes are available from several manufactures but for a 24″ wheeled bike you are looking at £350 upwards. Even at this price I think the cost is subsidised by the manufacturers. They cost the same to make and material savings are offset by the fact that the kids components are sold in much smaller numbers. My son’s Genesis came with hydraulic discs but this current model year they are cable operated.

    kja78
    Free Member

    Got my 9 year old daughter a 26 Carrera Abyss just before Christmas for £180. It’s a great bike for the money. Took her a while to make the jump straight from 20,but she loves it now. There’s a girls version as well, but she preferred the boys colour scheme.

    donkeydave
    Full Member

    curvature sorry I meant in reference to size they would not last very long,I am not a Halfords fan or even off there bikes but I must say this seemed the perfect stop gap until he is stronger/built up skills and wants to carry on cycling then he can have a good small 26 inch mtb.
    I also did not want to be spending a lot on something he may not want to continue as I have been down this path before.
    Hence the comment about the 13inch merlin malt!,built with air forks, deore groupset, disc brakes etc but he can have that soon enough if he wants it and it fits him which it does not yet.

    jonathan
    Free Member

    There are some really good 24″ wheeled bikes about now that I would be looking at before pushing a rider onto a 26″ before they really fit it. It depends a bit on the sort of riding they’re doing, but having a bike that fits makes a big difference to confidence and handling skills. I really hate seeing kids trying to hulk about what are essentially adult bikes – there’s a whole set of off road skills that they find really hard to learn on them.

    That said, check out exactly how big he is and compare the standover of 24″ and some of the new kids 26″ bikes (eg Trek and Whyte). The Trek Fuel EX Jr is really small (12″) – lower standover than our 24″ Kona Stuff – and the Whyte is 13″. The kids sized 26″ frames can be quite a bit smaller than small “adult” 26″ frames. They’re a lot for a “kids” bike, but you might be able to justify it if they’re going to get a good length of use from it.

    Realistically I think you are looking at £500+ (new) for a 24″ bike you’d consider as really good off-road machine (I probably spent £400 building one up from shed bits and ebay!). Less if it’s more of a do-it-all bike, but certainly if you think disks and suspension are what you want then you’re looking at something like the Commencal Meta HT (£600ish) or the Islabike Creig (£700). Considering how few ones you see about and the general demand for them I reckon you’d get good resale on one if you only needed it for a couple of years. If you’ve got other kids coming through then it’s much easier to justify the spend.

    StuF
    Full Member

    We got a Kona hula secondhand for miniF No1, cost about £120 from what I remember and it’s been fine and survived so far and it’s still being used by miniF No3

    ScottChegg
    Free Member

    My eldest did. He grew so much in 0ne year it wasn’t worth buying a 24. He was a demon from the off on a 15″ Orange.

    He had arms like an ape and huge feet for his age so I wasn’t worried.

    Now he’s 12 and he borrows my bikes.

    And my shoes.

    Damn him.

    aracer
    Free Member

    Obviously it depends how tall they are, but if you’re talking Islabike sizing then it’s certainly not the case that a 26 is too big when they outgrow a 20. Stopped off at Islabikes place last summer when oldest was 8.5 and getting close to outgrowing his B20L and sized him on a B26 – it was big, but he fitted on it and it wasn’t really a stretch. Which fits with the Islabike system that you can skip a size.

    The trouble is, a B20S to a B26 is skipping 2 sizes, my boy would have already been far too big for a B20S when we did that sizing – so it also depends how big your 20 is. I guess it also depends how big the 26 is, as the Islabike B26 is quite small.

    Of course that was 6 months ago and despite talking about a 26 back then, I’ve still not sorted anything – it’s getting kind of urgent as now he is 9 he has outgrown the 20 (though actually more pressing, the 16 is way too small for my youngest 😳 ) Still looking for a nice small light hardtail frame if anybody has any suggestions or anything for sale as I have some really nice light 26″ wheels and fork in my spares bin – I think I’m possibly being too picky in what I’ve looked at as I’m also after something fairly cheap and now kicking myself for missing out on one offer.

Viewing 28 posts - 1 through 28 (of 28 total)

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