I’ve started looking at 20″ wheeled bikes for my lad as he’s about to outgrow his Islabike Cnoc14. Pretty sure we’ll be going for a hardtail of some sort. Thing is, do we go gears or singlespeed?

My first recollection of riding a geared bike was my brother’s Grifter (Lazer) when I was 7, with its hefty 3-spd SA hub. Hub gears make sense to me (partly because I’m obsessed with them) as there’s no problems with chain geting jammed etc. But they are heavy, especially as a proportion of a small bike. Also, how well can a 4-year old cope with any form of gearing? Watching him ride, he’d benefit going uphill, and going fast from having gears.

Any other parents out there made this decision?

He might have it until he’s 7 or 8, so a single ring up front and seven speed at the back with a simple gripshift would be useful. Someone posted a pic of a simple thumbshifter on here the other day, which looked just the ticket for smaller hands.

I wouldn’t bother with front mech though, mine finds it really tough to muster the wrist strength to shift it.

I’m thinking of the Ridgeback MX20:

Or Kona Shred 20:

I know the old Shred was SS

Wow

Handbuilt wheels with XT hubs on a 20″ bike!

I’m loving the discs on the kona, put some discs on my kids (age 5 & 7) bikes, it’s just so much easier to get the reach just right for them, and gives them a massive confidence boost.

They’ve got Scott voltages, the frame geometry is really really good, but to go disc I had to build up my own wheels, but this also let me put a proper rear cassette on which gave them better gearing for getting up the big hills and let me put deore trigger shifters on which they way prefer over the grip shift.

I had a lot of bits knocking around to do these builds, otherwise you could end up spending a lot going down this route.

But my top piece of advice is try riding the kids bikes yourself, you’ll get a great feel for the handling instantly!

Both our girls had Ridgeback 20″. Great bikes for the price

ir_bandito’s link is awesome 8)

The Carrera Blast 20″ is well worth a look too.

My kids are small for their age and they could just about use the grip shift at the age you mention [ 5 but small for his age] he could barely get on the bike mind and helooks likea 29 er
Depends on the kid tbh but height and strength will be more important than actual age IME

Got a Kona and a ridgeback – nowt to choose between them IMHO
I would say that Suspensions forks are fairly pointless as i can barely compress them never mind the kids and it is a fair weight penalty – I keep meaning to ditch them tbh

THey wontget up much steeper/longer hills than they do on a SS either but they will go much faster on the flat

My son started on gears at 5, on gripshift, when he was six we changed to trigger shift, that was much better and easier to change

Got my son an Islabike Bein 20″ (small) when he was 5. He got away with the gripshift slowly but after a couple of months it became easier. The gears allow him to ride more and walk less (relatively), though any average to large hill is still a push.

Overall the Beins are great bikes for that age range.

With the gearing my Kids now have they can get* up the hill at Llandegla, they couldn’t previously.

For me it makes a big difference – it means we can do “proper” mountain biking as a family, but

it…..

is….

…..slow

*youngest needs a helping hand and wine gums