Wife wants to get the boy a Ridgeback MX16 now, I would rather wait until he can fit an Isla Bikes Beinn20.
He already has a 14″ wheeled bike which is a little small now.

Advice please…

IMO going from a 14″ to a 16″ will be waste of money.

Wait until Xmas and get him the Islabike?

Specialized Hotrock 20

We got our oldest one for his 5th birthday, it’s brilliant! It’s now been through the hands of his little brother and is about to be resprayed for their little sister.

Ridgeback MX16s are great little bikes.
My daughter has just turned six and has moved from an MX16 to an MX20. She can just touch the floor with the seat all the way down but she loves it. If we’d waited until her next birthday the MX16 would have been way too small.

Her sister had the MX16 before her and it was 2nd hand then, it’s withstood a lot of abuse!

As for your son, I’d try and get a used MX16 for him to ride until he’s ready for the Bienn20.

Trek MT20, Hotrock 20, Kona, Islabike Wait for the 20″. We went up 4″ at a time – 12, 16, 20, 24 then a 26. You started on a 14, which would leave a 18 (there are some around but nothing from the big players.

I went with the Trek MT20 because it was the first decent Al framed bike at the time, it has dual-drilled cranks and a very adjustable stem. My 10 yo can still ride it (but rides his 24″ Kona normally).

I put all three of mine on 20″, Spesh Hotrock and Giants for their 5th birthdays. All seemed to get on fine and stayed very enthusiastic, good fun for a cheeky borrow as well.

Got one of my boys on the small 20″ Beinn on his 5th birthday. He’s fairly average sized, I think. The frame is quite a bit smaller than other “generic” 20″-wheel frames I’ve seen, but offers the advantages of good size wheels (plus gears and all the islabikes goodness) at an earlier age than staying on a 16″. Check the sizing chart on Isla’s website to see whether it’s do-able. It was close for our lad, but he’s now riding decent bits of off-road at cannock, aged 5.5, with his older brother (on a large 20″ Beinn) and me.

I was really impressed with the Felt Q20 I bought for my son on Wiggle. I bought the 2009 one but they have one of the 2010 ones left at a reduced price…

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Felt_Q20_Kids_Suspension_Bike_2010/5360045865/

It cam with a few tools and some touch up paint.

What Simon said^^^

If the fit is getting awkward for him he won’t enjoy riding – my lad had an MX16 picked up cheap off ebay and it actually got the lazy so and so to learn to ride! Great little bike – I’d offer it to you but it’s waiting for his baby sister to grow into it, hopefully next year.

Our eldest is 4 & rapidly growing out of his Cnoc 14. We recently tried him on a small 20″ Beinn at Islabikes. They initially tried him on a Cnoc 16 but said he’s half way through the Cnoc 16 range already. They tried him on a small Beinn 20 & recomended that. They adjusted his Cnoc up to the max & said to get him the Beinn nearer Xmas. We took the Wifes Sister & her chap who were looking for a bike for their 7yr old. He’s a real sceptic, & after looking at the website he baulked at the £250 for the bike to fit their little girl. But after the service they recieved & the quality of the Islabikes product they went back over last week to pick one up.
If you can get over there (Ludlow) its worth it, they even have a test track.
(Thats my eldest on the video with his brother).

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