just been out adjusting my 8yr olds bein 20 and he's just about on the max levels meaning new bike next year.
had a look at islabike again, but wondering what other options there are for a good kids mountainbike.
for instance i see that crc have a bunch of kona frames cheap so maybe do a build myself as i'd like to set him up with decent gears/shifters - but then does'nt have to be a new bike at all?
Do not underestimate the cost of building up a bike yourself. I got one of the £60 scab 24s for my son and even with out buying forks and other stuff it will probably cost at least £500 to build. Light/ cheap 24 inch wheels are difficult to come by.
If I was going to buy off the shelf, I would go with the Scott voltage 24.
good point, but i always build my own bikes and like the challenge of hunting about. i'd never buy a complete for myself... but i will bear it in mind for a kids one and weigh up what spec i can build for same price.
please correct me if i'm wrong, but why are wheels an issue? loads of 24" race and jump rims about and i see that xt hubs are still cheap. 100quid to build myself maybe, way less for deore hubs.
Jump wheels are pretty heavy though. If you build your own wheels you will obviously get them cheaper than me as I need to pay someone to build them but I reckon for deore hubs, octane rims (£ 16 each at crc) and spokes you would still be pushing £100.
I have just brought that kona frame for my daughter, its a bit heavy.
I built my son a bike up using the Chain reaction x brand frame when it was £40 now its £80 but its quite light. I am running 24" wheels disc brakes 26" fork Manitou Skerab, 9 speed gears. Pedal arms are a bit long at 175mm, still looking at that. The forks are air so can run them low pressure so they work. Tyres are schwalbe ones off chain reaction nice and wide and much better than the Conti's on the Bein.
Conclusion;
His riding has improved so much I can hardly believe it. He will now have a go at most things up and down but when he was on his Isla Bein he was a lot more reluctant.
Also we had good fun building his bike together learning how it all worked as we went along. So much so, my daughter does not want a complete bike from a shop she wants to build one with Dad. 
So just do it, you can use most of your normal parts you have from biking and they will work, this will help to keep costs down.
Just think you might spend more on a set of new forks for our bikes than we spend on a complete bike for our kids so why not use all those bits we have half used to make them a bike.
There's a lovely 24" Kona in the classifieds.
build your own! We just finished building 2 bikes for our sons, age 10 and 8. Both are 140 ish tall and ride 26" wheels with tiny frames and air forks. Especially my youngest has improved no end with his riding, he was on a 24" spesh a1 FSR (great bikes).
I am not sure how tall your son is, but if you have waited till he is at the end of his 20" bike, you won't get much use out of the 24". My son only had his for 1 year in the end.
i'd say try 26" if your son is anywhere near 140cm tall, you may be surprised!
My 10 yr old has a 14" frame and my 8 year old a 13.5" (you may be able to get a 12" if you really look), on both the seatpost are about 3-4 inches out of the frame?!? not a perfect mtb fit, but kids do grow like weeds!
Or go for a 26" frame and stick 24" wheels in like suggested before and wait for him to grow...
Good luck
Simone
i'd say try 26" if your son is anywhere near 140cm tall, you may be surprised!
I would have thought 26 ins would be massive for an 8 yr old. Better to have a bike that fits and they can ride properly than one they will struggle with until they grow. Ok my son is less than 140 but watching him ride a 26 inch bike is like watching someone pilot a supertanker.
If you are going to build one the konas on crc are good value but the gear cabling is pretty random, eg tabs that interfere with the fork. The funn hooka mx cranks (£25 on crc) are also worth a look as they have short arms.
I'd buy that Kona if I didn't already have one. To be honest there are some excellent 24" wheeled bikes around now. Scott, Specialized, Trek, Kona, Dawes and of course Isla. They are all about £300, and there isn't much to separate them. 26" will be too big for a 140 cm child. Reach will be too long for good control. You will also need to trim the bars to enable a more upright position (or stretch his arms).
The advantage of building your own means you can adjust the bars, stem etc to what suits your child. The reach on my sons new 26" bike with tiny frame and stem is not that different from the 24" hotrock it replaced (although finding a light and short reach frame is a challange).
I suppose my 8 year old is very tall, same size as his 11 year old brother.
If you go for a 24" wheeled bike, make sure you get a large ish frame. My youngest had a hotrock a1 FSR, which although lovely, came with a tiny frame - much smaller than the a1 FS we had for his brother (one had a 12" frame and the other a 13.5"). This did really make a difference and meant he outgrew it quite quickly....he would still have fitted the 13.5 inch frame...
We are weary putting him on a bigger bike, and going from full suss (he is a very lazy rider and not a natural) to a hardtail with 80mm (air)travel, but he loves his new bike and has ridden things he would never have done before.
His brother first had a 26" bike and when given the choice between his own 24" at the time (just before we replaced it) and his brothers bike he would always go for that.
I normally ride a 15.5 or 16" frame myself and trying to ride my sons new bike 26" is not easy as it really does feel tiny.
If your son is not very tall go for the 24" wheels and get a good used one, although they are fetching good money this time of year. Or get one of the CRC frames, just use some short travel 26" air forks on it, should be ok.
Good luck
Simone
thanks guys, lots to think about which is cool. and i agree that 24 kona looks a deal but its just the wrong time to buy.
I built my 11yo daughter an On One Pometamine a few months ago. Used a new frame/forks/26" wheels/tyres and the rest was use off here. It's a SS (as she doesn't do any off-road that really requires gears with Stroker Trial disks.
Looks brilliant and wieghs the same as her old Islabike Beinn 24 but cheaper.
do all of the people recommending 26" wheels ride mince around on 29ers?
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