my eldest son is growing out of his giant Terrago size XS and I was wonderring what bike the masses reccomend.

He is 167cm (5'6") and growing rapidly.

As for riding he enjoys cross country stuff, gisburn & Lee Quarry. At the moment he is no jump god but is certainly enjoying the harder new stuff at Lee Quarry.

budget is definitely sub £1000.

Should he go full suss such as a giant trance x4,
aluminium hard tail such as a giant XTC
or a longer travel hard tail.

I may be wrong but things like the On-One 456, Ragley blue pig seem a little heavy for a kid – I may be wrong, but something in that vain does appeal to me.

I built my 13 year old a lightish full sus bike with air shocks at each end. He appreciates the lighter weight far more on the ups than he would a burlier build on the downs.