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Hi
Any recommendations for either:
(1l NEW 24" bikes about the £300 to £350 bracket with disks?
Why new - because this is for my youngest son. He's had his big brother's second hand bikes every step of the way with the odd upgrade. They are going to overlap for a couple of years and I feel like it's not entirely fair that the one time he gets a non hand me down that it's actually new. Disks because he actually rides properly and again big brother parity.
OR
(2) new/2nd hand donor bike for custom build
A cheaper donor bike that could inherit some higher spec parts (e.g. drivetrain and contact points from my upgraded and dismantled bikes box) and be a "custom build" with his choice of paint job/decals that we can build together (he's quite handy with an Allen key). The one thing it must have is bolted on chainrings as those pressed steel chain sets are the devil's work! The sell to him is he gets something totally unique (that will possibly appeal to him) and better equipped.
Eldest has a Voodoo Bakaa (bloody ace and I've recommended on here a few times) but it's the same colour now and I have a feeling that identical bike will not be a selling point to him.
I know Carrera Blast and Ridgeback MX24 have come up before but any new inspiration?
Orbea. My daughter has the MX24 Trail with suspension forks but the rigid ones get good reviews too.
Look on cycle sprog website for more ideas.
Some good ideas here: http://www.cyclesprog.co.uk/bikes/mountain-bikes-for-kids/best-kids-24-inch-wheel-mountain-bikes/
i just managed to buy two orbea mx24 for £250 for both of them, exactly the same to hopefully prevent the argument about whos bike is the best. they have v brakes and rigid forks and weigh just under 11kg each. i was tempted to go more expensive but didn;t seem worth it for the amount my girls will end up riding them.
Vitus Nucleus 24 (currently £332 if you have Platinum Loyalty). Air fork, hydraulic discs... and has dropper post routing!
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/?s=nucleus+24
(*disclosure - I work for Wiggle, but I honestly think the new kids bikes look really good! I see a lot of kids bikes as I run a kids MTB Club.).
Thanks will look at those options and the other site.
I built up a Blast for my son and my daughter has a Orbea MX24.
The MX is a nicer bike and getting 24" wheels for the Blast was a right pain.
If I did it all again I'd get another Orbea.
Way over budget, but my lad has one of these Saracen Mantra 2.4 24W and it's frankly marvelous, I wish bikes were this good when I was a kid, to be fair it's better than the first MTB I bought 10 years ago!!
But to 2nd the above, those Vitus look really good.
My boys have both had/have those Saracen Mantra 2-4 bikes. They have been generally pretty happy with them to be honest.
We have 2 at the moment and I think one will be up for sale imminently if the OP is interested.
Note that reasonable 24" wheels can be had via Condor Cycles who sell 24" disc rims that are cheap but still quite light (best guess is they're actually Alex rims). Not Crest levels of lightness but also not that expensive.
@BillOddie, can I have second dibs on the Mantra if the OP pots for something else? Have been considering one of those and the MX variants among others. Based in Surrey FTR.
Cheers
@billoddie could be interested in that depending on where you are/logistics and whether the little one has an explosion at the idea of used. I'll speak to him when I get home from work/at breakfast.
I wouldn't normally allow him to completely dictate terms but on this occasion I think he's earned the right when the other one's had all the new gear before.