Julian jnr will be 9 on April, and 8m thinking of getting him a decent hardtail, so what should I be considering?
He's quite short at 132cm,but I've been looking at the nukeproof cub scout 24 inch bike, which looks decent. But is there anything else I should look at?
Genesis Core 24 if you can find one. Think they were only released for a short period around 2015-17 for £500 or so.
Picked one up last summer for Mickey Mouse money and it’s a bloody good bit of kit. Light enough, decent components and properly put together.
Was also considering Orbea MX range and a couple of others I’ve forgotten.
135cm would be the top end of the 24" VPace Max 24 and bottom of their max 26 sizing.
I wouldn't rule out looking for a well thought out xxs kid specific 26er hard tail as well..
The Commencal bikes are nice.
Orbea are also worth a look
The Commencal bikes are nice.
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Mmm yes. Not a hardtail, obvs, but the wean loved his hire Commencal 24" when he broke his Islsbike
we've got a Orbea 24" mx trail and it's a very well put together bike but for the size of it it's pretty heavy. coming from a 20" Islabike I'd guess it cant be far off double the weight
All my boys have/use Xs 26” bikes with 24” wheels in them. Shorter cranks too, job done. Easier to find, build out of spare old light components you’ve stopped using.
Orbea 24 Mx disc is good but might be a bit small. My daughter is about 128cm and 7 years, but she is only just big enough. Well built and not to heavy. They are heavier than the the Isla/frog bikes but only by a kg or so, but are a lot better put together with better spec. Geometry is also more mountain bike and less hybrid like. According to the website the height range is 135 to 155, so should last a few years
My 8 3/4 year old has been on an Orbea mx24 for a couple of years and the seatpost is near max extension now (he's 140cm.) Just finished building a small BX HT01 (26" wheels) and he can ride it but it's obviously still a bit big. The Orbea is good, proper hydraulic discs, 1x10 with a clutch derailleur. All the others in that price range had 7 speed, v brakes or terrible forks.
I bought a Whyte 405 (they have 26"wheels) and it does the job. There is the 403 as well.
Solid bikes and well made, though the wheels defeated my tubeless abilities.
Thanks all, there's more choice than I thought.
The orbea mx 24 trail looks decent.
But the whyte 403 looks great value,especially being on 26 inch wheels.
Will keep trawling the web
There's also the Vitus Nucleus 24 and 26 - the 24 looks to be the right size
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/vitus-nucleus-24-youth-bike-2020/rp-prod181444
CycleSprogs review of the 26 - CycleSprog is a great resource for riding with kids
http://www.cyclesprog.co.uk/reviews/kids-bike-reviews/vitus-nucleus-26-kids-hardtail-mountain-bike-first-impressions/
A US round-up of Kids 24" hardtails
https://thebikedads.com/24-front-suspension-bikes/
Loads more choice now than even a couple of years ago.
Add Saracen to your list.