Kids MTB options

RazeR

RazeR

Likes Dirt
The thread in here about kids bikes is a bit old now so I thought that I'd put a new question out there.

My boy is turning 7 this year and will be graduating from a 16" BMW style bike to a 20" MTB. I have looked around (briefly) and there are a few options, specifically Giant XTC, Specialised Hotrock, Trek MT60, and the GT stomper.

He is on the small side for his age so weight is probably the biggest factor in my decision.

Has anyone had any experience with off-the-shelf 20" MTB's?
 
Bought my 6yr daughter (126cm and 17kg) a giant areva 20" 2 weeks ago after looking at a few and she is happy as punch. Finds it a lot easier to ride than her 16" lightweight bmx. It is pretty light compared to a lot of other models, the only issue we have had is the revo twist shift was very tight and has taken awhile to loosen up. To the extent of taking skin off her hand. It seems it is pretty easy to change out the shifter to a trigger which I may end up doing.
I will be buying a 20" xtc jnr in a couple of weeks for my 5yr son as I reckon they are great value and a great ride for the kids. He has short legs and only just makes it over the top tube so your 7yr should fit it perfectly.
 
If you are willing to spend a couple more bucks, the kona shred 20 is a step above. None were bought into aus, but Ty from groupe sportif was good enough to get me one specially. I believe he got a second one as a spare and would still have it I imagine. Better parts, soft fork, cable discs, FSA cranks. Tidy bike. My son, 6, adores it. Scott do a nice 20" duallie, but again a bit dearer than the giant/gt etc. specialized hot rock was the pick of the bunch in the off the shelf 300-400 range, IMHO.
Call Ty, and see if your local kona lbs can work out a price with him, as it was a one off order, and he'll be happy to move it off the floor. http://www.konaworld.com/kids.cfm?content=shred_2-0
 
Got a GT Stomper for the young bloke. It was a bit on the heavy side, but you never would have guessed from the way he rode it.
10 - 20k rides through the bush were not a problem.The bike proved to be bullet proof except for the front fork. I think suspension forks on kids bikes are just a gimmick.
The grip shift a 7speed set up was perfect for him. Just enough gears to get him up the hills (rode all the way up Mt Major access rd without stopping) but not too many to cause confusion.
No problem recommending the GT to any one else.
He`s moved up to a 24" bike now so the GT sits in the shed awaiting my little princess to be bitten by the riding bug. Might have to give it a re-spray though.
Cheers
MH
 
Mad Hatter said:
Got a GT Stomper for the young bloke. It was a bit on the heavy side, but you never would have guessed from the way he rode it.
10 - 20k rides through the bush were not a problem.The bike proved to be bullet proof except for the front fork. I think suspension forks on kids bikes are just a gimmick.
The grip shift a 7speed set up was perfect for him. Just enough gears to get him up the hills (rode all the way up Mt Major access rd without stopping) but not too many to cause confusion.
No problem recommending the GT to any one else.
He`s moved up to a 24" bike now so the GT sits in the shed awaiting my little princess to be bitten by the riding bug. Might have to give it a re-spray though.
Cheers
MH
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Felix also has a 20" stomper I grabbed of Indica as a spare. Great little bike also, but the fork IS a bit lacking compared to the Kona's. Can't keep the chain on the front ring either on the GT in it stock format. Other than that, nice little bike.
 
I agree that weight is of primary consideration. If you are looking at the weight of child : weight of bike ratio it is quite extraordinary how heavy these bikes can be. There are several options out there that I have seen, already mentioned, but one that I like was a Giant XTC Street 20"

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-au/bikes/model/xtc.street.20/10452/52932/

The lack of suspension fork was a bonus IMO. That extra weight is unnecessary and 3 spd hub is low maintenance as well. The coaster brake is a downer due to gobs of internal friction.

Having said that the Trek version was nice.
 
moorey said:
If you are willing to spend a couple more bucks, the kona shred 20 is a step above. None were bought into aus, but Ty from groupe sportif was good enough to get me one specially. I believe he got a second one as a spare and would still have it I imagine. Better parts, soft fork, cable discs, FSA cranks. Tidy bike. My son, 6, adores it. Scott do a nice 20" duallie, but again a bit dearer than the giant/gt etc. specialized hot rock was the pick of the bunch in the off the shelf 300-400 range, IMHO.
Call Ty, and see if your local kona lbs can work out a price with him, as it was a one off order, and he'll be happy to move it off the floor. http://www.konaworld.com/kids.cfm?content=shred_2-0
Click to expand...

Looks like a nice bike
 
Intended to buy my 7yr old daughter a 20" mtb for her 7th birthday, but when we were in the bike shop it looked like it was almost too small for her already! We ended up getting the 24" Giant Areva, but she's quite tall for her age, somewhere around 133cm now...basically only slightly shorter than my 9yr old son who is probably average or maybe on the short side compared to some kids in his class.

I've got to say going to a bigger bike improved her confidence no end compared to the 16" Apollo she was riding before. The easy gearing probably helps a lot as well as better stability. I agree the suspension forks wouldn't do much with a kids weight on them, but hey they look cool, and kids like cool bikes! If you were that worried about weight you might go for a "street" model. I don't think there is that much difference really, not like the forks are going to require much maintenance compared to the ones we're used to on our rides!

What I like about the Areva we brought is that it has a single ring up front (plastic guards either side) and I think 7 speed up back. She hammers up most little hills around here but not really that confident to go fast down them (pea gravel, I don't blame her). Maybe I'll switch the brake levers around though because she has a tendency to mostly use her right hand too which is the front brake and I know has most stopping power but not always the best idea with pea gravel!

I can't remember the weight of the bike but it's about equivalent to my Sons bmx (which has some decent parts on it). I think having easier gearing is the biggest thing they will notice stepping up from a 16".
For our son we brought a bmx when he turned 7, seems to have adapted to it without much trouble, a lot better on it now that he's 9 though. I thought he'd be wanting a mtb like dear daughter once he had a go on hers but he still loves his bmx, which is good! The bmx suits him because that seems to be the scence which is cool in town among the kids. If our daughter was as confident a rider I probably would have got her one too, but she doesn't like standing up to pedal ha ha....must take after her father I reckon!

I think it's important to go to the bike shop and get them to try a few. Even though your Son is small now you will probably find yourself upgrading his bike in a few years if you do buy the 20". There is no problem with that, just something to consider. Each kid is different!
 
Personally I wouldn’t bother about weight. In fact I have done the opposite. My 8yr old has a Giant MTX 150 and comes single track riding with me. I make him wear a 1.5L camel back even though he never drinks more than 500ml. He also has to carry his own spares, energy bars etc. And I’ve put a rear bike rack on so next camping trip he carries his own sleeping bag. He did complain once so I explained it was to toughen him up. He accepted it and has never brought it up since.

In contrast I know people who carry everything for their kids. Obviously a different philosophy to mine. Not saying theirs or mine is right or wrong, just different.

And I went with the 20” cause even though I know he will outgrow it pretty quick, I wanted him to have the crotch clearance as he does enjoy his mtb and safety is very important to me.

Here’s an older photo of my little boy, then 6, pushing up a steep section, complete with spiderman helmet, teddy bear, 1.5L of water etc. At the time he was too small for the Giant so he was on a 16” hand-me-down bike. Btw he’s since graduated from the bunnings kids gardening gloves to proper mtb ones.

son.JPG
 
my kids bikes

I bought both my kids (one girl one boy, they were 10 yo at the time) Giant Talon 3s (26 inch wheel)- they will both be racing them on Sunday. They were the best bikes I could afford at the time- still quite heavy, but really rideable in the bush- not rubbish. I think they were a good choice as it gave them a good looking solid bike to get started on. If they want to continue with MTB (and I hope they do)- their next bikes will be lighter, faster etc. I reckon 26 inch wheels are the way to go as well- good for rolling over roots etc.
 
my son has just modified his 24 inch alu 8speed. he took the RST fork off an old mongoose of mine with a 26incher front and 24 for the back - all fun, he thinks its great.

Solved the problem of the absolute crap forks that came with the original bike
 
my now 8yr old son has a Giant XTC 20" with 6spd grip. He's had it for a year and can ride it no ones business! hes of average height but skinny, and weight is of no concern to him except up bigger hill climbs...but he is just a kid after all, so i dont think a kg off would make any diff there. Excellent geometry..he takes that thing on downhill tracks with me(b-lining of course0, dirt jump park, bmx track, skate park etc...it preform s well everywhere. Highly recommended.
 
rick79 said:
my now 8yr old son has a Giant XTC 20" with 6spd grip. He's had it for a year and can ride it no ones business! hes of average height but skinny, and weight is of no concern to him except up bigger hill climbs...but he is just a kid after all, so i dont think a kg off would make any diff there. Excellent geometry..he takes that thing on downhill tracks with me(b-lining of course0, dirt jump park, bmx track, skate park etc...it preform s well everywhere. Highly recommended.
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Went down to buy a 20"xtc for the son yesterday, appears they may all be sold out according to the giant availability sheet. Hoping I might find one at a dealer somewhere in Wa.
 
jack0207 said:
Went down to buy a 20"xtc for the son yesterday, appears they may all be sold out according to the giant availability sheet. Hoping I might find one at a dealer somewhere in Wa.
Click to expand...

South West Cycles in Busselton is where I brought the Areva for my daughter, looked like they had some kids XTC's last time I was in there about a week ago but I didn't pay attention as to what wheel size sorry (I was buying brake cable, hubby wouldn't let me look at nothing else lol) I don't live close enough to check for ya (it's an hours drive) but I'd highly recommend the store.

Damn just noticed you're in Karratha, ha ha you'd probalby find something in Geraldton or Perth then!
 
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I work at a giant dealer, although there are a few distros for the different states. Theyre certainly not sold out of xtc 20's.

We do scott, giant and avanti among others. The giants are by far the best value 20 and 24'' bike. But the scotts are very nice proper mtbs (you do pay for them though). We do se racing and honestly if i was 8 years old i would prefer a se kids bmx, they make some quality bikes and for basic mtbing they'de go fine. As metioned before, the other quality kids mtb are made by kona

Sent from my U20i using Tapatalk
 
The "thread" refered to in the original post may be old but the info/bikes hasn't changed.....plenty of good experiences in there, no need for a rehash.
 
I have looked at a few in the flesh.

Giant is heavier than most.
Specialized has good geometry.
Merida is lighter.
Trek looks good to.

Am going to take my boy next time to try a few out. At 7yo (and not tall) the geometry will be the deciding factor.
 
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