Kids Bike Suggestions

short cranks, air fork and disc brakes, not too shabby. but wtf is with 70+* hta on kids bikes? if everyone accepts that 29ers need steeper hta's because of their big wheels, surely we can compute that the opposite is true for little wheels?

short cranks, air fork and disc brakes, not too shabby. but wtf is with 70+* hta on kids bikes? if everyone accepts that 29ers need steeper hta's because of their big wheels, surely we can compute that the opposite is true for little wheels?

Future upgrade to 100mm fork.. voila HA is slacker…but yeah, I get your point.

My buddy and i took our groms down Forever Ever and High School last weekend. He bought his kid a 13" norco storm with 27.5 wheels. His kid is 9. He rode it OK but I think those wheels sure looked silly and super thin.

i'm a firm believer in height appropriate wheel size. even with adult bikes, the wrong wheel size means the wrong compromises in geometry and design. buying a bike for a kid with the perspective that they'll "grow into it", like buying them a shitty bike because "they'll grow out of it", necessarily devalues their riding experience

i'm a firm believer in height appropriate wheel size. even with adult bikes, the wrong wheel size means the wrong compromises in geometry and design. buying a bike for a kid with the perspective that they'll "grow into it", like buying them a shitty bike because "they'll grow out of it", necessarily devalues their riding experience

x2…. perfect analogy. Only problem is the little buggers grow so damn fast.

To resurrect this thread, I'm looking for a 20" bike for my 5.5yr old daughter as the 16" Commencal is now getting too small. I'd buy the 20" Ramones in a heartbeat but the dollar has made that expensive. I've been looking at the Ghost Powerkid 20 (which has the better fork) and the MEC Dash (which is cheaper). A Spawn is too expensive and most other brands are quite heavy.

Any input is welcome! Here she is on the Ramones 16 in the bike park this summer (DFX camp twice a week)

My 7 yr old has been on the Dash for the last two seasons. It's a solid, decently specced yet not too heavy bike and will serve his brother well in a couple of years. Thumbs up from this north van family.

I am now looking for a decent 24 inch bike to replace it.

Kona Shred 2.0. I have one for each kid, i have upgraded one a bit (put Deore 615 brakes on it, switched it to an 8 speed cassette with trigger shifter. But my boy's ridden it for 2 years, and it's very capable. I also bought Maxxis big Daddy for the front and a continental spiky tire for the rear. The tires that come on them are barely dirt jump capable!

It's ~$550 CDN at Cove. very reasonable.

First time at the Farm on her bike. Mentioned before…free bike that had issues. Stripped to frame only and rebuilt.

For 20" I got the kid an Opus Bolt. Similar spec to the kona shred 2.0 I believe-has a great super low gear. Dude can spin his way up anything.

Mine are on a 20" Specialized Hotrock and a Cube 200. Cube has no suspension fork, but is lighter, also has an ultra-low gear. The Hotrock's toptube is quite long compared to other 20" bikes (you know you're a bike nerd when you start comparing kids' bike geos). Surprisingly enough, the suspension fork seem s to help a little. I put DH stems on both bikes to make the riding position more upright.
By the way, anybody know if there are any decent tires in 20"? Most seem to have almost no profile and weigh almost as much as 650B XC tires. And decent 20" suspension forks and maybe even wheelsets (disc-ready)?
I like the fact that the Kona has disc brakes, but like most kids' bikes, it's dead ugly (and looks are even more important to most kids than they are to us - daddy, I want a pink bike…).

http://www.pinkbike.com/video//

To resurrect this thread

Used bikes should be popping up? Try Summit and see if they are selling their rentals.

16 to 20 is going to be a big increase in speed. My 5 y.o. isn't interested in going fast downhill, flat he will and dj's, but he's not letting go of his brakes on the trails much. But he just watched this and said I could ride that. http://www.pinkbike.com/video/421485
http://www.pinkbike.com/video/421485/

Mine are on a 20" Specialized Hotrock and a Cube 200. Cube has no suspension fork, but is lighter, also has an ultra-low gear. The Hotrock's toptube is quite long compared to other 20" bikes (you know you're a bike nerd when you start comparing kids' bike geos). Surprisingly enough, the suspension fork seem s to help a little. I put DH stems on both bikes to make the riding position more upright.
By the way, anybody know if there are any decent tires in 20"? Most seem to have almost no profile and weigh almost as much as 650B XC tires. And decent 20" suspension forks and maybe even wheelsets (disc-ready)?
I like the fact that the Kona has disc brakes, but like most kids' bikes, it's dead ugly (and looks are even more important to most kids than they are to us - daddy, I want a pink bike…).

20" - maxxis big daddy. Great tires! Fork… i looked around and you're looking at $750 Suntour… more than the bike!

Kona's aren't ugly?! My son's got the Orange One and the daughter when light blue. Seems to be pretty HIP (although both have covered them in stickers)

I've been looking at the Ghost Powerkid 20 (which has the better fork) and the MEC Dash (which is cheaper).

My 7 yr old has been on the Dash for the last two seasons. It's a solid, decently specced yet not too heavy bike and will serve his brother well in a couple of years. Thumbs up from this north van family.

I'm also considering the Powerkid 20 or Dash for my daughter. Can a 40lb kid actually get some travel out the forks on those bikes?