Kids bike 24" wheel

kirby700

My two boys want mountain bikes for Christmas.

They went with my missus to Halfords last month and picked a Carrera blast each.

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/kids-bikes/carrera-blast-boys-mountain-bike-2014-24

They were £229.99 but when I went to have a look last week they're suddenly £329.99, which I am baulking at.

So I am on a mini mission to find an alternative to 24" wheel bikes that they will like.

I am considering

http://www.minstercycles.co.uk/products/bikes/kids/specialized-hotrock-24-21-spd-boy at £270 but they'll do a deal for 2

OR

http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/cube-kid-240-bike-id86344.html cube (I know a local shop has stock)

Both boys what suspension fork and it to be flashy

Any ideas?

JBA

I bought my daughter a Focus Raven Rookie for Christmas last year and she loves it.
Not a bad weight and the SR Suntour forks actually work.

poah

thats pretty extortionate for the blast TBH. both those other bikes are pretty awful too TBH.

bold seagull

Weight ratio of a bike to a kid his huge. You pick up some of these bikes in Halfords, and they weigh more than the kids they're designed for. That Carrera is 16kg! :shock:

We ended up with an Islabike Beinn 24 (just under 9kg). It is more expensive, but you only need to do an eBay Sold Listing search to see how well they hold their value, and how well they last.
http://www.islabikes.co.uk/products/bikes/item/beinn-24

It's £400 at the outset, but they can be sold easily for £300 if in reasonable nick later on. The bike has only cost you £100 depreciation.

Unless you spend pretty big, kids suspension forks are heavy, go wrong and make it even more difficult for them to get from A to B.

poah

the beinn isn't that great either. not much in the way of gearing, poor tyre choice for a mountain bike, isn't made for anything other than smooth, gentle surfaces. then if you want to upgrade it to a decent fork like the RST first air, the A2C is too short.

bold seagull

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19723479#p19723479]POAH[/url] wrote:

the beinn isn't that great either. not much in the way of gearing, poor tyre choice for a mountain bike, isn't made for anything other than smooth, gentle surfaces. then if you want to upgrade it to a decent fork like the RST first air, the A2C is too short.

It's a choice on what the kids will actually attempt to ride - realistically. Mine were happy going around some gravel tracks on the Downs and some bridal paths and the gearing and tyres are fine - the bike is light enough or them. As for upgrading the fork, how long is a kid in a 24" size wheel for? It didn't last my daughter much over 18 months - wouldn't have been worth upgrading and she didn't want to tackle anything more challenging anyway, passed onto her brother now who has raced it in some cyclocross and a local crit.

Sure, if they really are going to attempt some serious MTB'ing then it probably isn't the bike. Kids just wanting flash forks coming in as a package at 16kg, probably 50% of their own weight - they're not getting up much anyway regardless of gearing.

kirby700

Nightmare isnt it.
Obviously they want a good looking bike snd suspension forks.

Ill have a look a the focus.

dirkpitt74

I had the same problem when looking for my lad.
The Blast was over £300 when I looked - which is way too much for a kids bike in my eyes.
I went down the route of buying a second hand Blast off ebay (£25 bargain!!) and spent some money doing it up and putting better/lighter components on it.
Overall it's cost me around £200 including having frame powder coated and a set of 80mm travel fox forks.

poah

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19723496#p19723496]bold seagull[/url] wrote:

As for upgrading the fork, how long is a kid in a 24" size wheel for? It didn't last my daughter much over 18 months - wouldn't have been worth upgrading and she didn't want to tackle anything more challenging anyway, passed onto her brother now who has raced it in some cyclocross and a local crit.

Sure, if they really are going to attempt some serious MTB'ing then it probably isn't the bike. Kids just wanting flash forks coming in as a package at 16kg, probably 50% of their own weight - they're not getting up much anyway regardless of gearing.

mine has had a 24 inch bike for over 2 years. started with a blast, modded blast and now onto a modded transition ripcord which will last him another 18 months.

in your case the bennin is a good choice but wouldn't have been for lewis