Kids 20" Mountain Bikes

[cmcrawfo]

Thoughts on the 2018 RM Vertex? It's a 1x9 now instead of the internal hub. Suntour air fork. Anyone seen it in person?

http://www.bikes.com/en/bikes/vertex-youth/2018

looks like a nice build ... I wonder what it weighs?

....I find very few companies readily publish the wt of their kids bikes, and IMO the wt of these bikes is a significant variable.

[Dantheman]

Thoughts on the 2018 RM Vertex? It's a 1x9 now instead of the internal hub. Suntour air fork. Anyone seen it in person?

http://www.bikes.com/en/bikes/vertex-youth/2018

No direct experience, personally. Pretty respectable build for the price. No idea if that fork is worth a shit. I can't find it on Suntour's website. This one is close but not quite the same: https://www.srsuntour.com/products/x...=5280456572959 Looks to be new for 2018

[cmcrawfo]

suspension on kids bikes is super challenging.

[mooseknuckles]

Picked up a couple Specialized Riprock 20's last summer for the crew here. Not sure how they compare to the Spawn but just tossing out another option.

[alias_rice]

I went down the kid bike rabbit hole last night for a few hours. There are still a ton of pieces of shit out there, but kids have it a hell of a lot better than the Huffy I had as a kid. I think I’m gonna bite the bullet on the Spawn, though there still is a little piece of me wondering if a decent bmx bike might be a good option for a year, just to really dial in handling and high speeds.

[detrusor]

Bought a lil shredder Used after selling a kidney. The littlest loves it. The suspension is super adjustable, geometry dialed. Instantly a better downhiller. Climbs really well.

Check pink bike, there’s usually a couple kicking around.


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[Dantheman]

I went down the kid bike rabbit hole last night for a few hours. There are still a ton of pieces of shit out there, but kids have it a hell of a lot better than the Huffy I had as a kid.

Shit, the options now are so much better than they were just 2-3 years ago. Along the lines of that Rocky, the new Commencal Meta HT20 and Prevelo Zulu 3 are both nice looking bikes:

https://www.commencalusa.com/meta-ht...18-c2x23712448
https://prevelobikes.com/products/zulu-three

But, at $900 I'd just spend the extra $150 and get a YJ20.

though there still is a little piece of me wondering if a decent bmx bike might be a good option for a year, just to really dial in handling and high speeds.

For neighborhood riding, skate parks, etc., yes. For trails, no. Usually no front brake and HTAs in the 72-74* range. Good n+1 bike to have.

[cmcrawfo]

Shit, the options now are so much better than they were just 2-3 years ago. Along the lines of that Rocky, the new Commencal Meta HT20 and Prevelo Zulu 3 are both nice looking bikes:

https://www.commencalusa.com/meta-ht...18-c2x23712448
https://prevelobikes.com/products/zulu-three

But, at $900 I'd just spend the extra $150 and get a YJ20.

I can only find a YJ 24 on the spawn website ..... the 20" Kotori is most comparable to the Commencal, and I gotta say. IMO the Meta 20" is nicer build. (and about 300 cdn pesos cheaper)
.... kids bikes are total rabbit hole.

On the plus side, they tend to retain their resale value.

[Dantheman]

I can only find a YJ 24 on the spawn website .....

They must be out of the YJ20s in Canukistan at the moment. Their US site has them.

[cmcrawfo]

It probably doesn't have enough French language content to meet our import regulations... not a problem for Commencal.

[Danno]

My kid is good on her 16" Spawn but is probably getting close to needing to step up. So if anyone has a 20" bike that they're going to be getting rid of in the next few months, let me know.

And of course, when that time comes, I would be getting rid of the Spawn. Since this place is where I got it, I'd be happy to move it along to another lil mag.

[sethschmautz]

I'm also looking for a good 20" bike in NW Montana. After reading a bunch in this thread an thinking about either the Superfly 20 or the Comencal Ramones. However, if there are any updated recommendations, I would be happy to hear about them.

Seth

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[ski-wpk]

My daughter is on a Woom 16” though they make 20” too. A bit spendy but awesome bikes.

[SeatownSlackey]

Got a hell of a deal on a previous model year Comencal for my 8yo back in September

Has held up well to his abusive ways

[alias_rice]

I finally just ended up biting the bullet last week and got the Spawn. The bike is pricey but should hold up well for 3 years. It took probably an hour or two of riding for him to get used to the bigger size and shifting, but he’s now riding much faster than his 16” bike. So far just flat double track and neighborhood riding but I’m happy with it. The kid digs it too.

[Dantheman]

However, if there are any updated recommendations, I would be happy to hear about them.

Besides the Orbeas I've mentioned before, the Cannondale Cujo 20 is pretty solid. A guy on MTBR who bought one for his kid said it weighed out to 22 lbs, which is a lot better than any of the other 20+ bikes.

I finally just ended up biting the bullet last week and got the Spawn. The bike is pricey but should hold up well for 3 years. It took probably an hour or two of riding for him to get used to the bigger size and shifting, but he’s now riding much faster than his 16” bike. So far just flat double track and neighborhood riding but I’m happy with it. The kid digs it too.

Nice!

[zlatham]

I may have a 20” wheelset for sale here soon. Sunringle hoops with sram x7 hubs, 10speed driver. QR 100 front and QR 135 rear I believe. Let me know if anyone needs it if building up a kido bike is in your future, cheers-

[pollydog]

Am I missing something? I have 3 kids and just pick up 16-24" kids bikes on CL for 80-100 bucks. The last 24" one I thought about throwing down more as I was looking at $500-700 kids bikes, but when I presented my daughter with the Trek mt200 she thought it was the greatest thing ever.

[Danno]

Paging dantheman to the white courtesy phone, dan to the white courtesy phone.

[roverdoc]

The spawn bikes look sweet. Likely picking up a 20 and 24" yjs
Groms are going to be stoked. Damn i wish these existed when i was that age

[Danno]

My kid took an immediate and huge leap when we went from a 16" Trek to a 16" Spawn.

[Dantheman]

If a used Hotrock, MT220, etc. you found on craigslist for $100 works for your kid that's great. As I've said before, I totally get not wanting to spend a lot on kids bikes. That said, nice lightweight bikes with good geo and quality suspension/brakes/drivetrain make a huge difference. Go for a ride on a 45 lb rigid with 90s geometry, 1.8 tires, rim brakes and 1x6 gearing and see how much fun it is.

A Yama Jama 20/24 is an expensive bike, but considering the low production volume on the frame and kids-specific components they use (which is basically everything but the brakes and drivetrain) it's very reasonably priced. An equivalent quality adult hardtail from a major brand will run you $1200-1500 easily, and their economies of scale dwarf those of a company like Spawn. Resale in high-end kids bikes is very much a sellers market, and upgrading a cheap bike is a PITA and usually a false economy. Can't upgrade bad geo, either.

[sethschmautz]

Thinking of pulling the trigger on a Trek Superfly 20 for my 6yo. Trek has them on sale for $350. My son tried out his cousin's last night and transitioned really quickly to hand breaks.

Any feedback for or against? Seems to have decent components and fairly light at about 19#.

Thanks in advance,

Seth

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[Dantheman]

The weight is good, but the stock cranks on the SF20 are 152 mm which is way too long for this size bike. The drivetrain also sucks. I kinda dislike the SF20 on principle; Trek could make it a lot better without making it any more expensive but they refuse to do so.

Check out the Cannondale Cujo 20 I mentioned upthread. It's 22 lbs, but with much better gearing (a real freehub, too), cushy tires, appropriate cranks, and discs. A 22 lb bike with a 30x34 low gear and proper cranks is going to climb better than a 19 lb bike with a 32x28 low gear and looong cranks. 2.6 tires will make the downs a lot more fun than 1.85's.

[Danno]

Dan, since you are the resident small bike expert: I noticed that Cleary started making a 20" geared bike, but they are using a 3 spd internal hub. I like the idea of it, basically to give and teach kids shifting while avoiding some of the issues with a derailleur for little kids, but wondering what the downsides are. Thoughts?