Wtb: 7 year old kids trail/xc and dh bike, school me please

**skinipenem** · 03-19-2023, 09:46 AM

Looking for kids trail/xc and dh bikes for our 7 year old. Average height kid. Currently has a pos trek hand me down.

I have no idea what bikes to look at for kids his age and size.

Any thoughts? School me please.

Trail/xc bike hardtail, I think, for weight savings.
Dh bike will be lift served.

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**skinipenem** · 03-19-2023, 10:01 AM

Originally Posted by skinipenem

Looking for kids trail/xc and dh bikes for our 7 year old. Average height kid. Currently has a pos trek hand me down.

I have no idea what bikes to look at for kids his age and size.

Any thoughts? School me please.

Trail/xc bike hardtail, I think, for weight savings.
Dh bike will be lift served.

Gotta say the womb kids e bike looks sweet for keeping up with the parents, but spendy.

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**Doremite** · 03-19-2023, 03:26 PM

For hard tails, check out Cleary, Prevelo, Spawn and Trailcraft brands. Sure there are many other quality options but all four of these manufacturer$ make great kids bikes.

**JayPowHound** · 03-19-2023, 04:13 PM

+2 for Clearly. My kids aren't riding anything serious but had clearly bikes (Gecko and Hedgehog) when they were smaller (3-6 yo). Quality was great and held resale value.

My 10 yo is now on a Specialized Hotrock 24 and it's more bike than he needs for neighborhood shenanigans. Worth a look for the hardtail if budget matters.

**Bluebird** · 03-19-2023, 06:11 PM

My now 10 year old daughter got 3 years out of a scott ransom 400. It was pricey and I had to source 26" wheels to get the 3rd year but in the end after I sell it it will have been worth it. Its heavy for XC, but she still had a blast. She loved the full squish, dropper post, etc. I tried really hard to make it a 4th year but she just got too darn tall.

**Dantheman** · 03-19-2023, 08:57 PM

I'm not as clued into this as I used to be, but I'm pretty sure Trailcraft still reigns supreme for lightweight hardtails. Nukeproof's Cub Scout models are also excellent well-speced hardtails and I assume Spawn still makes a nice hartdtail. For DH, check out Spawn, Commencal, Norco, and YT's full suspension kids bikes.

Manitou JUNIT suspension is the best a available.

**VTskibum** · 03-20-2023, 05:25 AM

Couple of my buddies have Early Rider Hellion 24 for XC duties that seem quite nice and are pretty light.

In addition to the above the Rocky Mountain Reaper looks pretty sweet for the DH side of it.

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**s1ammy** · 03-20-2023, 12:16 PM

Give the Giant (or Liv variant) STP 20 and STP 24 a look. You can go pretty deep down the rabbit hole of awesome, light kid mountain bikes. They hold their value well so if you can afford the upfront cost, go for it. I think the best thing we spent money on at the 20" size was hydraulic disc brakes.

**Dantheman** · 03-20-2023, 01:38 PM

Originally Posted by s1ammy

Give the Giant (or Liv variant) STP 20 and STP 24 a look. .

It's super annoying that you can only get the nicer brakes and drivetrain by opting in to a heavy POS coil fork.

Originally Posted by s1ammy

You can go pretty deep down the rabbit hole of awesome, light kid mountain bikes. They hold their value well so if you can afford the upfront cost, go for it.

I've been trying to avoid being "that guy" lately because I've been that guy a lot in the past, but this cannot be overstated. When my son was seven I bought him a $2,000 bike. The improvement in his riding that bike begat would have been worth the money all by itself, but he rode that bike for two years and then I sold it for $1,500. Nice kids bikes aren't a purchase, they're a long-term rental with a 50-75% refundable deposit. If you can swing it and want to give your kid the best possible chance to progress, ride real trails, and generally just learn to love riding, it's worth every penny and doesn't actually cost more than a cheap bike.

**MarcusBrody** · 03-20-2023, 02:34 PM

I don' think anyone has mentioned Woom's Off Air line for the hardtail. My son is 6 and on the Off 4 (rigid, not the Off Air). It's a great bike and I prefer it to the Prevelo he had previously. That was also a great bike, but at his size, the Prevelo seemed somewhat overbuilt and so heavier than it needed to be. I've also had an easier time with the brakes on the Woom. He rides it more on pavement than dirt as he has one bike that he rides to school, in front of the house, etc, so I like the lighter rigid version, but the Off Air seems great for a kids HT.

**skinipenem** · 03-26-2023, 07:49 AM

Thx all for great info!

I'm now considering an ebike for him. I figure the resale will be there given what's been stated in this thread. Since we currently live in the east with lots of up and down, towing uphill isn't a good option. Plus, this way, evdog can heckle kids too. I like the idea of him being able to ride with us while 3yo sister styles the macride in between strider sessions.

Our son grew up riding mototrials since he was two, although not at all last year, so I think the weight won't bother him.

I figure he can rent a dh bike to try lift serviced dh or before purchasing.

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**waxman** · 03-26-2023, 11:51 AM

Originally Posted by skinipenem

Thx all for great info!

I'm now considering an ebike for him. I figure the resale will be there given what's been stated in this thread. Since we currently live in the east with lots of up and down, towing uphill isn't a good option. Plus, this way, evdog can heckle kids too. I like the idea of him being able to ride with us while 3yo sister styles the macride in between strider sessions.

Our son grew up riding mototrials since he was two, although not at all last year, so I think the weight won't bother him.

I figure he can rent a dh bike to try lift serviced dh or before purchasing.

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geezus, there isn't a 7 year old in the world that "needs" an e-bike, they ride the trail, you pull them or you/hike a bike it's the rite of passage for kid/parent
all of the choices mentioned above will work, I'd stay away from any suspension and just go with whatever "plus" size 20" or 24" bike with good components on it you can find
as above, kids bikes are long term rentals
yes my 10 year old had a carbon 26" full XT race bike that is now on it's 5th kid as it moves through our ski club

**Dantheman** · 03-26-2023, 03:12 PM

Originally Posted by waxman

I'd stay away from any suspension and just go with whatever "plus" size 20" or 24" bike with good components on it you can find

Good suspension is always worth it. A kid who would be fine on a plus bike will not be worse off on a bike with quality suspension, but if you get the plus bike and the kid actually starts to progress the plus bike *will* hold them back.

**skinipenem** · 03-27-2023, 04:47 PM

Originally Posted by Dantheman

Good suspension is always worth it. A kid who would be fine on a plus bike will not be worse off on a bike with quality suspension, but if you get the plus bike and the kid actually starts to progress the plus bike *will* hold them back.

I agree with you. Plus size bikes are no Bueno in a relatively quick fashion.

And @waxman, no kid needs an ebike is definitely true. No kid needs a mountain bike or skis either

. It is all fun.

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