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Hi,
My daughter is nearly 9 and I've just realised she's got about 10mm left on the seat post of her
frog 55, no rush, but dont want to wait for one of the bikes that are saying that they are available in April....
We mostly ride cycle paths, road and a bit of trail. She did a CX race last year and is keen to do some more. She is my eldest, so this bike will be passed down to her 6 year old sister, so going by the strong as your weakest link, in a couple of years this bike will be owned by the weakest link so dont want it to slow us down. Eldest is also keen to join the local MTB club when she is 10 so theoretically want a bike to cover that, but.....
I'm thinking that discs and suspension are just extra weight that we dont need at the moment.
Options I've looked at:
Frog 62 - available locally, £330, 9.2kg. Is a hybrid, fine for now, but maybe not if we start doing more off road stuff.
Orbea MX24 Team - can order from Tredz, £400, 11.1kg. Seems like a genuine MTB, wider gear range, 2.4" tyres, internal cables, looks good. But heavy and comes with 152mm crank arms which are apparently a very bad idea for one so young (too long).
Giant ARX 24 is also available with a 90 minute drive, £370, sells itself as more of an MTB, but comes with 1.5" tyres and I've heard someone say that there isnt clearance for 2.1" tyres. Its essentially a hybrid, but weighs 9.0kg's from what I can see.
I'm edging towards another Frog, mostly due to the weight, price, availability and ease, but wondered what you guys thought?
Is there a more MTB like alternative that is similar in weight? Perhaps spend up to £500 for the right thing.
She is 130cm's with a 58cm inside leg, so think 24" is the right size.
My boy does trails on a frog 62, he's pretty much out grown it now. He hasnt been held back on it, we hired a proper mtb at the Forest of Dean, he was faster on his Frog tbh. New bike ordered for xmas 😀😀😀
I’m thinking that discs and suspension are just extra weight that we dont need at the moment.
We mostly ride cycle paths, road and a bit of trail. She did a CX race last year and is keen to do some more.
Sounds like the frog or similar...
Is there a more MTB like alternative that is similar in weight? Perhaps spend up to £500 for the right thing.
No different to adults... you can get suspension, slacker HA etc. but for her current main use it will be more a hindrance than help.
Eldest is also keen to join the local MTB club when she is 10 so theoretically want a bike to cover that, but…..
Buy used... if this works out then you can change bikes or even get 2 bikes (on for road/cycle paths and one for MTB)
The Hoy bikes are surprisingly good bikes for that kind of cash
If there is only 10mm left on the seatpost of her current bike please double check the minimum insertion line.
Frog bikes are good, if she likes what she has the the same but bigger is likely going to be spot on.
Orbea bikes are lovely, my daughter had a MX 20 Disk and now has a Laufy H20 24 but is more into the mtb sides of things.
Take a look at wiggens bikes and Hoy bikes, both do 24" wheeled bikes.
if you need shorter cranks take a look a the link blow
Thanks for replies.
anagallis_arvensis - what have you ordered?
Steve XTC, you are probably right, focus on the now and if I need to dip my hand into my pocket next year because she's pushing herself on then I should be happy!
Allanoleary - yes, I've seen that, but no stock....
Rustymac - 10mm to the minimum insertion line....
Hoy bonally
Have a lightly used one for sale
My daughter who is 7 and 135cm tall is on an mx24 team disc, moved on to it from a 20 inch about a year ago. So maybe look at the next size up for a 9 year old. The bike size guide is a bit odd for the obrea bike. It suggests she is at the minimum height for the bike, but she is really not! Standover is a bit lacking but reach and the like is good. She is about 2cm off minimum insertion of the stick seatpost.
Crank arms seem good for her, a bit long given the BB height but looks in proportion.
Steve XTC, you are probably right, focus on the now and if I need to dip my hand into my pocket next year because she’s pushing herself on then I should be happy!
About 8/9 I had the reverse... Jnr saw some CX bikes and talked about doing some road riding...never happened. If he had then he could have used his XC bike until he'd decided he was going to stick at it. As it turned out he has little tolerance for anything not full-on gnar now (much less than me) and I'd imagine a CX or road focused bike would have seen 1 use then sat idle and if you're wrong be happy they are into more than one type.
My son moved to a 24 Orbea after his Frog 52 and it's one of his favourite previous bikes. If she's into CX however it might be worth checking out the 24 or 26 Wiggins. My other son moved to a 26 after his Frog and it was a cracking bike and ideal for CX races with a tyre change.
anagallis_arvensis – what have you ordered?
Marin Wildcat Trail 3 wsd.
My 9 year old has a Hoy Bonaly. It is a good couple of kg lighter than the competition which makes a good difference when you’re 40kg wet through. The only thing is it’s rigid and could really do with suspension forks for rougher trails.
I'll give my local Evans a ring to see if they have any Bonaly's.
The Frog and most similar bikes seem to weigh in at around 9.2kgs, but the Isla Bennin 24 comes in at 8.3kg - what have Isla done to save that weight? Is it in the components or the frame?
I can get the Frog locally for £330 from stock, whilst the Isla is £500 so its a fairly expensive 900g.... (although I'd happily spend £170 to drop 900g's from any of my bikes!)
In typical recommend what you ride - my eldest is on a Scott Scale 24" and its a decent bit of kit - fairly light, hydro discs, simple elastomer forks that don't weigh too much but are still adjustable, nice and upgradable in all the right areas.
My only worry is that he's going to out grow it too fast.
Hoy & Dawes academy here
Both great bikes, look for bargains on eBay!
No front suspension, but fit a chunky tyre up front, got a 2.1 black jack that works well, 2.3 hans Dampf would be ideal, but not sure about clearance
My brother got our nephew a Frog MTB with suspension and he seems to enjoy it. They live on Bodmin and ride at Lanhydrock trail centre all the time.
I’d probably go Early Rider and fit the biggest tyres I could when ours are a little bigger.
Another vote for the Hoy Bonaly here. Coming off the back of a couple of Frogs, the geometry on the Hoy seems so much better and it's really light too.
When my daughter's grown out of her 24 I'll definitely be looking for a 26 version.
Disc brakes are very good for smaller, less powerful hands. Easy to set a lever reach and don’t suffer from grit getting into the cables over time (which without maintenance obviously increases the force needed).
I’m shortly selling a much lightened Kona Stinky 2-4 that our largish going on ten year old is growing out of, but it sounds like that might not be what you’re looking for. He rides it round trail centres and in the Alps (some years) and he has a Luath for road and bike path use.
IGM, yeah, not what we are after but thanks.
Just been looking at the Saracen Mantra 2.4 fir my 8 year old... he desperately wants an mtb with a suspension firk for Christmas... anyone any experience of these?
Wooop, xmas has come early!!! Thanks Bike Lux, Newbury.
Eldest daughter is 10 and we just moved her from a Liv Enchant 24 to an Islabike 27 Creig. I would say if you can stretch to an Islabike it's worth it for how light they are. Her new bike is over 1kg lighter than her old one and it really shows in her riding. My younger daughter is 8 and she's on a Orbea MX 24 Trail (I think that's now called the Laufey h24) it's a good bike and I can't fault it apart from the weight. When I can, I'll move her up to an Islabike. They cost more new but the resale value seems really strong.
Just been looking at the Saracen Mantra 2.4 fir my 8 year old… he desperately wants an mtb with a suspension firk for Christmas… anyone any experience of these?
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Oldest sprog is just growing out of his Mantra 2.0 and I've been very impressed with it TBF. It has a Spinner Grind air fork which is pretty light and way better than the coil forks we looked at. I would have considered the 2.4 as a replacement, but at £600 it's a bit beyond us at the moment, and I don't think it's in stock anywhere anyway. Instead Santa has sourced a 24" Commencal Ramones direct from their website.
I’ve spent days researching 24” bikes for junior RRR.
If your nipper is likely to want an MTB style bike then I’ve discovered that the Voodoo Bakka 24 (Halfords) appears to be exceptional value at £320 .
- mechanical disc brakes
- decent ish SR suntour fork (magnesium and alloy version about 2lbs lighter than the lead one usually specced on kids bikes)
- Kenda tyres
- proper 9 speed cassette, shifter and mech (easily upgradable to something lighter later on)
The Halfords website lists the weight at over 16KG which is incorrect - it’s about 12.5.
We’ve got one on order now..
https://www.halfords.com/bikes/kids-bikes/voodoo-bakka-mountain-bike---24in-wheel-251402.html
Ouch. I got the full suss Kona Stinky 2-4 down to about 12.5-13kg.
I’ve changed a few bits since then so I’d have to re-weight it.
Well I'm excited, can we start xmas now?
Just been looking at the Saracen Mantra 2.4 fir my 8 year old… he desperately wants an mtb with a suspension firk for Christmas… anyone any experience of these?
Yes, my 7 year old is squeezed onto one and he loves it. It was 2nd hand off the 'bay. Have treated it to some old xt brakes which mean less of a tug on the lever. Not that he moaned about them, but spares are spares.
He likes it because it rolls so much better than a 20" - he happily chucks it down things that worry me too. Llandegla blue was no problem.
Only issue is the forks - they keep leaking air despite my best efforts. No idea what's wrong with them, but just pump them up every time we go out.
Big_n_daft - I've send you a message about the Hoy Bonaly - very interested depending on logistics!
I want to get something light, so think I've settled on either the Hoy Bonaly or an Islabike Beninn 24 if I cant find a Bonaly.
As a stealth FS ad. Hoppy Jr has outgrown his Cube 240sl race disc and we are looking to move it on imminently.
I've set it up as 1x10 deore and I put a new fork on it just over a year ago. It's taken him on masses, from forest roads to starting into red trails.
I've ordered a new Islabike Beinn 24, they are £500 but having seen a load of used ones go on ebay for over £400 I decided it wasn't worth faffing around second hand.
Islabie claim that it will come in a 8.3kg complete with pedals, whilst her 20" wheel frog 55 claims 8.55kg, but actually weights 9.25kg with pedals, so hopefully be in for a nice weight drop as she moves up a size.