If this issue has convinced you to get your kids into our great sport then look no further than this Buyer’s Guide for the info on the best 24 inch wheeled bikes available on the SA market.
Key Points to Buying a Kid’s Bike
Lighter is Better:
Buy the lightest bike you can afford. Saving grams isn’t about allowing your child to go faster, but remember they’re only little and the lighter the bike is the easier it’ll be for them to manoeuvre.
Sizing:
While age related sizing is a useful guide your child’s height is going to determine the size of bike that best fits, much like it will for you. Making do with a hand-me-down for a bit longer might be better than making the jump to a bigger frame and wheel size too soon.
Bike Lifespan:
Frustratingly, kids grow very quickly. So a 24” bike will probably only fit them for a couple of years. That lifespan can be extended by ensuring you buy a bike with a long seat post and a stem that’s readily replaceable (so you can put a longer stem on the bike).
Looks:
The looks of a bike are even more important to children than they are to adults. If you want your child to love his or her bike, make sure the bike matches their idea of cool. If that means tassels on the bar-end caps and a basket or a bike which looks like the mini version of yours you’d be best served to go with it. Bikes provide freedom, adrenalin and endless possibilities for adventures; so ensuring your kid’s bike matches their idea of adventure will help make their bicycle their companion for many a happy childhood memory.
Avalanche Junior Bikes
What Avalanche says: “All Avalanche Junior bikes are designed and built for purpose. Every component is crafted with your child’s enjoyment and safety as absolute priorities so you won’t find a cut-down version of an adult bike in our Junior range.”
Avalanche Callisto 24” Disc Race Ready
RRP R5 999 | www.avalanchebicycles.co.za
| Frame: | Alloy |
| Fork: | Suntour XCR 24″ AIR Suspension fork w/ speed lock |
| Gears: | Shimano Altus 24 speed |
| Brakes: | Tektro Hydraulic disc brakes |
| Wheels: | 24″ Alloy |
| Colour: | Black |
Cosmic 24″ Boys or Girls
RRP R2 999 | www.avalanchebicycles.co.za
| Frame: | Alloy |
| Fork: | Zoom suspension |
| Gears: | Shimano 18 speed Revoshift |
| Brakes: | V-brake |
| Wheels: | 24″ Alloy |
| Colour: | Boys Blue/Black & Blue/Green | Pale Blue/Lime & Lime and Fushia |
Giant Bicycles
What Giant says: “Off-road performance isn’t just for adults. This youth-specific trail bike is designed to help kids progress and learn to love off-road riding. With its lightweight ALUXX alloy frame, fast-rolling 24-inch wheels, front suspension and disc brakes; it helps make the trail riding experience more fun than ever.”
Giant XtC SL Jr 24
RRP R8 500 | www.giant-bicycles.com
| Frame: | Aluxx Grade Aluminium frame |
| Fork: | SR Suntour XCR Air 65mm suspension fork w/ speedlock |
| Gears: | Shimano Tourney/Acera 24 |
| Brakes: | Tektro M290 hydraulic disc brakes |
| Wheels: | Giant Alloy, Double-wall, 24″ |
| Colour: | Dark Blue |
Momsen Bikes
What Momsen says: “We don’t do ‘look-a-like’. Our commitment to making great junior mountain bikes runs deep. The JR40 is our affordable yet still performance 24″ wheel MTB model. The JR40 Superlight is still the benchmark 24″ wheel MTB on the market offering best-in-class components and performance.”
Momsen JR40
RRP R5 499 | www.momsenbikes.com
| Frame: | New JR Race, Race Tech 1 Aluminium |
| Fork: | SR Suntour XCT-JR, Preload Adjust |
| Gears: | Shimano Altus 7-Speed, trigger shift |
| Brakes: | Tektro MD-300 Mechanical Disc |
| Wheels: | Weinmann DA19, 24”, 32H, Alloy |
| Colour: | Race Orange |
| Weight: | 12.9kg (with Pedals) |
Momsen JSL40 Superlight
RRP R8 500 | www.momsenbikes.com
| Frame: | Triple Butted Junior Race Series |
| Fork: | SR Suntour XCR Air, Hydraulic Lockout, 63mm Travel |
| Gears: | Shimano Acera 8 Speed, trigger shift with optical gear display |
| Brakes: | Tektro Hydraulic Disc |
| Wheels: | Alex/Momsen DP21, Tubeless Ready, 24”, 32H |
| Colour: | Fast Black |
Specialized Bikes
What Specialized says: “Remember the freedom, fun, and sense of accomplishment that your first bike gave you? Even better, the fun of our kids’ bikes is equally matched with the quality and value that parents appreciate.”
Specialized Hotrock 24 XC Girls
RRP R6 999 | www.specialized.com
| Frame: | Specialized A1 Premium Aluminum, double-butted |
| Fork: | SR Suntour XCT-JR, custom Multi-Circuit Damping, coil/MCU spring, 50mm travel |
| Gears: | SRAM X3 7 Speed, grip shift |
| Brakes: | V-brake |
| Wheels: | Alex, 24″, alloy double-wall, pin joint, 32h |
| Colour: | Black & Pink |
Specialized Hotrock 24 XC Pro
RRP R25 999 | www.specialized.com
| Frame: | Specialized A1 Premium Aluminum, double-butted |
| Fork: | Custom SR Suntour XCR-AIR, custom Multi-Circuit Damping, air spring, 63mm travel |
| Gears: | Shimano XT rear derailleur, Shimano Deore trigger shifters, 2 x 10 |
| Brakes: | Shimano Deore BR-M615, hydraulic disc |
| Wheels: | 24″ disc, alloy double-wall, sleeve joint, 23mm inner width |
| Colour: | Red |
Specialized Hotrock 24 XC Disc
RRP R9 999 | www.specialized.com
| Frame: | Specialized A1 Premium Aluminum, double-butted |
| Fork: | Custom SR Suntour XCR, custom Multi-Circuit Damping, 63mm travel |
| Gears: | Shimano Acera 8 speed, trigger shift with optical display |
| Brakes: | Tektro Auriga, hydraulic disc |
| Wheels: | Alex, 24″, alloy double-wall, pin joint, 32h |
| Colour: | Black & Green |
Titan Bikes
What Titan says: “Utilising a 24 inch frame inspires confidence with a lower standover height, but sees the upgraded wheel size to 26 inch, allowing less rolling resistance and better handling. With kids’ specific geometry, these bikes offer a great transition to the adult range. Suitable for tackling real trails with true singletrack, the 24”9R is perfectly capable of keeping up with the bigger wheel sizes on a day out.”
Titan 24”9R Hades & Calypso
From RRP R4 999 | www.titanracingbikes.com
| Frame: | Hydroformed Kids Alloy 24″ 9R (Hades for Boys & Calypso for Girls) |
| Fork: | SR SF13-M3020 26″ PM-Disc |
| Gears: | Shimano SL-RS35, grip shifters, 21 speed |
| Brakes: | Tektro M280 mechanical disk |
| Wheels: | Alloy Black / Double Wall 26” |
| Colour: | Black & Lime (Hades) | Black, Pink & Lime (Calypso) |
Silverback Bicycles
What Silverback says: “The perfect mountain bike for the up-and-coming junior cyclist. The alloy frame shares the same technology as its race-bred siblings, offering a great stiffness-to-weight ratio with junior specific geometry and a low standover height for easy fitting through the ages.
Silverback Spyke & Senza 24
| Frame: | Silverback 24” Lightweight 6061 Aluminium Frame, Formed tubing in Spyke for boys & Senza for girls. |
| Fork: | Suntour Fork, 50mm Travel, 1-1/8” Steerer |
| Gears: | Shimano Ez-Fire Plus Shifter, 3×7 Trigger |
| Brakes: | Silverback, Alloy Melt-Forged, V-Brake |
| Wheels: | Alloy, 24H, Black |
| Colour: | Spyke: Aston Black & Harbour Grey or Dakota Grey and Watermelon
Senza: Robin Egg Blue, Ice Blue & Arctic White |
| Weight: | 12.56kg |
Kids Fat Bikes
Give your kids the best chance to roll over any trail obstacle and gain all the grip they can from the massive four inch wide tyres. Plus the kids’ fat bikes look really bad ass.
Specialized Fatboy 24’’
RRP R15 499 | www.specialized.com
| Frame: | Specialized A1 Premium Aluminium, fully butted w/ smooth welds |
| Fork: | Specialized A1 Premium Aluminium, 1-1/8″ alloy steerer |
| Gears: | SRAM X4, 9-speed, trigger shifter |
| Brakes: | Tektro Aries, mechanical disc |
| Wheels: | Specialized Fatboy, alloy disc, single wall, 90mm wide, sleeve joint, 32h |
| Colour: | Cyan & Blue | Indigo & Coral. |
Silverback Scoop Half
| Frame: | 24” 6061 Aluminium, Tapered 1-1/8”-1.5” headtube |
| Fork: | Rigid Fork 24”, Aluminium, Tapered steerer |
| Gears: | Shimano Deore SL-M610, 2×10 |
| Brakes: | Promax Hydraulic Disc Brakes |
| Wheels: | SunRinglé 24” Mulefut 80 SL, 32H, STR Tubeless Ready |
| Colour: | Laser Blue & Fluo Yellow |
| Weight: | 14.35kg |
Fully Rigid – Frog Bikes
What Frog says: “Frog Bikes are now also much easier to pedal due to a unique crank design from the renowned bicycle engineer Dimitris Katsanis (of Team GB Olympic fame). The new design reduces the Q-factor (the space between the pedals), allowing children to push more directly down when cycling, so converting more of their energy into motion.”
Frog 62
RRP R5 300 | www.frogbikes.com
| Frame: | Aluminium frame |
| Fork: | Rigid aluminium fork |
| Gears: | Shimano 8 speed |
| Brakes: | Tektro 836AL Aluminium V Brake |
| Wheels: | Aluminium 24″ x 1.5″ 28 holes |
| Colour: | Red, Purple, Orange, Black, Union Jack, Green and Team Sky Black |
| Weight | 9.2kg |
Sidebar:
Kid’s Plus Bike
Silverback have used the plus tyres trend to solve the weight/comfort dilemma on 24” kids bikes in a unique way by introducing the world to the first kids’ mountain bike with 2.6” wide tyres, the Spyke Plus.
Silverback Spyke Plus
| Frame: | Silverback 24”+ 6061 Aluminium, Tapered 1-1/8”-1.5” headtube |
| Fork: | Rigid Fork 24”+, Aluminium, Tapered Steerer |
| Gears: | Shimano Altus SL-M310, 8 Speed Trigger |
| Brakes: | Promax Hydraulic Disc Brakes |
| Wheels: | Alex MD50, 32H, Double wall, Tubeless Ready, Rim Width 50mm |
| Colour: | Anchor Grey, Harbour Grey & Fluo Yellow |
| Weight: | 12.16kg |
Sidebar
Cool Concept
Leapfrog, is a very cool idea brought to you by Frog Bikes. When your child is ready for the next size bike, you can trade their old Frog Bike in at any of their retail stores and discuss a trade-in on a larger Frog Bike.
Frog Bike stockists include The Gear Change; Gecko Cycles; Cycle Lab Tokai; Chris Willemse Cycles; Trail and Tar; Cycle 4 Life, John O’Connor Cycles in Cape Town and Northcliff Cycles; Sprocket and Jack; Cycle Lab; Johnson Cycleworks; Dirt Merchants; Hunter Cycles; Design in Motion in Johannesburg.
And when your child eventually completely outgrows the Frog Bike range we suggest you consider donating the bike to a cycling charity like songo.info or the Diepsloot MTB Academy.
