AgentFlash

My son got a 20' for his 5th birthday. I would say he is on the taller side. The 20' fitted him perfectly. Almost a year on now, it still fits him perfectly with plenty room left for growth. He tried the 24' too, (Thought I may be able to skip a size) however it was much to big and heavy for him to handle with confidence. I would say get the correct size (fit) over all other factors. However, I was under the impression that most 20' bikes came with some sort of gearing. Looking at the Trek website it seems the 20' precaliber should come with gears. If you have the option for gears, I would go for it. Has made a fair improvement to his riding coming from a 16'. My son doesn't change his gears often, but rather sets them before a stretch of riding and then leaves it there. Does seem to make finding the correct gear ratio easier. Has also allowed him to go faster at the top end without his legs spinning round like crazy. Happy shopping.

Having gears really does make quite a difference. My son is still learning to use them and tends to choose a gear at the start of a piece of trail / hill etc, and then leave it there. However it is much easier to find a good gear ratio for that stretch of trail and it has definitely increased his pace and ability to climb.

My son has a Titan Racing 20' (which he absolutely loves) that has a rigid fork. I purposely looked for a rigid fork. The weight savings far outweigh what the suspension fork does. He previously had a 16' bike with a coil fork and honestly it did next to nothing. Only thing it did do was look the part. Having less weight on the front has really helped his confidence and he is now working towards getting the front wheel off the ground. Tires play a far greater role in the quality of the ride comfort. My son has never complained not having the suspension or that the trail is too "bumpy" for him to ride. When we were looking for his 20' bike, I looked at the Scott Roxter (being a long time Scott fan) and it is a beautiful bike. Would have happily purchased it, however sadly it was just too far out of budget. I have seen some other children really shredding them on the trails. Happy riding ahead!

My son started out on a Muna Balance Bike and you are 100% going in the right direction. He transitioned over to a pedal bike with little difficulty. My almost 2 year old daughter has now taken it over and is loving riding her bike. A couple of things we looked at: - Try to get some proper rubber tyres, This made a massive difference when venturing off road. The plastic type 1's really don't provide much grip. The inner tubes also help to provide a little cushioning. - Make sure to get an adjustable seat post with as much adjustment as possible. - Brakes aren't necessary, a good shoe will do the trick. The levers don't really make them very efficient. However, my son did like to use it (A drum type brake) and it did slow him down a little. One huge benefit that we only realised once on a pedal bike was that he always goes straight for the back brake now, as he only has a rear brake on his balance bike. No OTB's for him yet! - Try to get as light a bike as you can afford. His balance bike had a steel frame, which he did find a little on the heavy side at 1st, however the finances were not there for aluminum, however lighter definitely is better. I believe Specialized even do a carbon balance bike. - I think 12 inch wheels is a good place to start for a a balance bike. Hope this helps and I hope that many happy miles on the bike lie ahead.

Will do for sure. Just gave his bike some TLC this past weekend, after a rather muddy adventure. All still working great and the Microshift gearing seems to be holding up well!

Not mine, but rather my sons. Titan Racing Hades 20" Lite. Such a fabulous bike and he absolutely loves it! It is light and it is his 1st bike with gears, which have been an absolute game changer. Could not recommend it enough! Many happy miles and smiles ahead!