Entry level mountain bike for 12 year old boy

[CapeTownRob]

I'd like to buy an entry level mountain bike for my 12 year old son, which he'll likely use on the road/pavement almost all of the time. 

I'm a complete noob.
What brands should I look at? What shops? 

He's 1.42m tall; should I get a 24" or 26"?

I'm based in Cape Town.
Any advice is welcome. 

 

Edited December 24, 2022 by CapeTownRob
height

[ChrisF]

Rob how tall is he ?

 

At 1,48m our one moved to a 26" Medium.  The main hurdle was the stand over height of the higher top tube.

 

Before that he was on the Titan Racing 24-9er ... strange name 🤣  it is a 26" bike with a small frame.

 

Things to ask for:

1. Tubeless ready tires and rims.

2. Trigger shift gears.  Stay FAR away from grip shift !!

 

 

The rest is much of a muchness ... as they grow through the bikes too fast.

 

 

Titan Racing is VERY well represented at the school MTB racing scene.  Very good value for money.

 

@Titan Racing Bikes are active on the Hub and will certainly assist with any questions you may have.

 

 

Also MANY Hubbers with young kids, so these questions pop up regularly, and many parents give their input 👍

 

[RobertWhitehead]

I would like to weigh in even though I am not talking from "parental experience". 

I will gladly get involved to guide you through the process. 

 

Regards 

[CapeTownRob]

Hi Chris.  He is 1.42m - is it best to go for a 24 incher?

[Eugene]

I wouldn't go for a 24inch bike. He is already bordering on the edge of being too big for it  

An extra small bike would probably be your best bet. You get extra small frames in 26, 27.5 and 29 inch wheels. I have no experience in this, but logic tells me that 29 inch wheels on an XS frame would make for some difficult handling. That said, I would opt for a 26/27.5 wheel size

Don't spend a fortune, you will blink and he would have outgrown the XS frame. 

[ChrisF]

3 hours ago, CapeTownRob said:

Hi Chris.  He is 1.42m - is it best to go for a 24 incher?

 

Rob let's meet at Bloemendal.

 

He can try the Titan 24-9er. (26" Small).  It should be a perfect fit 👍👍

[DieselnDust]

6 hours ago, CapeTownRob said:

I'd like to buy an entry level mountain bike for my 12 year old son, which he'll likely use on the road/pavement almost all of the time. 

I'm a complete noob.
What brands should I look at? What shops? 

He's 1.42m tall; should I get a 24" or 26"?

I'm based in Cape Town.
Any advice is welcome. 

 

My daughter is 141cm and I bought her a Titan 24 9er 2nd hand. I made some mods with an in-line seat post, 35mm stem and 165mm cranks.

she’s got about 2 inches of seat post showing so she’ll get some use out of it.

so I reckon an extra small 26er is the way to go

[Titan Racing Bikes]

15 hours ago, CapeTownRob said:

I'd like to buy an entry level mountain bike for my 12 year old son, which he'll likely use on the road/pavement almost all of the time. 

I'm a complete noob.
What brands should I look at? What shops? 

He's 1.42m tall; should I get a 24" or 26"?

I'm based in Cape Town.
Any advice is welcome. 

 

Hi,

Best would be a fit to double check, but we have a handy guide on our site.

https://titanracingbikes.com/junior-range/

26: Options:

https://titanracingbikes.com/bikes?jsf=jet-engine&tax=range:40


27.5" Options:

https://titanracingbikes.com/bikes?jsf=jet-engine&tax=range:43

Take Chris up on his offer to try out the bike an then make a call from there.

 

[ChrisF]

Some nice memories .... 

 

 

 

VERY nice bike 

[DieselnDust]

Our hades 24 9er come in at 11kg with rs reba

[Theunissa]

On 12/24/2022 at 5:29 PM, CapeTownRob said:

Hi Chris.  He is 1.42m - is it best to go for a 24 incher?

I'm 1.63 and on a 29" medium frame.

[DieselnDust]

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