24inch kids mountain bikes

[Bluey]

Hi everyone

My 8 year old son loves mtb racing. Which 24 inch bike offers the best value for money and lowest chance of mechanical issues for the short period he will be using it? I am very comfortable to consider second hand but the available options are too many. 
Is it Avalanche, Titan or Signal or something else?

[Eugene]

Your son is 8 and will outgrow a bike pretty quick, so, as long as you avoid the supermarket special bikes, you should be find with any of these brands. 

[Bluey]

1 hour ago, Eugene said:

Your son is 8 and will outgrow a bike pretty quick, so, as long as you avoid the supermarket special bikes, you should be find with any of these brands. 

Thank you for the reply - would you say there is a max duration for which these bikes would remain in a fairly reliable condition - let’s say I am second or third or fourth owner - are there any very complex failures which cannot be repaired with a simple bike service apart from cracked frame which I guess would be highly unlikely given the rider’s weight. 
Should I rather just focus on main requirements and take it from there - e.g. 

1x8 drivetrain and trigger gears?

 

[ChrisF]

TITAN 👍👍👍

 

Yes to the trigger gears.  Cheap upgrade if the bike comes with grip shift.

 

6 or 7 speed cluster does the job just fine.

 

 

 

Tubeless tyres are (were) not readily available in this size.  We used Sludge in the tubes with great success 👍

 

 

 

13 months .... thats how long it took him to outgrow it ....

[Mark_J]

I was looking at the Titan Hades for my 9 year old (he is now ten) and it is an awesome bike. However I decided to go a size up and bought an XS Signal with 26” wheels and he is growing with the bike and is able to ride with me which is awesome for us both. I don’t think you could go wrong with either option. 
 

https://rushsports.co.za/collections/signal-bicycles/products/signal-signal-s610-bicycles-frames?variant=31261312974951
 

 

Edited December 28, 2023 by Mark_J

[ChrisF]

Worth noting that the Titan 24-9er is actually a 26" with an XS frame.

 

Check both the stand over height and the reach to the bars.  For the reach also check that he/she can actually reach AND turn the bars ....

 

This size can last them a while  👍👍

 

 

From here they jump to a 29" 👍

[Eugene]

5 hours ago, Bluey said:

Thank you for the reply - would you say there is a max duration for which these bikes would remain in a fairly reliable condition - let’s say I am second or third or fourth owner - are there any very complex failures which cannot be repaired with a simple bike service apart from cracked frame which I guess would be highly unlikely given the rider’s weight. 
Should I rather just focus on main requirements and take it from there - e.g. 

1x8 drivetrain and trigger gears?

 

These bikes are easily repairable and parts readily available. I bought my daughter an Avalanche 20 inch and it was then passed down to her brother. It was still in excellent condition. Like any other bike, I cleaned it regularly, lubed it regularly and maintained it well. 

I sold it to a bike shop. 

 

Edited December 28, 2023 by Eugene

[RobynE]

5 hours ago, Bluey said:

Thank you for the reply - would you say there is a max duration for which these bikes would remain in a fairly reliable condition - let’s say I am second or third or fourth owner - are there any very complex failures which cannot be repaired with a simple bike service apart from cracked frame which I guess would be highly unlikely given the rider’s weight. 
Should I rather just focus on main requirements and take it from there - e.g. 

1x8 drivetrain and trigger gears?

 

So we have the Titan Calypso 26 which has the 24 frame. We bought it new last year in September. 
 

I wouldn’t say my kiddo (now 9) is a shredder but she’s pretty capable. She’s not doing jumps or drops (well, not on purpose lol) and is now starting to learn to wheelie. Previous bike was a Mongoose BMX. She is about 135cm tall and weighs 33kg. She’s tall for her age and quite skinny (wiry). 
 

Our experience with the bike in stock form: 

***
(Caveat: we live on dirt roads and she loves riding through puddles - our bikes are cleaned and lubed after every say 3rd ride or right after a particularly gnarly ride. Bike is meticulously maintained by LBS).

***

It was perfect getting her confident on a bigger bike, and one with gears. 
 

As she started getting the hang of the gears I found it needed a lot of tweaking or it would get clicky. A couple of times we had it where she would not be able to get into 1 (granny gear) which on an 8 speed made quite a difference on hills. This was a recurring issue. 
 

The brakes (Tektro cable actuated) were not great, from the beginning. They just didn’t have great bite. They worked for putting around but weren’t great for “sudden dog in front of bike” type stuff. 
 

The chain dropped continuously on the chain ring. That really frustrated her and knocked her confidence going down bumpy hills. And it made me need to stop repeatedly to put the chain back. It didn’t do it for the first 6 months unless she whacked a savage bump in the road, but then started doing it more regularly. 
 

The stock tyres were decent - not capable of tubeless though. We did tubes with slime - no issues. 
 

The BB started grinding last month and needed replacement. 
 

The above being said: she loves her bike, and a new bike was simply not on the cards. 
 

So, as things broke or needed replacement I upgraded. 
 

First replacement was tyres after she gashed a sidewall. Went with Maxxis and did tubeless conversion. 
 

Then did brakes - got sorted with a second hand set of Avid Elixir on 160mm rotors. Amazing stoppage! But possibly too much stoppage for an inexperienced kid without a clear display of how and why. She LOVES her brakes and hasn’t ever fallen because of them. They are absolutely WORLDS apart from the stock brakes and honestly I feel they’re the best upgrade to do on any bike (better brakes, I mean). 
 

Tried chain replacement but it didn’t really help with chain dropping. Did chain catcher - no real help either. 
 

Happened upon a set of DT Swiss wheels with hubs here on the Hub. Totally changed the ride and those Maxxis really popped on the new rims. 
 

Now with a decent hub I decided to change the groupset and she got a SRAM GX 1x10 with longer cranks, new BB and narrow-wide oval chainring. Serious game changer on hills - wow. She actually startles me when I look behind and she’s on my tail on a climb lol. And no more chain dropping - not once. 
 

The stock 80mm coil fork worked very well, no problems, but well I love the feel of an air fork and a Rockshox SiD 26” fell onto the bike by accident. Oops 🙊 

 

Then a more comfortable seat - just a junior sport seat from Decathlon. The stock seat was a little hard for her mini-bits. 
 

So what have we got left of the Calypso - well, we have a frame 😂 But now we have a bike that will last her probably 36 months or so - so I see all the upgrades as being well worth it. And she LOVES her bike, and rides it every day. I feel that the bike in stock form got her going and doing the upgrades along the way has given her a really light, really manoeuvrable, really fun bike that she enjoys. And I haven’t had to tweak anything on any of the upgrades as they are simply better quality components than stock. She’s done a few races and the bike brings her home safely both in stock form and now upgraded. 
 

All the upgrades bar the wheels and tyres were done by hubber @Robertwhitehead (he’s a nice guy - chat to him).
 

I rate the range in stock form for riding around the block each day and light trail use, but if you intend on letting the kid grow with the bike some upgrades are necessary in my opinion. Total spent on the bike excluding tyres is probably R5ish K plus the purchase price, so I think R12ish K if memory serves and I don’t think I’ll need to spend any money apart from maintenance for the next couple of years. 

[OVERDRIVE]

Always @Titan Racing Bikes are the go to for bikes that size. Waiting for one meself, don’t look further.