Neg Posted January 16 Posted January 16 Hi All, My son ( a hooligan) on his bike has out grown is 20" Titan Hades SE. So we are looking for a new bike for him. He is 137cm tall, skinny but strong! His inseam is 60cm. We are looking at these options- Titan Drone 26" jnr Titan Drone 24" Titan 24 9R (discontinued but they are around) His current bike is a racing 20" with air shock and hydraulic brakes with 11-46 and 32 front ring! According to the internet, His specs put him on the high end of a 24" and low end of the 26jn specific bike. His old brother has an XS Avalanche Luna pro and this bike is too big for the younger Son! He can get it going, but loses it on turning. Then enter the Titan 24 9r, a 24" frame with 26" wheels! Im confused what would be the correct size. Im hesitant to go with coil shock and cable brakes as he currently has air and hydraulic. It made a huge difference coming from his 16" so we'd like to stay with the better components. Will the smaller frame and bigger wheels keep his confidence or go with the 26"jnr or just go with the 24"? I hear the argument about him out growing the 24, but id rather buy another bike in 15 months than him losing his confidence and current skill! We live in the bush, so tricky to just go to a bike shop and test! Im leaning toward the 24, but is there somthing i should be considering? Are there any other high end 24 bikes in SA that compete with the Titan? Thanks all, appreciate it!
ChrisF Posted January 16 Posted January 16 Having gone through this the last few years .... TWO dimensions to check : 1. Can he stand over the frame ? (basic safety when riding trails ... not nice seeing kids hurting on trails when the top tube is just too high ....) 2. REACH ... more specifically, let him sit on the bike (while you hold it upright by the seat), now let him turn the bars left and right ..... you quickly see if he is capable of handling the frame length .... THIS is/was the magic of the 24-9r ... 26" wheel on an XS frame. Maybe @Titan Racing Bikes can comment on the reach of the 24-9r vs the "Titan Drone 26" jnr" Titan Racing Bikes 1
Neg Posted January 16 Author Posted January 16 Thanks ChrisF He can reach the bars on his brothers Avalanche XS 26 and can pedal a straight line and upnhill ish, but he battles to turn and control the bike in very tight spits. Futher research has indicated that the drone 26jnr actually has a smaller frame than an XS 26! So it fits between the 24 9r and the standard XS 26! Im just worried that the 26 wheels will be too big and his confidence takes a knock! but where we ride, the 26 wheel will give him an edge over rough sruff, but climbing he will be better off on the 24! 🙆♂️🙆♂️🙆♂️ Its also an expensive mistake to make! ChrisF 1
AgentFlash Posted January 18 Posted January 18 Morning, We have been in the exact same situation. My son has outgrown his Titan Racing 20". He is a little shorter at 132cm. If you can try it at the shop, that is your best option, as you get a much better idea actually letting them sit on the bike. We got some excellent advice from a local shop. We were looking at the Titan Racing Player JR 26". We tried both the 24" and the Player JR 26". The 24" was the perfect size for him - Height wise and reach. However he will outgrow it soon. The Player JR 26" was fine height wise, but not for reach. (Reaching and controlling the handlebars.) It was for this reason that he struggled to control the bike. The shop gave us excellent advice and showed us all the pros and cons. The final outcome we will get the bike for him, but we will get it at a later stage, when he has had time to grow a but more. Once again it is hard to beat Titan Racing Bikes in this section. As far as I understand the Titan Racing Drone JR 26" does have an air fork and hydraulic disc brakes. I would happily get the drone, however it was just a little to much out of our price range. I hope you are able to find the right bike. ChrisF 1
Barry Posted January 18 Posted January 18 Maybe someone has a 249R that you could test. My granddaughter outgrew her 20" in just 10 months, so I sort of skipped the 24" upgrade. Although they are discontinued, I managed to find a neat, well-looked-after 249R Pro off the hub for R3000. This feels a little less painful on the pocket, especially when kids outgrow them so quickly. I’ll probably break even when I sell it in a year or two. ChrisF 1
AgentFlash Posted January 18 Posted January 18 1 hour ago, Barry said: Maybe someone has a 249R that you could test. My granddaughter outgrew her 20" in just 10 months, so I sort of skipped the 24" upgrade. Although they are discontinued, I managed to find a neat, well-looked-after 249R Pro off the hub for R3000. This feels a little less painful on the pocket, especially when kids outgrow them so quickly. I’ll probably break even when I sell it in a year or two. Some lovely looking extra bling on that Titan!
Barry Posted January 18 Posted January 18 Next, I'm considering a good second-hand 12-speed GX groupset with an NX cassette, unless I find a non-Boost Hope hub with a XD driver, in which case I'll go full GX just for fun. Ultimately, this setup will still be cheaper than a new drone and way higer spc. AgentFlash 1
Neg Posted January 18 Author Posted January 18 Thanks Guys, i live in the mountains, and access to these bikes to test is not possible! My measurements were incorrect, hes 137cm and has an inseam of 65cm. Still leaning toward the 24, but the 24 9r may be the right bike, reach wise!
Titan Racing Bikes Posted January 19 Posted January 19 On 1/16/2026 at 5:27 PM, Neg said: Hi All, My son ( a hooligan) on his bike has out grown is 20" Titan Hades SE. So we are looking for a new bike for him. He is 137cm tall, skinny but strong! His inseam is 60cm. We are looking at these options- Titan Drone 26" jnr Titan Drone 24" Titan 24 9R (discontinued but they are around) His current bike is a racing 20" with air shock and hydraulic brakes with 11-46 and 32 front ring! According to the internet, His specs put him on the high end of a 24" and low end of the 26jn specific bike. His old brother has an XS Avalanche Luna pro and this bike is too big for the younger Son! He can get it going, but loses it on turning. Then enter the Titan 24 9r, a 24" frame with 26" wheels! Im confused what would be the correct size. Im hesitant to go with coil shock and cable brakes as he currently has air and hydraulic. It made a huge difference coming from his 16" so we'd like to stay with the better components. Will the smaller frame and bigger wheels keep his confidence or go with the 26"jnr or just go with the 24"? I hear the argument about him out growing the 24, but id rather buy another bike in 15 months than him losing his confidence and current skill! We live in the bush, so tricky to just go to a bike shop and test! Im leaning toward the 24, but is there somthing i should be considering? Are there any other high end 24 bikes in SA that compete with the Titan? Thanks all, appreciate it! Hi, Iwan here from Titan Racing. Where are you based? I have a 24" with me (Northern Suburbs/Cape Town) and would be happy to meet up for your kid to try it out for size. It is always extremely difficult to give size advice via the web. What I would say from personal experience is avoid buying a bike that is too big to save in the long run. Bikes (and kids!) are expensive, but the wrong-sized bike will most likely do more harm. On 1/16/2026 at 5:27 PM, Neg said: Im leaning toward the 24, but is there somthing i should be considering? Are there any other high end 24 bikes in SA that compete with the Titan? No 😎
Jase619 Posted January 19 Posted January 19 Very important to not get the bigger size, even if your wallet would prefer it, I had the horror of seeing first-hand what putting my nephew on a 24" too early did to his confidence and riding ability. He went from being toe to toe with my son to being almost a full lap behind. No difference from one week to the next otherwise, just my in-laws deciding to put him on his brother's bike. If he can handle the bigger size, that's perfect, but if you doubt for a second, go for the smaller one. There is usually a good resale market for kids bikes, including myself soon haha.
Neg Posted January 19 Author Posted January 19 13 minutes ago, Titan Racing Bikes said: Hi, Iwan here from Titan Racing. Where are you based? I have a 24" with me (Northern Suburbs/Cape Town) and would be happy to meet up for your kid to try it out for size. It is always extremely difficult to give size advice via the web. What I would say from personal experience is avoid buying a bike that is too big to save in the long run. Bikes (and kids!) are expensive, but the wrong-sized bike will most likely do more harm. No 😎 Hi Iwan, I live in Kzn, in the Drakensberg. So sadly we cannot take you up on the offer. Closest bike shop is around 1:30h from us! I agree, to big to quick is not correct and I really dont mind buying him 15 bikes if he needs them! I know a standard XS 26 is too big, so that leave 3 options, the 24" drone the 26JR drone or trying to find a 24 9R. My understanding is that the 26JR frome fits between the 24 and standard 26XS? Is this correct? Then its just if the 26" wheels would benefit him at this age? I think being able to maneuver the bike and climb better would be more advantages over the benefits of the 26" wheel! So I think the 24" Drone is the better option!
openmind Posted January 19 Posted January 19 (edited) Years ago we got our son a Momsen 26" with kid-specific geo - this is the latest version: https://momsenbikes.com/shop/uncategorized/jsl60-my21-x-small/ From the specs: "Age : 10 – 14 Years / Height : 134 – 162cm" - so that would fit your kid. It's like the 29" wheel effect - larger wheels roll better - but they've kept the reach short(ish) to fit smaller kids. Plus they fit the bike longer as we were able to keep raising the saddle and lengthening the stem to keep him fitted for many more years than a 24" would have allowed. Kids grow like weeds and this is a neat solution to that problem! Edited January 19 by openmind
Neg Posted January 19 Author Posted January 19 18 minutes ago, openmind said: Years ago we got our son a Momsen 26" with kid-specific geo - this is the latest version: https://momsenbikes.com/shop/uncategorized/jsl60-my21-x-small/ From the specs: "Age : 10 – 14 Years / Height : 134 – 162cm" - so that would fit your kid. It's like the 29" wheel effect - larger wheels roll better - but they've kept the reach short(ish) to fit smaller kids. Plus they fit the bike longer as we were able to keep raising the saddle and lengthening the stem to keep him fitted for many more years than a 24" would have allowed. Kids grow like weeds and this is a neat solution to that problem! That bike is discontinued. But thanks
Barry Posted January 19 Posted January 19 (edited) 29 minutes ago, Neg said: Hi Iwan, I live in Kzn, in the Drakensberg. So sadly we cannot take you up on the offer. Closest bike shop is around 1:30h from us! I agree, to big to quick is not correct and I really dont mind buying him 15 bikes if he needs them! I know a standard XS 26 is too big, so that leave 3 options, the 24" drone the 26JR drone or trying to find a 24 9R. My understanding is that the 26JR frome fits between the 24 and standard 26XS? Is this correct? Then its just if the 26" wheels would benefit him at this age? I think being able to maneuver the bike and climb better would be more advantages over the benefits of the 26" wheel! So I think the 24" Drone is the better option! If you decide to go with the second-hand 249R route, I recommend choosing either the Pro or Team models, as they come with slightly higher specifications, including hydraulic brakes. They also feature an air fork and decent gears, unlike the standard 249R, which has grip shifts and cable disc brakes. Edited January 19 by Barry
Neg Posted January 19 Author Posted January 19 2 minutes ago, Barry said: If you decide to go with the second-hand 249R route, I recommend choosing either the Pro or Team models, as they come with slightly higher specifications, including hydraulic brakes. They also feature an air fork and decent gears, unlike the standard 249R, which has grip shifts. Thank you Barry. Will do some searching
Titan Racing Bikes Posted January 19 Posted January 19 14 minutes ago, Neg said: Hi Iwan, I live in Kzn, in the Drakensberg. So sadly we cannot take you up on the offer. Closest bike shop is around 1:30h from us! I agree, to big to quick is not correct and I really dont mind buying him 15 bikes if he needs them! I know a standard XS 26 is too big, so that leave 3 options, the 24" drone the 26JR drone or trying to find a 24 9R. My understanding is that the 26JR frome fits between the 24 and standard 26XS? Is this correct? Then its just if the 26" wheels would benefit him at this age? I think being able to maneuver the bike and climb better would be more advantages over the benefits of the 26" wheel! So I think the 24" Drone is the better option! We do have a size guide on our site, if it helps. https://titanracingbikes.com/junior-range/ From personal experience, this is your answer: "I think being able to maneuver the bike and climb better would be more advantages over the benefits of the 26" wheel!"
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