# Need Advice on Quality 20" Bike For Experienced 7 year old



## chris87114 (Mar 26, 2004)

Hi All, I'm looking for a new high quality 20" bike for my son who's turning 7 in about a month. At 50"+, he's fairly tall for his age and has been riding a 16" Cleary hedgehog (freewheel version) for about 2.5 years after graduating from his strider bike. He probably has a couple hundred miles on the Cleary, and has done some fairly long rides with me (up to 23 miles) so we're looking for a bike with gears. Most of our riding is on the paved greenway trail network near our house and will occasionally get on some local single track.

I think I've narrowed it down to the following 20" bikes: Islabikes Beinn large ($550), Woom 4 ($450), or Orbea MX20 Team Disc ($540), although based on a some size charts, he could almost leap up to a 24" bike from one of these companies. I want him to get a few years out of his next bike, but I'll probably stick with a 20" version since I have a 3 yr old daughter that coming behind him that likely won't be able to make the 16" to 24" leap.

None of these are available locally so I'm really struggling with a decision. My main objective is getting something that is efficient on paved trails but also can go offroad. The Orbea looks good (has hydraulic disc brakes), but I think it's going to be most mountain bike of the bunch so it might not be ideal given that most of our miles are on pavement. The Woom is a more affordable and has 1 more gear than the Islabikes, but I'm wondering if it will be as good given my son's interest and ability to ride long distances (the riding position looks more upright). The Beinn is where I'm leaning... but struggling to know if it's $100 better than the Woom. I know Islabikes hold their value and usually sell easily but I suspect the Woom would do fine there too.

Any advice on these in making a choice would be awesome.

Links:
Woom 4: https://us.woombikes.com/products/4?avad=195205_a11159e61

Islabikes Beinn Large: https://www.islabikes.com/product/kids-bikes/beinn-20-large-age-6/

Orbea MX 20 Team Disc: https://www.orbea.com/us-en/bicycles/mx-20-team-disc

Clear Hedgehog (Son's current 16" bike): https://www.clearybikes.com/products/hedgehog-16-single-speed

Great review site for kids bikes: https://www.twowheelingtots.com/ultimate-20-inch-bike-comparison/


----------



## flyingnome (Jul 13, 2012)

The Beinn looks nice. I like the weight of it too. 

I got my 6 year old a Hotrock 20 last weekend and have already had him out on a single track local trail. They had it locally for $330 and I have done some minor upgrades this week, new bar, stem, and tossed the grip shift for a trigger. He loves the bike and it should last a long time


----------



## svinyard (Aug 14, 2017)

If your goal is to get your kid to mountain bike with you (this is mtbr afterall) then these early years are all about skill development. Certain bikes absolutely lend themselves to that and others just lend themselves to be comfortably ridden, sitting down on pavement or a light trail.

Two wheeling tots is great for the later but bad advice for the former. I think they do a disservice to kids by not highlighting (it's not rocket science) what I've laid out below; at least as a disclaimer. Not every kid wants to grow up and do 50mile rides in spandex on pavement. We actually used their site/advice and while it was fine... I really, really wish someone had told me what I've laid out below for my first kid. We would definitely have done it differently and not had as many bad habits to break. Thankfully some cool dudes on here did lay it out and we adjusted. FWIW we are an invested MTB family now, so take my advice with that in mind.

For your stated goals that Beinn seems like the easy choice for sure. Great bike and they resale really well. I wouldn't worry about the small details between it and Woom.

That being said, if you want to get your kid into mountain biking anytime soon, it's a bad skill development bike imo. Every single kid I've ever seen on an Islabike just sits and pedals with minimal other skills. More like roadie familes than MTB families. No standing, no riding skinnys, no manual skills, no jumping, not drop practice, no bunny hoping, etc. Some of that stuff is really important in keeping your kid out of the ER and having fun (not scared) on a fun blue run with Mom/Dad.

Other bikes like the Orbea, Spawn Yama Jama, Vertex or possibly more importantly a BMX bike like Cult Juvenile or Fit Misfit will be a MUCH better tool for developing crucial skills and more importantly confidence at a young age as long as you are riding enough.

Size wise my 5yr old is the same size. Riding Spawn Yama Jama. You can see him on a 20in bike below. You could prob jump up to a larger bike but I agree in that the second kid won't make that same jump. 
https://photos.app.goo.gl/JcbqHuJegoRUOpey2

Good luck!


----------



## BikePilot1 (May 15, 2006)

If you think you might do more off road riding check out spawn and lil shredder. Also bmx racing is huge fun for kids and bmx race bikes are actually pretty fast and efficient on paced surfaces.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk


----------



## svinyard (Aug 14, 2017)

Bike Pilot is spot on here, especially the BMX (they ride great on pavement and light trails-we have both). That Orbea is prob the first bike anyone getting into the sport at 20" should look at. Or the Fit Misfit BMX 16" (bmx sizing is smaller). The price is right and it's great. The cranks are too big tho (easy swap out).

I've seen lots of those little shredder bikes. They are downhill or Dirt Jump bikes through and through plus they cost about 3k$. I don't recommend those unless your kid works out at a legit downhill uplift park. If they don't, the other stuff is a better fit Geo wise.


----------



## chris87114 (Mar 26, 2004)

Thanks for the suggestion of the Hotrock. I had thought about them a few years ago when I saw one at the local single track trail and thought it looked like a cool bike. I was a little turned off by the weight since they're about 9-10 lbs heavier than the woom or Beinn.


----------



## chris87114 (Mar 26, 2004)

Thanks for the input guys. Great points - keep them coming. I grew up racing BMX very competitively in Florida, transitioned to MTB in college (north central Florida) and then moved out west (New Mexico) where I was primarily into mountain biking for my 2 wheeled pursuits. With that said, I also have a road bike, cyclocross bike, dirt jumper/bmx, etc. I'm looking to develop my family so that they enjoy biking in any form.

My son has had unreal endurance since he was tiny, but isn't the most coordinated kid in general and doesn't have explosive speed starting out, but he can keep going! I've had him on single track, pump tracks, bmx tracks, etc since he was on his strider bike. 

In his last BMX race this past fall (on a 20" Intense micro mini, that I picked up used a couple years ago), he finally got first place not because he won the sprint down the first straight away but because he kept on it and eventually passed all the other kids in each moto. He has good skills compared to most kids in the neighborhood (a low bar), but rides more like a XC mountain biker or road bike and stays in the saddle a lot, rather than standing up a bunch.

We live near Raleigh, NC and due to my schedule, we are able to escape out to the greeway trail that goes past our house and links up to 10-20 miles of connected greenway trails, much more often than we can load up and get the local singletrack. Combined with my sons endurance has me looking at a bike like the Beinn. But I agree that the Beinn might not develop his skills as well... but now that I think about it, the Intense BMX bike might be able to fill that gap...?


----------



## svinyard (Aug 14, 2017)

Since you have the BMX background, I'd focus on that for sure. Maybe pickup a used freestyle bike. If you do buy a new one, the Orbea would be a great compliment to the micro bmx you have. Let him use the BMX everywhere on pavement etc and when you so ride single track, grab the Orbea. He def has the advantage with you knowing how to race and ride (Im a poor biker with very little background).

Aside from that, man we really improved at home via building our own loop track around the house (table tips, drops, whoops, berms etc.). Also the ramps and skinnys have been a blast too. All the neighborhood kids come over to ride once in a while too. Pretty fun stuff and the kids learn quick. Just slam the seats and never raise them.


----------



## Sparkman999 (Dec 19, 2017)

Looks like you are considering only rigid bikes but here are some good options for hardtails if you think you'll be graduating to some more challenging trails soon:

Mountain Geared - Mountain Geared - Youth - Bikes - Norco Bicycles
Vertex Youth | Rocky Mountain Bicycles


----------



## chris87114 (Mar 26, 2004)

The Norco and RM bikes look nice. If we spent more time on single track, they'd definitely be worth a closer look, but I'm not sure the additional money and weight would be worth it right now - though I do realize that I posted on MTBR and not some road bike site.


----------



## Sparkman999 (Dec 19, 2017)

Lol. Agreed. We kept our boys on Norco rigids till they were 12 and 11. They did complain occasionally as all their friends had front suspension and their bikes were not as cool. They finally have hardtails and are mostly happy about it, but are now asking when they can have full suspension bikes...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## flyingnome (Jul 13, 2012)

I just think back to some of the old bikes I had when I was growing up. The technology in these new 20 inch kids bikes are above and beyond what I was riding when I was in highschool... as far as weight. My little man had no problems pedaling the hotrock up a pretty steep grade. The endurance he has is pretty astounding. Made our first lap around the local bike park today 45 degrees out and had a blast.


----------



## chris87114 (Mar 26, 2004)

There's no question that I'm over thinking this a bit. And yes, comparatively to many other kids bikes (department stores, etc), most of the options from bike companies are pretty decent.

It's just that I've been super happy with the Cleary 16" Hedgehog and Cleary 12" Gecko for both of my kids so far. They've worked amazing well for getting both my kids (3 & 6) to really enjoy and be excited about riding. My 3.9 year old daughter rode 6 miles on the Gecko today. She couldn't have done that on many other bikes.

So I'm just hoping to find the next bike for the family that works as good for the next phase of riding. If Cleary offered a 20" bike with gears, I'd just pick up another Cleary.


----------



## Rascal Rides (Jan 27, 2015)

chris87114 said:


> If Cleary offered a 20" bike with gears, I'd just pick up another Cleary.
> View attachment 1183527


They do! Cleary has a 3-speed version of the Owl.


----------



## Rascal Rides (Jan 27, 2015)

I think you are on the right track for the kind of riding you've described. As other people have mentioned, if you are doing more singletrack riding, there are better 20" MOUNTAIN BIKES, but for primarily gravel grinding you are spot on.

Both the Islabikes Beiin and Woom 4 are top-notch. Having had both bikes, I don't think the Beinn is worth the extra $100. I would go with the Woom. It will hold value well also.

If you think youe child is going to be doing more true mountain biking, here are some other suggestions: https://rascalrides.com/20-inch-mountain-bikes/


----------



## chris87114 (Mar 26, 2004)

Thanks for your suggestions. I didn't realize, or perhaps remember, that Cleary had a 3-speed Owl. I think more than 3 speeds would be good though for my son at this point, given his ability to put on the miles.

Some of those mountain bikes are awesome for kids. Just not sure we'd get enough value out of them at this point to spend that kind of money. I was lusting after the Islabikes Beinn Pro Series for a while as it was such a cool little bike (Ti pedal spindles, etc) and the dual suspension rigs are at the opposite end of cool for little riders. If I win the lotto and move to Whistler (which I would absolutely do), I'd be sure to pick up one of those! 

How upright is the riding position on the Woom? That's my main concern, plus it has what looks to be a custom stem on it which I wasn't too sure about, but again, I might be over thinking this. 

Since you seem to be familiar with a lot of these bikes, what's your thoughts on the Orbea MX20 Team Disc? Think it would be too much mountain bike if we were to be doing mostly gravel grinding?


----------



## flyingnome (Jul 13, 2012)

It comes down to which bike does your kiddo want to pick up and ride. That Orbea mx20 looks awesome. I will be into the hotrock 20 for just over 500 after I'm done modifying it, so seems it's priced ok. 

At the end of the day the modifying was just as much for me as it was for him. He would have been over the moon as it came stock. But when he got to pick out color matched handle bars and stem he was pretty stoked. Looking forward to installing the new parts this week. Hopefully it's a solid platform he can ride for a couple years.


----------



## Rascal Rides (Jan 27, 2015)

Yes, the Islabikes Pro series are VERY nice but cost a pretty penny. Hoping I can afford one for my son in another couple years.

The riding position on the Woom is more upright than other bikes, and significantly more upright than the Cleary. If your son is a pretty aggressive rider, than yes, this could be an issue. You could always swap out the stem/handlebar, but that's a bit of a pain. My son seems to prefer his Woom to all other bikes when it comes to rides around town, and likes bikes with more aggressive geometry when it comes to trail riding. 

As for the Orbea MX20, I don't have any personal experience with the bike, but have several friends with their kids on it and it is is a nice bike. I get nothing but positive feedback on it from other parents. I don't think it would be too much bike.


----------



## Crashtestdummee (Sep 14, 2015)

I have my kid on the 2018 KONA Shred 20 with Grind Air shock and hydraulic disk breaks. Got the bike for $600 from my local dealer. It’s been a great bike for my seven year old girl. We can handle some pretty decent trails on it.


----------



## BikePilot1 (May 15, 2006)

Fyi aest sells small, ti/magnesium pedals for kids. Chinese and I've no idea how strong they are, but very light and smooth bearings. A bunch of kids at the bmx track run them, my son included. At 38lbs and on adult size spindles there's not a lot of worry about strength. Around $50. 

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk


----------



## chris87114 (Mar 26, 2004)

That Kona looks pretty cool... as does the trails where you are!


----------



## Amom (Apr 25, 2014)

I just went through this with my 7 year old who is a few inches taller than yours, looking at all the same bikes in the 24" sizes. 

After riding a whole bunch of bikes and being about ready to buy the Orbea mx 24 team disc, my kid asked to ride the Cannondale Cujo 24+ in the store with the Orbea. Long story short, even though it has lesser components on paper, my kid loved riding the Cujo and wants to take it to bed with him at night. I vote for whatever bike your kid actually enjoys riding. My kid actually *much* preferred the cheaper Cujo 24+. The extra width in the tires gives some extra stability. I originally didn't want the wide tires on his bike, but I now like them.

I'd add the Cannondale Cujo 20+, Cleary Owl with gears, and the Frog 55 to your list. The Frog has kids kind of more stretched out, so it looks a bit favored for flats over real mountain biking, but it comes with both slick and knobby tires and might be a general good all-around bike. We had local bike shops with them in stock to test ride.

Really though, I'd check to see if your kid might actually be ready for a 24. Seeing my kid on the Orbea MX24, I am confident it would fit a kid well who is a few inches shorter than mine. I have no doubt that their sizing chart is off. If your child is already 50" at 7, he might be a good fit for a number of the 24s already, including the Orbea MX24.


----------



## Crashtestdummee (Sep 14, 2015)

chris87114 said:


> That Kona looks pretty cool... as does the trails where you are!


Arizona, that is our new bike park in Mesa, AZ. It's a great training ground for new riders.


----------



## chris87114 (Mar 26, 2004)

That Cannondale Cujo 20+ looks pretty cool too. Lots of cool kids bikes.

We rode over to a local shop today that carries Specialized and Cannondale kids bikes. Interestingly, they didn't have a cujo 20+ on display and I didn't know to ask if they could get one. Looks like REI carries them, at least on their website. 

I had him ride one of the 24" cannondales and while he could definitely ride it, it just seemed too big for him. The kid at the shop was highly recommending the 24" since he thought he'd outgrow the 20" but I disagree after seeing him on it. 

The specialized riprock was actually a cool bike. It would be great if we were to mountain bike most of the time, but unfortunately, we on greenway trails most of the time. My son rode 13 miles today and he wanted to keep going - on a single speed 16" Cleary hedgehog. 

At this point, I've just about settled on the Islabikes Large Beinn. Given how my son rides, and the fact that the bike will get passed down to his sister in a few years, I think it will be a good choice. Even though it's a bit more, I can probably have both kids ride it for a few years and still sell it for a couple hundred which makes the total cost of ownership reasonable for a high quality bike... or so I'm telling myself.


----------



## JDBaughman (Feb 21, 2018)

chris87114 said:


> Hi All, I'm looking for a new high quality 20" bike for my son who's turning 7 in about a month. At 50"+, he's fairly tall for his age and has been riding a 16" Cleary hedgehog (freewheel version) for about 2.5 years after graduating from his strider bike. He probably has a couple hundred miles on the Cleary, and has done some fairly long rides with me (up to 23 miles) so we're looking for a bike with gears. Most of our riding is on the paved greenway trail network near our house and will occasionally get on some local single track.
> 
> I think I've narrowed it down to the following 20" bikes: Islabikes Beinn large ($550), Woom 4 ($450), or Orbea MX20 Team Disc ($540), although based on a some size charts, he could almost leap up to a 24" bike from one of these companies. I want him to get a few years out of his next bike, but I'll probably stick with a 20" version since I have a 3 yr old daughter that coming behind him that likely won't be able to make the 16" to 24" leap.
> 
> ...


I got my daughter the GT Stomper Ace. 26" wheels. Disk breaks. Shimano lever and thumb shifter, front coil shock. $400.

Good deal. Not too heavy for her either. She's 10 but small for her age.

"Why hike when you can pedal?"


----------

