# Kids 20inch MTB's



## Jordan300 (Jul 26, 2008)

So... Like a lot of you guys, I too am searching for a bike to build for my son. I want a 20" mtb to customize. After searching nearly 100 different brands I found a lot of worthy results. This way I can scour "search tempest" for all these different names. Before I was only looking for a hotrock. 

FELT - Q20-R & Q20-S
Cannondale - TRAIL 6 
Specialized - Hotrock
Kona - Shred 20 & Makena
Fuji - DYNAMITE 20
Scott - Spark, Contessa, Scale, Voltage
Trek - MT 60 
Marin - HIDDEN CANYON
GT - Zaskar & Aggressor
Gary Fisher - Precaliber & Cosmo
Haro - Flightline 20
Giant - STP 125 & MTX 125
KHS - Raptor
Orbea - MX20 Dirt , MX20 XC, or MX20 Team
K2 - Zed 20
Kranked - Ripper 20 <----These look insane!
Raleigh - Rowdy, Ivy
Polygon - VANDER 20, RAPID 20, RELIC 20, CLEO 20
CUBE - Kid 200
Ghost - Powerkid 20
Dawes - Lightning, Bullet, Redtail
Opus - Bolt, Thomper, Doppler, Nix, and Thunder
Isla - Beinn 20
MEC - Dash 20"


----------



## Foxhead (May 3, 2013)

Curious...did you rule out Opus and Islabike as options? If so, why? (Only ask because I am considering these 2 along with several others in your list)


----------



## Jordan300 (Jul 26, 2008)

Foxhead said:


> Curious...did you rule out Opus and Islabike as options? If so, why? (Only ask because I am considering these 2 along with several others in your list)


Nope, just missed those. Just added them.


----------



## Vxc961 (Apr 20, 2013)

I recently bought a Marin Hidden Canyon--it seems fine, and it's been upgraded with disc brakes, click shifters, and quick release. I love it, but...
I also bought an old Hotrock, which is 1/7 vs the 2/7 Hidden Canyon. It's an older hotrock, so it's also a solid front fork--it's lighter, and after a quick tune-up, much smoother and faster than the Hidden Canyon. I'll post pics soon (since I want to ID the year), but the old Hotrock is very smooth! In general, it seems like a used hotrock is easy to find and good, safe bet. Good luck!


----------



## jjaguar (Oct 6, 2011)

I can address how the K2 Zed compares with the Hotrock. My daughter has the K2 (actually a Stormy - which is just the Zed in girls colors), and a friend of hers at school rides a Hotrock, so I was able to examine the two side-by-side.

The components are virtually identical. They both had the same Suntour fork, derailleur, shifter, handlebar, cranks, and so on. One difference was that the K2 has a 7-speed freewheel, while the Hotrock was 6-speed (though I understand the older Hotrocks are 7-speed). The Hotrock frame is probably lighter. They're both the same 6061 aluminum, but the K2 has a wider, oval shaped downtube that probably adds some needless weight. They seem to feel pretty close weightwise though, but I didn't weigh them on a scale or anything.

It is upgradeable. On my daughter's bike we changed the brakes to Avid calipers and levers, changed the twist shifter for triggers (my daughter didn't have enough hand strength to downshift with the twister), replaced the gas-pipe handlebar and stem with aluminum, new grips, lighter tires and tubes, and Jagwire cables all around.

We went with the K2 because my daughter didn't like the colors of the Hotrock, but the K2 was in purple. Very important.


----------



## burbskate (May 23, 2012)

my son is currently riding a 20" Raleigh (older bike) ... 6 gears in back. He's doing great, but it seems like the gear on the crankset could be a little smaller. It looks like all of the 20" bikes are going with a 32 tooth up front. Anyone know why they decide to go so big? 

Going up to a 24" bike gives a front derail with a smaller granny gear, but that's a lot of bike for my 6 year old!


----------



## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

I upgraded my daughters Shred 2.0 with new trigger shifter, rd and freewheel. The shimano Mega range gives her a really nice low gear.


----------



## Vxc961 (Apr 20, 2013)

Nice! Is tough getting into that mega low gear?


----------



## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

Vxc961 said:


> Nice! Is tough getting into that mega low gear?


She doesn't have any problem with it.


----------



## roobydoo (Feb 29, 2012)

I'm in the same boat,
one thing I noted: unless your kid is strong, or doing really aggressive or rough trails the suspension fork adds a significant weight penalty. 
There are a few notable units with rigid forks I would consider very acceptable, In Canada two are Norco brand, and the Ilsabikes Beinn at 17lb.
Stripping the front derailleur and running 1x is my other must, and at least half this list has 2 or 3 gears up front. 
Alloy cranks are a toss up, i won't insist on them but they really help the weight.


----------



## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

roobydoo said:


> I'm in the same boat,
> one thing I noted: unless your kid is strong, or doing really aggressive or rough trails the suspension fork adds a significant weight penalty.
> There are a few notable units with rigid forks I would consider very acceptable, In Canada two are Norco brand, and the Ilsabikes Beinn at 17lb.
> Stripping the front derailleur and running 1x is my other must, and at least half this list has 2 or 3 gears up front.
> Alloy cranks are a toss up, i won't insist on them but they really help the weight.


I added an air fork, saved weight and functions very well. Really helps on jumps.


----------



## roobydoo (Feb 29, 2012)

TwoTone said:


> I added an air fork, saved weight and functions very well. Really helps on jumps.


I assume you lowered a quality 26" fork? if not, what air fork in this 20-24" did you find?


----------



## Zerort (Jan 21, 2013)

roobydoo said:


> I assume you lowered a quality 26" fork? if not, what air fork in this 20-24" did you find?


RST makes a nice 24" fork - F1RST. Put one on my sons Giant. It's light too.


----------



## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

roobydoo said:


> I assume you lowered a quality 26" fork? if not, what air fork in this 20-24" did you find?


Spinner I bought from a member on here. He imported a bunch of them. He even had 20 inch air forks. Need to check with him if he has any left.
Home Page


----------



## Jordan300 (Jul 26, 2008)

I'm in Florida and I have been searching for months now. Still not able to find a suitable frame to start with.


----------



## roobydoo (Feb 29, 2012)

Ah yes, I know about the shredders, thanks.

I should let him run in the kids races for a year first before committing to a quality unit.


----------



## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

roobydoo said:


> Ah yes, I know about the shredders, thanks.
> 
> I should let him run in the kids races for a year first before committing to a quality unit.


My point is that he sells 20 and 24 inch air forks or at least he had some, he imported 20 or 25 of each if I remember correctly.


----------



## LB412 (Nov 28, 2012)

My 6 year old loves her Marin Hidden Canyon 20". Only upgrade needed for her age is disc brakes as she has a hard time squeezing the V brake hard enough to stop quickly or at all on steep grades (SoCal). 

I haven't put it to the scale but the new Hotrocks feel much heavier.


----------



## Vxc961 (Apr 20, 2013)

LB412 said:


> My 6 year old loves her Marin Hidden Canyon 20". Only upgrade needed for her age is disc brakes as she has a hard time squeezing the V brake hard enough to stop quickly or at all on steep grades (SoCal). r.


I agree. On long downhills, I find disc brakes are much more forgiving to tiny hands.


----------



## cmgraves (Jul 11, 2013)

Thanks for making the list that we parents can reference while researching these 20" bikes.

There is the MEC Dash 20" from MEC Canada. A light weight bike, with good bang for your buck components for $290:
MEC Dash Bicycle (Kids') - Mountain Equipment Co-op. Free Shipping Available

and the REI brand name (Novara) Duster & Pixie:
Novara Duster 20'' 6-Speed Bike - 2013 at REI.com

Right now, I am planning on buying a 20" bike, and then purchasing the Spinner Grind 1 (Air fork) to replace the cheap spring fork that is found on majority of these bikes. I narrowed it down to 3 choices and wanted to get some feed back.

Local, there is a used Marin Hidden Canyon frame with all the components of a Rocky Mountain Edge for $275.

LBS has a Opus Thumper on sale for $340. (With BC tax that would be $381)

and I really fancy the MEC Dash with how light weight it is, and the if it doesn't work for some odd reason with the kiddo, MEC offers the guarantee return policy. $290 and $325, but will have to travel (but we plan to travel to Vancouver for other reasons in the future.)

Thanks,

Chris


----------



## jplonks (Apr 15, 2013)

Hi there and sorry for questioning the rationale of a suspension fork. The kid on a bike with 20" wheels is likely going to be between 5 and 8 years of age. At that age, all the kids I know are still learning the ropes, i.e. balancing, pedalling, braking, shifting, dealing with traffic, different surfaces and terrain. There are very few kids (none that I have ever seen) that actually get any use out of a suspension fork at that age. As a rigid fork is lighter, I am certain that for 95% of all kids a rigid fork is preferable.

Of course, if you and the kid go DH or ride single tracks a lot, it might be a different story, but please ask yourself how much serious DH or single tracks that kid / the bike is going to see. NB: Even for single tracks, I'd doubt the benefits of a suspension fork for a young child. I tend to value their ability to climb uphill much more and shaving off the unnecessary grams of a suspension fork helps with that imho.


----------



## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

jplonks said:


> Hi there and sorry for questioning the rationale of a suspension fork. The kid on a bike with 20" wheels is likely going to be between 5 and 8 years of age. At that age, all the kids I know are still learning the ropes, i.e. balancing, pedalling, braking, shifting, dealing with traffic, different surfaces and terrain. There are very few kids (none that I have ever seen) that actually get any use out of a suspension fork at that age. As a rigid fork is lighter, I am certain that for 95% of all kids a rigid fork is preferable.
> 
> Of course, if you and the kid go DH or ride single tracks a lot, it might be a different story, but please ask yourself how much serious DH or single tracks that kid / the bike is going to see. NB: Even for single tracks, I'd doubt the benefits of a suspension fork for a young child. I tend to value their ability to climb uphill much more and shaving off the unnecessary grams of a suspension fork helps with that imho.


By the time my son was riding his 20 inch bike he was launching off one of those black skateboard ramps you see around, so yea his fork was used everyday.


----------



## cmgraves (Jul 11, 2013)

I have put a lot of thought regarding the front suspension. I see the benefits of the rigid fork with light weight and teach them to control the front, etc. But, 100% of her crashes on her 16" rigid fork/bike, have been hitting a 4-6" rock on the trail, causing her tire to turn sideways to 90°, thus, she goes over the handle bars. With ever crash, she loses confidences and the drive/motivation to bike. My goal is for her not to become the best biker, but for her to enjoy biking to the fullest. If it means that we can bike for 1 hour more because she is having fun, not getting tired or frustrated, then the suspension fork was worth it. IMO.

My questions was aimed at the bike frames and the components and getting opinions with cost, weight and quality.


----------



## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

cmgraves said:


> I have put a lot of thought regarding the front suspension. I see the benefits of the rigid fork with light weight and teach them to control the front, etc. But, 100% of her crashes on her 16" rigid fork/bike, have been hitting a 4-6" rock on the trail, causing her tire to turn sideways to 90°, thus, she goes over the handle bars. With ever crash, she loses confidences and the drive/motivation to bike. My goal is for her not to become the best biker, but for her to enjoy biking to the fullest. If it means that we can bike for 1 hour more because she is having fun, not getting tired or frustrated, then the suspension fork was worth it. IMO.
> 
> My questions was aimed at the bike frames and the components and getting opinions with cost, weight and quality.


That MEC Dash looks like a great starting point if you're willing to upgrade, wish I had know about those 4 years ago.
Nice thing about kids bike is you can find a ton of 'older' higher end stuff that is still an upgrade, but a good deal on EBay
That's how I upgraded my son's 24 inch.


----------



## Surfpoodi (Sep 14, 2011)

cmgraves said:


> I have put a lot of thought regarding the front suspension. I see the benefits of the rigid fork with light weight and teach them to control the front, etc. But, 100% of her crashes on her 16" rigid fork/bike, have been hitting a 4-6" rock on the trail, causing her tire to turn sideways to 90°, thus, she goes over the handle bars. With ever crash, she loses confidences and the drive/motivation to bike. My goal is for her not to become the best biker, but for her to enjoy biking to the fullest. If it means that we can bike for 1 hour more because she is having fun, not getting tired or frustrated, then the suspension fork was worth it. IMO.
> 
> My questions was aimed at the bike frames and the components and getting opinions with cost, weight and quality.


If you are riding trails, I agree, a suspension fork/bike is a huge advantage. It doesn't matter if the rider is 5 or 45, riding with suspension that works is more more fun.

A Spinner Air 20" will save about .5 lbs over the stock forks on a kid's bike and will increase performance. Probably other parts can save more weight per dollar, but it is certainly an upgrade worth considering if you have made the other obvious changes.


----------



## Jordan300 (Jul 26, 2008)

Hey guys, I finally found a bike to start with. I was at a yard sale last weekend and I walked up on a 2007 Gary Fisher Cosmo. I've already stripped it down the frame, removed all the paint. It's just bare aluminum. Once I start ordering some parts, I'll make a project thread.


----------



## ProjectMayhem (Aug 23, 2013)

Sounds like we are at just about the same stage with our builds though we haven't quite finished removing the paint.

Looking forward to reading the project thread. Have fun


----------



## sashae (Dec 19, 2008)

My son's Scott Scale 20 fits on the roof with mine... it was hugely fun putting it together... lotta quality bits.


----------



## Jordan300 (Jul 26, 2008)

Sashe, that looks awesome with them side by side on the roof.


----------



## Vorar (Oct 23, 2010)

Hello fellow Dads. My 6year old son races BMX in the summer. Now that the track is closed for the season its time to take him out riding with me. I put some knobbies on his Redline mini and took him on our local hill last weekend.

We rode a smooth well groomed local trail together (U-Line): [video]https://www.pinkbike.com/video/151648/[/video] He had fun but struggled riding with the 1 1/8" 80PSI tires and single rear v brake his race bike offers.

So I ordered him the 2014 Commencal Ramones 20" for Christmas. Specs: RAMONES 20 2014
I haven't been able to find any reviews but I think he is going to be pretty stoked! Have you guys heard anything about it?


----------



## ProjectMayhem (Aug 23, 2013)

I thought it was the one my son has ridden but that had an automatic 2 speed hub gear, is this one single speed?

It is a friend's bike. My son who was 6 at the time says he prefered it over his own 6 speed 20 inch bike. It was easier up the big climbs and really good fun to ride.


----------



## Vorar (Oct 23, 2010)

Thanks for the reply ProjectMayh. I thought it was the two speed automatic hub. But the site shows it built up two diferent ways.....I think I remember the Commencal guy saying it was single speed. To bad, the two speed looked interesting.

Shows v-brakes and autohub two speed: ☆ Commencal America - 2014 Commencal Bicycles Ramones 20"

Shows disk brakes and single speed: 2014 Commencal Ramones 20 Bicycle - Seven02 Distribution - USA / Canada

WTF?


----------



## ProjectMayhem (Aug 23, 2013)

Either way it'll be a fab bike. I was also confused trying to work out which version. I've just looked at the 2013 bike, and that has the 2 speed hub, maybe they're not using it any more?


----------



## Vorar (Oct 23, 2010)

ProjectMayhem said:


> Either way it'll be a fab bike. I was also confused trying to work out which version. I've just looked at the 2013 bike, and that has the 2 speed hub, maybe they're not using it any more?


Looks like 2013 was v-brake and 2 speed hub. For 2014 single speed with hydraulic disk brakes. A couple of gears would have been great but after researching that hub it looks like it makes sense they dropped it. For the price it would have been nice if they had spec'd a nicer fork though. At least a spinner or something.

I would love to see a comparison between this bike and the Spawn Savage 2.0. I only found the Spawn after ordering the Commencal. The Spawn looks like is better spec'd but the Commencal was less expensive.

A expensive 20" bike for sure but I expect our family to get at least 4 years riding out of it. 2 years for the oldest and 2 years for his younger brother.

Retail:
Spawn: $975.00 +$101.75 for cheapest shipping not sure weather the additional $58.75 GST applies.

Commencal: $929.00 plus $50.00 shipping. I called the US distributor and got the Commencal for $750.00 including tax and Shipping. (lol no 
Christmas presents for Daddy this year. )


----------



## GA Mountain Man (Nov 27, 2013)

Bought my daughter a 20 inch Surley Karate Monkey. She love it and rides single speed with me. Karate Monkey | Bikes | Surly Bikes
One can find them second hand between $500 and $600. Tough as nails, but is a true "old school" ridged.


----------



## Vorar (Oct 23, 2010)

LOL that Surley looks like 20" frame with 29" wheels..not 20" wheels for 6-7year olds. 
Nice bike but wrong section I think.


----------



## ProjectMayhem (Aug 23, 2013)

Vorar said:


> Commencal: $929.00 plus $50.00 shipping. I called the US distributor and got the Commencal for $750.00 including tax and Shipping. (lol no
> Christmas presents for Daddy this year. )


You got a bargain. Just looked at the UK site and it is £759 plus shipping.


----------



## Whitewater (Nov 17, 2012)

Anyone got recommendations for a 20" MTB for a girl? I tried her on a Giant Revel Jr and if I cut about an inch off the seat post she'll touch from the seat. I don't want to go with a 16" BMX as I think she'll outgrow it in a year. The Giant is really the only option in any of my LBS and it seems like options for girls are a lot more limited than those for men. I'll start another thread but figured I'd ask here too.


----------



## LB412 (Nov 28, 2012)

Whitewater said:


> Anyone got recommendations for a 20" MTB for a girl? I tried her on a Giant Revel Jr and if I cut about an inch off the seat post she'll touch from the seat. I don't want to go with a 16" BMX as I think she'll outgrow it in a year. The Giant is really the only option in any of my LBS and it seems like options for girls are a lot more limited than those for men. I'll start another thread but figured I'd ask here too.


Marin makes a great kids bike. Gave one to my youngest for Christmas last year. She is in first grade now and probably will have it for another year.


----------



## ProjectMayhem (Aug 23, 2013)

Do you get Ridgeback bikes in the US?


----------



## mjbrox (Jan 6, 2005)

Grandpa just bought my Son a Cannondale Trail 20 Single speed. 

I want to try and add an internal geared hub next year. 

Is anyone doing that?


----------



## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

mjbrox said:


> Grandpa just bought my Son a Cannondale Trail 20 Single speed.
> 
> I want to try and add an internal geared hub next year.
> 
> Is anyone doing that?


Can you get a rear brake on it?, Didn't look like it to me from the pictures
It's a 20 inch bike, my advice, don't bother. I had all kinds of plans for my daughters 20 inch, bike, it was done in less than 2 seasons. Save the money and spend it on fixing up a nice 24 which will last them longer.


----------



## mjbrox (Jan 6, 2005)

you can definitely put a rear break on it. 

I also have a 6 month old baby, so this bike will be his in 4 years.


----------



## jochribs (Nov 12, 2009)

TwoTone said:


> Save the money and spend it on fixing up a nice 24 which will last them longer.


Or he could swap the parts that he's upgraded on the 20, to the 24...


----------

