# In the market for a 20 inch bike - help!



## comphynum (Aug 14, 2012)

My son currently is riding a 16" Sprinter which is great and has recently done some XC trail riding. Next Spring, I believe he will be ready to move up to a 20" bike. 

So far these are the ones being considered. I would like to stay as close to the $400-500 range as possible.

Spawn Savage 1.0 20"
Commencal Ramones 20"
Specialized Riprock 20"
Cleary Owl 20"

I am really debating on fork or no form and singlespeed or gears. I know deciding on these things will drive my decision.

Thoughts on these bikes? Others in the price range I should be consiering? Thoughts on gears/forks?

Thanks!


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## backinmysaddle (Jul 27, 2011)

I got my son an Islabikes Beinn 20" and did a few mods: suspension fork ($85), new stem and wider bars (parts bin), tire upgrade ($40), and a 38t rear sprocket add on ($50 i think). It's a light bike, has good gearing for hills (32x38) and has been good for him on trail riding (he rides 4-5 miles of challenging XC with me now).


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## silvascape (Sep 11, 2014)

We have been very impressed by the Trek Superfly 20". You just need to change out the ridiculously long cranks for something more suitable. Our LBS changed them for the Trek Grow cranks which have pedal threads tapped at 120mm and 140mm. Excellent little bike.


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## the.vault (Oct 11, 2006)

Norco just announced a 20" plus bike, similar to the Riprock. I like the idea of big tires for kids who might ride trail.

Fluid 2.3+ - 20 Inch - Bikes - Norco Bicycles


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## 213CL9 (Aug 25, 2015)

I'm in the exact same boat.
Gotta purchase before the end of this month for my son's birthday.

Original list included:
Trek Superfly
Commencal Ramones
Cleary Owl

Eliminated Commencal due to shock and extra weight.
Eliminated Cleary due to singlespeed.
So that leaves me with theTrek Superfly.

But then...I was introduced to Woom Bikes.
WOOM 4 SUPRA | Bike 20 inch | 6-8 Years | 45"-51" | 16lb 8oz (7.5kg) | WOOMBIKES USA 
Great build, very lightweight, slightly more than I'm willing to pay, and I cannot seem to find one anywhere near me for my son to test fit/ride.

I've already seen the 2017 Trek Superfly's in person. Just gotta bring my son out to ride them and pick a color.

So it's pretty much a done deal.
Getting a Trek Superfly for the boy.


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## shank3r (Aug 15, 2013)

Have ya'll looked at the Early Rider Belter 20 Trail 3s?

Belter 20" Trail 3S - Early Rider


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## Ötzi (Sep 20, 2004)

I bought a Spawn Savage 1.0 for the $500 or so sales price. Nothing else compares in this price range for a 20" bike. You are getting your money's worth. 

The only parts I have swapped were because I had better ones sitting in a box and not because a part was crappy.


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## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

Damn. That Norco and the Specialized Riprock are sweet. Too bad they didn't make those when my son was little.


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## rockcrusher (Aug 28, 2003)

My son rides the REI Lucca, it has grip shift which he has a hard time using (but most kids do) and a fork, which can be kinda bouncy with its minimal rebound. Not sure it is worth the weight penalty. It came with Kenda small block 8 tires which are fine for mixed trail and road riding but he is now finding as he has become more competent that they are lacking in climbing traction. 

His sister rides a Scott Contessa 20". It also has the fork and grip shift but I upgraded it to Maxxis Maxx Daddy tires. I run both kids tires at around 10 lbs which probably gives more suspension than the fork does. 

My son's bike has a megarange cassette with a 36tooth large cog and my daughter has a more conventional cassette with a 32tooth cog. Luckily she is stronger and he likes to spin more so it works out.

For us in Washington the most important thing was low gearing, followed by good brakes. Suspension is kinda poorly performing and low pressure tires give better results. 

FWIW 2 kids, 7 year old boy at 42lbs, 6 year old girl at 46lbs.


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## michealj (Sep 17, 2012)

We just went through this with our daughter. We have all the different manufacturers at various shops close and were able to get her seat time on the Trek Precaliber, Specialized Riprock, Giant Enchant, the Norco Storm and I have a friend that let her try his sons Commencal Ramones that has a few upgrades for a couple days. After riding all of them, I asked her which she preferred and her answer was the Norco because it had "prettier colors" so that's the one she got.

At the end of the day, all of the bikes she tried where so similar that I don't think it really mattered which we got for her. I did notice a few differences, namely that the Specialized and Trek bikes we looked at had longer stems than the others and that the Giant was barely a step up from a Walmart bike in terms of weight, construction and setup.

My only complaint is the BB, which is way to tight and will be getting changed out if it doesn't loosen up soon.


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## Delgado (Sep 9, 2016)

We're so happy with the Spawn Savage 1.0 we bought for our son's 6th birthday in July!

After quite a bit of research we put a priority on overall bike weight (nothing over 22lbs, or 40% of his body weight), and ergonomics (easy shifting, short cranks, long/low geometry).

With the above in mind, we eliminated the locally available Specialized Hotrock 20 (too heavy) and Rocky Mountain Vertex 20 (weight & hub gears), and narrowed it down to the Spawn or the Trek Superfly 20.

The Trek beat the Spawn's weight by almost a pound, but the cranks were way too long at 150mm, the gripshift was very stiff for upshifting, and the gear range wasn't as wide (14-26t vs 12-32t cassettes).

The Savage has done wonders for his confidence and he has no problems keeping up with the most of the novice to intermediate adults on our mountain bike club group rides!

Some great info for parents here:
What to Look for When Shopping for a Child's Pedal Bike

Hope this helps!

Dave


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## Delgado (Sep 9, 2016)

For the suspension fork vs rigid fork question, at 2-3lbs+ we found the weight penalty was too high for most of the bikes we looked at. You really had to go into the $1K+ price range to get a bike with a quality air-sprung suspension fork that would actually provide any benefit.

Gears vs. No Gears was easy enough as well. We upgraded him from a 16" singlespeed bike that was great to throw around in the park but was really holding him back on climbs and general confidence on trails. The difference was like night and day on his first ride - he was clearing things easily that he'd stall out on before. He took to the trigger shifters on the Spawn immediately, where he had trouble shifting some of the gripshift bikes he test rode; I'm not sure if there's an adjustment to loosen the tension?


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## shank3r (Aug 15, 2013)

I got my kid the Early Rider Belter 20 Trail 3s. 19.7lbs with an air sprung fork.

My kid took about a week to fully understand shifting.

He's had the bike for a few months now and it's amazing how good he can ride after upgrading from a hotrock 16. he's only 6 and I have a hard time keeping up with him.


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## jdd1127 (Sep 9, 2016)

I highly recommend the BMC SE20. Its build quality is the same as their adult bikes and with it's aluminum frame it is relatively light weight at ~ 24 pounds. We purchased one for my oldest son last year and he loved it. The gear ratios allow him to climb most uphills and the front suspension dampen the impacts front the roots and rocks in the trails. The stock Kenda Small Block Eight8 tires work well for the XC trails we ride. This spring my daughter wanted to try it so I lowered the seat and she took right off so we got her one to since she had outgrown her 16". (For reference, she is approximately 4' and 50#.) The only difference between the two was a new seat design and hers has grip shifters instead of triggers. It took her an afternoon to sort through the shifting. We bought his as a 2014 closeout for $329+tax and the MSRP on hers was $389+tax. Before purchasing his I had looked at Trek, Specialized, Cannondale and Scott and the BMC was hands down the best built.


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## RMCDan (Feb 28, 2008)

comphynum said:


> Thoughts on gears/forks?


Gears: Nice to have if the terrain you'll be riding the bike on warrants it. Avoid grip shifters and cassettes that lack range, i.e. the 14-28 cassettes found on most 6/7-speed drivetrains. IMO, 14-28 is almost pointless.

Suspension forks: Generally best avoided in the price range you're considering, though the Riprock fork sounds less terrible than most forks on bikes in this price range.


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## XCSKIBUM (Mar 15, 2010)

213CL9 said:


> I'm in the exact same boat.
> Gotta purchase before the end of this month for my son's birthday.
> 
> Original list included:
> ...


If the WOOM Supra 4 is "slightly more than you want to spend" why not just opt for the standard WOOM 4? It only weighs 1# more & is identical mechanically & geometrically to the Supra. It's $100 less.

I just bought one on amazon, got a $10 discount & free shipping. Total out of pocket $439.


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## Kingfisher2011 (Nov 1, 2011)

Went through this same dilemma about a year ago myself. At the end of the day I went ahead and went with the bike that had the suspension fork because it was the one he liked. The extra weight and lack of function has not slowed him down atleast that I've noticed, not for his ability level anyway. He rides the hell out of the thing, bad fork or not. He must also be the only kiddo who hasn't had trouble with the Shimano Revo gripshift. *shrug* If it's a problem for him, he hasn't indicated it. Sooner rather than later I'll throw a Spinner air fork on it and I think we'll have the perfect setup and we'll still be right around the $500 mark all-in. Sorry for the story, just food for thought.

As far as the bikes you listed, I'd have him test ride as many as you can and as with my kiddo, get the one he/she likes. Even if it is all about the color.  I think all of the ones you are thinking of are sweet bikes, and the fork can be replaced if it's a serious hindrance.


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## Alfman (Sep 11, 2016)

shank3r said:


> Have ya'll looked at the Early Rider Belter 20 Trail 3s?
> 
> Belter 20" Trail 3S - Early Rider


This looks nice but they're sold out for now.


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## Steve-XtC (Feb 7, 2016)

Depending where your kid is might determine how much and long they will spend on a 20". With the best will and technology a 20" wheel will never have the suspension of a 24" or 26"... 

So essentially in my head this came down to buying an interim bike then spending more on the 24" as early as possible or spending more on the 20 and trying to get longer out of it. 

In the end my kid went from just fitting on a 20" to just fitting on a 24" in 6 months or so. 

If you love tinkering and have access to a machine shop (or an endless supply on $$$) then you can do amazing things with a 20 ... but it will essentially be a BMX with gears and suspension ... From my own experience $/improvement is much better with the 24" where you have a small adult MTB 

The only downside is wheel availability. In the UK the proliferation of 20" commuter bikes combined with BMX has provided rims and such ... but choice is more limited for 24"... where most of what's available is for heavy jump bikes 

If you bite the bullet on wheels then of course you can buy really nice wheels.


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

We also skipped 20" for MTB and went straight to 24".


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## 213CL9 (Aug 25, 2015)

213CL9 said:


> So it's pretty much a done deal.
> Getting a Trek Superfly for the boy.


Did I say Trek??
Oops...ended up going with a Spawn Savage 20! :thumbsup:


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## Steve-XtC (Feb 7, 2016)

When my kid got his 20" the saddle was right at the bottom.... 6 months later he was on a 24" hardtail.

Now might be a good time to start looking  

We have slightly different choices in the UK over the big pond but 24" is where you have lots of possibilities but very little ready made.

I don't know a single make/model off the peg that has all the boxes ticked.
The Isla Creig comes closest but the DOT brakes put me off as I prefer my kid isn't playing with DOT hydraulic fluid and I believe in learning bike maintenance. (Given the mess he can make just cleaning and lubing I'd not want him getting DOT fluid everywhere) It does however have a proper sized crank for someone MOVING onto a 24".... and F1rst Air forks...

On the other side of the pond the Trailcraft fail on cranks for someone moving onto a 24"... (though they are probably ideal for someone mid 24".... it doesn't make for a simple off the peg if your aim is to go for the benefit of the 24" as soon as practical)

Your then left trying to source some mid 140's cranks or make/have them made.

The SHOJO – 24" fails on cranks and possibly components could be better though at least the Tekto's are mineral oil. The 26" forks ... hard to say..."It's an extremely capable fork for adults, let alone kids" is their quote .... but I know many on here have to put a LOT of work and money in trying to get adult forks and suspension to function with a kids weight.


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## slowride454 (Jan 11, 2014)

I'm going to try to keep my son on his 16" bike as long as possible. He is 6 and is just now finally fitting the bike well. If he has a big growth spurt I'll try a 20" fork and lose the front brakes for a while. I remember when I got my first 20" bike when I was 7. It was too big for me for at least a year. I'm 41, 5' 11" 230# and I still ride that 20" bike.


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## cjsb (Mar 4, 2009)

Spawn Savage for my son, too. had it since he was 5, going on 8 now. light weight, components, frame design allows him to grow with it. when I bought 2-3 years ago there near as many choices as I see in this thread now. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Raivyn (Oct 10, 2012)

the.vault said:


> Norco just announced a 20" plus bike, similar to the Riprock. I like the idea of big tires for kids who might ride trail.
> 
> Fluid 2.3+ - 20 Inch - Bikes - Norco Bicycles


We went with the Norco Charger, and couldn't be happier...Hydraulic brakes and an air fork in this price range are hard to come by.

Charger 20 - 20 Inch - Youth - Bikes - Norco Bicycles

Kids are more focused on how the bikes look, while parents care more about weight and BB height.

Our LBS gave us a discount, so with a little bargain hunting you may find one in your price range. Our son is on the small side, so this will fit him for some time. I am hopeful he can go straight to a 26" wheeled bike from it, and if so it will have been money well spent.


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## Damask (Apr 7, 2017)

Glad your boy likes it! Similar dilemma here... We had Spawn Banshee 16" and now are urgently looking into 20"... Thank you all for posting, lots of interesting info, so exhausted by all the research I think we'll just get what worked great before, meaning Spawn again. We really did love the Banshee


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