In the past few years, a select few budget-friendly brands have produced much needed change in the kids bike market. The Decathlon and Polygon bikes you see below are significantly better than any bike you will find at Walmart. They are lighter-weight, have better quality components, and are designed to make riding easier for kids. This ratio is more important when a child is younger and just learning to ride, but is still applicable for your 8 and 9-year-olds! The more aggressive and longer your child rides, the more important weight becomes as well. If trail riding or any type of riding with varied elevation is in your child’s future, aim for a bike that is less than 30% of their weight.
In most cases, the weight a shock adds to the bike quickly negates the benefits of having a shock. To ensure as much longevity as possible, be sure to compare your child’s inseam to the bike’s minimum seat height before your purchase. The Pello Reyes on the left has a minimum seat height of a little over 25″ while the woom 5 on the right has a 26.4″ minimum seat height. Make sure that you choose a bike that not only fits well now, but allows for plenty of room for growth.
Hailing from bike enthusiast parents in the UK, Frog Bikes is another kid-focused bike brand that designs their bikes top-to-bottom for kids. For a more detailed comparison of these bikes, jump down to our 24 inch Bike Comparison Chart below. This bike is also an affordable option for families who want a good “base bike” for upgrading to make it more trail-worthy.
All of the bikes on this list are for boys or girls, with the same frames and components. They do offer different color options, which are in an array of typical girl colors and gender neutral colors. Guardian’s unique patented braking system allows kids to activate both the rear and front huffy beach cruiser brake with ONE brake lever. Upon activating the single brake lever, the rear brake is activated, which is turn activates the front wheel’s brake. In regards to weight, be cautious about purchasing a 24 inch bike with a shock as they can add a lot of unnecessary weight to a bike.
Online selling fees, listing creation, disassembly, packing, shipping time and cost, insurance, price negotiation, time investment, return management, tire kickers, low-ball offers. Here’s a quick summary of what to look for when selecting the best bike for your 8 to 10-year-old. For more detailed information on the topics below, check out our buying guide at the bottom of the article about the best kids bike brands on the market.
Coming equipped with a 2.1″ wide all-terrain tires and a 50mm coil suspension fork, the MTB provides just enough grit for adventurous riders, but without breaking the bank. New to the US, but not to the biking world, Polygon Bikes offers top-notch bikes with quality components at an affordable price. Their new Premier Ultralight 24 inch bike is no exception and comes fully spec’ed with a Shimano drivetrain, Kenda tires, and Promax brake levers.
No question here as mechanical disc brakes offer plenty of responsive stopping power with easy to reach brake levers. All of our testers loved the fun, smooth, and nimble ride of the Jett and preferred it over many other bikes in our test fleet. Both our timid and aggressive riders loved the Jett’s 2.0″ wide tires that help to cushion the ride, as well as the quick and responsive trigger shifters. With a focus more on simplicity for the average kid rider, these 24 inch bikes feature easy to use grip shifters, less gearing options, and v-brakes. They also boast exceptional quality that will allow you to pass these bikes down to several kids, or resell them for a good price. Specced with trigger shifters as well as 9 gears with a wide gain ratio range, the Prevelo is easy to shift on the fly and even easier to power up hills or lay down the speed on long straightaways.
When it comes time to slow down, the Alpha’s Tektro v-brakes offer quick and responsive stopping power. 24 inch bikes are typically available with 7 or 8 gears that are shifted with one shifter. Unlike most adult bikes that have two shifters, one for each derailleur, kids’ bikes typically have fewer gears and just one derailleur. Having to only worry about one shifter is much easier for kids as they can simply shift up or down without having to worry about which hand and which shifter to use. The woom 5’s combination of a super lightweight frame, a more upright body position, and a wide gearing range make this bike the most natural and easy ride of any 24 inch bike we’ve tested.
Standard V-pull brakes work just fine for the mass majority of 8 to 11-year-olds, but the quality and performance of V-brakes varies from bike to bike. High-quality, high-performing brakes are easy for kids to activate and don’t require them to exert a lot of pressure on the lever. You wouldn’t think that brakes on a kid’s bike would be a big deal, but Guardian Bikes prove otherwise. Their proprietary SureStop braking system helps kids of all riding abilities feel more confident and less anxious, whether they’re riding to their friend’s house or across town. A 24″ mountain youth bike with modest components and mechanical disc brakes.
Also, the listing on Walmart states that the bike comes with battery-powered lights and a bell. List of problems should not be read as all inclusive- any details in listing are from a quick observation. We’re experiencing a very high volume of orders during this Winter Season.