Kids mountain bikes - sizes

[audi321]

Hi all, my sons 12th birthday next week and he's asking for a new bike.

Trouble is, I can't decide on a 24" or 26" wheel size and I can't go anywhere to sit him on one to test it.

Decathlon says 24" for 9-12 year olds. As said, he's 12 next week, so I don't want it to be too small for him in a year.

Finally, got a max budget of £200. Any recommendations? He actually would prefer a used one to get a better spec over a brand new one, but finding a decent second hand one is tricky.

Thanks for any help.

[Deerfoot]

My daughter is rapidly growing out of her 24 inch wheel bike, she's not quite 11.

I'm on the lookout for a small frame mountain bike with 26 inch wheels, they're few and far between though.

[JT68S]

Look at a Whyte 403, 14" frame 26" wheels

[Willow1212]

How tall he is is much more relevant than how old he is.
Around 145cm upwards you are in the realms of a 26" or even 27.5" wheel adult bike.
Frog, Isla bikes are the best known kids bike specialists, but Pinnacle and Hoy are also worth a look. Demand has grown massively since lock down, so if you're looking second hand you'll need to keep a close eye on Gumtree etc.

[audi321]

Yes he's 145cm exactly, so I guess it's 26" wheels to go for then. Thanks all.

[PH5121]

I'd be looking at a small framed adult bike rather than kids bikes and definately not anything with 24 inch wheels.

My 10 year old is on an adult XS (13 inch) framed Specialized Hard Rock with 27.5 inch wheels and my 12 year old is on a medium framed B'Twin Rockrider 540s with 27.5 inch wheels.

[audi321]

Thanks guys. Yes went to a cycle shop locally today which was open. Tried a 26 inch wheeled mountain bike and it was ‘just’ ok. He’ll grow into it soon I’m sure.

Better than a 24” definitely. Thanks all