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Best kids 24″ wheel mountain bikes ages 7 to 10 years
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If your child is aged between about 7 and 10 years of age (depending on their height) and loves riding off-road bumpy stuff, then your thoughts are probably turning to which are the best kids 24 inch mountain bikes - and how much you need to spend to get them out enjoying mountain bike trails and cross-country mtb riding.
In this article we'll be looking at the best 24" wheel mountain bikes in different price brackets, so there's something for all budgets and types of riding.
If you need any advice on the terminology I've used in this post we've also written an article called Buying a kids mountain bike – things you need to know.
Unless you're going to be doing red trails, a decent, lightweight 24 inch hybrid bike might be a better option for your child.
A quality kids bike is always a better bet than spending on a cheap children's mountain bike that is incredibly heavy and has suspension forks that don't work.
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Before you start take a moment to grab your FREE kids bike buying checklist to help you record all the information you need to find the perfect bike for your child.
What age child is a 24 inch mountain bike for?
Obviously, all children are different, but on average a 24" bike is suitable for children aged between about 7 and 10 years of age.
In general 24" bikes tend to be suitable for children with a minimum inside leg of approx 57cm.
Every 24 inch bike has different geometry (sizing) so we've provided the measurements provided by the manufacturer, to allow you to choose the one that fits your child. Please measure your child carefully and if possible test ride the bike if you're worried it won't fit.
These articles will help you:
How much does a 24 inch kids mountain bike cost?
If your budget is under £300, then you can get your child a decent mountain bike that will provide miles of off roading fun, but beware - there's lots of poor quality MTB's out there, which are a false economy.
You want to be buying something that will last and can be enjoyed for years to come.
Don't be fooled by full suspension bikes and loads of gears - they will make things harder rather than easier.
Once you start paying over £300 for a 24" wheel mountain bike for your child you will start to see higher lighter frames, quality components and easier to use gearing.
Top of the range specifications start about £600 and if you want you can spend thousands!
What to look out for on a kids mountain bike
- Frame: Many frames on cheaper kids mountain bikes will be steel, which are heavier than a more expensive aluminium framed kids MTB. It’s worth remembering this if you’re going to need to lift/carry/push the bike, or plan riding somewhere very hilly.
- Gears: The gearing on a cheap kids mountain bike tends to be 18 speed or over, meaning your child has to master using gears with both their right and left hands. This can be a bit confusing and is avoided by having a single chainring and less gears to give the same amount of assistance on the hills. It will possibly take your child longer to master more gears and there’s a bigger chance of them “crossing the chain” so they’re not using gear efficiently when climbing. If you’re aware of this, you can help them get the gears correct before you set off up a hill.
- Braking: V-brakes should be plenty good enough to bring a bike to a halt on more gentle hills in dry conditions. More expensive mountain bikes tend to have disc brakes for better stopping in the wet/mud.
- Suspension: Decent MTB's at the cheaper end of the range will have front coil suspension or no suspension (called a rigid fork mountain bike) – this is a much better option than some cheap mountain bikes bikes which claim to be full suspension but don't work and just add lots of weight, making it tiring to ride.
- Tyres: The more expensive the mountain bike, the better the tyres will be for tackling wet, muddy and rocky terrain. Generally, the wider the tyre the better the grip off road, but the harder it becomes to pedal on the road. This is why we recommend a more general 24" wheel kids bike if your child will be cycling on a mix of surfaces.
Best kids 24 inch mountain bikes
The brands featured all have several 24" wheel mountain bikes in their range at different price points.
This means you should find a MTB suitable for kids aged between 7 and 10 years old, what ever your budget or the type of riding they're doing.
BTwin are the in-house brand of kids bikes at Decathlon, and they come in a range of prices and specifications. The Rockrider ST500 24 inch is one of their steel framed entry level mountain bikes, suited for gentle riding on or off road.
The gearing is 18 speed (which can be more confusing than 6 or 7 gears due to needing to use both hands to change gear). The v-brakes should be plenty good enough for gentle off roading in fair weather, and the bike has front coil suspension to smooth out some of the bumps on the trail.
Given it’s such a cheap MTB, the BTwin Rockrider offers a really good value entry level mountain bike, that should provide plenty of scope for fun during summer riding.
The BTwin Rockrider ST900 model is a more generously equipped kids mountain bike with a new lightweight aluminium frame design paired with a Suntour XCT suspension fork with 50mm of travel to help cushion the lumps and bumps of forays through woods and forests.
Price range: £229.99 - £399.99
Cannondale is a long established brand names in the bike industry. Since 1971 they have a history of quality bike design.
The Cannondale kids mountain bike range includes the Cannondale Trail, Trail Plus and the Cannondale Cujo. Older models are slightly cheaper and are available until stock lasts.
The Cannondale Trail 24 is the more basic mountain bike on offer and is suitable for most off-road adventures, but may limit those who are looking for a little more range.
The Cannondale Cujo 24w and the Cannondale Trail 24 Plus both come with mechanical disc brakes, no suspension (rigid fork) and with bigger tyres. The Cannondale Trail 24 Plus has slightly better spec in brake levers, gear shifters and other parts.
Price range: £337.50 - £520
Orbea have two kids MTB models - the cheaper MX range and the premium Laufey.
However, there's lots of different specifications within Orbea's 24 inch mountain bike range. So how do you know which to buy? We'll try and explain!
The Orbea MX Dirt 24 is their entry level 24" wheel mountain bike. It has an aluminium frame with a high tensile fork, v-brakes, 7 gears (14-34T) and Kenda 2.2" wide tyres.
This is a good option if your child is doing leisure riding at the weekend on a mix of roads and paths with some mountain bike trails thrown in.
The Park 24 is the same bike with a kickstand, mudguards, more road friendly reflective tyres and lights making it a better option if your child commutes to school but also leisure rides at the weekend.
The Orbea MX 24 XC is the same bike as the Dirt but with a 50mm front coil suspension fork making it more suited for kids who's primary focus is mountain biking (or who just desperately want a "proper" mountain bike with suspension).
The Orbea MX Team 24 has a lighter weight aluminium rigid fork, and different gearing (11-36T 9-speed) which will be of interest to you if you're planning on taking your child up some steep hills or they need a lighter weight bike for racing.
If your child is seriously getting into mountain biking the Orbea Laufey range takes things up a notch or two with Shimano MT410 disc brakes and Sun Race 11-42T 10-speed cassette.
The Orbea Laufey H30 is the entry model which is specified with a rigid aluminium fork.
The H20 adds a 80mm air fork, dropper seat post and Schwalbe Rocket Ron Foldable tyres.
For ultimate off roading fun, the top model in Orbea's extensive 24" wheel kids mountain bike range is the Laufey H10, which comes with 100mm air fork and an upgraded headset.
Price range: £369 - £1,049
Cube offers the widest range in terms of specs as well as price.
The Cube Acid 240 kids mountain bike is their entry level 24" MTB and there are several versions available including the Cube Acid 240 AllRoad which comes with mudguards, LED lights and kickstand.
Different options are available which allow you to pick and choose in terms of disc brakes, suspension and gearing setups, as well as colours.
The Cube Acid 240 mountain bikes will be suited to children who are riding gentle off road routes at the weekend (and therefore appreciate the suspension) and who are also riding to school in the week.
If they’re only riding on road, then a hybrid bike without suspension will be lighter and possibly quicker to ride, without the hassle of maintaining the suspension fork.
The Cube Elite series starts at a much higher price point of £1,899 and is aimed at elite racers.
Price range: £499 - £2399
Woom have taken their fastidious approach to kids bike building and created a range of high quality mountain bikes for those in the market for a top end product.
The woom OFF 5 is a 24″ wheeled lightweight kids MTB, coming in at 8.6kg due to its specification comprising an aluminium frame matched with a quality carbon fork.
The nine speed gearing is provided by SRAM X5 shifters and rear derailleur, with an 11-34T cassette matched to a 28t chainset designed for kids so the crank arms are of an appropriate length.
The woom OFF 5 is fitted with Promax hydraulic discs that feature 140mm diameter disc rotors front and rear.
The woom OFF AIR 5 is essentially the same bike with suspension.
Price range: £720 - £840
Other brands to consider for 24" kids mountain bikes
There are plenty of other brands that offer 24" wheeled junior mountain bikes.
Here are some options:
24" wheel not the right size?
Check out these other articles to find a smaller or bigger bike:
Best kids 26″ wheel mountain bikes
Best kids 20″ wheel mountain bikes for 5 and 6-year-olds
Best kids mountain bikes under £500(ish) with 26″ and 27.5″ wheel size
Best kids helmets
Other posts you might find useful
These are other posts you may wish to check out if you can't find what you're looking for in our recommendations:
The Vitus kids mountain bike range includes the Vitus 24+ and the Vitus Nucleus 24. The Vitus range is really pushing the boundaries for what you get for your money when buying a 24″ wheel kids mountain bike, both in terms of performance and looks.
The Vitus+ range offers kids MTBs which are great all rounders with modern geometry. They possess fat bike qualities and style with its big tyres that are ideal for getting out on the trails and into the forest or just cruising around.
The Vitus Nucleus 24 features disc brakes and air sprung forks, while most other mountain bikes at this price will have either rim brakes or coil forks in order to keep the price down.
Vitus say this bike is suitable for XC, trail and bikepark riding.
Price range: £409.99 - £399.99
Related Posts
If your child is aged between about 7 and 10 years of age (depending on their height) and loves riding off-road bumpy stuff, then your thoughts are probably turning to which are the best kids 24 inch mountain bikes - and how much you need to spend to get them out enjoying mountain bike trails…
Our roundup of the best 26" hybrid bikes for cycling to school and having fun at the weekend
Comments
You should consider the Norco Storm 4.1 – brilliant value and very vibrant!
David purchasing 24inch bike as a frame only is probably going to be a challenge .
Momsen South Africa does have an Australian dealer network so it might be viable purchasing a complete bike (JSL 40) as its decent and cheap enough.
Can you recommend where I can buy a good quality hard tail MTB frame for 24″ wheels? I would want it shipped to Australia.
David – I recommend you contact bike retailers directly to see their current shipping policies – I know many are no longer shipping internationally at the current time. Kind regards, Karen
Was the Early Rider Trail 24 no good? We’re on the Belter Trail 16 which has been great.
Hi Ruth – thanks for getting in touch. Sadly, we’ve not been able to review any Early Rider bikes. The Trail 24 is not available at the moment, so we’ve not included it. Karen
Momsen JSL40 might be worth a look.
Thoughts on the Ghost Kato 24″?
Shame that the manufacturer’s don’t sell the frames as I usually build up my son and daughters bikes and have been using second hand Giant XTC 20 and 24’s which I have stripped and powder coated to their colour choice Daughters pink and then lime green, with sons bright orange. Next 24 for son will be nearly shortly so in the market for another 24 MTB
It’s a pity isn’t it. Sounds like your Cycle Sprogs have some great unique bespoke bikes (and no doubt keeping you busy each time they grow!) Karen
Surprised no mention of the Canyon range. Their bikes are normally very good and well priced. Are they no good?
Not sure if you can get them in the UK, but the Diamondback Sync’r 24 beats – arguably – all bikes you mentioned in this article. It’s a better bike – just not sure the UK price, and thus the “value.” SRAM NX 11-speed, hydraulic brakes, air fork, sub 27 pounds. Yes, Diamondback was making yucky bikes for a long time, but it looks like they are getting back to their roots. Sweet ride. I suspect many other mfgrs will have to try to catch up. No one else is close. (Drawbacks: 720mm bars might be a bit wide; 165mm NX cranks a bit long when 155mm are available.)
Hi Frank – sadly the Sync’r isn’t available in the UK at the moment. Good to hear Diamondback getting back to their origins – will definately keep an eye out for this bike. Karen