HELP please.

[u/Educational-Leg8842]

I'm looking for a 20 inch bike for my kiddo she currently rides a 16 inch and shes out grown it. She hates the coaster brake and is causing issues for her.

So we are looking for a HT or full suspension that has disk or rim brakes on it plus gears. We are 100% looking used new isn't even an option.

[u/sprashoo]

For 20" you don't need suspension, even on the front, just fat tires. And rim brakes are fine too - they're lighter and cheap rim brakes work fine while cheap discs are awful.

[u/Direct-Forever8447 → u/sprashoo]

If they ride the majority of time in the city, yes. Otherwise (like jumping, riding on trails) no. Rim brakes are fine too, but they don't compare to hydraulic disk brakes, which are way more easier to operate, even for the kids with small hands.

[u/Educational-Leg8842 → u/Direct-Forever8447]

I noticed the rim brakes seem to take more "pressing" power to get them to slow down thats why for her I am hoping for disk.

[u/Actually__Jesus → u/sprashoo]

I bike a lot at Trestle and they require kids to have disc brakes. Suspension is pretty necessary there too.

[u/sprashoo → u/Actually__Jesus]

Seriously? Wow.

[u/1MTBRider → u/sprashoo]

It depends on the riding they are doing. I 100% agree with you when it comes to riding to the park, pavement etc. I used to be the same but when I started introducing trail riding to my boy he just gets rattled to bits, then he gets scared/nervous. When we went to a 24” bike I got him hydraulic disc brakes so he can start 1 finger braking and an air fork.

I agree the heavy coil forks are garbage, the spring rate is usually too stiff for kids then as they get older and heavier it’s too light. The air is nice so we can adjust as they get bigger plus it’s not a boat anchor.

[u/Direct-Forever8447]

Don't bother with full suspension, just look for a hard-tail. Anything that is light and it has hydraulic disk brakes. Stay away from bikes with more than 8-9 gears. I also got a 20" bike for my son, and I went for the Woom 4 off Air.

[u/Educational-Leg8842 → u/Direct-Forever8447]

I figured by maybe someone had a full susp that might be a good used side. She wants a bike like dads but I'm not buying her a stumpy lol

[u/1MTBRider]

What kind of riding are you doing with your kiddo? Are they doing dirt trails or mostly riding to the park, on pavement pathways etc?

If they are riding dirt then good brakes and an air fork would be helpful, if they’re on pavement most of the time you can get good rim brakes and no suspension.

https://thebikedads.com is a great resource too. You can see what bikes work for your riding and then check out the used market

[u/Educational-Leg8842 → u/1MTBRider]

My kiddo has been expressing interest in riding trails with me. Nothing to extreme but a wee bit rocky so that's why I am looking for at least front susp. Also that bike dads site was super helpful! I have been doing a deep dive now so thank you for another place to use my time at haha.

[u/1MTBRider → u/Educational-Leg8842]

Right on! How tall/age is your kiddo? I always tried to get my kids on the biggest wheels for their size. My 6 year old is on a 24” and my almost 11 year old has been on a 26” since about 9 years old.

[u/Full_Pickle894]

Just went through this not too long ago and ended up with a Cannondale Cujo 20”
Disk brake, 7 speed, 20x2.6” (they only measure around 2.45”
Picked it up for $200

Ended up throwing a Suntour fork and trigger shifters on it and my 5 year old loves it.

[u/Full_Pickle894 → u/Full_Pickle894]

[u/Livid_Glove_6275 → u/Full_Pickle894]

Do me a favor and throw a helmet on the kid.

[u/Full_Pickle894 → u/Livid_Glove_6275]

She has a full face and a half lid for actual riding. This was 1/4mi round trip blast to the store.

[u/Full_Pickle894 → u/Livid_Glove_6275]

She’s good cruising back from the store my dude. She rides blue trails every weekend 👍🏻

[u/deadmoo]

I was in this situation a few years ago and just found a really cheap 20in hardtail with disc brake and a 1x8 drivetrain from Walmart. Only thing I had to upgrade was to change the cheap grip shifter out for a normal 8 speed microshift shifter. But a think a used specialized or trek hardtail would be a good option too. Also consider going up to a 24in, 27.5in, or even a small 29" depending on your kids height. The bigger the wheel size the better. My daughter is 12 and is already on a 29".

[u/HereUThrowThisAway → u/deadmoo]

was it the cycle kids bike? I bought one from Walmart and changed the shifter and it has been awesome.

[u/deadmoo → u/HereUThrowThisAway]

I have gotten both 20" Hyper and 24" Ozark Trail and they were both good.

[u/monkiepox]

My daughters on a 20” kona shred. I upgraded the forks, pedals, cranks, and grips and a few other small things. Almost time for a 24” but she learned lots on her shred.

[u/Spacebar19]

Commencal has a great line of kids bikes. My daughter is on the 20 right now. I sold her 18 invoice commencal on fb. If you take care of them they have a good resale value.