I bought the 26" Reaper for my 7 year old son and installed a custom built set of 24" wheels with a front thru axle from my local bike shop. RM makes a 24" version Reaper, but the components are def a step down. Now I already have a 26" wheel set when he grows. Our standard backyard run is a car shuttle series of Forest service trails with about 1,200' of elevation drop. The Reaper works great for my 65 pound kid. He hits all of the ledges and rock gardens that I do, albeit a bit slower. When I'm behind him it's obvious it was designed for little kids as all of the suspension is working just like it does on a regular size frame and rider. Setup and adjustments are super easy, 55 lbs in the front fork seems to be pretty sweet for downhill and the lockout allows him to still climb without too many complaints. Oh yeah, 2.3" tires fit if you keep them under 25 psi. He's the envy of the parking lot.

It's a bit heavy for a small guy, he's def faster cross country style riding on a $600 Specialized hard tail. It rails so well on the downhills that when he goes off trail, he really goes a good way. It can be a bit scary for a parent.