[mf82]

Hey all,

Trying to upgrade my son from a 20" Trek Pre-Calibur to something he advance on for the next 3 years or so. We live in BC just outside Vancouver so looking for a capable bike. Right now he is just doing green runs but getting better each ride which is awesome.

He is 6 and will be 7 in the fall but is fairly big. About 49" tall with a 23" inseam so even if a 24" is a touch big right now he can grow into it fairly quick.

There are 4 main bikes I'm looking at as they are a bit easier to get in Canada without exchange rates and seem to have the best specs I can find.

1 - Commencal Meta HT 24" - $1399 CAD
https://www.commencalcanada.com/meta-ht-24-c2x28594061

Things I like is it has the new Manitou 120mm fork which is nice. The overall spec and build quality looks pretty good. Still has 155mm cranks though which a lot of people think are too long so may need to swap with some 145mm for about $150 CAD. Also not sure on the 2.6 sized tires?

2 - Spawn Yama Jama 24" - $1650 CAD
https://spawncycles.com/yama-jama-24

I like that is has a Rockshox fork with 100mm travel and 145mm cranks on the new 2019 models. 2.3" tubeless ready tires and rims are a nice touch but it's spawns in house brand so not sure of quality compared to others.

3 - Early Rider Trail 24 - $1450 CAD
https://earlyrider.com/collections/trail/products/trail-24

I like the look of this bike as well as it has a pretty solid spec. Maxxis tires but wondering if 2.0 is best or if something a bit wider would be better.

4 - Rocky Mountain Vertex JR - $899 CAD
https://www.bikes.com/en/bikes/vertex-jr/2019?tid=77

Cheaper option that is still decent. Only 65mm travel though and not quite as nice as the others spec wise.

I keep going back and forth between them all and having trouble deciding on which would be the best fit.

If anyone cares to shed some light on that would be great.

 

[svinyard]

Hey all,

Trying to upgrade my son from a 20" Trek Pre-Calibur to something he advance on for the next 3 years or so. We live in BC just outside Vancouver so looking for a capable bike. Right now he is just doing green runs but getting better each ride which is awesome.

He is 6 and will be 7 in the fall but is fairly big. About 49" tall with a 23" inseam so even if a 24" is a touch big right now he can grow into it fairly quick.

There are 4 main bikes I'm looking at as they are a bit easier to get in Canada without exchange rates and seem to have the best specs I can find.

1 - Commencal Meta HT 24" - $1399 CAD
https://www.commencalcanada.com/meta-ht-24-c2x28594061

Things I like is it has the new Manitou 120mm fork which is nice. The overall spec and build quality looks pretty good. Still has 155mm cranks though which a lot of people think are too long so may need to swap with some 145mm for about $150 CAD. Also not sure on the 2.6 sized tires?

2 - Spawn Yama Jama 24" - $1650 CAD
https://spawncycles.com/yama-jama-24

I like that is has a Rockshox fork with 100mm travel and 145mm cranks on the new 2019 models. 2.3" tubeless ready tires and rims are a nice touch but it's spawns in house brand so not sure of quality compared to others.

3 - Early Rider Trail 24 - $1450 CAD
https://earlyrider.com/collections/trail/products/trail-24

I like the look of this bike as well as it has a pretty solid spec. Maxxis tires but wondering if 2.0 is best or if something a bit wider would be better.

4 - Rocky Mountain Vertex JR - $899 CAD
https://www.bikes.com/en/bikes/vertex-jr/2019?tid=77

Cheaper option that is still decent. Only 65mm travel though and not quite as nice as the others spec wise.

I keep going back and forth between them all and having trouble deciding on which would be the best fit.

If anyone cares to shed some light on that would be great.

Out of those, I'd stick to the Spawn or Commencal for sure. The Spawn is the easiest choice out of the box. The updated cranks (nice 2 piece) and new 100mm Reba 26" fork are solid. I haven't messed with that Reba but I'm guessing it's pretty sweet. Also the Maxtion tires are the best trail tire out there in that their tread is beefy but they are still light at 560g. A big plus. We love them. For DH days or super rough rocky riding with a sendy kid, you'd want a DHF tho. The only thing I don't like is the 32t chainring...30t is more appropriate.

The Commencal is kind of a mess in that it's a little heavier (iirc), long cranks, plus tires and heavy wheels (we have these wheels), 10sp 11-36 gearing, crappy brakes. BUT it has that 120mm JUnit fork which is insanely nice. We have it on the Clash 24. Its like a Mini-Pike (with Debonair and nice damper) and the tune is spot on. So I like all that. Also the HTA is a degree slacker at 67 instead of Spawns 68, which for a hard tail is nice if a kid is getting rowdy. When its sagged out and going downhill, itll ride at 68 and go to 69 under impact. But...you'd have to do some upgrades and that can get spendy quick. Its only a 10sp 11-36 which kind of sucks too. The brakes are straight awful as well. Also the bikes might still be under preorder. Commencal shipping, ime, is about 100$ more than Spawns (if not 120$ more).

The easier choice is the spawn, especially with their recent updates. The further I dig into that new Meta, the less I like it. The fork is so nice tho, but I'm guessing the reba is close enough.

BC riding can be legit tho and it sounds like your kid is riding well. Might be time for a FS =) Especially if you do a camp or two etc...kids can ramp up SO fast sometimes.

I just peeked again at the Rocky and Early Rider bikes, they aren't bad. I really like the Rocky one for the price. The cranks are 152mm which is a touch better than Early riders 155NX cranks. Similar to Norco's Charger. They updated their Vertex line and even the 20" has a little air fork on it and pretty decent shimano brakes. Cool! Glad to see Norco and Rocky doing it well for the price.

The Spawn and Commencal are in a different league suspension wise, which is probably a priority for where you are riding.

 

[CascadiaPNW]

The Norco Charger 24 or the Vitus 24 might be two others to look at. But as was pointed out above, they aren't going to be in the same class as the Spawn and Commencal if nicer suspension is important. But they do offer hydro brakes, air forks, and Maxxis tires, decent geometry. The Vitus has nice short cranks also.

Norco dealers are all over in BC as well, if having a "shop" connection for tuneups or warranty issues makes a difference for you.

 

[buildyourown]

My daughter is just growing out of her Orbea MX24 trail. Its been a great bike.
Only upgrades I did was trailcraft cranks and Spawn tires. She is 4'10 now and the frame still fits but she is ready for bigger wheels.

I know they are poorly distributed in the US now but bang for the buck they are hard to beat.