24" Bikes
Browse used 24in bikes for sale from riders across the UK. A 24in wheel suits an inside leg of roughly 60-70cm and ages eight to eleven, and bikes at this size look like scaled-down adult machines — eight or nine gears, sometimes hydraulic discs, and in some cases a short-travel suspension fork of around 60-80mm. It suits children riding real distances, trail centre blue routes or their first club rides.
What kind of 24in bike should I buy?
The size splits into junior mountain bikes with knobbly tyres and flat bars, junior road and gravel bikes with drop bars sized for short arms, and hybrids that sit between the two. Choose by where the bike will actually be ridden: a hardtail with 2.1in tyres is slow on a road club run, and a drop-bar junior bike is unhappy on a rooty descent. Frames from Frog, Islabikes Beinn 24 and Hoy Bonaly 24 are built round shorter cranks and narrower bars, which matters more than the number of gears.
Is a 24in bike better than a small adult frame?
An extra-small adult bike on 26in or 27.5in wheels has a longer reach, wider bars, longer cranks and adult-spaced brake levers, and a ten-year-old stretched over one will ride badly and brake late. A 24in keeps the contact points in proportion. The exception is a tall child near the top of the range, where the next wheel size up will last several years rather than one — compare across the kids' complete bikes listings rather than assuming they must move to an adult frame.
Does a 24in bike need suspension or disc brakes?
A short-travel air fork is genuinely useful for a child riding trails, because it can be set up for their weight; a coil fork on a budget bike usually cannot, and it stays locked out under a 35kg rider while adding weight. Hydraulic discs are worth having for trail riding since they need much less hand force than cable brakes, but the lever reach must adjust close enough to the bar. On road use, decent rim brakes are still perfectly adequate at this size.
What should I check on a used 24in bike?
Measure the chain for stretch and look at the cassette and chainring teeth, because children at this size can put in a season of real mileage and a worn drivetrain is the most likely hidden cost. Sight along the rear mech hanger from behind for a bend, check hydraulic levers pull firm rather than spongy and that the rotors are not scored, and squeeze the fork stanchions for oil weeping past the seals. Spin the wheels and rock them side to side for hub bearing play, check the rim sidewalls for a concave brake track on rim-brake bikes, and confirm the seatpost still moves in the frame.
What is a fair price for a used 24in bike?
Junior bikes from the lightweight brands typically sell at half to two-thirds of retail and are snapped up in spring; heavier bikes with dead forks go for much less. Buying new makes sense mainly if you want a bike that will be handed to a second child in a few years and want the frame warranty; for a single child at a size they will outgrow in around two years, a used bike with a fresh chain and tyres is the better buy.