Originally Posted by harrier

I have gone through this a few times now, with my kids and the neighbors, and have learned a few things that I hope help:

1. Kids bikes have all the parts of adult bikes, but cost half or less. This means even a $300 24" MTB has lots of crap parts. For example, the FD on a Specialized Hotrock has a retail price of less than $10!
2. No kids bike under $400 has reasonable components, so it is always a compromise - the front shocks are junk, grip shifters are hard to use.

You have to assess what kind of riding you are actually doing. If you are doing street/trail rides then ignore this post. My kids and I ride our mountain bikes on a mountain, and the Hotrock as shipped is not up to the task. The Octane is underspec'd as well - its shock bottoms out, it has cheap brakes, and it is hard to upgrade.

My advice:

Option 1 - Craigslist. Buy a 2-year old Hotrock or Marin (kids outgrow them FAST). There are plenty. Replace the FD and get trigger shifters. Everyone seems to want to buy new, but there are 24" bikes for sale that have been ridden 10-20 times!
Option 2 - New. Ibex and Trek have had better components than Specialized. But if you are keen on specialized, get your LBS to put in triggers and a new FD before delivery. Yes, some folks love the Hotrock, but I live on Mt Tam, the purported origin of MTB, and I know at least 6 kids who got Hotrock bikes and had issues with the components.

I like the Hotrock, and I recognize the economic constraints that lead to bad components. But I would at least consider buying used and spending the money on upgrading. Your kids will be MUCH happier.