Recreational & Family - Advice for a 24" in bike for my 11 year old son?

I'm looking to buy a 24" bike for my 11 year old son. He is interested in riding on bike trails with us. We also have 9 and 6 year old sons which we can pass the bike to. We just started riding trails for fun. He will probably ride bike trails with his dad and 9 year old brother most of the time. Which bike should we buy? If we want to buy new which one should we get ... LLBean Ridge Runner, Novara Tractor or Diamondback Cobra from REI? Since Diamondback Cobra is the lowest price, should we go for it? Is the used Trek bike worth it to buy? The difference between this used Trek bike and the new Diamondback Cobra is only $70. How much should I offer for the Trek bike if I want to purchase used bike? Any other brands we should check out for under $300? We are novice at this and any advices you can give is greatly appreciated.

This one from LLbean - Ridge Runner Bike $269
http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/59590?page=ridge-runner-bike&parentCategory=500238&cat4=5480&shop_method=pp&feat=5480-sub2&np=Y

This one from REI - Novara Tractor $239
http://www.rei.com/product/799448

This one from REI - Diamondback Cobra $189.93
http://www.rei.com/product/803771

This Trek mountain bike from craiglist $120
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/bik/1694401107.html

Check Performance.

Are you thinking mail order, or from a shop? I'd recommend going to a shop (a real bike shop, not a department store) and tell them your budget and what you plan to do. Let your son test ride a few bikes. You may wind up buying there, and you'll be known as a customer if you need repairs on a Saturday morning or something.
As for which of the bikes you mentioned is better, there generally isn't much difference among bikes in a given price range. The market is so competitive nobody can get far away from everybody else. Ordinarily I'd assume you could get a better deal on a used bike than a new one at the same price, but if you're not confident of your ability to check it out, that's a little risky. Bikes aren't complicated, but it does take a little knowledge.
Incidentally, a "24-inch" bike in adult parlance is pretty big, suitable for a rider 6 feet or 6'2". You're looking for a bike with 24-inch WHEELS (as opposed to the usual 26-inch or 700mm, which is a little bigger).

Are you sure you want 24" wheels? Your son is 11. I'd at least try him out on a 26" wheel bike in a small frame size. It would be well worth a trip to a bike shop to get in some test rides.

Try Giant Boulder 26" in XS or S, frame sits low, almost as step-through. There is a lot of growth room in this particular model.

Good luck

SF

You may want to look at a Raleigh Talus 3.0. I pick up the women version Eva 3.0 for a 10 year old. The frame size was a 16 and 26" wheels. She fits on the bike great and with seat adjustments we will get a few years out of it. She is climbing hills and keeping up with my road bike. The Raleigh has hybrid tires and good components.

Are you sure you want 24" wheels? Your son is 11. I'd at least try him out on a 26" wheel bike in a small frame size. It would be well worth a trip to a bike shop to get in some test rides.

+1, unless he's well below 5 feet tall. You'll find a much better selection if you can go with a bike that has 26" wheels. I'm a small guy, 5' 3" and am perfectly comfortable on a 15" MTB frame with wheels that size.

go straight cruiser....se,redline,schwinn, tons out...im5'6" and all i ride is a cruiser, found it fit me the best!

Are you sure you want 24" wheels? Your son is 11. I'd at least try him out on a 26" wheel bike in a small frame size. It would be well worth a trip to a bike shop to get in some test rides.

How tall is your 11 year old? We just put my 9 year old son on an old Trek 800 mountain bike with a 26" wheel and a small (13.5") frame. At his present growth rate, I would estimate this will fit him through age 12 or maybe 13. By then, I would imagine he will be tall enough to ride any of my bikes, maybe even something a little bigger.

pic of my ride:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/Trx1/VG2.jpg
geard 40-17 it rides great since i changed bars.

When someone asks me to help them find a bike for one of their children and presents several choices, I always look at the weight of the bike first. In general when looking at used bikes, I have found that the lighter the bike, the better the components are as well. Your son will find it a lot more fun to ride a bike that doesn't take a tremendous amount of effort to propel. Just take into account that sometimes kids don't treat bikes very well and extremely lightweight, narrow wheels are not a good choice in that case. I also wouldn't touch any bike that has a one piece crank and doesn't have quick release front and rear. That's a sign of cutting corners to keep the price low.

He's your boy...do him a solid and hook him up with an SE Quadangle! Sure, it's $700 and has no gears, but it's so sweet lookin'...so sweet.

http://hellonwheels.com.au/shop/images/products/24-QuadangleLooptail.aspx

Those mini-MTBs in the OP are so...mundane.