Originally Posted by
NormDeplume
I just realized this thread is still going and I hadn't checked it in a while. He's been on the bike for about 7 weeks now, and has gotten pretty good at shifting down for hills, but he still has a ways to go yet before shifting becomes totally intuitive for him. He remains in love with the bike and I'm really glad we splurged on a better quality bike this go round, rather than buying another cheapie to get him through till he's big enough for a 24". We tried to get him on a 24" but it was just a touch big for him and I wanted him to be really comfortable this year, since he only got rid of the training wheels in May. He was a bit of a late bloomer, but sure is making up for lost time!
I'd recommend bypassing the 24" for a smaller 26" if you can. It is a pretty big frame size jump from 20" to 26" but if you can swing it you could make your life easier. We currently have two 24" but tire and tube selection is not very abundant. It is hard to find locally and even sometimes online. My oldest ones just did not sprout enough to go straight to 26's.
Also, it is harder to find good used 24's. I found one local but had to work out mailing for the other. At the same time, demand is lower so you can get them when they come up if you are willing to wait. Although I imagine smaller 26's might be harder to find used to. I have not looked for them yet.