Originally Posted by Aqua_Andy

This past spring the wife and I were trying to figure out how to do family rides with our 8yo son. He is at a point where he is too big for a trailer and heavy enough that towing him on the tag along is a miserable experience. We tried having him ride his single speed twenty inch bike last year but he could not keep up with a 10 to 12 mph pace as it was just geared too low. So we started looking for 24" bikes to purchase for him to ride. I wanted a light weight steel or aluminum frame without a suspension fork and around $400 max. Well all I can say is the pickings are slim. Each manufacturer only had one bike to choose from with out a sprung fork and even fewer had a relatively light frame. All the bikes we looked at with a steel frame felt like a tank and seemed heavier than my 17" Trek 7.4. That left the Giant xtc jr Lite, with an aluminum frame and a steel fork and at $250 it seemed like a bargain. I might also add that this is the only bike that gave him proper stand over height due to the down curved top tube "four months later he has the leg length to fit any of the 24" bikes. As expected this bike does not have top of the line components but everything turned out to be perfectly serviceable for a bike that is ment for a lightweight child. The only thing I have had to replace so far were the tires as they were a total joke, most of the knobbies have fallen off and they have absolutely no flat protection. After two punctures, one being a slice from a broken sea shell fragment I just ordered and installed a set of Continental Tour Ride Urban bicycle tires. The build of the bicycle when we picked it up was not even funny. Both brake handles would touch the grips and still not stop the bike, the rear derailleur was way out of adjustment, rear bearing cones were so tight you could hear them screaming and the head set was loose. Now I can't fault Giant for these issues as it is the responsibility of the selling dealer to assemble and set up the bike before purchase. When I pointed these issues out to the delivering salesman he told us that he would have there service department take care of them right away. I politely declined and when he insisted I told him there was no way in heck I was going to let there goons mess the bicycle up any more than they already have. After bringing the bike home I set it up properly and when my son came home from school we pack the bikes and went for a family bike ride. What a difference this bike made, he was keeping up just fine and enjoying the ride. Now he keeps up at a good pace and we do 8 to 12 mile rides at least once a week. I know many people have the opinion that 24" bicycles are a waste of money as most children will outgrow them in a couple of years. For us this was a good step as it allows us to ride as a family like we have been doing for the past few years. I would not hesitate to purchase this bicycle again and feel it is a bargain at $295 for the bike and replacement tires.

XTC Jr 24 Lite (2016) | Giant Bicycles | United States

Amazon.com: Continental Tour Ride Urban Bicycle Tire