Hi,

I'm not much of a biker so please excuse my ignorance.

My son is turning 8 this month and wants a new bike. We looked at some mountain bikes (Trek Mt. Track 220) and some BMX ( Haro X2) bikes. My son has no idea what he wants. He is at an age and height that he may need a new bike in 2 years. He is too small for the regular 13 inch adult bike but just fits or too tall for the track 220. I really don't want to spend twice. The BMX bikes looked good since they are one size fits all but he won't be doing any tricks any time soon (or ever?). He will be driving around the neighborhood mainly. His complaint with the BMX bikes were that were too small and he needed to stand as he pedaled but likes them because they are "cool".

We came across this X24 Haro that appeared to be a hybrid of a BMX and a mountain bike, comfortable and fast to ride on the street and at the same time handle some jumps. Since it's one size fits all, it may satisfy my cheapness also.

Please give your opinion. Is this OK to buy an 8 year old?

TIA

For 8 i think he would be good with just a 20"
Wether its a BMX bike or not, 20" for an 8 year old sounds about right...

How tall is he, that might help...

24 inch sounds big just get a 20 inch

especially for an 8 year old...

He is 50 inches tall. The 24 does look a little big on him, but would 20 be too small for him by next summer?

actually, the mountain bike he tried and liked was also a 24 ( Trek 220). It seemed his size. The bike shop was telling me that the X24 is also a 24 inch bike but it is intended for a tall person that wants a BMX bike. My son wants a BMX but as he sat on one he realized he has to stand and pedal. He didn't like that part of it. But on an X24 he was sitting down. The bike shop also recommended the 24 inch one.

naaa, i'd definaltly say for an 8 year old to get a regular bmx. he may not want to do 'tricks' now but he will do later, i guarantee it!! It should be the right size aswell, people over 6 foot ride Bmxs!!

He most likely won't 'outgrow' a standard 20" BMX bike anytime soon, but that depends partly on the top tube size. If it's somewhere around 19 inches that should be good, and it'll be fine if he grows another foot and a half or so. After that if he still likes riding, he'll want a better bike.

Pedaling sitting down all the time is a bad habit, he will try to sit down and go over jumps and end up smashing his balls. The 24" bike will be hard for him to maneuver around, it'll be almost impossible to manual and hard to wheelie.

I echo the recommendations to get the 20".

ummmmm 90% of teh people in here fit the two categories of
a) over 13
b) ride a 20"

If all he ever does is ride around the neighborhood, the X24 will get stolen before he could ever outgrow it. Whack a longer post in the frame, and he could ride it to college. The only issue he might have is reach. Make sure that with the bars in line with the fork (side view) he can still reach the grips and operate the brake easily. From my time selling bikes, I can assure you that height is secondary to reach. Many times, kids simply cannot effectively use their brakes, even on a bike with ample standover room.

The majority of responses you got are from kids that ride 20" bikes. I have both, and can assure you that even if he decides to get into tricks and jumping, you'll still get plenty of use from the X24. Worse case is that in a few years, you have to buy him a 20", and then you can ride the 24" with him.