KIDS SUSPENSION FORKS
Coil sprung heavy shocks just don't do kids justice. Best not to have suspension on a 20 inch or 24 inch bike unless its one of these lighter weight air sprung forks. In fact, using air pressure in wider volume tires is usually more effective for the really light kids. For 26 inch kids bikes, the best route is probably a 27.5 inch Fork like the Fox 34, Rock Shox Reba, Revelation or the 26 inch X-fusion Velvet. UPDATE: The Reba does come in a 26 option with more travel options (100-140mm), tapered steerer, 15x100mm axle. We wouldn't hesitate to throw the Reba 26 on a 24 inch bike.
RST First 20/24/26
80-120 mm travel air sprung fork with external compression and rebound controls. 32 mm stanchions, 15 mm QR thru axle and 1 1/8 steer tube (optional tapered steerer). 1650grams uncut steer tube. This newer fork is awesome. It performs extremely well for light weight riders like that of the Prevelo/Spawn/Trailcraft fork. Native 160mm rotor max 180, 1 1/8 inch straight or 1.5 inch tapered steer tube. You will find this fork on the new Woom Airs and Prevelo Zulu hardtails.
Prevelo Heir 16, 20, 24 and 26 inch air forks
This is a fork you will see on many premium brands and for good reason, it works great! Doing service to kids, Prevelo offers aftermarket purchase in 16 (60mm travel), 20 (80m travel), 24 inch(80mm travel) and 26 (100mm travel) sizes. Slippery black anodized stanchions, 1 1/8 steerer with an air spring for light weight riders, this fork is amazing. Carbon lowers, external rebound control and compression lock out. This fork and the RST First are the best fork for kids under 75 lbs hands down.
MSRP: $450-465 USD | Where to buy: Prevelo
Spawn Brood 20 inch fork
Same as fork above, Spawn sells the 20 inch in 80and 100 mm travel options in QR and thru axle configurations under its Brood brand. They also have seal kits and damper replacements available. Once again, the best fork for kids under 75 lbs.
MSRP: $445 USD | Where to buy: Spawn Cycles
Trailcraft 20 and 24 inch forks
Same carbon crown fork as the Prevelo and spawn, available in both 24 and 20 wheel sizes. 80mm of plush stiction-free travel smooths the rough stuff. This is an AIR fork, and it comes in at category leading weights: 20" Wheel Size - 1420 Grams (steerer tube cut to 150mm), 24" Wheel Size - 1485 Grams (Steerer tube cut to 155mm).
- 1 1/8 Straight Steerer Tube
- Post Mount for 160mm Rotors
- Unidirectional High Modulus Carbon Fiber Lowers
- Air Bladder Ideal For Dialing In Light Rider Weights
- 100mm Spacing, Traditional 9mm Quick Release Lever Keeps Weight Super Low
- 260mm steerer tube length (uncut)
MSRP: $479 USD | Where to buy: Trailcraft
Manitou Machete JUNIT 20, 24 and 26" air forks
Engineered for young riders with 20 (1574 grams) and 24" (1689 grams) wheel configurations. Fully equipped with thru-axle dropout, 32/34mm stanchion and Manitou's signature reverse arch design. 100 and 120 mm travel 20 inch options and 100, 120 and 140 travel 24/26 inch options, this is a fully tuneable fork with 110mmx15mm boost axle spacing. Tapered steerer, comes in 3 models: Comp, Expert and Pro. This fork works for bigger hits and really aggressive kids but does not have the same sensitivity for lighter riders as the Prevelo, Spawn, Trailcraft fork or the RST First.
MSRP: $500-800 USD | Where to buy: Manitou
RockShox Reba RL 26
As mentioned, we would happily run this on a 24 inch bike as it has a great solo air spring and motion control rebound dampening. Tuned for kids and a weight of 1585 grams and a 480 axle to crown, you can get a 2.4-2.5 inch tire in the fork depending on brand. It comes in tapered steer tube non-boost 100x15mm thru axle spacing and straight 1 1/8 steerer 9x100mm Quick Release options. The fork is available in 100, 120, 130 and 140mm lengths, its' easy to adjust from 100 to 120mm or 130 to 140 with a $28 air spring. 140mm option weighs 1585 grams.
MSRP: $509 USD | Where to buy: World Wide Cyclery | Universal Cycle
Servicing Spawn 20, TC, Propian 20, VPACE 20 and Prevelo Heir forks
RST Snyper 24
Great Fork. 80, 100, and 120mm travel fork with external compression and rebound controls. 32 mm stanchions. 9mm QR drop-out and 1 1/8 steer tube. 1850 grams.
MSRP: $405 USD | Where to buy: Risse Racing
Suntour XCM-JR-AIR-SL 20 inch
80 mm travel air fork with 28mm stanchions and compression adjustment. 395mm axle to crown, 1 1/8 inch steerer, and 9x100mm dropout, fits up to 2.3 inch tires. Not as refined as premium forks with rebound but this fork works and is good value. 1780 grams
MSRP: $189 USD | Where to buy: Suntour
Suntour XCR LO 24 inch
63-80 mm internally adjusted travel air fork with 28mm stanchions and compression adjustment. 415mm axle to crown, 1 1/8 inch steerer, and 9x100mm dropout, fits up to 2.125 inch tires. Not as refined as premium forks with rebound but this fork works and is good value.1832 grams
MSRP: $199 USD | Where to buy: Suntour
Spinner Air Grind/300 20 and 24 inch forks
Better in the 24 inch length, these forks will work (keep it serviced yourself). They come spec on a few kids bikes but are are hard to find after market. The 300 Air and Air Grind forks have travel of 80/100 mm and 50/65 mm respectively for 20 and 24 inch models. All forks are 1 1/8 steer tubes and 9mm quick release dropouts. The Grind Airs are 25.4mm diameter stanchions compared to 30 mm for the 300 Air series. Weights range from 1725-1835 grams.
MSRP: $159-189 USD | Where to buy: Ebay
20 and 24 inch Spinner Air Fork Service
Thoughts on the rst spex 100mm from early rider. Can’t find much info about it online only 80mm and so far so good for my 25kg 5yr old.
It works nice for light kids but has been replaced by the newer RST First fork, which is lighter and even less friction in seals air spring. We will probably see the new First on the next production run.
Hey Bike Dads, I picked up a used 2021 transition ripcord for a deal and would like to drop some weight to help my 8 year old extend his rides. I am interested in switching out the fork for the RST first. With the bike coming stock with 24 inch wheels but a 26 inch fork, should I buy the 24 or 26inch RST first?
Compare axle to crown to the existing fork and pick 24 or 26 on this length to preserve geometry. Have Fun!
for a 24in. Thoughts on Machete JUNIT Pro vs Expert ?
Does IRT actually do anything for light weigh riders?
Hi Sarah,
We have not tried the Pro so can’t really comment. We have had inconsistent results with the comp and expert.
Hi guys, reading through the whole thing, it seems the only 20″ forks available are in the $200-400 category. I also read in the comments that “I’ve seen everything”. Is it possible that the Nanlio, Pasak, Bucklos, and whatever they are called from the AliExpress dens are a category you haven’t tried, or are they just really not good? It’s a $100 fork, shipping included: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006998918091.html
Do you think I’ll be brave or stupid if I buy one of these?
can’t comment, never tried and not sure we would.
I’m in the middle of deciding whether I should use my kids as guinea pigs for these forks at the moment.
They’re NZD$150 which is just cheap enough that if they end up being garbage, it won’t be a huge loss.
A far better price than any of the name brand ones listed here.
Looking at a used Reba Team 256″ for a Diamonback Sync’R 24. Any difference b/t the TEam and RL I should be aware of? Would this work ok w/ the geo? AWESOME site btw, thanks
Reba Team 26**
If the the axle to crown is significantly longer in the REBA it will slacken the Head Angel and seat tube a bit. Also raise the Bottom Bracket height.
Thanks for these great reviews and being such a valuable resource for all of us keen parents trying to help out kids love biking as much a we do!
I just a purchased a 26″ YT Jeffsy Primus that came with a Rockshox Reba. The fork says that it can be used at pressures as low as 25 psi but even with the fork fully open at 40 psi it feels overdamped and slow on the return. Has this been your experience with the Reba as well? His previous bike was a 24″ Commencal with the Manitou Machete up front. Comparing the two, the Manitou actually feels quite a bit more responsive.
Yeah, kids and forks are a lot of trial and error. We had pretty good experiences with the Reba 26 but ran the fork with rebound all the way open. That said, we did need to service the fork (easy, did it ourselves) to get it running optimally. If I remember correctly, there was an issue with the negative air chamber not equalizing (there is a little indent in lowers that can get plugged). I would give it a good cleaning and re-grease the seals and new oil. As far as the Machete goes, we always had a hard time with that fork. We just could never get full travel out of those forks all though it was not over damped like adult forks running low pressures.
Hello, just a slight update that could be added to Trailcraft TC30 fork specs. The offset of the fork is 44mm. It is an important metric imo, which is however not mentioned by the manufacturer anywhere. I measured it today as a mechanic at LBS pointed out that the offset for such a fork is pretty significant. It is more compared to Spinner 300 air, which seems to be 10-15 mm less.
As the offset (together with head angle) affect trail, which directly translates to handling characteristics of the bike, I belive it is something most manufacturers should mention. But they don’t. Probably as a result of their approach of creating the forks for their own branded bikes in most cases.
One more comparison of the aforementioned forks – as measured, Trailcraft TC30’s axle to crown distance is slightly bigger than that of a Spinner 300 Air (although both forks are 20 inch forks with 80 mm of travel)- the difference is around 1-1.5 cm. This will of course affect the head angle.
All of these observations were made in a process of switching a fork on a Kubikes 20s trail. It originally came with a carbon rigid fork but the geometry is dialled for use with Spinner 300 air – which is the fork it is also offered with.
As about TC30 – we are so far very satisfied with its function and weight. We are currently running as low as 40psi as the kid is +- 20kg. It is somewhere around the edge where the fork starts to lower itself just by the weight of the bike. Of course it is no Manitou Junit but we needed a fork that’s not tapered and offers a QR axle (as the bike was specced with some seriously light QR wheels).
P.S. Sorry for the long comment but I believe some info might probably help someone when buying. BTW this site is a great source of information about kids bikes and tech and I really appreciate the time and effort that must have gone into it. Not mentioning prompt reactions to all the comments. Both thumb UP!
That fork works way better than the JUNI for light weight kids…we have tried every size and travel of each.
My son is riding a Trek Precaliber 24” with POS fork that is hard to push down and doesn’t come back up well either. I thought it would be easy to find something a bit better for not too much, but boy was I wrong. Especially with V brakes. I’ve considered a few options, such as RST Capa or a cheap Amazon BUCKLOS YINO 24” air fork, but not sure if either would be enough of an improvement to be worth it. Any thoughts on either of those? If I decide to just lower the tire pressure for now, how low would you recommend? I see many comments suggesting doing that, but no suggested range. Thank you!
We would skip any investment in the Precaliber and save that money for next bike. Tire pressure is an experiment but here is our guide. https://thebikedads.com/kids-tire-pressure/
Anyone tired an adult fork?
24in Spec Riprock
Front end is too low as-is. Kid’s neck has top all the way bent to see. Kid is also complaining about sore arms/back.
Stock Rigid Fork = 355mm axle-crown and 800gr(?).
Suspension model (same frame w/ Junit fork) = 455mm (364mm at sag).
Reba 29 120mm = 531mm (371mm @ 30% sag)
Any reason not to try an adult 29er I have laying around? I think the issue is that my kid is 50lb, so I’d need to run 35psi in the fork.
Note: the riprock uses a 15x110mm front hub, so that’s not an issue.
Rigid riprock and Suspenson rirpock are actually different frames to account for increase in Axle-Crown difference. That said, you will raise the BB and shorten the reach. The Reb Air Spring works pretty good for small kids but likely will need to run 0 rebound dampening. We run an Pike for a 65 lb kiddo and it works pretty good.
Is there anything I need to do to a rock shox reba rl 26 when running it on a 24″ bike? I’ve found a good deal on the correct fork for a cannondale trail.
As long as you purchased the straight 1 1/8 steer tube with QR axle, you should be good to go with install on frame and using existing wheel. You will need to uninstall crown race of existing fork and re-install on new fork.
Any recommendations on a 24″ rigid fork? I got a rst f1rst air fork but the travel seems too much for this build for my son. Would like to consider a rigid fork but not finding anything online with tapered shaft and disc brake bosses. Thoughts?
That may be tough to find, perhaps reach out direct to the kids specific brands. The tapered steerer tube might be the issue.
Also looking at this. I just purchased my daughter a used Silverback Skid which is pretty heavy. I’m trying to get the weight down as we’re getting into bikepacking as a family and are covering some decent distances, at least decent for a fairly fit 9 year old.
I don’t know that she really needs front suspension for most things and figure just dropping the tyre pressures a bit is probably adequate. It currently has Zoom 565 forks on it which feel like trash and 24×2.25″ (? definitely bigger than 2.1″) tyres. All her riding is either city riding or fire trails/easy singletrack. I was looking at swapping her fork out for a rigid fork but, as you say, getting an aftermarket 24″ fork is not easy – especially where I live. I was considering looking for a 26″ fork but wasn’t sure if that would mess up the bike’s geometry and handling. I guess it would effectively reduce the head tube angle (currently 69 degrees).
I’d appreciate any thoughts you might have on any of that.
check out this calculator for the effects, you will need to know the axle to crown height of any potential fork. A rigid ATC in 26 inch may be similar to a suspension 24 inch…
https://madscientistmtb.com/bike-geometry-compare/
My soon to be 7 year old has a Scott Roxter 20. He can hold his own on most single track in our area and I am looking into upgrading his fork if possible.
Will any of the forks you have suggested fit the 2.6″ tires?
The other specs are the following:
FORK AL-6061 rigid fork / IS / PLUS
HEADSET Feimin FP-H807, 1 1/8″ Semi Int.
HUB (FRONT) Formula DC-19-F / QR\
Thanks!
The TC 30 from trailcraft is on sale for $384 and is the the best fork for light weight 20 inch bikes. It is a QR and 1 1/18 straight steerer but I’m not sure you will squeeze a 2.6 inch tire in it. Worst case, grab some 2.3/2.4’s, the bike will be lighter and faster rolling.
I have just got my 8 years old a Marin Rift Zone JR. 24”; He weights 27 kg but the lowest value on the xFusion fork shock is for 36kg. It’s too hard on that setting (50 PSI). Is this safe to lower the pressure below the listed rating until we get to that 20-30 percent sag sweet spot?
We run as little air pressure as necessary. What usually happens is the fork can’t stay up in its travel if running too low. Its basically trial and error until you find what’s best. At your kiddo’s size, make sure to run low tire pressure as well.
Hi – I’m trying to outfit my 9 year old with a mountain bike…. He’s about 4’5” and 55lbs. He currently has an Isla Beign 24”, which is great in the city and on gravel. Love how light it is. I’m wondering if it’s possible to put an air spring fork on this bike as well as bigger tires? Would you recommend that approach or better to get a new mountain bike and sell what we have? Rented a 20” Trek with an air fork for this kid last year in Fruita and he was ripping. Kid’s a natural and tends toward the aggressive side.
I don’t think you can go much wider for a rear tire on the Beign 24 plus if he is really ripping a mountain bike might be appropriate as the frames are tested to a higher standard and a more robust part spec will hold up much better (drivetrain, wheelset etc). Plus, you really want disc brakes if he is riding trails at his age. Check out our 24 and 26 inch hardatil and full suspension pages for some ideas. He likely can get on 26 inch wheels.
Thanks! I picked up a used Cleary Scout 26 and it fits his older sis great. He’s barely able to stand over it with flat feet (he’s touching the top tube). So unless there’s a 26” that runs a lot smaller I think I’m going to keep my eyes out for a used 24” to put him on this year. He can graduate to the 26” in a year or so.
Hi Colin,
My kid’s Lil Shredder Phenom (24”) comes with a Fox 32 (120mm travel). If she weighs ~80 lbs, is this enough squish for Whistler Bike Park?
My eight year old rides a 120mm fork 24 inch bike in the whistler bike park. Plenty of squish for jump trails and blue tech trails.
I’m looking to replace the terrible forks on my Mate City E-Bike. The only options i can find in the UK is the Suntour XCM HLO AIR SL 20 or the Spinner Grind Air 20. The Spinner is £50 cheaper and the 50mm travel is closer to the stock 30mm travel on the current shocks so wont mess the geometry up as much as the Suntour.
Will I have any issues with my weight with these being kids shocks? I’m only 70kg / 155lbs.
Looking through all the comments on here it looks like your recommend the Suntour over the Spinner due to maintenance. I guess its worth the extra money if its a better product. The extra travel would be allow me to be a little more adventurous with my bike also, providing my weight isn’t an issue.
More of a geometry change with it being a longer fork, its a little heavier than the spinner as well, but i want something I know will work once set up to the right pressure for me.
I’m also replacing the awful rear spring (150mm) with a DNM AOY-36RC (165mm).
The suntour may edge out the spinner a little on performance, but its not a huge difference and probably not even noticeable with adult weights and normal air pressures.
No, should be fine. I believe the spinner was developed for recumbent bikes initially.
Sounds like there isn’t much difference between them.
It looks like Suntour have advised against using these on adult bikes to people on other forums. I’ve found the suntours for £157 now and the spinners for £120.
Id probably up the PSI from 50 to 80 on the suntours (they are rated as 100 max). I cant find PSI data on the spinners.
I dont mind paying the extra money if its worth the difference and will cope with the weight of me and the heavy bike (the bike is currently 24kg with the 17ah battery fitted). I just want which ever will perform best with adult weight.
I went with fold up ebike as i like to travel alot in a camper van and easier to store inside, but I’d still like to throw it about a little off road.
I realised I can get the rst spex 20-9 imported to the UK, will cost me about £100 more than the suntour after tax. Do you think they are more robust and will hold up to adult weights better?
I really could not offer advice for difference in adult use. Overall, The RST is a better air spring and damper with external rebound control.
Hi, fellow Mate City owner here looking to replace the front forks. Just wondering if you successfully replaced yours and had any recommendations?
My 10yo, light weight son has a 2017 24” Giant XTC Jr with a suntour coil stiff fork that I’d like to upgrade. The bike was cheap, so I’m looking to recommendations for an air upgrade that either won’t be more expensive than the whole bike, or could be used again on a 26” when he’s ready to upgrade. Looking at the Reba 26, but it’s more expensive than the bike! Any recommendations?
Try the Manitou MArhor 26. https://jenson.sjv.io/ZdjazX
Do you know what sick would work on 2014 Kona shred 24″?
The wheels are bolt on.
Also looking for a dropper…
I suspect it is a straight steerer 1 1/8 but you need to make sure. Also you need to know the front hunb spacing and axle diameter. For a dropper, you need an external mounted post like the PNW. You may need to shim depending on seat tube diameter.
Thanks for this super helpful article. Was wondering how the RST Capa fork stacks up against those listed here?
Its 50mm travel coil spring with steel stanchions and 1900 grams…we would avoid and just use wider volume front tire and low air pressures.
Thanks!
Colin, thank you so much for putting this together! My son has a Trek Roscoe with 20″ wheels (20×2.80), Tetro Disc brakes. What would you recommend as a good option for a front fork? We live in Houston, but will take the bike to Colorado in the summers to ride some trails and the no suspension is tough (usually end up renting a bike for him there). Thanks!
Honestly, would not bother with a fork as none on this list will fit a 2.8 inch wide tire. Just use low air pressure to smooth out the ride. Low as 8-10 PSI low in the front wheel. Cheers.
Hey – thanks for all the great info!
Any thoughts on a MANITOU MARKHOR 26″ for 24″ bikes? I have seen a few comments on mtbr that it turned out great, and at the price (<$250) might be a good option for those of us that need an upgrade with QR.
I see you've answered similar questions about Reba and Judy, but wanted to throw this out to see if I am missing anything negative about this fork.
Hey Tom, the Markhor totally worth a shot for straight steerer and a QR front wheel, its nice and light. Just make sure the axle to crown is not too big a difference to what is on the bike now. If its a huge difference the reach will shorten, BB raise, and Head Angle will slacken out considerably. You can fiddle with this to see what the geo will do: https://madscientistmtb.com/bike-geometry-compare/
I’m running a 26″ Manitou R7 Pro on my daughters 24″ bike which appears to be an identical fork with a slightly better damper and a bit lighter. It’s been a great fork all in all. If this one is like the other M30 ones… you’ll likely need a lighternegative spring foreigner riders (it’s a physical negative and an air negative). Our damper also allowed for the stack to be reshimmed to lighten compression which I recommend doing.
Hi Colin,
what do you think of the RockShox Judy Gold RL 26″ Solo Air 100 QR on a Giant xtc jr sl 24….?
https://www.bike-discount.de/it/rockshox-judy-gold-rl-26-solo-air-100-qr
Many thanks
Yeah, that should be ok. It will raise the BB a bit and slacken out the bike but it should not be too bad. It’s nice and light due to the alloy stanchions which is heaps better then the Judy silver edition with steel stanchions.
A follow-up question, do you think this fork (Judy Gold) will work for lighter riders in the 60-70lb range? The marketing for the Reba 26 says they tuned it for lighter riders allowing for lower pressures. Is there something different about how the air chambers work with the Reba 26 that makes it special and more supple for low fork pressures, or would the Judy work fine? Perhaps the way the negative and positive air chambers interact are different in the Reba 26 fork compared to their “adult” forks.
When I hear “tune” I think of the compression tune also, maybe it’s revalved for lighter riders?
The reason I ask is I can find used Judy Gold RL’s for sale, and if bought new, the Judy is about $200 less than Reba (Reba’s are quite pricey!). If I can make the Judy fork work that’s the path I’d rather go (this is for a 26″ bike build).
I suspect it’s the valving that is different. Forks in general are tough with light weight kids (like yours at 60 lbs) to get full performance out of, that is, really tracking the ground over repetitive hits. They are effective in big hits like drops and jumps for sure. It might be worth a shot with the Judy if you get a good price.
Thanks, Colin. I’m back to looking at the Reba 26 and just got a reply/confirmation from SRAM that there is no compression damper. I asked about what they did to make it a “kid tune” fork and that’s all they mentioned. This seems like a cheap way to go about this, but maybe also effective?
It feels like it would be hard to optimize for riding (brake dive, high speed chatter, etc) without a damper. Would have been great to have wide open HSC and a light LSC to be able to tune the ride…
Hi Yosuke,
With such low psi in the forks for kids, compression dampening is not going to do much and TBH its a struggle just to get full travel with all the kids forks. No forks will really work well for tracking the ground properly until the rider weight creeps up and trails speed increases. I run all forks for my kids with the compression wide on open if it has an adjuster. Best practice is to make sure the seals are well lubed as friction can be the worst enemy for the kids.
My son has a hand me down older GT 24″ bike with a very stiff and unadjustable front fork. Is there an aftermarket option for us that will maintain his rim brakes?
Thank you,
Darren
Hi Darren, The RST F1RST 24 is the one if you have 9mm QR axle. Cheers.
Hi,
Do you happen to know whether the Manitou Junit Pro 20” fork would fit in the Woom 20” bike (Woom Off)?
Thanks.
it will not, woom uses an odd one inch headset that no aftermarket forks work with.
Hi Colin! Can you suggest me the best 20” inch for a e-Bike for an adult person?
Thanks!
It would depend on the type of bike and the headset measurement (tapered 1.5-1 1/8 or standard 1 1/8)…
Hey Colin. Love the site. I just bought a Scott Scale RC 400 with the rigid fork. The model with the suspension fork wasn’t available and I don’t think the stock RST firm that comes with is that great. Being QR, I don’t have a too many options though, especially with supply chain issues. Any recommendations? Looking at some comments on 26″ forks but but sure that’s a great idea for this bike.
Increasing the axle to crown is going to slacken the head angle a bit, raise the bottom bracket, raise the stack and shorten the reach…check out this calculator to see what changes will result in geo differences. https://madscientistmtb.com/bike-geometry-calculator/.
I would go for a 24 inch fork as not to mess with geo too much. Something like the Trail craft TC30 as first pick (works the best and easy to service), then RST Snyper, followed by Sunotour SCR LO and Spinner.
Awesome, thanks for that link!
@Justin, what fork did you go with? Considering this upgrade for my son’s scale rc400 as well.
Great article! I need some particular help. I have an e-Bike and I put the Suntour XCM air 20” and it goes great.
But I want something more premium, and pro… Can you suggest me one of the list? I love the The Manitou Machete 20”, but it can’t be attached for the cone type tube. ;(
Thanks!
The Prevelo, Spawn Brood, Trail craft fork is probably the best 20 inch fork going for lighter riders.
Thanks you..
Hir sir.. i would like to ask your opinion.. my son ride Marin Hidden Canyon 20″ 2022 model.. which air fork better to replace current rigid fork.. ? His weight is only 20-22kg.. 7y/o ..Please advice for me sir..
I would probably just get better tires, something like the crown gem 2.25 and use a lower air pressure in the front for a dampening effect. Otherwise, Suntour XCM-JR-AIR-SL 20 inch for that bike.
I’m interested in replacing the coil spring shock fork with a rigid fork on my daughter’s 20″ bike. What rigid fork would you recommend? Thanks.
I’m not even sure where you can get 20 inch rigid aftermarket forks. If you have a community co-op bike shop that is near by and stocks used parts I would start there. Maybe someone else can chime in here????
With the release of the new 2022 Specialized Riprock 20 with boost axles. Do you know of any 20” suspension forks with boost spacing and 1 1/8” straight steerer? With its low stack the gel would pair well with a longer fork.
Thanks for all the grom research, Andy
My plan was to mount the RST SPEX 20-15 Air Fork until i overlooked the 100mm axle spacing. I’m considering going as far as rebuilding the wheel with a 28hole 15x100mm hub since they are relatively inexpensive.
Hi! I’m now on the same problem with an early rider bike seeker 16 and rst spex fork. Finally what solution You find?
I did exactly that. Found a new100mm spacing hub (Stans labelled) on Ebay and swapped it in. I picked the new hub because it had smaller flanges than the boost hub, got lucky and was able to reuse the spokes/nipples.
No, we don’t know of a 20 fork, straight steerer with boost spacing. I’de go the brood, trailcraft or heir fork and get a new front wheel with 100mm spaced hub. The RST 20-15 is another good choice but at that total price, you are approaching price of Yama Jama, Zulu etc not to mention the bike will be heavier.
My son ,12, has the Norco Storm 5 2021 (xs adult with 27.5), came with the suntour coil fork. Ok on a Friday bike path, but once he started coming out on proper trails it was no good and couldn’t be set for his weight. The firm was way way to hard for his weight.
I fitted a manatou air fork, 27.5, 120mm, QR, straight steerer. It was 1.1kg lighter, and I can set the pressure properly so it has sag and actually works as a suspension fork. Huge huge upgrade. Fork cost $300au (cycling deal), sold the original for $90.
Hi, thanks very much for the video, gave me the confidence to give this a try. The results are excellent, truly worth it, however the dampener/lockout mechanism is just spinning when I try to tighten it. I’ve watched a bunch of videos and nobody seems to have this problem when tightening up the foot screw.
Which fork?
Hi,
I bought my son a use Norco Fluid 2.2 only to find out the forks are totally blown out and it is nearly impossible to buy a replacement. Of the forks recommended above both the 20″ and 24″ Prevelo Heir seem to be available. Will they fit his bike? It currently has the RST First 24. Thanks!
You need to find out the a few things. 1) the front hub spacing of current wheel 2) axle type and diameter 3) headset diameter. The Prevelo forks fits a 100mm front hub spacing with a 15mm thru axle and fits a straight 1 1/8 inch headset. I can’t remember the specs of the older 2.2 Norco. I would send Norco a note, they should be ale to help or if you have an MTB nerd friend, they will be able to look on the bike and tell with taking the fork out and looking at front wheel.
Kara, I’m looking to replace the same RST fork on my son’s Norco Fluid 2.2. you need a fork with a 1 1/8″ straight steerer tube, and the hub is a 9×100 qr so the Prevelo fork won’t work with the norcos front wheel.
I just bought my daughter a Specialized Jett 20. Do you guys know if any of the 20″ suspensions forks will fit this bike to convert it from a rigid to a hard tail?
You would need to add a disc brake for any decent 20 inch air sprung fork as we don’t know of any 20 inch air forks with vbrake mounts (Spinner use to make one but no longer). So this would mean new brake and wheel with disc rotor mounts.
Hi, my son has a Marin San Quentin 20. Great bike for him but the 24” Suntour fork is heavy and even I can barely compress it. I see a deal on a 20” JUNIT 120mm fork but I’m worried that the slightly shorter axel to crown length will throw the geometry out of whack. Any thoughts?
It will change the head angle a bit but probably not much. More have to worry with big differences in ATC for the kids. Here is the formula:
[change in head angle] = arcsin [(old ATC length – new ATC length)/(wheel base)]
I have a Cannondale Trail 20 for my daughter with a wrecked coil fork and front tire. I am going to replace the wheelset with some combo v-brake/disc wheels from china, but am trying to figure out the fork. I see the spinner grind air on eBay (with v-brake bosses) and the preorder for the suntour XCM HLO 20 (disc only). In your comments you seem to steer people away from the spinner when possible, is it best to do the suntour and run a mechanical or hydraulic disc brake on the front?
The Suntour is better fork IMO but if you can find the older spinner grind air with v-brake bosses that works if you don’t want to put a disc brake on front. Kids on 20 inch bikes are usually so light its just big compressions the fork works for…you might get better results with lower air pressure and wider volume tires.
Hi, got my eye on a virus Noculus for my boy which comes with Spinner 300 air roc forks. Would like to upgrade these straight away. Anyone know if they are straight or tapered fit?
Hi Adam, I would give the fork a try. Some of the forks perform ok out of the box. If not, you can try a quick lower service. I have only ever seen them in 1 1/8 steerer and I’m pretty sure the Nucleus uses a 1 1/8 headset.
My 8 year old daughter is doing a downhill mountain bike this summer and she requires at least front suspension. I’m wondering if the Suntour XCM-JR-AIR-SL 20 inch would fit on her Trek Wahoo 20. Any advice would be much appreciated!
It will fit but you would need to put a front wheel with hub rotor mounts and front disc brake…that would be expensive. I would suggest sell and get something that comes stock with air suspension fork and disc brakes if downhill MTB is happening.
My 7/8 yr old daughters each just got a Liv (giant) Enchant 24 light MTBs. The front fork has no suspension and vbrakes. I would like to upgrade to a decent air fork. But not that the Suntour 24 will work with Vbrakes. What are my choices? Would rather not spend more than a couple hundred bucks for each bike is possible…
Thanks.
I would just throw on some wider tires under run lower pressures for off road. The only air fork I know of that may fit is the RST first 24 (1 1/8 steerer and 9mm QR axle).
I was gifted an older used Diamondback Octane 24, originally from REI. Its fork is seized up, but otherwise the bike is freshly tuned and ready for summer.
I found these older Suntours on Ebay for $55 (https://www.ebay.com/itm/313425452840). Would this be worth it as a replacement? Is it doable? Thoughts?
My advice from someone that’s been down this rabbit hole…
Just get a 26″ fork they are light years ahead of anything in 24″ inch and 100mm travel is a minimum on any trail worth riding. The slacker geometry is not an issue.
My son’s riding and confidence has really improved on the 26″ fork. Frankly the bikes should come factory like that.
The problem is, there are not a lot of 26 inch forks being made anymore…
Hi Colin.
I guess following on on this post. I got my little one a 24″ polygon, but the suspension fork is not that great, and I imagine pretty heavy… I have an old fox float rlt 26″ fork that I think I could put in… you think the 2 extra inches of the fork could be an issue?
Is there a way to transform a 26″ fork into a 24″ fork?
Thanks
Should not be that big of a deal. It will slack out a bit and raise the handlebar height but I’m sure it will be fine if it is not too much travel (130mm and bleow), Go for it!
Hello trying to setup the Manitou machete expert air fork on a 20 inch. Have you had any experience with this fork? What’s the best way to setup air pressures and get the fork dialled properly for a 51lb kid?
To be honest, the machete with really light kids is tough. The mekken 20 inch fork is much better for the little kids. Manitou gives air pressure ranges for the kids weights but the struggle running with lower pressures is the negative air chamber (we think). We use the machete on 20 inch dirt jumpers but for all other 20 inch bikes, the spawn/prevelo/trial craft mekken fork is our fork of choice.
Hi! first, thank you for running such a rad website! I’ve struggled to find good content relate to kids mountain biking so thanks for pulling this all together. Very much appreciated.
My boy who is 8 has been ripping well on his new 2021 Giant STP 24 FS. I’ve been happy with the bike but I’m considering upgrading the current fork which is an SR XCT L24, coil, 80mm, lockout. I looked into the Manitou Machete and unfortunately that won’t install without other upgrades making the price not worth it. Would you consider the Suntour XCR LO 24 inch a worthwhile upgrade? Or would you recommend something better and if so any suggestions based on your list of forks in the article above?
Yes, the XCR LO will be a big improvement. Even better and should fit would be the RST Snyper (its also 9mm drop out and 1 1/8 steerer).
Hi Colin,
I’ve found it interesting reading your posts and would appreciate your opinion on the following.
I am in the process of buying a 26’’ Vitus Nucleus for my son. It normally comes with a 100mm spinner 300 fork. The bike has no fork as it is a demo bike. I am looking at the Rock shox Recon silver 100mm solo air as a replacement. Reviews say it’s a good fork for the price bracket of circa £220. My son is 10 and I would like to know if you feel the fork would be a usable option for a junior MTB. I like the idea of an Air fork and am hoping it can be set up to suit a young riders weight. Thank you
For sure, I would go same route…27.5 inch fork from Rock shox with good air spring and damper. The 27.5 RS REBA is also an option with alloy uppers opposed to Recon’s Steel so a little lighter but more expensive.
Thank you,
I hadn’t thought of the 27.5 route fork. May raise the front a bit too much as he is just on the limit of the starting height for the Vitus and wouldn’t want to leap to much from 24’’ (previous size) bike. Nevertheless I appreciate the thoughts guys, always good to get as much info as poss on this 👍
Should not be too bad as you can buy a flat rise bar and put all spacers above stem. The problem is, there are not a lot of 26 inch forks being made anymore…The 26 REBA has limited travel options, is not boost spacing (if that’s what you need for front hub), and no compression damper.
Hey Steve, get a Rockshox Reba 26″. It has plenty of performance and plenty of travel options. 100 or 120mm is more than enough for most cross-country trails. I have a 27.5 120mm travel Reba on a 27.5″bike and has decent performance. I would stay away from recon silver/gold. They are entry level forks and quite heavy.
The Recon Silver RL 27.5 is the same solo air spring and motion control damper as REBA 27.5. Yes it has steel uppers that makes it heavier (2250g vs1656g) but also less expensive. The 27.5 Recon Silver or 27.5 Reba will allow Steve to use the same front wheel as he has 9mm thru axle, I believe the new reba 26 is only available in 100mmx15mm thru axle (so Steve would be out a new front wheel as well) and REBA 26 has no compression damper (not a biggie for kids but is worth noting as its the similar price to Reba 27.5 but you get compression damping).
Hi sir and Happy New Year. I have an REI Rev 20 Plus for my 6 year old. I want to put a fork on it but those 2.6 inch tires are my nemesis at the moment. All the nicer forks have lower tire width clearance. I have another kid coming up behind him so I don’t mind spending some $ on a fork that will last 2 kids. Suntour has a cheap fork that accommodates 2.8 inch tires for about 90 dollars so that tell me its not super good. Is it possible to use a 24 inch tire fork and cut the steering tube?
Its not the steer tube that is the concern, its the axle to crown of a 24 inch fork on a 20 inch bike, It will mess with the geometry. The REI Rev 20 plus is already a heavy bike so I’m not sure a fork will serve well for a six year old. The theory with plus tires is you use lower tire pressure to dampen the ride. Our recommendation would be spend money to lighten the bike up rather than put towards a fork.
I guess you are at a point of diminishing returns because the Rev20 Plus is just a hair shy of 24 pounds with the majority of the weight being tires. So you can put smaller tires or carbon rims but those rims prices to save a little weight, now you are in way more than buying a new bicycle of which there are none at the moment. We ride 90% rolling terrain, its just “rooty” in Texas so I guess he will be fine as is as fast is he is growing. Thanks for the reply sir.
Would this be the same recommendation for the Rev 24? My son is fixated on upgrading his fork and has sold his 4 wheeler to pay for this upgrade. I have been trying to navigate this upgrade. It looks like the Manitou Machete 24 would fit the 2.6″ wide tire. Should I let him upgrade or should I return the bike to REI and get one with a front suspension? My son is 49″ tall and I’m unsure if moving to a 26″ would be beneficial.
If you can return bike, I would. The REV is a heavy bike with wide heavy draggy tires and not so good components. The price of REV and Manitou puts you at around $800 which there are many great 24 inch hardtails in that range with air sprung forks. https://thebikedads.com/24-front-suspension-bikes/
Hi Colin ,
I’m also looking to upgrade my sons front fork. We just purchased a Rocky Mountain Jnr Growler 24. I was surprised it didn’t come with an air fork ( maybe they are trying to keep the price lower, but it was about the same price as a the vortex). The guy at the bike shop said I could put a 26 inch fork on it so was looking at the SRAM Reba 26. Is this possible? I also like the price of the Suntour listed on your pace here.
The RM Vertex 24 comes with an air fork. You could put on a Reba just make sure axle spacing and configuration (15 mm thru-axle/9mm QR) fits the front hub. I think the 2021 Growler uses boost front spacing (110mm with 15 mm axle) which you are out of luck as the Reba is for 100mmx15 mm axle hubs unless you want to buy an new front wheel. The geometry may change slightly (ie. slacker head Angle) depending on the axle to crown on the new fork.
Thank you, yes I think I might just get the Suntour listed on your site seems the easiest and doesn’t change the geometry
Hello,
any idea what fork the VPACE SL24/120 (120 mm travel) is. Cannot find an aftermarket fork like this with 120mm travel…
never seen it offered after market in 120 mm…
Hey i have a question if you’ve seen this happen on a kid air fork. I recently bought a Nukeproof Cubscout 24″ which came with a Spinner 300 Air 100mm fork. It has been working flawlessly, but suddenly it has basically seized up and won’t compress much at all as if the lockout is engaged when it isn’t.
having never owned a kids bike like this, is this behavior a byproduct of these smaller cheaper forks and needing extra upkeep/constant maintenance? or am I dealing with a faulty/poor product and should switch to something else?
The spinner is hit and miss. Its why we don’t recommend as an after market purchase. It can be tough to find a suspension service shop to take a look at it but that might be the way to go if you are not used to servicing forks yourself. Problem is, this can run you $100 bucks in labour and parts when you can alternatively get the suntour for a couple hundred bucks and rid yourself of the spinner blues…
Thanks for the feedback!
Aloha B.D.’s, need your advice/recommendations as I just bought a 2017 Cdale Street 24 with the rigid lefty fork in mint condition for my 9yr. Old daughter & I want to upgrade the fork with a suspension fork & want to know if I can still use the disk brakes & wheel set that it came with or would I need to buy a whole new one?.. also, I couldn’t find a 24” lefty suspension fork but would a 26” be out of the question?..
I imagine it would just be hub spacing. Make sure to find that out. The inch 1/8 steerer is normal so its just the front hub spacing…
So what your referring to in regards to hub spacing is that I should be able to use a 26” lefty fork and/or regular forks?..
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-spacing.html
About to buy a 2nd hand Orbea MX trail 24 with SR Suntour XCR LO Air spring 63mm QR, and was thinking to upgrade to a better fork and maybe to 100mm, but unsure about compatibility or whether it is worth it, any suggestions?
That’s a good little fork. You can internally bump up to 80mm travel. I wouldn’t upgrade if its working fine.
Thanks. I bought it eventually, and as you said it seems like a good fork – much better than my wife’s supermarket mtb : ) Will bump up when my son gets taller
My 9 year old has a 2019 Kona Honzo 24″. He has ridden it hard for more than a year. It came with a spinner grind air 65 mm fork. The fork is leaking air. He isn’t ready for a 26 inch bike yet. I want to get a new fork for the bike because I rather spend 400 on a new fork then pay 900-1200 for a new bike. Would the Heir fork be my best bet? Would you suggest something else or just get a new bike?
I would probably try and get someone to service the spinner if you can or buy a suntour 24 in fork. The investment in the Heir fork for that bike not make sense….although it is a great fork that can be serviced. Just make sure what ever fork you get the front axle spacing and size fits so you don’t have to splurge on a new wheelset. Alternatively, if you can find a used 26 inch fork with low axle to crown and coreect steer tube and axle spacing, that would work too.
I couldn’t get anyone to service the spinner. I couldn’t find a rebuild kit for it and the company is in China so I couldn’t get ahold of anyone. I also couldn’t find any suntour 24’s in stock. They have the heir fork available. Just curious why the heir fork doesn’t make sense for that bike? I obviously don’t want to spend the money on the fork it it doesn’t make sense for the bike.
Thanks
https://www.konaworld.com/2019/honzo_24.cfm This is the bike
The fork is amazing…and if you are stuck I’de go for it. That said, if you can get a decent price for Kona I would consider a new bike (I know tough to find these days). Something with shorter rear center, lighter, smaller cranks and longer travel. If kiddo is shredding, you will notice the difference.
Thanks!
More that the fork will set you back half the price of bike. If you are stuck, by all means, its a fantastic fork. Other option would be to rice out selling and purchasing a new bike. Lighter weight, smaller cranks and shorter rear center/shorter stem will go a long way if he is tearing it up out there.
Cual le podría poner a una commencal ramones 20″ ya que trae llantas 2.6
Sorry, we don’t speak spanish…but if looking for a fork make sure the steer tube is correct diameter (straight 1 1/8 inch or tapered) as well as front axle
Is it worth putting a Suntour XCM 20″ fork on a ’21 Trek Roscoe 20? I had looked at the Riprock 20’s but they are hard to find right now and the comment above about them being heavy is concerning. The Roscoe is lighter, which is great but I’d prefer to have front suspension if possible.
I believe the the Roscoe is a fat bike with 2.8 inch tires…won’t fit with the fork. We are not fans of fat bikes for kids as they are heavy (overall weight and rolling weight) and sluggish handling. The thought is you can use tire pressure for a dampening effect with the high volume tires and not need a fork for kids.
My son has a Early Rider Limited Trail 20″ Kids’ Bike and it has a rigid fork. They no longer make this version. However, it has a 1 1/8 Conventional sealed cartridge bearing headset and quick release. I am torn between the Suntour XCM-JR-AIR-SL 20 inch; https://www.trailcraftcycles.com/product/tc30-fork/ (not listed above), and the Spawn Brood 20 inch fork. From what I can tell the main difference between the suntour and the trailcraft/spawn brood is probably weight (roughly .5 lbs.). My 6 year old is an aggressive rider and I think he would really benefit from a front fork. I just don’t know if it is worth the extra $200 for the spawn/trailcraft.
For a six year old on a 20 inch bike the spawn brood/trail craft tc30/prevelo zulu (all the same fork) is the best fork going. yes, lighter but its also the damper that is better and the ability to adjust the rebound. That said, the suntour will serve you just fine. Question of budget really…if you can stomach it, I’de go with the better fork. You will be able to sell it at a good price.
Jeff did you buy the new fork for your Early Rider? My daughter has a Trail 3 with an almost dead Grind fork on it. Was thinking the same as you either the Suntour or Brood. My concern is that both are roughly a 400mm axle to crown and the Grind (and I assume your rigid) is roughly 350. I worked out that the newer forks would slacken the geometry by about 3 degrees which actually on the head isn’t terrible but it would leave the seat post pretty slack. Interested to know if you went for it.
Which 24 inch fork do you recommend that fits a straight head tube
all but manitou here…
Looking for a 24″ air fork, 11/8 straight steering tube, but 110 boost. Seems like most are 100mm. Does this exist and what would you recommend?
I’ve never seen Boost spacing on 24 fork with straight steerer. Maybe look for a 26 inch fork with low axle to crown…
My son is riding a riprock 20, the fork is underwhelming. He’s beat it enough it’s not helping him anymore than a rigid for would. This is like him to push himself more without being hindered by the fork. Recommendations?
I’de look to a different bike. The riprock is heavy with mentioned fork and big/sluggish tires. The suntour fork here is a great fork for the price if you want to go down the after market fork road.
Does the Manitou fork and the rst 24 fork fit on straight head tubes or tapered head tubes?
Manitou is tapered, RST is straight 1 1/8.
I think the Spinner Grind Air deserves an entry, no? Do you know of any other alternatives for v-brakes?
What about clamp-on v-brake adapters? Do you have any experience with those?
The Spinner Grind Air is really tough to find as our seal kits…we have tried them on a few bikes and they get the job done. For the price, I would go the Suntour. No experience with V Brake adapters…
Where to buy Spinner 24 air fork?
ebay might be your best bet or perhaps your LBS can order through distributor…
What fork would work on a Commencal kids Ramones 24?
I would look to the suntour 24 fork. Just make sure to cheque axle specs of front wheel.
Recently bought a Trek Superfly 20 for my daughter. Prefer having a hardtail fork for my daughter during trail. Anu suggestoon ?
I would go for a spinner air with v brake mounts…I’de avoid spoil sprung fork due to heavy weight and invest in higher volume tires at lower pressure instead (if they fit).
Looking for a fork for a scott contessa jnr. Not sure if its actually worth it, or to buy a new bike…. but wife wants to keep bike so i want to FORK it lol
probaly not worth it. Get some wider volume tires if you can fit them and run lower air pressure for some dampening. Put the fork money towards new bike d down the road.
Hello Colin, advice is much appreciated here.
My son, 4-years-old, is currently riding an Early Rider Seeker X16 – quite a sick bike. Amazing how kiddos progress so fast on bikes meant for the sport.
I would very much like to put an Heir 16 on his bike to be able to progress to the rocky singletrack around Fort Collins, Colorado, but I do not want to alter his bike geometry to a point of making it harder for him to ride and keep up with his desire to kill it.
What do you think on this one? Much Thanks
Hi Aaron,
The Heir fork would be the only fork as it is a true 16 inch wheel fork with a 330mm axle to crown. And its the only fork that actually works with kids in that age range. Keep in mind even then, the fork will just take off the big hits of dropping something (a log etc) or jumping so kiddo needs to be charging hard at age 4 to make it worth the investment. Otherwise low tire pressure works best for dampening for kids. Also keep in mind it would be just for one season as most 5 year olds can fit a 20 inch and the bigger wheels do much better for rocky single-track than a 16 inch suspension fork. Cheers!
Looking for a 24 inch air fork that will accommodate 2.8 inch tires. Bike currently has a suntour. Thanks.
Machete can do a 2.6…that’s the biggest we know of.