Rocky Mountain scales down the spirit of their adult Thunderbolt and Altitude trail bikes in this pint size all mountain destroyer. With parents' wallet in mind, they extend the life of this bike by making it a convertible 24/26 inch platform. With the expense of full suspension bikes and the growth rate of kids, this will attract discerning MTB parents looking to get the most out of their purchase. Thanks to Rocky Mountain for providing us with a test 24 inch Reaper.
Rocky Mountain Reaper 24 inch Details:
- Intended Age- 8 plus
- Weight- 27.5 lbs
- Standover- 24 inches
- Features- alloy frame with 130 mm suspension, Rock Shox monarch rear shock and 120 mm Reba fork, Ride 9 Geo adjust, Deore Clutch derailleur, Schwalbe Black Jack 2.1 inch tires, Shimano Hydraulic Brakes, 1X Shimano drivetrain with 11-42 Cassette
- MSRP- $1839 USD
- Available- Jenson USA
The Bike Dads' Take:
"Rocky hits the goal of making a full suspension bike that grows with your kiddo. This bike will allow you tackle the bike park and more challenging pedal accessed terrain with the elementary school crowd. My nearly 8 year old took advantage of the bigger wheels and active 130 mm suspension to push himself to new levels on descents. A burly frame that is very competitive in weight, this bike could be sized up with 26 inch wheels and a longer stem or passed on to baby sister/brother for round two! " -Colin
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Hi we are looking into the kona process 24” and the rm reaper 24” for our 7 year old son who is 50 lbs and 48”.
We don’t understand all the technical spec language, nor were we bikers before him, but are trying to learn because he’s a natural. He rides and jumps at the bike park, loves trails with jump lines, pump tracks, roots, rocks , the trickier the better. He is also just getting into downhill racing and big air. He’s on a specialized (hand me down tricked out) hard tail 20” now, which he’s basically broken, but coaches have recommended he get a dual suspension and at least 24”, he sat on a 26 but even the lowest seat we could find was too high and he didn’t feel comfortable. For his size and weight is one better than the other?
Please any advice would be much appreciated, thanks.
Go the Reaper route over the Kona. You can throw on 26 inch wheels when he is ready. Another bike to look at is the Giant Faith 24.
Thank you so much, we’ve been debating different brands for weeks.
I see Amazon has cheap boost conversion kits available for 142 to 148 and 100 to 110. Could that work for non-boost 26 inch rims to make them fit on the Reaper 24?
Yep, could do depending on hub.
Hi!
What would you say is the minimum height for the reaper 24? My son is 122cm / 4’ so he’s below the recommended height. He’s fairly heavy at 28kg / 62lb.
I’m looking at the VPace Moritz 24 which is lighter and lower, but would have to pay twice as much as a second hand RM Reaper.
If you can swing it, the VPACE in a 24 is second to none. More than just stanover, the weight makes a massive difference in a 24. The reaper is great but you will have to invest to lighten it up, change the crank length. VPACE is optimized out of the box. We prefer the Reaper in the 26.
Hi. We bought the Reaper 24 for our son 2 years ago, and it’s been a fantastic bike for him. We’re now trying to convert it to a 26″ with a new wheelset, but we’re running into issues and being told we can’t necessarily get them because of the boost hub? (or something along those lines)
Just wondering if there are specific 26″ wheels you’d recommend for the 2020 Reaper so that we can keep using it for one more year.
Thanks!
It was a bummer when Rocky went to boost spacing for the reaper and its issues like this why we are not huge fans of convertible wheelsize bikes. The older models were 135mm and easier to find wheelsets. You most likely need to get a wheelset built with 148mm boost rear and 15×100 front. Try here, give them a call and explain what you need. I would recommend the 26 inch Stans crest rims on light/inexpensive hubs.
https://www.speedgearbike.com/
https://www.universalcycles.com/wheelkit.php
Alternatively, if you can find a 26 inch reaper, buy it and sell the 24 as is. You should get a good price for the 24 these days. Good luck!
Thanks!!
I’m looking for ways to make my son’s Reaper 24 a bit lighter. Wheelsets at this size seem to be part of the supply chain snafu. Outside of carbon handlebars/seat posts, what are some hacks to reduce weight?
Stan’s crest wheelset w light weight hubs, lighter/shorter cranks and lighter tires would help the most. Carbon bar, lighter cassette and lighter seat post will also help out.
Hi there – great review!
Curious if you think this bike is too plush with the wrong geometry for Austin Texas trails. We don’t have a lot of downhill here with the exception of Spider Mountain. A lot of ups and downs single track which can be pretty rocky. Will all that suspension make it difficult for my son to climb?
and to be clear – looking at the 26″ version – my son is 4’8
It would be great at Spider mountain and it does pretty well as a trail bike as it is lighter than some others at 27 lbs. Suspension can actually help on technical climbing for traction.
Hey thanks for the review ! Quick question here. My son will turn 9 in Feb and is 140 cm. For the last 2 summer he was on a RM Growler 24, which I added a dropper seat, changed the fork with Manitou J-Unit and converted to 10 speed with a clutch. He really beated it and was a great bike but now its time for a new bike. Last summer out of panick on kids bike availability I ordered a YT Primus 26 that should be delivered in May 2022 at the latest. ( I can cancel this one anytime ) My LBS has a 2022 Reaper 26 available for me in January. I’m really hesitating between the 2 models. The reach on the Reaper 26 seems to be even shorter than the Growler he already has. On the other end, the YT has a reach of 397…I would prefer to buy from my LBS since the service is just outstanding but at 3500$ cda bike, I want to make sure the bike has some room for my son to grow and will fit well…
Hi Jeff, the YT will be really big for your little guy at 140 cm. A near 400 reach is a stretch for kiddo his size as is the total weight. The reaper is one of the best small fitting 26 FS bikes and I would not hesitate to grab it. The 350 mm reach is perfect for the 9-11 crowd. My experience with reach and kids for full suspension bikes is pretty much the same as my own experience. A shorter vs longer reach is just a different riding position to make it perform well. That said, longer reach for kids will require them to weight the front end more which takes commitment and skill and overcoming the stack height (hard to get bar low enough sometimes). Thus, I would lean towards reaper unless kiddo is super strong, advanced and can move around on the bike like and advanced adult. I see the YT more suitable for your average height 10.5 year old and up.
Thanks, we’ll go the Reaper 26!
Hi, my son is currently on a 24in ripcord and I’m looking to get him on a 26in. A shop that’s pretty close to me will have both the 24 and 26″ reapers available by next week. I like the fact that you can swap out the wheels and I have a 4 yr old daughter that can inherit this bike when she’s old enough. My question is do you see a big spec difference that would translate in performance between the 26 and 24in builds for the 21 model year? from what I can tell the main differences are the fork (recon gold vs suntour raidon) and the drive train (30t/11-46 on the 26, 28t 11-42 on the 24), as well as the crank length, oh and the dropper post – but I already have one on his current bike that I could swap over. it seems like the 24in is just a bit better value, considering I already have a dropper – unless the difference in the forks is considerable. My son is 8.5 and 1.4m right now so would just be on the cusp of fitting on the 26. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!
Going from a 24 ripcord to 24/26reaper you are actually going to a considerably smaller reach bike although you gain a bit in wheelbase. Just an FYI. The 26 Reaper is an excellent way to get smaller kids on the 26 wheel size as it has low standover and small 350 reach plus the rear suspension is amazing for kids. Unfortunately, they keep specing the 26 with 165 mm cranks when they have perfect 152mm sitting there (they use on 24 inch build). Either way you would be needing to buy a wheelset, perhaps new cranks )if you go with 26 and shrink down to 24). The differences in fork are not much performance wise although the 24 does offer a lower stack height if that is a concern if you are going to pass to younger kiddo. Another option to squeeze some life out of the Ripcord would be throw a a 26 inch wheel on the front and add an offset bushing to rear shock to bring the BB height back down and slacken it even a little more.
Thanks! this is super great insight. I might just go ahead and try the 26in upfront, and just wait till he can fit on a 27.5in bike or see if one of the bigger fitting 26in bikes comes available in my area.
Hi Colin, do you know of anyone that has actually done the 26/24 mullet with the offset bushings? If I’m understanding correctly it looks like putting the larger wheel up front will slacken both the head and seat tube angle, adding the offset bushing will also slacken both HT and ST angles even more, I’m not that concerned with the HT angle as I think the bike could be more slack, but I’m a bit worried about the ST angle. We regularly do 2k ft climbs with a tow whee, and the downhill sections have some punchy climbs, so don’t want to make it to uncomfortable climbing for my son. Thanks!
They beauty of the reaper is that you have the Ride 9 flip chip that does similar things as an offest bushing. Yes, the bigger wheel will slacken Head angle and seat tube a bit (https://madscientistmtb.com/bike-geometry-calculator/) but you can steepen the ride 9 position to get the Seat tube steeper and/or bottom bracket where you want it. Personally, I would run 26 front and back if buzzing his seat is not an issue as the bigger wheel makes a huge difference both climbing and descending in the rear. But if you wat to give it a go, I would not bother with offset bushings for the reaper as it has the ride 9 to play with. I wouldn’t worry about the seat tube slackening out too much either as he is not probably running a tall seat post and you can always slide the seat forward on the rails as much as possible. Good luck! Let us know how it turns out. For me, I would love to see someone try 27.5/26 mullet on this frame as the 26 inch version of the bike comes with a 27.5 fork.
Hi, I’m actually the poster above – forgot to mention that I decided to stick with the Ripcord and am seriously thinking about throwing a 26″ wheel on as I have one I can take from an old hardtail. He is 140cm right now, so hoping that we could use the mullet ripcord until he is ready for a xs 27.5, or atleast a decent used 26″ full suspension pops up somewhere. Thanks!
Ah I see, yeah go for the 26/24 mullet and an offset bushing or two on the ripchord. As mentioned, just slam the seat forward on the rails and I’m sure the seat tube angle will not be a problem considering the reach is not out of hand and it will actually shorten a bit with the larger front wheel. Plus at 74 degrees, its actually fairly steep for a kids bike as kids don’t run such long seat posts. Just make sure you find the right offset bushing for the shock bolt diameter. You may want consider two bushings to really slacken it out and drop that BB. Have Fun!
Hi!! I just bought a 26” Reaper for my 9 year old. He loves it. Does anyone know where or how to find the matching 24” wheels so I can use for our younger 2 kids when the time comes? I contacted Rocky and they said they don’t sell them which I thought was really strange. They are basically adult spec wheels but with a 24” rim
15×100 or 110 for the front hub (I can use an adapter kit if needed)
12×148 for the rear
I can probably find all the components separately and (try to) built the wheels myself but someone must have solved this problem before!
https://www.notubes.com/crest-mk3-wheelset for light weight or sun ringle duroc for bike park duty.
Why is the standover height from Rocky Mtn of around 700mm so far off your quoted standover height of 24″?
The chart is stating the 24 inch wheel bike SH is 700mm not 24 inches. This is Rocky’s geo chart.
Thanks, this is incredibly helpful! Just bought it.
Keep up the work on the site – can’t tell you how helpful it’s been. We bought one of those bungee cords you recommended and it’s been an absolute game changer. Extends our range to solid 7-8 miles, and I get the added benefit of an extra workout 😀
Have Fun, its a ripp’n bike!
Quick question for you – considering the reaper for my son, who is 8yo and 48 inches tall. He’s a pretty aggressive rider but I’m just worried this is too much bike for him right now. Really like the idea of converting to 26″ though once he gets a bit bigger.
How tall was your 8yo when you made the review? Any thoughts on the standover height? I’ve also read a decent amount on forums that the 24/26 convertible bikes just don’t give the best of geometry for any age (bit too big in 24, bit cramped in 26) – thoughts there? Would love to get a trailcraft, but $3K for a 24″ bike is a bit much for me, though I get you get what you pay for in that one. Love the site and would love to hear from you!!!
In this review, the the kids were ages 5-7 on the reaper 24. Although intended age is 8, the fit allows smaller kids to ride it. Check out our review of the 26 platform (same frame). My son was age 9 and 52 inches…The Reaper in 26 is a nice and small fitting with a 350m mmm reach (for comparison same as Norco Fluid 24) and low stand over. Its a fantastic bike that fits nice and small to take advantage of bigger wheels. Just hurry, we have hear Rocky’s are all sold to dealers through 2022. What’s in store is it, when they are gone…they are gone.
Reaper 26 Review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ap71Y8J2bA&t