We are believers of getting kids on the biggest wheel-size MTB possible where the bike fits well and the bike is manageable for the kids. This is accomplished by creating a low stack (think low handle bar height), and low standover (think how low the top tube of the bike is) and a low minimum seat height (seat post slammed all the way down). The benefits of the bigger wheels are obvious right away. The kids are better able to keep speed, the bigger diameter tires offer better traction and roll over rocks and roots easier. Specialized has hit this out of the park with the new Riprock rigid 24.
The low stack of the bike combined with low rise handlebar allows the small kids to properly weight the front wheel of the bike which is needed for traction and braking control while mountain biking. The low standover allows the kids to move around on the bike to attain proper body position for true trail riding (cornering, ready descending position). Dialing in the fit can be accomplished by cutting the seat post to get the seat as low as possible for the shorter kids or alternatively adding a riser bar for the taller kids if the bar height is too low.
It's understandable you may want to stretch the fit of a bike as much as possible. Manufactures often try and overestimate the recommended fit range knowing this is what parents want. Its our opinion that you and your kiddo will be better served by flipping bikes as soon as the kids can size-up wheel diameter comfortably. Buying a quality bike will allow you to do this confidently by insuring you can re-coup the initial cost with a high re-sale value.
This frame is absolutely dialed. The 68 degree Head Angle is in the sweet spot for offering stability yet still not too floppy of a bike at slow speeds. The 350 mm reach is also bang on considering you can fit really small kids on this 24 and the 390mm chainstays centres the rider making the bike really manageable. All this combined with a low standover, short seat tube, 30 mm of BB drop and a low stack is the secret sauce to fitting smaller kids on a bigger wheel-size.
Drivetrain
Like the frame, the spec of the Riprock 24 is fantastic. Highlights include the perfect length and low Q factor 140mm cranks. This allows proper hip alignment for the kids to put the power down on the pedals. The Microshift Advent 11-42 tooth cassette is plenty wide for the kids and 9 cogs keeps the weight of the cassette down. My 7 year-old had no problem using the advent trigger shift to get the clutch derailleur up and down the cassette with ease. And that clutch derailleur did its thing, we never dropped a chain and the bike was nice and quiet.
Wheelset
Although not tubeless ready, the Ground Control Basic tires offer fantastic grip and good rotational weight combined with the light weight 28 Hole rim/hub combo. Of note, the $1500 24 inch Expert build with air fork does have TR tires.
Brakes
The CSTAR hydraulic brakes performed great but this is our first try of such brakes and can't comment on longer term reliability or how easy they are to bleed. The tool free reach adjust is definitely a nice touch. * Update-after longer term use we are experiencing issues with air intake into the brake system. Unfortunately, bleeding the brakes was only a temporary solution as air quickly re-entered the system.
Touch points
It must also be said that the specialized 130mm branded seat is probably the best kids seat I have ever seen. I personally love specialized seats and my son unprompted made the comment "this is the best seat for my bum Dad." The other touch points that stick out are the lock-on grips, they are really nice.
What fell short?
Well, the seat post collar needs to be switched out for a quick release ($5-$10) or perhaps throw in a kids dropper post. Also, the stock pedals are not good (this is the case for most kids MTB). But the major weakness as already stated in the update above is the Radius Brakes. There are going to be a lot of frustrated parents at specialized dealers and bike shops constantly getting the brakes bled.
What about the fork?
Can you put a suspension fork on the rigid build? I don't see why not and it makes a lot of sense since you would be saving considerable money by doing so rather than purchasing the $1500 Expert build. The one thing to note, you will need to find a fork with a 1 1/8 straight steerer tube and boost (110x15mm) spacing if you want to use the existing front wheel. The other thing to note, it will slacken the bikes head angle and raise the bottom bracket due to a lengthier axle to crown of a suspension fork. This is essentially why the frame of the Expert build is different. They needed a new frame to preserve geometry and include a tapered head tube to accommodate the tapered steerer tube of the Manitou Machete fork.
On the subject of forks. We align with specialized's new take that most suspension forks are not worth it for 20 and 24 inch bikes. Most kids will be better served with lighter weight rigid forks with good tires that can be run at lower pressures for a dampening effect. They do spec the Manitou Machete on the Expert build which is one of the better kids performing air forks. The price difference is substantial however and I suspect that is why they are not offering an Expert build in the 20 inch, it would be hard to play in the 20 inch premium hardtail space at higher price/weight. Even the 24 Expert build at $1500 puts it at a price second only to the Trailcraft but a spec that is equivalent to bikes $200-$400 cheaper.
The Bike Dads' Take:
"Until recently, we have not been impressed with the kids line of bikes from Specialized. Aside from the brake spec here, this has changed. First the Jett and now the re-designed 2022 Riprock. You can tell a lot of thought and detail were put into these new mountain bikes. They purposely went for small fitting bikes to take advantage of bigger wheels, a winning strategy in kids bike design in our minds. The new Riprock is a massive improvement in Specialized kids line of MTBs!" -Colin
Hello Bike Dads,
I have a 5 and a 1/2 year old that is outgrowing his Norco Roller 16. He mostly rides pump tracks now, but we just have started to dabble in singetrack rides with me along the Colorado Front Range with MBT being the end goal for our rides (XC & DH). He’s 46 inches tall with a 22 inseam. I was sold on the Riprock 24, but I think it may be too big for him. I am thinking of reconsidering to a Woom Off 4 as it seems he would outgrow the Riprock 20 too quickly. Appreciate any advice you can give.
Its best not to skip sizes. A light weight 20 is the way to go.
Wondering if anyone has thought on Norco HT 24.1?
I don’t see any reviews
Thanks
Hi, it has been more than a year since the review. Have you had contact with specialized regarding the hydraulic brake issue? Wondering if the issue has been addressed or resolved in the last year?
The spec is still C-STAR Brakes. We have had multiple bikes with these brakes and they all have the air in the line issue.
Such a total bummer. Its a seemingly perfect bike for my guy. I asked specialized about this, naturally they do not acknowledge there is anything wrong.
Its an awesome bike with brakes that suffer. At the sale price you could just SWAP in some better brakes if you suffer the same fate as us…
Thanks! This helped when I was looking at a 24″ bike. Found one on sale for $525, which at that price makes the bike a decent value. I’m really happy with the geo choices (compared to the Giant XTC 20 we have, which has really unstable/jittery steering ).
Pros:
-Good looking bike. Great paint options (heads up: the blue is more of a powder blue than an electric blue. It’s a good choice for boy/girl households, but it’s the color blue that all the girls ride to school in the AM).
-Obvious quality. This would even be a good bike for a height challenged teen/adult.
-Weight is a big deal on a kids bike, as the bike is 1/2 to 1/3 of the kids weight. I had a whole bunch of stock bits off my Spec Chisel Comp laying around. I was surprised to find all the bits were adult bike quality bits (aside from the crank maybe) and were often lighter despite being about the same size as the adult bits. These aren’t light bike parts, but usually kids bike parts are bricks. My point it – this is high quality kit.
-Adult sized hubs/seatpost/stem/etc, so you can put parts bin bits on the bike.
-Geo stands up to small rocks/roots (red bull can) on trails without a suspension fork.
Cons
-(Surprising) No way to reasonably put a kickstand on the bike, which many “moms” will expect on there. I don’t understand why they couldn’t weld a direct mount on the chainstay. Anyway, your kid will risk either dinging the discs or bending the derailleur on every outing….. which they’ll do anyway.
-(Worth noting) Bars may be too long and far away. Kids need to bend their neck all the way back to see up. It encourages kids to look down. Oddly, many other kids bikes in this space have LONGER geo (Trek). Kids proportionally have much shorter arms than adults, a 20/24/26″ bike shouldn’t have the same stack/reach ratio. Even ‘race’ xc hardtails have relatively a lot more stack for a relative reach!?!?! The suspension fork bike (Expert model) is better here, but costs more money and weighs 4lb more. Geo works well on trails though.
-(Minor) Presta valve tubes might be a surprise to a casual cycling household. This can be solved with an adapter though.
– (minor) Gearing maybe low with fast tires and a strong kid. Kids tend to pedal slower; at 80rpm you’re looking at a 15mph top speed. This maybe fine, but my light/less robust kid goes straight for the 11t around the neighbor when we cruise.
Again weight is a deal here, especially if you have a lighter kid, just for practical everyday usage.
-I found a sketchy carbon bar (Amazon Warehouse for $10 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08T6PR81F/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 . In my defense, a carbon bar isn’t that hard to manufacture and if it can take an adults weight trail riding, it can handle a 50lb child’s weight on smooth trails. Cut way down, saving 200gr.
– Schwalbe Billy Bonkers BMX tires & light tubes (save 700gr) roll way better and work on dry, hard, smooth trails we ride.
– A lighter saddle (150gr) on that I had laying around. I’m a no-thigh-gap guy, so my old saddles work fine.
-The pedals (325gr?), stem, and seatpost (309gr?) were light enough unless you want to drop a lot of money. I did put HT Cheetah bmx pedals on there.
-The Microshift cassette is quite heavy, but otherwise the group works very well. The brake lever’s hand reach is a bit too far (even adjusted) and rub, but work.
Also put a Transx Dropzone (saddle lever) on it, because I found one on Amazon Warehouse for cheap and I wanted to play with it (A bit hard for kids to push down). For +200gr, it’s something fun for the kid to play with, but not really usable unless you’ve got a bunch of kids using the bike.
Is there a fork you can recommend that will fit the stock tire?
You need to run a 1 1/8 steerer tube fork. Unfortunately, the hub is boost spacing which means you will most likely need a new front hub/wheel.
I have a petite 9 year old (51″ and 48#) new to MTB, but she is an amazing athlete with exceptional balance and a daredevil personality. I am trying to decide between the new Specialized Riprock 24 and the Vitus Nucleus 24. I am trying to stay under $800. Any thoughts about which way to go? I am looking for a lightweight bike given her petite size.
The Vitus offers the fork which is a nice benefit if you think she will take to MTB. The forks take some of the impact off from jumping and drops. If she won’t be jumping and droping this year, might be best to forgo fork and save weight. If you are concerned about weight, in addition to the Riprock, the Woom Off, the cannondale Cuujo and the pello reyes all offer a nice light weight fully rigid MTB for your budget.
While I like the new specialized bikes, I cant say their pricing and components make a lick of sense. I work in the industry and I cant see how they can justify $700 for a bike like the RIPROCK with a rigid fork and (now) Microshift drive train that costs less $20 and cheap C STAR disc brakes that come on factory Schwinns. Then to jump up to a $1500 expert level with a JUNIT tapered fork, through axles with boost spacing, a 11 spd NX groupset and tires that are too wide and heavy, all of which is pretty overkill for 90% of the riders out there. Lets be honest here, if your putting that much money into a kids 24 there is a lot of options out there that give you a better bike with more sense and thought put into it. Specialized has essentially helped reinforced the gatekeeping wall for getting good bikes for kids. IMHO the hotrock 24 was and still is a much better value for the money for getting kids on the trail. A $700 bike could easily be made with a Suntour air fork and 9 speed (less is better for kids) Microshift drive train and parts that are common at most local shops. Honestly a BOOST 24″ rear wheel? Is everyone out of their mind? Good luck getting that wheel anywhere when mom and dad back into it with the car. Better bikes need to be more accessible and the cost should be easily justified. charging $700 for a bike with less than the previous model Hotrock that was $500 in top trim is blatant greed imho, and the industry needs to start pointing this out more and holding companies accountable for this.
Thoughts on Woom OFF 4/5 vs. Riprocks 20/24? I’m loving the philosophy of both but you say weight is an important factor for kids.
It would depend on the skill level of the kiddo and what type of terrain you ride most. The Woom’s being lighter and higher bar height lend itself to more XC light terrain and beginner mountain bikers. The Riprock would suit kids who know how to keep pedals level and stand while descending and ride a little more challenging terrain. The less stiff aluminum fork helps the Riprock here as well. The carbon fork of the woom is really stiff and although the bike is really light, it will deflect off rocks/roots etc more than the specialized, which is a little more settled on the trail plus the kids can weight the front end more for traction due to lower stack/bar height.
Hi Colin. I, too, am looking at the Woom Off Air 4 vs. Riprock 20. The Off Air is pricier, but I’m leaning towards that bc it has a suspension fork, and still weighs less than the Riprock. Regarding the stack height on the Woom, can I throw a 0 rise flat bar on there to help compensate? The stock Woom bar is a 20mm rise I believe.
It really depends on size of kiddo. The wooms tend to fit bigger because of standover, minimum seat height and stack. Unfortunately, woom doesn’t publish geo so it is hard to compare. Weight does matter in a 20 though and the woom smashes everything else on this. 24, not such an issue with weight difference. Flat bar will totally help, you can get a cheap 0 rise carbon bar off amazon for 35 bucks.