Diamondback

Octane 24 Kids' Bike - 2016

Your young rider has started to show a preference for the trails, and you want to get them out exploring some mellow rocks and winding switchbacks on your local routes. They don't need full suspension yet, but after you've seen them making their own trails in the backyard, it's clear they're ready for a taste of a real mountain bike. Diamondback's Octane 24 Kid's Bike is the perfect transition. Sized for growing riders and built with reliable components, it's ready to make your young ripper a fixture on the trails.

Diamondback starts by constructing the frame out of 6061 aluminum, a treated version of the metal with an optimal blend of low weight and high strength. Kids who are riding the bike for the first time will notice the Trail XC 40mm travel fork right away. It'll offer a whole new realm of possibility compared to beginner youth bikes with rigid, suspension-free forks that are better suited to the road. As the fork name suggests, the geometry of the Octane 24 resembles an XC bike, so the moderate, 69-degree head tube angle will keep young riders upright and able to pay attention to what's ahead on the trail.

Youth bikes, unfortunately, are often built with unreliable components, and at any age, a bike with frequent mechanical problems is pretty frustrating. Diamondback agrees, which is why it builds its youth frames with a drivetrain that they can depend on to work when they need it to. A Shimano drivetrain gives kids a wide range of gear ratios as they gain confidence on new, challenging terrain, and alloy linear pull brakes promise they'll have safe, responsive stopping power — just don't be surprised if they never want to slow down.