Just a few years ago, the 16 inch mountain bike category simply didn’t exist. You could find a good-quality bike and add some beefier tires, and that was about as good as it got. Not anymore!
Today, there are quite a few legitimate 16 inch mountain bikes. We’ve rounded up what we’d consider the best of the crop, so you know what all your options are.
If you’re not sure how to pick or what to look for, scroll down to the bottom for our tips on choosing a good-quality kids mountain bike.
But First….Does Your Child Really Need a “Mountain Bike”?
We end up with a lot of parents looking for a “mountain bike” who’s child doesn’t really need one. If your kiddo is primarily riding their bike on pavement, with the odd foray onto dirt, check out our list of the best 16-inch recreational bicycles instead. All of these can be used on mild trails as well as on the road.
On the other hand, if your family is spending most of your time on the trails, hitting up the bike park, etc….then you should definitely look for a true mountain bike like those listed below……
Prevelo Zulu Two
The Prevelo Zulu Two is our top pick for young shredders. It comes with Tektro hydraulic disc brakes, and slack, trail-oriented geo. We also appreciate Prevelo’s excellent customer service.
The bike comes in two versions. The Zulu Two has a rigid aluminum fork, while the Zulu Two HEIR offers a high-quality 80mm adjustable air fork with carbon lowers. The weight gain for the suspension fork is negligible, so if you can afford the extra coin, we’d highly recommend the HEIR version.
The only bummer is that it’s a bit heavy for uphill riding; so make sure to buy a Tow-Whee when you check out. (Prevelo carries them on their site).
Price (MSRP): $469+
Commencal Ramones 16
The 2020 Commencal Ramones 16 has been upgraded with Tektro mechanical disc brakes and beefy 2.25″ Vee Tire Co Crown Gem tires. We also like the nice wide 500mm bars.
The rigid fork may be a drawback for some, but it does help keep the weight down. For the price, this is a pretty great bike.
Price (MSRP): $359
Flow Kids Bikes 16
Kids grow fast and bikes are expensive. That’s why the Flow Bikes 16/20 has adjustable frame length and interchangeable dropouts so that you can run 16″, 20″, or 20″+ wheels on the same frame.
The bikes are super customizable–pick your frame color, decal colors, and component build. The adjustable air fork has 80mm of travel and the base model comes with hydraulic disc brakes.
Like many of the bikes on this list, the only drawback is the weight if your family does lots of climbing.
Price (MSRP): $1,099+
Lil Shredder Icon
Like the Flow Kids Bikes, the Lil Shredder Icon converts from a 16″ mountain bike to 20″ wheels as your child grows. It can also be built up as a single-speed dirt jumper OR as a geared trail bike.
As a boutique brand, the bike is highly customizable–choose your color, components, etc. On the flip-side of that the bike isn’t cheap–builds start at around $2k and top out well over.
Price (MSRP): $1,950
Spawn Yoji 16
Spawn has long created the kids’ bikes of choice for mountain biking families. Unfortunately, we feel that Spawn has fallen a bit behind on it’s 16″ offering. The Spawn Yoji 16 lacks disc brakes and suspension.
Still, it’s this lack of “extras” that keeps the Yoji 16 super light (14.5 lbs), making it a great pick for families who spend as much time going up as they do going down. It also has in-house Loam Star 1.9″ tires that can handle whatever comes their way.
Price (MSRP): $395
Comparison Chart: 16 Inch Mountain Bikes
| Bike | Price (MSRP) | Weight (lbs) | Fork | Brakes | Drivetrain | Tires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prevelo Zulu Two HEIR | $799 | 17.95 | 60mm | Tektro hydraulic | Singlespeed | Innova MTB 16 × 2.1 |
| Prevelo Zulu Two | $469 | 17.15 | Rigid Alloy | Tektro hydraulic | Singlespeed | Innova MTB 16 × 2.1 |
| Commencal Ramones 16 | $329 | Rigid Cromo | Tektro mechanical | Singlespeed | Vee Tire Co Crown Gem 16 x 2.25 | |
| Flow Kids Bikes 16 | $1,099+ | 20 | 80mm | Tektro hydraulic (base model) | Singlespeed or geared | Maxxis Max Daddy |
| Lil Shredder Icon | $1,950+ | Custom | Custom | Singlespeed or geared | Custom | |
| Spawn Yoji 16 | $395 | 14.5 | Rigid Cromo | Tektro V-brakes | Singlespeed | SPAWN CYCLES LOAM STAR, 16 x 1.9 |
Tips For Choosing a 16″ MTB
Here are some things to consider before buying.
Suspension Fork vs Rigid Fork
Let’s be real. Most kids don’t really need a suspension fork on a 16 inch mountain bike. With wide enough tires and low enough pressure, they can tackle most obstacles without a suspension fork. We personally didn’t introduce our son to suspension until we moved him up to a 20-inch bike. A rigid fork also saves some weight, which makes it a good choice for petite kids or for families who do a lot of climbing.
That said, if your child is riding rocky or technical trails, or hitting up lift-served downhill trails on the weekend, you absolutely want a suspension fork. It can make a world of difference in your child’s comfort and capability. Just make sure you are buying a high-quality air-sprung fork, not a coil-sprung fork.
Brakes
You’ll notice the bikes on this list have three different brake types: v-brakes, mechanical disc brakes, and hydraulic disc brakes.
V-brakes are the cheapest and the lightest. They work pretty well for kids who don’t weigh much, and they help keep the weight of the bike down. They also require minimal maintenance, if tooling around on bikes isn’t your thing.
That said, v-brakes just aren’t that great for mountain biking. When we first switched our son from v-brakes to disc brakes his descending ability went through the roof. Chances are you haven’t had v-brakes on your mountain bike in years and if you’re asking your child to ride the same trails you are, they should get the same high-quality braking system.
As far as disc brakes go, hydraulic disc brakes are really the way to go for kids. Not only do they have superior braking power compared to mechanical disc brakes, but they are also much, MUCH easier for little hands to operate.
That said, hydrualic disc brakes are more expensive and require more maintenance than mechanical disc brakes, so we understand why some folks might choose the latter.
Weight
How important weight should be in your decision-making process is largely dependent on the type of riding your family does. Are you mostly doing shuttle rides and lift-served riding? If so, weight probably doesn’t matter that much.
On the other hand, if you live in Colorado or Utah and do lots of trail riding, your child is going to be climbing. And climbing is really tough on a heavy bike. In this case, we’d recommend sticking with a lighter weight OR buying a Tow-Whee so you can help give them an assist.
Hello!
I love your reviews.
I’d also love some reviews of mid range bikes. Are there no descent quality bikes in the 200$ range? (For 16 inch or 300$ for 20 inch). I get the whole dont buy a walmart bike thing. However most of your listed bikes are really really hard to find used and pretty expensive for the amount of years they will be used. Thanks for considering
Hi Andy,
Did you check out our list of 16 inch recreational bikes? There are several bikes on there in the $200 range. https://rascalrides.com/the-5-best-pedal-bikes-for-your-5-to-7-year-old/
For this list, we were focused on real mountain bikes (which aren’t cheap).
Cheers,
KB
Does a child need a mountain bike if you live on a mountain side and all of the paved roads in your neighborhood are steep hills? He won’t be going on dirt trails, but will definitely need gears to get up and down the hills that lead to school. I guess I’m wondering if bikes that aren’t considered “mountain bikes”, come with gears, or are gears strictly a mountain bike thing?
Hi JP,
No, you don’t need a mountain bike. In fact a “mountain bike” might be overkill and heavier than the best bike for riding steep paved hills. There are plenty of geared kids bikes that aren’t mountain bikes, though gears don’t generally begin untill 20 inch bikes. What size bike are you looking for?