I know this is an obvious statement. My daughter’s been riding her 16” MTB since she was 4. She’s now 6, and we went took her to the trail for the first time since last year. She wanted to ride her 16” bc she loves that bike (she even named it). I built her a 20” bike a year ago, knowing she would eventually grow into it, but she never was into it. So the 16” it was, yesterday.
In short, she had a miserable time. On the climbs, she was maxed out on the 2nd gear (it has a 9 speed group, and the derailleur hits the 16” rim when in granny gear). I brought a tow rope, but on rolling terrain with constant up and down changes, the rope becomes more of a burden. Plus the coordination between myself and her was shit when starting and stopping. Then on the descents, she preferred to walk her bike bc she didn’t feel safe or stable. With her seat post raised up mid ride, she looked top heavy.
She complained the whole ride and pretty much ruined the ride for myself and my older daughter. Today I decided to only take her on the trail, so I can spend more time guiding her. I brought out the 20”, against her wishes. She climbed better, descended longer, and looked more confident. She said she liked hanging in 5th gear (it’s a 10spd) the best, and didn’t care for the lower end of the cassette.
I praised her the whole time, and she had a blast. She even said that MTB is her life, lol.
by Worldly-Jackfruit217