Our 26-inch youth mountain bikes

26-inch mountain bikes: A vital companion for young adults

When kids get into their teenage years they start demanding a certain amount of freedom. They want to be independent and mobile. They seek the freedom to have fun with their friends and take their first steps towards independence. In order to go their own way – or to ride it, in this case – they like to hop on their bikes and get down the road. We here at GHOST have designed our 26” mountain bikes for many purposes. An important reason is so that your kids can participate safely in road traffic, but we know some other factors are at play here:

·        First and foremost, a youth bike has to look cool (that's what kids want).

·        Teens want a bike to go on adventures in the woods and around the neighbourhood with their friends, or just to get to school.

·        If teens have extreme sports in their blood, they might like a cool 26-inch mountain bike to gain their first mountain bike experiences.

·        But in all these cases, safety is the most important thing for you. Youth bikes should also have all the features of a roadworthy bike.

Frame size for 26" mountain bike

Want to kick off the new cycling season with your teenage kids, but the kid's bike is too small? Young adults quickly outgrow their childhood bikes and those bikes are often a bit too playful, bordering on “uncool”. One thing is clear: Your boys or girls need new bikes. The question is, what sizes are suitable for a youth bike?:

·        We recommend our GHOST 26” mountain bikes for girls and boys or small adults with heights between 140 and 160 cm (4’7” – 5’3”).

·        For the GHOST LECTOR KID’S LINE, a 26” mountain bike corresponds to frame size XS.

·        If you prefer the GHOST KATO LINE or the GHOST LANAO LINE, the frame size XXS is the better choice for a 26” mountain bike, with heights between 140 and 160 cm (4’7” – 5’3”).

·        In terms of body and frame size, we still recommend the 26” mountain bike wheel format for youngsters in this age group. The GHOST LECTOR KID’S LINE also allows you to retrofit the bike with 27.5” wheels.

The ideal components and features on youth bikes & mountain bikes

Sure, bikes for teens need to look cool. But if you want the bike to be safe as well, it should still come with a few extra accessories and components.

·        The frame material

Are you looking for a sturdy but also lightweight youth bike? Our teen bikes are either made of robust aluminium (KATO line and LANAO line) or of lightweight carbon (LECTOR KID line).

·        The derailleur system

It is also important for a mountain bike to have a full spectrum of gears. It’s a must on a bike like a 26” mountain bike for young people who want to gain mountain biking experience. The full complement of gears makes ascents and descents easy.

·        The brakes

In addition to good gears, it is also important that our loved ones can stop quickly and safely on their new bikes. We have gone with powerful disc brakes on the 26” mountain bike so these young riders can stop on a dime, especially in emergency situations. These brakes keep their promise even on wet surfaces or gravel.

·        The suspension

To make sure your rising teenagers also have good flow on uneven ground, we included a suspension fork with 100 mm travel for young riders on our 26” mountain bikes. That means kerbs, potholes or roots are easily and comfortably overcome.

If your teens want to check out more extreme trails or feel at home with the other kids at the bike park, you can also have a look at the other bike categories for more adventurous riders.

Trail Bikes

Enduro Bikes

Dirt Bikes

All these bike lines start with frame size S, which is designed for a heights between 155 – 170 cm (5’1” – 5’7”). Frame size XS is suitable for 145 – 160 cm (4’9” – 5’3”). If you are somewhere between 155 – 160 cm (5’1” – 5’3”) we recommend going for the S frame size.