The world of children is a colourful fantasy land. Anyone who has ever entered a toy shop knows this. And yet adults are always surprised by the way the little ones see some things. Giggling, our little test riders approach the bikes waiting at the foot of the MTB Park Oberammergau for the planned test session. Clara's (8) eyes curiously scan the fleet. "Oh, how beautiful!" she exclaims enraptured, her eyes glued to the Cube hardtail: "I want that bike. It's got red grips!" Carbon frame? Eagle gears? Magura brakes? She's obviously not interested in the bean.
Sister Jenny (10), now also aware of the Cube, curiously lifts the bike, which weighs just seven kilos. "Hey, it's as light as a rabbit!" she exclaims enthusiastically. "It's cool to pick up!" marvelled Tim (10), who rushed over and immediately suggested an interesting use for the Cube: "You need it for the gym to work out." And so it goes on. The Canyon Neuron Young Hero with the first-class suspension? "The gold lettering looks great!" The Propain with the variable frame concept and storage compartment? "Cool, you can put jelly babies in there!"
The scene illustrates the plight that parents face when looking for a kids' bike. Children are not much help when it comes to making a purchase decision. And even parents are often overwhelmed by the basic question: Hardtail or fully? There is no such thing as the perfect kids' bike. This is shown by the fundamentally different concepts of the manufacturers. The range is huge. Rigid, low-cost all-rounders. Elegant lightweight speedsters. Inexpensive downhill fullys with top suspension but high weight. The big challenge for parents is to correctly assess their child's preferences. The wrong bike can nip your child's MTB passion in the bud. Our test shows the strengths and weaknesses of six brand new, exciting kids' models. However, despite extensive practical tests and laboratory measurements, we cannot answer the question of which bike is the perfect one for your offspring. Because in the realm of children, sometimes the colour of the handle really does decide whether enthusiasm for biking flares up or not.
You can conveniently download the complete comparison test of the 6 children's bikes from BIKE 4/2022 as a PDF below the article. The test report costs 1.99 euros.
Why not free of charge? Because quality journalism has a price. In return, we guarantee independence and objectivity. This applies in particular to the tests in BIKE. We don't pay for them, but the opposite is the case: we charge for them, namely tens of thousands of euros every year.
You will find these 6 children's bikes in the test:
- Canyon Neuron Young Hero (Fully)
- Cube Stereo 240 One (Fully)
- Propain Yuma (Fully)
- BMC Twostroke AL 24 (Hardtail)
- Cube Elite 240 SL(Hardtail)
- Vpace MAXC26 (Fully)
