Market overview of children's e-mountainbikes: Are e-bikes useful for children?
Jan Timmermann
· 31.01.2025
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The triumphant advance of e-mountainbikes is not slowing down for children either. In the brave new electrified world of MTBs, parents can even put an e-bike in the garage for small children. The appeal is the same as with e-mountainbikes for adults: more speed, more distance and more altitude in less time. There is no question that this can be fun for children. But which e-MTBs are actually available for kids and is it really advisable to introduce youngsters to e-bikes at such an early age? We have not only scoured the market, but also discussed it at length.
3 children's e-mountainbikes in a quick check
1st Mondraker Grommy 12
Most people who come into contact with the Mondraker Grommy 12 are initially taken aback: "What, something like this really exists?" Then the astonishment turns into either enthusiasm or rejection. There is no question that an e-bike for children polarises opinion. But Mondraker has gone to great lengths to make an e-bike experience possible for children as young as three. The Spaniards emphasise the high build quality of the e-bike made of sturdy aluminium. The Grommy is designed to have the same look and feel as the e-bikes for adults. The 250-watt motor is compact and lightweight, so that the 12-inch version weighs just 7.5 kilos. Parents can preset three support modes. The range is between 8.1 and 17.7 kilometres per hour. The feet can be placed on a footboard during the ride. A mechanical disc brake with internally routed brake cable is designed to bring children safely to a halt. The replaceable, waterproof battery is designed to provide power for up to 60 minutes of riding. When the motor is switched off, kids should be able to ride the Grommy just like a conventional balance bike. A 16-inch version is also available.
- Price: from 749 euros
- Weight: from 7.5 kg
- Wheel size: 12 / 16"
- Spring travel: 0 mm
- Size recommendation: 3-5 / 5-8 years
- Motor system: Mondraker
- Battery capacity: n. A.
- Max. Assistance speed: 17.7 km/h
2. woom up 5
Woom was an early advocate of children's e-bikes and now leads the Up model has been in the programme for several years. In the down tube of the small e-mountainbike sits a Fazua Ride 50 Trail with 250 watts of continuous and 350 watts of peak power. The motor offers up to 58 Newton metres of torque and is powered by a 250 watt-hour battery. Support is provided in three adjustable stages up to 25 kilometres per hour. It's nice to see that Woom has not only opted for a stylish paint finish, but also for tubeless-compatible wheels. A dropper post can also be retrofitted. The air suspension fork from RST offers 80 millimetres of crumple zone.
- Price: RRP 2999 Euro >> here currently reduced to 2199 Euro
- Weight: from 15.7 kg
- Wheel size: 24"
- Suspension travel: 80 mm
- Size recommendation: 128-145cm (approx. 7-11 years)
- Motor system: Fazua Ride 50 Trail
- Battery capacity: 250 Wh
- Max. Assistance speed: 25 km/h
3rd Rocky Mountain Reaper Powerplay
One of the most sophisticated e-mountain bikes for children currently comes from Rocky Mountain. I wonder if this is because Canadian kids find it difficult to tackle the steep slopes of the Rockies without motorised assistance. In any case, young bikers on the Powerplay receive up to 300 watts and 40 Newton metres of assistance from the in-house Dyname S4 Mini motor, in which the chain is deflected in a box. The battery offers 240 watt hours of energy reserve. Modern trail bike geometry and 140 millimetres of travel at the front and 130 millimetres at the rear take the sting out of even the most demanding trails. The price of at least 5000 euros is likely to put many parents off. After all, the Reaper Powerplay can be converted from 24 to 26-inch wheels and thus grow with the child for a while. The warranty will probably last longer than the bike fits the child, namely five years.
- Price: from 5000 Euro
- Weight: from 18.7 kg
- Wheel size: 24 / 26"
- Suspension travel: 140/ 130 mm
- Size recommendation: 137-155cm
- Motor system: Rocky Mountain Dyname S4 Mini
- Battery capacity: 240 Wh
- Max. Assistance speed: 25 km/h
Discussion: Do children need e-mountainbikes?
Pro: Josh Welz, BIKE Editor-in-Chief
E-mountain bikes for children - hardly any other topic is more controversial in the MTB scene. For me, there is only one truth in this discussion: every parent has to decide for themselves and their child. That's why it's clear to me that we will continue to present innovative E-MTB models for the next generation in BIKE. To withhold this from our readers would be a kind of paternalism that would not look good on us.
A generalised approach does not seem appropriate to me anyway. The mere fact that not all children are the same requires differentiation. Not only because of age, but also because children of the same age can differ considerably in their physical and emotional abilities. I have a suitable example from my own family: my son. He discovered his passion for cycling at the tender age of six. And his aversion to any kind of exertion in the saddle. At football, he can run until his tongue sticks to the turf. But he found cycling uphill to be dull and boring, and sporting ambition was impossible to ignite. For him, cycling only went in one direction: downhill. So we rode from bike park to bike park for years. A proper family tour, as I would have wished for, never materialised. If there had been sporty, lightweight e-mountain bikes for children back then - I know what I would have done.
Opponents of children's e-mountainbikes claim that they make children effeminate and lazy. I think the exact opposite is the case: E-MTBs are a great way to mobilise children who wouldn't go further than the nearest McDonald's on a non-motorised bike. The E-MTB can act as a motivational booster here, which may ultimately awaken a passion for cycling that goes beyond the E-MTB.
The fact is that before the motorisation of mountain bikes, mountain biking was not very suitable as a family pastime. In many families, longer mountain tours without electric support were only possible if mum or dad had superpowers. This is because many children lack the physical ability to conquer large differences in altitude until they are teenagers. If the kids are to be taken on a tour, the parents have to take over the towing duties - without motorised assistance, this is a strenuous undertaking that only the fittest are up to. This has changed in the age of e-mountainbikes. But if the parents are already on the e-MTB, can't the children also ride with e-assistance? Or perhaps the parents should ride without and the children with "E"? There are various options, none of which are wrong or reprehensible. So please decide for yourself!
Contra: Jan Timmermann, BIKE editor
In social pedagogy, there is talk of the paradigm of the long, sheltered childhood, which elevates children to a kind of saintly status and puts parents under enormous pressure. Is my child still well-protected when it is sweating and suffering on the mountain? Especially in western, highly individualistic societies like ours, children are getting less and less of a chance to learn physical endeavour and stamina. Kurt Hahn, the founder of experiential education, is not without controversy. However, even a hundred years ago, he saw comfort as the greatest danger to the development of young people. I believe that in today's digitalised and electrified world, his thesis is truer than ever before. That's why I also take a critical view of healthy children coming into contact with assistive technology too early. If there's a tablet under the Christmas tree, the classic book quickly becomes uninteresting. I fear the same fate for purely muscle-powered bikes.
Different question, same principle: Am I a good parent if my child doesn't ride the best equipment? E-bikes are considered the new standard, at least in Europe - another paradigm that is being transferred to the world of children without reflection. I often miss the sense of proportion in manufacturers' advertising slogans. The Woom is still relatively light, weighing at least 15.7 kilos. However, for a child weighing 30 kilos, this would correspond to a bike weight of 42 kilos compared to an adult weighing 80 kilos. And children are supposed to learn proper riding technique with this? The motor and battery become a necessity, and the freedom of cycling may be left out of the child's world of experience and replaced by dependency.
As a youth coach, I believe that children learn mountain biking best on organic bikes. In my experience, basic technical training and sport socialisation are best achieved on light hardtails. Children benefit from this for the rest of their mountain biking lives. They should be introduced to e-bikes at the earliest when they have reached an appropriate physical and coordination level in their late teens. Before that, parents should ask themselves the question: Is the e-drive good for my child or, in the end, my own need. One of the main arguments in favour of buying a children's e-bike is that parents and children can ride MTB tours together. Motivating your offspring and putting your own desire for cycling pleasure on the back burner is exhausting. Perhaps the phenomenon of children's mountain bikes with electric motors is ultimately also due to the convenience of the parents. Dear mums and dads out there: please be honest with yourselves on this subject!
Jan Timmermann
Editor
