Stoll Nextgen 29 hardtail review: Children's MTB from the lightweight construction expert from 8.1 kg

With the Nextgen children's mountain bikes, Stoll is entering the market for young bikers for the first time. The Swiss luxury brand is known for its lightweight bikes with a racing attitude. And it's no secret that lightweight bikes are worth their weight in gold for kids, who themselves have a low body weight. The pairing of Stoll and children's MTBs therefore sounds like a recipe for success. Our BIKE check reveals whether this is really the case.

Stoll Nextgen 29 Silver in detail

• Application: Cross country kids mountain bike
• Suspension travel: 100 mm
• Wheel size: 29"
• Frame material: Carbon
• Total weight: 9.7 kg
• Wheel weight (incl. tyres, tubes, brake discs, cassette): 3846 g
• Inertia of impellers (the lower, the better): 2873 kg/cm²
• Size recommendation: 150-160 cm
• Test bike price: 3150 Swiss francs (approx. 3440 euros)

Carbon for kids

The new Nextgen children's mountain bikes from Stoll are designed to build on the same DNA as their big role models. The foundation for a light weight and sporty riding characteristics is laid by a carbon frame which, unlike the adult bikes, is not built at Bike Ahead near Würzburg. On the Stoll homepage, bike-enthusiastic families can find two equipment suggestions. On request, the racing file for the next generation can also be customised. The stick-on decals met with mixed feedback from our editorial team. "Cool kids look", said some, "cheap stickers", said others.

For our test of the Stoll Nextgen children's mountain bike, we opted for the cheapest complete bike version with Rockshox Reba suspension fork, but treated the test bike to the dropper post upgrade from Bike-Yoke for an extra 250 euros. Even the basic version of the Stoll Nextgen comes with stylish parts such as extremely lightweight Bike Ahead carbon handlebars and high-quality aluminium wheels from Newmen. The mechanical Sram GX Eagle drivetrain without transmission technology weighs little and provides an appropriate gear range. Thin ESI foam grips and special children's cranks are perfectly suited to the ergonomic needs of young bikers.

Very few households can or want to spend over 3400 euros on a children's bike - that much is clear. At 9.7 kilos, the hardtail for young racers from 150 centimetres tall is light but not super light. Other children's mountain bikes with carbon frames (e.g. from VPace or Cube) are significantly cheaper at a similar weight with comparable equipment. It only gets really exclusive with the Gold equipment, which costs around 4900 euros and for which Stoll specifies weights from 8.1 kilos. Stoll only builds its bikes in small series and has dedicated itself to high-priced, high-tech models.

For young professionals

Stoll not only pursues a progressive geometry approach with its frames for adult bikers, but also applies this to its new Nextgen children's bikes. Kids take a seat on the carbon hardtail with a sporty stretch. A long stem and a relatively wide flat bar further elongate the riding position. The lightweight wheel/tyre combination gets off the ground quickly and offers a good compromise between rolling pleasure and traction. Only in wet conditions is the hard rubber compound of the Schwalbe tyres quickly overwhelmed.

With a comparatively long reach, the junior rocket promises a very smooth ride at high speeds. At 68 degrees, the steering angle is in the golden mean for a mountain bike hardtail of this size. Together with the strikingly short rear end, the Nextgen retains its manoeuvrability and scurries skilfully around the obstacles of the cross-country course. Only when the terrain gets really steep can the long cockpit and the rather high standover height make the Stoll feel a little bulky.

The simple Rockshox suspension fork on the Silver model also works well with lower rider weights, but lacks the last bit of damping refinement of higher-quality forks on rough terrain. The short levers of the Shimano XT brakes harmonise with children's hands and deliver super deceleration power.

Conclusion

The carbon frame of the new Stoll Nextgen offers children a lightweight, powerful base. With the junior mountain bike from the Swiss company, they get a capable race bike for cross-country competitions and a high-quality concept for everyday riding fun. The price/performance ratio can be debated in view of other strong children's MTBs on the market. - Jan Timmermann, BIKE editor

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