Normally, the twelve-year-old rides a Cube Sting with a 160 mm fork through the air, but when the going gets tough, he also rides a YT Downhiller in frame size M. However, this is actually one size too big for the 155 cm tall young shredder. And where is the Vpace Fred275? "Somewhere in between," says Matti - and therefore actually just right.
Children's bike specialist Vpace has gradually expanded its portfolio over the last few years. The model with the most suspension travel to date has been the Enduro Moritz - which is also available on the BIKE Festival Saalfelden Leogang with 20-inch tyres for the first time. With the Fred downhill bike, Ravensburg is now catering for a very specific niche. But anyone who spends their weekends in bike parks will not have failed to notice that the next generation is on the move there. Accordingly, there is no small number of children's full-suspension bikes suitable for parks, but for thoroughbred downhill bikes you have to look in the adult league. The problem there is that the bikes are expensive and the components and geometry are not orientated towards the anatomy of adolescents.
The Vpace Fred 275 is a "small" downhiller in the best sense of the word
On the Fred, on the other hand, a double crown fork was deliberately omitted. This is logical, as the Fox 38 offers more than enough travel at 180 millimetres and is significantly lighter. The rear triangle and suspension fork harmonise well, respond finely and are explicitly tuned for low body weights. The shock and fork offer very generous travel. Test rider Matti even found the suspension a little too soft - he lacked the counter-pressure to be able to push off better on jumps. With volume spacers on the fork and shock, this could be remedied in a few simple steps.
Apart from the fork, the Fred also looks like a thoroughbred downhiller: the steering angle is super slack at 62.3 degrees and the bottom bracket is very low at 326 millimetres. The reach (423 mm) and wheelbase (1213 mm) are also impressive dimensions for a youth bike - this gives a lot of confidence on fast descents in steep terrain. Nevertheless, Matti didn't find the Vpace Fred sluggish at all. Vpace has made a name for itself with specially developed add-on parts for children's bikes. These are also used on the Fred. For example, the 155 mm short cranks and lightweight wheels. This leaves room for robust tyres: A 2.5 mm Maxxis Assegai Exo+ rolls on the front wheel and a 2.4 mm Minion DHR even in a double-down version on the rear wheel - perhaps too much of a good thing for light rider weights. The 11-speed Sram drivetrain may seem a little out of place on a downhill bike, but it gives the Fred a certain suitability for everyday use.
Conclusion from BIKE June tester, Matti Welz:
The fork and shock on the Vpace Fred275 were a bit too soft for me. We then set it firmer. I got on better with that, but I didn't use the full suspension travel. At first I also thought the bike was very long. But when I got used to it a bit, I really enjoyed it.
Technical data Vpace Fred275
General information
- Price: 2899 Euro (plus packaging and shipping)
- Material / size: aluminium / 39 cm
- more info
Measured values
- Weight without pedals: 14.45 kg
- Front / rear suspension travel: 178 / 180 mm
Equipment
- Wheels: VPace 30 mm rims; VPace hubs
- Tyres: Maxxis Assegai 3C MaxxGrip Exo+ / Minion DHR II 3C MaxxT. Exo+ DD 27.5 x 2.5 / 27.5 x 2.4
- Fork: Fox 38 Float Performance FitGrip 2
- Shock: Fox Float X2 Performance
- Brakes: Magura MT5 / 203 mm / 180 mm
- Crank: VPace 155
- Gear system: Sram GX 11 1 x 11
- Gear ratio / bandwidth: 30; 10-42 / 420 %
- Support / ø VPace: aluminium / 30.9 mm
Josh Welz
Editor-in-Chief
