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The demands on a children's mountain bike are high. Their geometry and chassis must also work for small, lightweight riders and their equipment must meet the needs of young athletes. At the same time, the weight should remain as low as possible so as not to overtax children. In the mountain bike business, however, this often means a high purchase price, which in turn conflicts with the needs of many parents. Designing a really good youth or children's MTB is an art. We put the designs of six manufacturers to the test.
The BIKE kids bike test
Of course, we have not spared the effort of measuring the small mountain bikes on the test benches of our own test laboratory. Even though most manufacturers now provide reasonably realistic values, we don't rely on geometry or weight data, but prefer to take our own measurements. As wheel weight and wheel inertia can have a considerable influence on ride quality on the trail, we also measured these values using precise measuring technology. However, the best bike from the lab is only as good as its practical performance, which is why we took the six test bikes with us to the BIKE Youth Camp in Sankt Englmar.
>> More information about the Ghost BIKE Cross Country Youth Camp 2025 can be found in this article.
There, twelve mountain bike-experienced children aged between ten and twelve agreed to step in as BIKE test riders. They braved the adverse weather conditions on the trails of the Bavarian forest and tried out the latest bikes from Canyon, Cube, Giant, Propain, VPace and Woom under real-life conditions. How easy or difficult is it for me to climb uphill on a children's bike? Can I cope with all the components? Does the suspension do me any good? How does the bike compare to my own bike? Which bike do I like best? The young testers pursued all these questions with interest and were ultimately able to provide exciting feedback on the six test candidates.
The opportunity to test these brand-new children's bikes with exactly the right target group brought truly enlightening insights. I am a qualified social pedagogue and educationalist and firmly believe in the motto 'children's mouths tell the truth'! The feedback from the young mountain bikers is honest, unembellished and priceless for our test conclusion. - Jan Timmermann, BIKE editor
The bikes in the test
Canyon Lux World Cup CF Young Hero
- Area of application: Cross Country / Marathon
- Suspension travel: 100 / 100 mm
- Wheel size: 29"
- Recommended height: 158 - 166 cm
- Frame material: Carbon
- Weight: 13.0 kg
- Price: 2499 Euro
Cube Phenix C:62 Rookie SLX
- Area of application: Cross Country
- Suspension travel: 100 mm
- Wheel size: 27.5"
- Recommended height: from 124 cm
- Frame material: Carbon
- Weight: 10.8 kg
- Price: 1699 Euro
Giant Faith Mini Mullet
- Range of use: Trail / Enduro
- Suspension travel: 140 / 135 mm
- Wheel size: 27.5 / 26"
- Recommended height: 145 - 164 cm
- Frame material: Aluminium
- Weight: 13.5 kg
- Price: 2399 Euro
Propain Yuma 4 26
- Range of use: Trail / Enduro
- Suspension travel: 140 / 140 mm
- Wheel size: 26"
- Recommended height: from 141 cm
- Frame material: Aluminium
- Weight: 13.7 kg
- Price: 2299 Euro
VPace Matz29L
- Range of use: Trail / Tour
- Suspension travel: 100 mm
- Wheel size: 29"
- Recommended height: around 160 cm
- Frame material: Aluminium
- Weight: 11.2 kg
- Price: 2149 Euro
Woom Off Air 6
- Area of application: Tour
- Suspension travel: 90 mm
- Wheel size: 26"
- Recommended height: 140 - 165 cm
- Frame material: Aluminium
- Weight: 11.0 kg
- Price: 1199 Euro >> available here
We noticed that
1. nothing beats a lightweight bike
Hardly any other point of criticism is as important for children's mountain bikes as the weight. The reason for this is simple. Ready to ride, the aluminium fullys from Giant and Propain weigh around 14 kilos. Their eleven-year-old test riders weigh around 45 kilos. Extrapolated, this pairing would correspond to a 90-kilo rider with a 28-kilo mountain bike without a motor. Logically, if the equipment needs to be off-road capable, robust and light at the same time, it quickly becomes expensive. Our test bikes cost between 1199 (Woom) and 2499 euros (Canyon). They could be easily upgraded with a few upgrades, such as a tubeless setup or tuning parts.
This is the reality among mountain bike-enthusiastic families: Hardly any child with a lasting enjoyment of sporty cycling rides an off-the-peg bike. The private bikes of our test riders almost all have an eight in front of the decimal point when it comes to weight. However, they also all race cross-country bikes. In exceptional cases, the value of the sports equipment can be a thousand times its age. However, the six test candidates also offer a suitable basis for good, inexpensive children's mountain bikes.
2. equipment is also suitable for children
Children are not small adults. They have different needs when it comes to ergonomics and equipment. For example, grips, saddles, Q-factor, crank lengths and brake levers must fit their smaller body measurements. Our test bikes hardly made any mistakes in these areas. Only the inexpensive Woom has weak brakes and an unergonomic brake lever.
Children need light gears to climb mountains. Positive examples come from Canyon, Propain and VPace, which provide kids with the necessary gear range with wide-range cassettes. On steep ramps, the gears of the Woom are not always sufficient even for fit children. Also important: The suspension elements of children's mountain bikes must be adaptable to the low body weights of their riders. Giant does this particularly well.
3. generalists versus specialists
In principle, children are enthusiastic about many things. If parents don't want to buy several bikes at once and their offspring want to have fun on everything from tours to trails, they need a versatile children's MTB that combines a decent weight with all-round geometry and equipment. The VPace hardtail is particularly broadly positioned. The mini enduro bikes from Giant and Propain are much more specialised. The Cube has also chosen a niche with its lightweight carbon frame and is clearly aimed at cross-country sport. The Canyon Fully also tries to score points there, but carries a little too many pounds on its carbon fibre ribs ex works.
4. mountain bikes as toys
If you want to get children interested in mountain biking in the long term, cycling simply has to be fun. Those who feel insecure or have bad experiences may not stick with it for long. Intrinsic motivation for biking is also linked to the right equipment. Dropper posts (in Giant, VPace and Propain) in low frames, for example, create the freedom of movement over the bike that is indispensable in technical terrain.
Almost all kids love fast speed. However, combining smoothness and manoeuvrability is always a compromise. Flat but not extreme steering angles and compact chainstay lengths have also proved their worth in the children's sector. Youngsters also benefit from the better rollover behaviour of larger wheels. Canyon and VPace in particular are already integrating large 29ers well into small frames.
5 What children and parents still want
A children's mountain bike must not only ride well, but also look good. The carbon black Canyon and the strikingly painted Propain scored the most points with our young testers in terms of looks. An attractive appearance should not be at the expense of functionality. For example, the integrated seatpost clamp on the carbon hardtail from Cube is nice to look at, but can be annoying for parents. The same applies to internally routed cables or even cables running through the headset, because even on a children's mountain bike, individual parts are often replaced. VPace and Woom are particularly easy to maintain.
Conclusion on the Kidsbike test
It makes you want to be a kid again! The current range of mountain bikes for youngsters consistently delivers a strong performance. Manufacturers now know the needs of youngsters very well and are focussing on high-quality concepts. There are hardly any real failures on the market, as was the case ten years ago. Unfortunately, it must also be said that the perfect off-the-peg children's MTB does not really exist in the price range below 2500 euros.
The versatile VPace hardtail comes close and the full-suspension downhill bikes from Propain and Giant are absolutely successful for their special purpose. Cube and Canyon are also good for young bikers in the XC sector, but they have to make compromises in terms of equipment. The significantly cheaper Woom is a nice, inexpensive children's bike, but falls somewhat short in terms of off-road suitability. Families who are willing to spend more money will find tuning options on all bikes.
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Jan Timmermann
Editor
