The Giant Faith Mini Mullet is impressive proof of just how serious the Taiwanese bike giant is about children's mountain bikes. Thanks to an enormous vertical range of manufacture, not only has the frame of the mini enduro been designed to meet the special needs of young riders, but the fork, shock, rims and add-on parts are also completely in-house developments for light rider weights. A combination of 140 and 135 millimetres of suspension travel and a wheel mix of 27.5 and 26 inches should provide the necessary reserves on the trail. This Giant Faith Mini Mullet is pretty clever!
Compared to its smaller sibling, the Giant Faith 24, the mini-mullet option weighs around a kilo more and is aimed at children aged ten and over. To really get to grips with the children's full-suspension bike in the test, we took it to the BIKE youth camp in Sankt Englmar. On the varied trails of the Bavarian Forest, the Giant Faith Mini Mullet had to prove to the young test riders whether the development effort had paid off.
Other children's bikes in the comparison test
Giant Faith Mini Mullet in detail
- Field of application: Trail / Enduro
- Spring travel: 140 / 135 mm
- Wheel size: 27,5/26"
- Recommended body height: 145-165 cm
- Frame material: Aluminium
- Weight: 13.5 kg
- Price: 2399 Euro
Equipment
- Suspension fork: Giant Crest SL Flotune
- Damper: Giant Crest Flotrac Lite
- Circuit: Microshift Advent X, 1 x 10
- Translation: 30 / 11-48 (436 %)
- Brakes: Tektro HD-J285
- Seatpost / Stroke: Giant Contact Switch AT Lite / 100 mm
- Impellers: Giant TRA
- Tyres: Maxxis Minion DHF 27.5 x 2.50 / Minion DHR II 26 x 2.40
How the Giant kids' fully rides on the trail
Of course, the Giant Faith Mini Mullet can't hold a candle to the private sub-ten-kilo hardtails of our youth testers on the climbs. Rosi (153 centimetres, 11 years old) remarks: "The bike is very heavy compared to my own bike. I notice that as soon as I pick it up." Of course, as a children's enduro bike, Giant relies on fat tyres, a dropper post, powerful brakes with a large brake disc at the front and details such as a chain guide with collision protection on the Faith Mini Mullet - so 13.8 kilos ready to ride is almost okay for a 2400 euro aluminium fully.
"But I don't notice the weight that much when I'm riding," Rosi continues. This is probably mainly due to the direct comparison with the Propain Yuma 4 26, whose wheels weigh just under half a kilo more than those of the Giant. Not that the wheels of the children's bike from Taiwan are particularly light, but for the demands of a mini enduro bike, acceleration and uphill capability are fine. Although the inexpensive Microshift gear system only provides ten gears, a large 48-speed sprocket and a small 30-speed chainring ensure an appropriate crawling gear.
So it's more a question of concept that the Giant Faith Mini Mullet poses to families interested in buying one. In the right terrain, the children's enduro bike cuts an exceptionally good figure. One reason for this is the species-appropriate geometry. A 64.4 degree steering angle and the resulting longer wheelbase ensure a smooth ride on descents. At the same time, the rear end remains short for quick direction changes and the low standover height with a 100 millimetre dropper post ensures a high feeling of safety. However, our young test riders found the 750 millimetre wide handlebars a little too much of a good thing.
The greatest strength lies in the suspension of the Giant Faith Mini Mullet. The developers did not use off-the-shelf suspension forks and shocks, but designed a completely independent children's suspension system. Even for small rider weights, it is easy to adjust and Giant provides clear instructions to help you quickly find the right setup. In the root staccato, the Mini Mullet's cream suspension spoils you with traction and sensitive response behaviour. In combination with the good rollover behaviour of the large front wheel and the wide enduro tyres, the children's full-suspension bike breezes calmly through rough terrain. Unfortunately, our test bike had significant play in the fork and dropper post bushings - but it had obviously already seen a kilometre or two.
Geometry
- Reach: 407 mm
- Stack: 587 mm
- Top tube length: 532 mm
- Chainstay length: 426 mm
- Wheelbase: 1156 mm
- Bottom bracket height: 330 mm
- Seat tube length: 353 mm
- Protrusion height: 710 mm
- Steering angle: 64,4°
- Seat angle: 77,5°
- Head tube length: 105 mm
- Stem length: 40 mm
- Handlebar width: 750 mm
Data from the BIKE test lab
At BIKE, we go to unprecedented lengths to test bikes. We are the only trade magazine in the world to operate its own test laboratory. The data obtained supports our impressions from the practical test. When it comes to geometry data, we don't just rely on the manufacturer's specifications, but also use the laser measuring device ourselves.
- Complete weight: 13.46 kg (without pedals)
- Impeller weight: 4518 g (incl. tyres, tubes, cassette, brake discs)
- Impeller inertia: 3125 kg x cm² (the lower the value, the better the acceleration)
Conclusion
You can tell that the Giant is heavier than my hardtail. It's better downhill thanks to the suspension, but then the weight comes back and I simply ride better on a lighter bike. - Rosi, BIKE young tester
Giant has achieved what many other manufacturers have struggled to do and designed a chassis that works very well for children. The Faith Mini Mullet remains just manageable, but is clearly recommended as a kids' enduro bike for demanding terrain. True to the motto: Better the bike park than a family tour. - Jan Timmermann, BIKE editor
Pro
- Strong children's chassis with good setup guide
- Large safety reserves in rough terrain
- Successful enduro geometry for children
Contra
- Handlebars too wide
- not a lightweight for smaller kids
Jan Timmermann
Editor
