Kids Bike

The Black Mountain PINTO is certainly a clever first bike! It’s got a unique “growing frame” that means the bike grows with your child, allowing maximum use.

The PINTO is fitted with 14″ wheels, but the sizing means it’s designed to replace the need for a 12″ and a 14″ wheel bike.

Age wise it’s designed to fit a tall two and a half year old, or an average 3 year old.

The PINTO can also start out in balance bike mode if your child hasn’t quite mastered that stage of learning to ride yet, so you really can get the most out of this one bike.

You can read our detailed review of the Black Mountain PINTO here

The Bonaly range is definitely a subscriber to the philosophy of ‘keeping it simple’, with its rigid fork, low centre of gravity, and of course, lightweight.  It’s technically a mountain bike, but with its rigid forks, it’s suited to mixed terrain (although probably not the best choice if you’re doing lots of on-road riding).

Hoy upgraded the Bonaly range in 2019 to make it lighter and improve some of the design features. It has a fresh, modern look with a lower spoke count and a redesigned frame. We haven’t tested out this particular bike, but have been impressed with the smaller Bonaly 20 we’ve reviewed.

One of the appeals of this bike will be its disc brakes – the Shimano RT200 hydraulic discs with RT26 160mm rotors mean this bike looks and feels like a grown up bike – but with the correctly sized components for a younger rider.

The 9 gears come via a 32 toothed front chainring matched up to a Sunrace M90 9 speed 11-34T cassette, with the power transferred to ground through Kenda Small Block 8 tyres.

The Black Mountain HUTTO is a good choice if you want to save money and hassle over time. This is because it’s got a very clever “growing” frame that increases in size so it will last a lot longer than a standard bike.

Having a bike that you know is going to last will be such a relief, as you don’t have to do all this searching for a bike again for a while!

There are 7 easy to use gears, which are operated by a grip shifter (which your child twists with their right hand), which will make the transition to a “big” bike nice and easy.

Black Mountain Bikes really are targeting the top end of the quality kids bike market, with not only a very well specified bike, but also their attention to detail with their customer service and commitment to the environment (all their packaging is plastic free). We also like the fact that the warranty is transferable – a nice touch not found with other brands.

Upgrades available include mountain bike mode with disc brakes and suspension forks if you’re planning to do a lot of off road riding, or a balance bike adaptor kit if your child is not pedalling.

Hoy Bikes are the brain child of Sir Chris Hoy – one of the most successful Olympians ever – so expect an attention to all the details that matter on a first pedal bike.
The Hoy Bonaly 14 was only released in 2019, and then promptly went out of stock when you-know-what happened. This means there’s not that many of these bikes out there, which is great if you’re looking for something a bit different to what everyone else’s child is riding.

Sir Chris Hoy is one of the most successful professional cyclists there’s been, and since his retirement from competition has turned his hand to encouraging young children to get onto lightweight quality bikes.

We’ve not reviewed this particular bike, but the two other Hoy Bikes we’ve reviewed have both been excellent.  Not only in terms of performance and easy of ride, but also the longevity of the bike too.

Black Mountain Bikes have a really clever “growing frame” which means that when your child outgrows the original frame size you can adjust the frame and the gearing to make it last much longer.

This means you get at least two bikes for your money and don’t have the hassle of having to sort out a new bike. 

The KAPĒL is their 18″ wheel offering, but taller children may want to move straight onto the 20″ wheel HUTTØ to get maximum usage.

Most 18″ wheel bike are single speed, meaning they don’t have gears.  The KAPĒL is one of the exceptions, making it ideal for those who regularly ride hills.  Do remember that not all children are ready to start using gears at this age.  

Another clever feature about these bikes is the fact that they can start out in balance bike mode if needed (you do need to buy an additional balance bike convertor kit) so your child can progress from learning to balance through to pedalling all without you needing to buy a new bike.

The Squish range is a fun brand designed with children firmly in mind, whilst retaining child-sized components and a lightweight frame.

Components have been selected to offer reliable performance, low maintenance and easy access to spares and servicing if required.

The triple-butted alloy frame, custom Squish saddle, double-wall alloy rims and alloy micro-adjust seat post help keep weight to a minimum, whilst providing an enjoyable riding experience.

Whilst we’ve not reviewed the Squish 20 we’ve reviewed several other Squish kids bikes and have always been impressed with their performance. [sc name="bike-club-squish-bikes" bike_name="Squish 20" ][/sc] [sc name="bike-club-20-inch-deal" ][/sc]