Two solid names in performance alloy kids’ bikes come together under the Early Rider name for 2020 to create every mountain bike a child will ever need. Whether you are looking for the first fat tire balance bike for your toddler, a belt-drive bike path slayer, up to 24″ wheeled full-suspension trail bike for your little shredder, Early Rider has you covered…
Early Rider Seeker, kids MTB hardtails from 14-24″
We’ve covered both the well-spec’d aluminum balance bikes & hardtails of Early Rider and the capable alloy full-suspension kids’ bikes from Lil’ Shredder before. Now the two come together under a Early Rider buyout to make it easier to get your kid on a high performance mountain bike, perfectly fit & dialed for their style of trail riding.
The 2020 Seeker family is a reimagining of the prior Trail line-up, pairing simple drivetrains and light 6061 alloy frames & forks with meaty 2.25″ Vee Crown Gem mountain bike tires. These two get 14″ & 16″ wheels respectively, and are single speeds, so they stick with simple belt-drive setups. Expect prices of roughly £300-350.
All of Early Rider’s hardtails feature sliding dropouts for single speed or geared options, and the Seeker & Belter families all feature split seatstays for belt-drive compatibility. And all Early Rider bikes get light alloy cockpit components, small grips, pedal & saddles to fit children, and kid-sized & size-specific cranks.
The Seeker 16 Disc is an adaptation of one of their previous Works builds, adding junior mechanical ProMax disc brakes to the standard 16″ mountain bike hardtail – pricing should be around £425.
The 20″ Seeker steps up to 10sp SRAM 1x drivetrain and a price around £550.
The 24″ moves up to a SRAM NX 1×11, but keeps the rigid fork for a lightweight all-around ride for small riders.
Early Rider Hellion: premium kids trail bikes from 16″ hardtail – 24″ fully
All-new this year, the Hellion family takes trail riding a step further with lighter weight butted 6061 alloy framesets and internal cable routing. The smallest 16″ Hellion sticks with a rigid alloy fork and a singlespeed build, but gets a chain drive & a derailleur hanger for future upgrade potential.
The 20″ Hellion steps up to an 80mm travel RST Spex fork, Deore hydro disc brakes, and to a Zee 10sp drivetrain.
The 24″ hardtail gets a tapered steerer 100mm RST F1rst 15 thru-axle fork, SLX brakes & an SLX 1×11 drivetrain.
Hitting full-suspension is where the Lil Shredder crossover starts to happen. This new Hellion 20 FS is the same bike that we knew before as the Prodigy. Designed as a trail or even DH bike for tiny riders, it is available in two frame sizes and can actually be set up with either 16″ or 20″ wheels with different dropouts, with travel around 80mm to match the Spex fork.
The Hellion 24 FS is the same idea – a rebadged 24″ Lil Shredder Phenom, that you’ll be able to get through Early Rider distribution channels. Here on bigger wheels you don’t get adjustable dropouts, but adjustable suspension. Pick between roughly 100 or 125mm of rear wheel travel with the 2-position shock mount on the swingarm, with this featuring the F1rst fork that can be set to 80, 100 or120mm of travel.
The full suspension bikes are obviously going to be significantly more expensive, plus their frames are US-made, so there likely will be both frameset & complete build options.
Early Rider Charger, Big Foot & Belter: 12″ balance bikes to 24″ urban adventurers
Early Rider’s balance bikes carry over too, but now simply as the 12×2″ slick Charger for smooth surfaces or the 12×2.25″ Big Foot for some serious balance work in the dirt – priced around £150.
The Belter line is Early Rider’s ‘first bike’ series, meant to be lighter than anything else you will find and more simple too. They all feature clean & simple belt-drives and light components. The Belter 14 is new with 14×2″ tires to fit the smallest new pedaling cyclists, plus a 16″ version with the same singlespeed setup.
The 20″ Belter adds in a Sturmey Archer 4-speed internally geared hub. And the 24″ bike goes to a 8-speed Shimano Nexus hub and hydraulic ProMax disc brakes.
Early Rider Speeder tease for 12-24 month old toddlers
Only being teased now for an official reveal next year, Early Rider is working on an even earlier, patented first bike than a balance bike. Codename: Speeder, it is meant to help develop balance & co-ordination as a toddler is even first learning to walk – a bike for little 12-24 month old kids.
Availability
All of the new 2020 Early Riders get an official release in November. That’s when we’ll get final information about real pricing (rather than our estimates now). But we have been told that the new bikes should be available by December 2019 – in time for to get wrapped up under the Festivus Pole.
