If you want to be the next Trail Boss, you gotta start early. And if you’re a parent who wants your kid to be the next Trail Boss, there are more options than ever to get them an early start on a mountain bike. But not all kids’ bikes are created equal.
Yesterday, the Trail Boss himself (aka Jeff Lenosky), teamed up with the crew from Tenafly Bicycle Workshop to host a live event with REEB Cycles to launch the new Trail Boss JR. REEB makes it clear on their site, this is not your average kid’s bike. Instead, it’s a “ridiculous dream bike for the Little Rippers.”
Starting with a REEB designed tubeset specifically for a light weight kid’s bike, the Trial Boss JR is a miniature version of Jeff Lenosky’s signature bike, the ReDickyelous. Using Vari-Wall, THERMLX air hardened, seamless, heat treated steel, the frame tubes are hand welded into the finished product in REEB’s barin Lyons, Colorado.
Built around 24″ wheels, the frame includes a 44mm head tube that’s compatible with tapered steerers. That’s important since the bike was also designed around the MAnitou Machete JUNIT 24″ fork with 100mm of travel. The frame has all of the details you’d find on an adult’s bike including internal routing for a 31.6mm stealth dropper post, clearance for 2.4″ tires, a 73mm threaded BSA bottom bracket, 142 x 12mm rear spacing, room for a bottle cage inside the main triangle, and a 1x drivetrain.
Like most kids’ bikes, there is a single geometry offered that’s built around the 24″ wheels.
Offered in three standard colors with custom powdercoat colors an option ($250 upcharge), the frames also include your choice of four different decal sets. You might guess that a kid’s bike with adult features may include an adult sized price tag, and you’d be right. The Trail Boss JR frame only option starts at $1,800. There are even options for a custom build or geometry, but you’ll have to contact REEB for details.
There’s also a complete Trail Boss JR build with the Manitou Machete JUNIT fork, Hayes Dominion A2 brakes (meant for smaller hands), the JUNIT Protaper kids’ bar with smaller JUNIT Protaper grips, and a SRAM NX 11 speed drivetrain for $3,899. In case you’re wondering, the retail price for the Manitou/Hayes/Protaper JUNIT kit without wheels is just under $1,000 alone. But as parents, we all might be tempted to go with the frame only option and build it up ourselves using that mountain of old mountain bike components you probably have gathering dust in the basement…
