Frog Bikes Now With Added Bounce For Little Shredders
by Hannah Dobson
February 8, 2018
Frog Bikes, the British brand making bikes specifically for children, has today put on sale a mountain bike range for ages eight to 14. Tested to the same ISO standards as adult mountain bikes, they’re hardtails with suspension forks ranging from 65mm to 100mm travel depending on the size, and prices range from £590 – £610. Let’s take a closer look.
Interestingly, the bikes come with Frog branded forks. Frog says they’ve worked with OEM fork manufacturer with many years’ experience making forks for global bike brands to develop these junior-specific suspension forks. They’re adjustable air-sprung forks which Frog promises are very responsive at low pressure levels – allowing for an appropriate amount of travel even for the lighter riders. It must have been a fair amount of investment for Frog to develop these, but it’s good to see confidence that the junior MTB market is worth the effort.
There are three sizes of bike:
The Frog MTB 62 is aimed at children aged 8-10, or with a minimum inside leg of 62cm. It has 24 inch wheels with a 24 inch specific 65mm travel Frog fork which comes with a lock out function. It retails at £590 and has a claimed weight of 11.3kg, with a 9-speed Shimano trigger shift gear set up.
The Frog MTB 69 is aimed at children aged 10-12, or with a minimum inside leg of 69cm. It has 26 inch wheels with a 26 inch specific 100mm travel Frog fork which comes with a lock out function as well as rebound and damping control. It retails at £600 and has a claimed weight of 11.4kg, with a 9-speed Shimano trigger shift gear set up.
The Frog MTB 72 is aimed at children aged 13+, or with a minimum inside leg of 72cm. As per the MTB 69, it has 26 inch wheels with a 26 inch specific 100mm travel Frog fork which comes with a lock out function as well as rebound and damping control. It retails at £610 and has a claimed weight of 11.5kg, with a 9-speed Shimano trigger shift gear set up.
For parents looking for a step up from a rigid bike, these bikes enter the market at an inviting price point, and it’s always good to see brands pushing for better and more options for children. Frog has also done away with the ‘splat ‘ graphics of the rest of its range, giving it more grown up feeling graphics. Again, for parents looking for something for a rider who is not quite ready for the XS bikes in adult ranges, this ‘PTL’ range – which stands for Push The Limits – from Frog may well be tempting.
