Recently, I spent my vacation riding bikes with my wife, Amy, in Whistler, British Columbia. While we enjoyed the challenging mountain bike terrain, we saw so many kids on bikes. From grom squads to summer camps to families riding, kids were everywhere. Whistler is a popular vacation destination for all types of travelers and legendary for its mountain bike terrain—most notably the bike park in the Whistler Blackcomb resort.
Few things fill my heart like watching a gaggle of kids no more than five years old pedaling and bouncing their way down tricky BC singletrack on their tiny bikes. Riding my bike is perhaps the only thing that thrilled me as a little kid which still thrills me today. So, I get a bit emotional knowing that these kids (should they choose to) have something wonderful, fulfilling, and practical to enjoy for their whole lives. As I watch them bound down the trail and hear them giggle, I know I am in the presence of a new generation of lifelong riders.
Since I am an equipment nerd, I always check out what bikes and gear the kids are riding. I see a lot of well-used and obvious hand-me-down bikes. That is awesome: All bikes should be used for as long as possible. And then there are the riders on new, amazing-looking kids’ mountain bikes.
Of all the cycling equipment advances in recent years, the development of lighter-weight, high-quality, and high-performance kids’ mountain bikes is one of the most significant. It pains me to see kids riding trails on super-heavy bikes (sometimes heavier than adult bikes) with crappy drivetrains and terrible brakes.
I have ridden trails on super-heavy bikes with crappy drivetrains and terrible brakes, and guess what? It sucks. It is frustrating. If we love cycling, we should also want kids to enjoy their rides now so they become adults who love cycling as we do. Cycling is an equipment-based sport. Without the bike, there is no sport. So, the equipment matters.
Of all the kids’ bikes that I have seen recently, one has particularly caught my eye: Chromag’s Minor Threat. I admit that I am inclined to like this bike because it shares a name with one of the greatest punk bands in history. But I am also impressed with the thought and attention to detail incorporated into this bike.
I asked Chromag’s founder Ian Ritz why his brand—primarily known for heavy-duty steel hardtail frames and flat pedals—decided to make a bike for kids. Ritz told me: “We saw a need for a kids suspension bike that was as capable as any adult bike. Kids are shredding harder than ever these days, and with coaching programs, bike park access, and incredible role models, they need equipment that can perform and stand up to what they are putting [the bikes] through.”
Chromag is based in Whistler, and it is obvious that the local terrain influenced the design. The only specification that makes it obvious the Minor Threat is for kids’ is the wheel size. The bike is offered either with 24-inch wheels and a 140mm-travel fork (size S1) or 26-inch wheels with a 150mm fork (size S2). Outside of that, it reads like a good trail bike.
It is a full suspension bike with a healthy 140mm of travel actuated by a four-bar suspension design. The build consists of SRAM GX Eagle drivetrain, SRAM G2 R four-piston disc brakes with 180mm rotors, Maxxis Minion DHF/DHR tires, RockShox fork and shock, Cane Creek headset, and a sweet Chromag bar, stem, seatpost, and saddle. The bike has a SRAM UDH hanger, threaded BB, ISCG guide/bash tabs, a geometry adjusting flip chip, and the wheels and tires are tubeless ready. The frame even has downtube armor and a shuttle pad. All stuff that you would be happy to have on your mountain bike.
While many of these parts are also used on adult bikes, the frame was carefully designed with kids in mind. The butted aluminum frame is fairly light and low maintenance, with suspension kinematics and shock tune designed around a lighter-weight rider. Knowing that kids’ bikes are often ridden hard, Chromag offers plenty of replacement parts to keep the bike running smoothly for a long time. Long enough for when your kid outgrows the Minor Threat, it will still be performing well when you hand off to the next mini-shredder in the neighborhood.
Along with seeing a need for a kids’ bike that performs in Whisler’s challenging terrain, Chromag founder Ritz had a personal reason for building the Minor Threat; his offspring. “When you have a kid moving through Whistler’s high-paced gamut of bike camps and bike-park programs, you quickly see the need for a capable bike—and you also want them to be safe with equipment that is actually made for that kind of abuse,” he told me.
The Minor Threat’s sizing is aimed toward smaller riders, of course. Chromag says the 24-inch wheel S1 fits riders 4’2” to 4’8”, and the 26-inch wheel S2 suits riders 4’7” to 5’2”. Both sizes have a steeply sloping top tube for maximum standover clearance.
The two sizes are not just the same frame sold with different-sized wheels. The S1 and S2 are different frames, and though it is technically possible, the company thinks that swapping wheels to size a bike up or down for a rider without adjusting frame dimensions is a “band-aid.” According to Chromag, “Increasing the wheel size doesn’t increase the size of the bike; it just lifts it farther from the ground. It does nothing to affect geometry like rear center, reach and wheelbase, or account for head tube and seat tube angles.”
Those angles are modern with a 64-degree head angle and a 76-degree seat angle but flip the chip, and both get a degree steeper. Complete builds do not come with a dropper post. Instead, Chromag went the old-school route and ships the bike with a seatpost quick release. However, the seat tube is straight, and the frame has routing for a stealth dropper post if you want to add one for your kiddo later.
Not insignificantly, the Minor Threat is a good-looking bike. It looks legit; it looks like an adult bike. It has good lines and color-matched parts, and Chromag also makes a great-looking line of kids’ clothes so your little ripper can coordinate too.
As you might guess, kids’ bike or not, a lightweight aluminum full suspension frame with a good deal of engineering time in it and built with nice parts isn’t inexpensive. The Minor Threat is $3,208 because adult bike performance and engineering mean adult bike prices. You could extend the value by handing the Minor Threat down or selling it to someone with younger kids. Another option is to take a vacation in Whistler and rent one: I’ve seen at least one shop with Minor Threats in its rental fleet, and I imagine there are more because it seems like an ideal bike to have as part of a fleet in this town.
I don’t have kids, so I don’t have a personal connection to the kids’ equipment game. But I’m legitimately stoked when I see kids on the trail ripping it up and having a good time. I get happy when I see other riders having fun on their bikes. So, I’m glad that brands are making great equipment for kids. Bikes that help them have a good time and be comfortable when they’re out riding. Because all riders, no matter their size or age, deserve good cycling equipment.
A gear editor for his entire career, Matt’s journey to becoming a leading cycling tech journalist started in 1995, and he’s been at it ever since; likely riding more cycling equipment than anyone on the planet along the way. Previous to his time with Bicycling, Matt worked in bike shops as a service manager, mechanic, and sales person. Based in Durango, Colorado, he enjoys riding and testing any and all kinds of bikes, so you’re just as likely to see him on a road bike dressed in Lycra at a Tuesday night worlds ride as you are to find him dressed in a full face helmet and pads riding a bike park on an enduro bike. He doesn’t race often, but he’s game for anything; having entered road races, criteriums, trials competitions, dual slalom, downhill races, enduros, stage races, short track, time trials, and gran fondos. Next up on his to-do list: a multi day bikepacking trip, and an e-bike race.
