Shyre Eastie 24" Wheel Kids Mountain Bike

The bike that takes them further off-road.

For confident riders ready to go further and rougher than they have before. A suspension fork, disc brakes and seven gears, so a long day on the trails is still enjoyable at the far end of it.

Plenty of children’s mountain bikes at this size have a suspension fork and then stop short at rim brakes. The Eastie 24in has mechanical discs front and rear, so the stop is as strong at the bottom of a wet descent as it was at the top. On a bike being ridden downhill, that is the part worth paying for, and it costs less than suspension bikes that still come with rim brakes.

What you get

• Mechanical disc brakes, front and rear. The pads grip a steel rotor at the hub rather than the wet rim, so the stopping power is the same in November as it is in July. Levers sized for their hands, so they can use it.
• Front suspension fork, 50mm of travel. The fork compresses over roots and stone instead of bouncing the front wheel off line, so they hold their speed and their nerve on ground that would otherwise stop them.
• Shyre Junior Fit. Shorter cranks than an adult bike, a 500mm bar and a junior saddle. The narrower bar puts their hands at shoulder width rather than beyond it, which is what makes a bike feel controllable off-road.
• Shimano 7-speed drivetrain with a thumb shifter. One shifter on the right, worked with the thumb, so changing gear is a click rather than a job. A Tourney rear mech and enough range to get them up a climb sitting down.
• 6061 aluminium frame, 13.1kg ready to ride. Weighed with the pedals and kickstand on. Built for a bike that will get dropped, and covered for life.
• 28-hole double-wall alloy rims on 2.35in tyres. Double-wall rims and a higher spoke count take repeated drops better than a lighter road wheel, and the wide tyre gives grip in mud without feeling slow on the way there.
• Quick-release seatpost clamp and kickstand. Drop the saddle for a descent, raise it for the climb back, no tools needed.

Named after Eastridge Woods, where Kev rode as a boy with his mates. Eastridge hosted the British national championships through the nineties, and riders like Andy Titley, Steve Peat and Rob Warner raced there.