Ben-E-Bike’s full-suspension kids ebike is a light, child-friendly bike that has all the components and characteristics kids need to hit the trails or even the bike park. Is it the one bike that can do it all? As much as we like Ben-E-Bike’s gung-ho approach, it’s also clear that this kids bike cannot deliver on all of its promises.
You can get an overview of the 11 exciting concepts here: kids bike buyer’s guide – 11 exciting concepts at a glance
Do kids need ebikes? No. But if this is your only chance to lure them away from the games console and into nature, then they might just be your salvation. That’s exactly what the Ben-E-Bike TWENTYFOUR SIX E-POWER FS wants to achieve. To do so, they’ve chosen to rely on a hub motor that sits in the rear wheel and is powered by a 250 or 375 Wh battery that takes the place of the water bottle on the down tube. The display is attached to the handlebar. The full suspension Ben-E-Bike is available with either 24″ or 26″ wheels – we tested the smaller version of the kids ebike. It comes with air suspension front and rear, disc brakes with appropriately adjustable levers and a quick-release seat post clamp to get the saddle out of the way for the descents. It also stealth routing for a dropper post upgrade. Unfortunately, the stand-over height of the frame is quite high, restricting your kid’s freedom of movement despite the dropped saddle. In addition to our 24″ version, the kids ebike can also be ridden with larger 26″ wheels. Considering the fact that it has an electric motor and is also aimed at bike park riding, we would have preferred more aggressively treaded tires. But the saddle looks cool, is light, comfortable and very robust. So far so good!
When turning on the motor, you’re given a choice of five preconfigured support modes that are clearly differentiated from one another. That said, the first two modes are very weak. The two highest modes, on the other hand, have a lot of lag, i.e. the motor continues turning the wheel for about a second after you let off the pedals. That doesn’t sound like much but if a child stops pedalling because they’ve come into a tight or tricky situation, this lag can certainly be very annoying if not dangerous. In that case, kids will have to use the brakes to fight the motor. While the motor’s standard tune didn’t deliver a convincing performance, it can be customised via software available on the Ben-E-Bike website. The exposed position of the display on the handlebar makes it predestined to get smashed on the first crash.
A closer look at the frame shows that the Ben-E-Bike has another significant shortcoming besides the motor. The seat stays and seat tube rub against each other when the rear suspension cycles through its travel while being exposed to lateral forces, such as when cornering. Something like this shouldn’t happen on a production bike. The facts that the welds aren’t the cleanest and the frame is completely unprotected from the loud chain slapping against the chainstay are almost negligible in comparison.
The position of the display on the Ben-E-Bike is very exposed and the likelihood that it will get damaged in the event of a crash is high.
The seat stays of the Ben-E-Bike rub against the seat tube during compression, which is an absolute no-go. Damage to the frame is inevitable.
The Ben-E-Bike has a hub motor that puts out up to 30 Nm.
Although it features internal cable routing, the cables are left free to rattle inside the frame.
We commend Ben-E-Bike’s attempt at making a full-suspension kids bike with a hub motor, a concept that just might meet the needs of your child. However, we can’t recommend the current iteration of the TWENTYFOUR SIX E-POWER FS due to the performance of the motor and the rudimentary quality of the frame, neither for easy riders nor for shredders. A software update and an improved frame could make this exciting concept a great option in the future.
Tops
- exciting new full-suspension eMTB concept for kids
Flops
- motor lags too much in the higher support modes
- limited freedom of movement due to the high stand-over height
- seat stays rub against the seat tube during compression
Find more information here: ben-e-bike.net
11 exciting concepts at a glance
You can get an overview of this comparison test here: kids bike buyer’s guide – 11 exciting concepts at a glance.
All kids bikes in this group test: Tout Terrain Singletrailer Trailer (Click for review) | Shotgun Pro MTB child seat (Click for review) | Leg&go balance bike (Click for review) | Mondraker Grommy-E-balance bike (Click for review) | Early Rider Hellion 16-kids bike (Click for review) | Woom OFF 5- / OFF AIR 5 kids bike(Click for review) | Woom UP 5 kids ebike (Click for review) | Ben-E-Bike TWENTYFOUR-SIX E-POWER FS kids mountain bike | SCOTT Ransom 600 kids mountain bike (Click for review) | VPACE MORITZ26 kids mountain bike (Click for review) | YT JEFFSY PRIMUS 24 kids mountain bike (Click for review)
Did you enjoy this article? If so, we would be stoked if you decide to support us with a monthly contribution. By becoming a supporter of ENDURO, you will help secure a sustainable future for high-quality mountain bike journalism. Click here to learn more.
Words: Moritz Geisreiter, Peter Walker, Felix Stix Photos: Peter Walker, Daniel Geiger
