“Come on kids, get ready and pack your stuff, today we’re heading to the mountains! We’ll hike all day and drink a big glass of fresh buttermilk at the top!” Sound familiar? Yeah, great memories, but times have changed and modern kids have a totally different idea of fun. The YT JEFFSY PRIMUS JP 24 delivered tons of it on our last family outing.
We’re in 2020 and YT are living up to their name. The German direct to consumer brand has answered the call for high-quality kids’ bikes. The times of amber reflectors, chopper bars and coaster brakes are over. To give young shredders the opportunity to rip rough trails, carve tight berms and hit nasty drops just like their heroes do, YT have released a miniature version of their trail classic the JEFFSY, in the form of the JEFFSY PRIMUS. It is available in both 24”- and 26”-wheeled versions and designed for young riders between 135–150 cm and 145–160 cm tall respectively.
Visually, the little brother of the JEFFSY is a stunner. With its fearless, stealthy look and its svelte matte-black finish, it makes the heart of every child beat a little faster and delivers one clear message. “I’m not a toy!”
YT take their customers seriously – young ones too. Our eight-year-old test rider Nils knows this and is extremely happy about it. After all, the bike allows him to get a big step closer to his heroes. Have you ever seen Cam Zink with a dinosaur or princess sticker on his frame?
“Looks like Darth Vader’s bike,” says Nils while scanning the JEFFSY with a look of concentration on his face. And that’s what counts at the end of the day, right?
Only top components for young shredders – the spec of the JEFFSY PRIMUS
The spec on the PRIMUS 24 proves that YT are dead serious with this bike. The baby JEFFSY offers 130 mm travel front and rear, with a Machete JUNIT fork and McLeod shock taking care of the rough stuff and smoothing out imperfections in the trail. Both the shock and the sensitive fork were designed specifically for light riders and can be finely tuned to match the weight and riding style of little shredders. An 11-speed SRAM SX drivetrain uses an 11–42 t cassette and ensures effortless climbs. The 26″ version features a 12-speed drivetrain with an 11–50 t cassette, which is a godsend to small legs.
The suspension of the YT JEFFSY PRIMUS damps down just about everything, except for the riding fun!
Since young riders are eager to explore the laws of gravity, a set of reliable brakes is essential! The 24” model relies on SRAM Guide R brakes with 160 mm rotors, the 26” version combines them with bigger 180 mm rotors. The lever action is direct and smooth as butter which means that even kids can operate the brakes with one finger – awesome!
Experience has shown that good disc brakes are essential! Anything else leads to anger and despair and could potentially be dangerous!
The handlebars were also designed specifically for children. The SDG SLATER bar tapers to 19 mm at the ends and allows thinner grips to be fitted. The MAXXIS Minion tires aren’t tubeless ready but that isn’t a problem with light riders. The only thing Nils was really missing is a dropper post, or at the very least a quick release seat clamp. Either option would make it easier to adjust the seat height between climbs and downhill runs.
All in all, the Jeffsy JP 24 is the perfect bike for fun family shredding sessions!
The size of your grin tells how much fun you’re having – the JEFFSY PRIMUS on the trail
Taking your kids outdoors doesn’t mean putting their Playstation on the balcony. The JEFFSY PRIMUS wants to encourage families to hit the trails and experience nature together. As a gentle reminder, YT print their “LIVE UNCAGED” dictum on the compact chainstay. We took this as a challenge to test the trail credentials of the JEFFSY PRIMUS at Bikepark Samerberg. Due to the lack of comparable bikes, it was impossible for our young test rider to put the riding characteristics of the bike into perspective and thus give differentiated statements about handling, traction, ride feeling, flex and suspension set-up.
Even though the geometry is derived from the JEFFSY trail bike, the PRIMUS is more suited for downhill tracks. At 13 kg, the bike is quite a handful for little legs on steep climbs, only a shuttle or daddy’s ebike can prevent a happy family outing from becoming a boot camp. Note: if you’re planning to spend most of your time riding flat trails, a hardtail might be a better option.
The geometry of the standard JEFFSY with its slack 66° head angle has already proven that it’s possible to combine outstanding climbing capabilities with balanced downhill performance. If you ask Nils, his experience on a high-end kids’ bike was a revelation.
Here are a few more important details about the bike! While the 24” version was designed for kids between 135 cm and 150 cm, Nils got on fine with it despite measuring just under that! The 26” version is designed for riders between 145 cm and 160 cm tall. High-quality components, top workmanship and the child-friendly suspension provide a well-balanced bike for little gravity neophytes. Of course, this comes at a price. The small 24” model retails at € 1,899 while the larger 26” version will set you back € 1,999 – both can be purchased from YT’s online store. Sure, that’s a lot of money but if you compare it with a 5-day trip to Disneyland, the bike takes the win in terms of experience, learning and long-lasting fun factor. In other words: a fair price for what it is!
YT JEFFSY PRIMUS JP 24 conclusion
Our father-son excursions were definitely the highlight of the summer holidays. Nils enjoyed the YT JEFFSY PRIMUS JP 24 so much that as a father I’m already dreading the moment I’ll have to send it back to YT. With this bike he rides better, has more fun and feels safer in the process. Does it make sense to spend € 1,899 for a kids bike? Probably not, but the spark of joy in my son’s eyes is priceless!
Tops
- outstanding chassis tuning
- child-specific contact points
- fuuuuuuuun factor
Flops
- no dropper post
- relatively heavy
- not ideal for long rides
For more information head to yt-industries.com
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Words: Sven Günzel Photos: Christoph Bayer
