My favorite thing about Sea Otter is seeing all of the kids running (or biking) around having a blast. What a cool place to get stoked on biking!
And from the Woom kids zone to the Little Bellas mountain camp to the junior categories in the dual slalom and temporary tattoos at the Kids Ride Shotgun booth, there was certainly lots for them to do!
Unfortunately, we had to leave our son at home this year (school–ugh!), but we did get the opportunity to hit up the expo and see what’s going on in the world of kids bikes. If you weren’t able to make it this year, here’s a recap.
New Carbon Bits From Prevelo
We had to drop by the Prevelo booth to see our favorite bike industry family–the Rhuebans. Their son was getting ready to go off for his downhill course inspection, but first we got to see some of the newest bits from Prevelo.
Always innovating, Prevelo had carbon cranks and handlebar on display. The cranks are 145 mm and will be available soon.
The carbon handlebar will be available later this year, and is the smallest carbon bar I know of. Pretty sweet!
We also got to see a VERY cool new bike that will be coming out at the end of the year. Any guesses on what it might be?
Vitus Kids Bike Now Available In North America
We’ve been recommending the Vitus kids bikes for years as great “bang for your buck” bikes. You used to be able to get them from Chain Reaction Cycles but then they quit shipping to the U.S.–which was a bummer.
Well we don’t have to despair any longer! They now have a Vitus USA website* where the bikes are available direct to consumer.
This includes the Vitus road and cyclocross bikes. Drop bar kids bikes are super hard to find, so this is a big deal.
Propain Kids Bikes Coming Soon To The U.S.
We’ve been waiting for Propain to offer their kids bikes in the U.S. forever. Their kids bikes are really nice, but they kept promising they were coming to N. America, but they never did.
Well, according to the reps at Sea Otter, their kids bikes will be available for pre-order starting in May. You can sign up for their mailing list now to be notified.
Unfortunately, they didn’t have their bigger kids bikes on display in their booth, but they did have the Bam Bam balance bike.
Mondraker Electric Bikes
Continuing the trend of European bikes coming to America, Mondraker is now being distributed in the U.S. as well. While they have plenty of kids bike offerings, the most exciting to us are their kids e-bikes.
We got to see the Mondraker F-Play 24 on display in the booth, and it is sweet! A full suspension kids electric mountain bike that looks incredibly sleek.
Woom Kids Zone & Booth
This was Woom’s second year sponsoring the Sea Otter kids zone. (They took over when Specialized gave it up).
The kids zone included a Progressive Pump Track modular track, a dirt pump track, a skills area, and a grassy play area. The kids races also took place here.
The Woom both included demos and we saw lots of little rippers taking advantage.
There wasn’t much on display that we haven’t already covered here, but we did get to see the new limited edition Anniversary red in person for the first time. It’s definitely pretty!
Kids Ride Shotgun New Balance Bike
Kids Ride Shotgun had their new balance bike on display. While one of our product testers is currently working on a review of the bike, this way my first time seeing it in person.
It seemed to be getting quite a bit of attention–as it should. There aren’t many balance bikes out there with convertible wheels and disc brakes.
Tiny Rock 20″ and 24″ Full Suspension Mountain Bikes
The biggest surprise for me at this year’s Sea Otter was Tiny Tock. I hadn’t even heard of this company yet.
They make both 20″ and 24″ full suspension kids mountain bikes–both aluminum and carbon versions. They are being marketed as “enduro” bikes.
The bikes had good quality components speced and seem like a sweet spot between a more cross-country oriented bike like the Trailcraft Maxwell and heavier offerings from brands like Commencal.
Look forward to testing one of these out!
Benno Family Bikes
It didn’t seem like there were as many cargo bikes at this year’s Sea Otter, but one notable exception was the Benno booth. They had all kinds of family bikes on display!
Our favorite setup was the passenger kit with foot pegs. While it’s always great seeing cargo bikes with Yepp Bike Seats, it’s also nice to see setups for parents with older kids as well.
MET Hooray Helmet
The MET Hooray helmet came out last summer, but this is the first I’d seen it. Big mistake–should have jumped on this one sooner!
The MET Hooray is one of the best toddler helmets I’ve seen. It is shaped to address the flat spot on little one’s skulls as well as a flat back for sitting in a trailer.
Finally, it has an integrated light in the back of the helmet. How cool is that?!
We will be getting one of these in to review ASAP.
More Stuff You Might Like
- 10 Best Kids Bikes: How To Choose, Reviews, & More!
- Mountain Biking with Kids
- 11 Family Friendly Bike Racks To Make Your Life Easier
About Us
The Rascals are a family of three. Kristen (mom), Blair (dad), and Parker (kiddo). We started Rascal Rides when Parker was born and we didn’t want to give up our passion for biking. As we learned, we shared. Over the years, we’ve tested hundreds of kids bikes, helmets, bike trailers, and more.
Kristen is a USA Cycling certified coach and loves to share her passion for biking with other families. Blair is a bike geek, mechanic, and mountain bike junkie. Parker is our resident tester and inspiration.
If you see us out on the trail, make sure to say hi!