Frog MTB 72
Price £610, frogbikes.com
Gears Shimano 9-speed
Warranty 5 years
Forks air suspension
Brakes easy-reach hydraulic
Tyres Kenday MTB
Sometimes I am overcome with jealousy by the lives of my kids. When the council installed a 25m zipwire in the play zone of our local park, I could hardly disguise my petulance. It felt so unfair… And now this. A fully kitted-up mountain bike with front shocks, disc brakes, decent gears and cool graphics… specifically designed for mere teenagers. I would have killed for a bike like this when I was 13. The frame in question is the MTB 72. It’s made by Frog Bikes, a family start-up in Wales committed to making cycling fun for children by designing bikes that are as functionally superior as possible.
Many children’s bikes are simply scaled-down adult ones, which means they are unwieldy and often as heavy as the kids themselves. But Frog creates bikes specifically for the different anatomy and strengths of children. They also worked with the renowned Olympic bicycle designer Dimitris Katsanis, based at Brunel University, to create bikes that were easier to pedal. Those puny kids’ legs don’t pack much power. The result is this fab, fun and seriously good junior mountain bike. Maybe they could scale them up for adults, too.
Cool kit
Mud in your eye! Never again with these super-clear mountain bike protector goggles. Adidas Backland Dirt £85, wiggle.com
Email Martin at martin.love@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @MartinLove166
