NIZE ONE 24 – An understated kids bike made in Germany

With the ONE 24, Bavarian manufacturer NIZE has unveiled a kids-specific, made-in-Germany mountain bike. While at first glance it might appear quite simple, the ONE 24 is meant to impress with several well-thought-out features. With its 24″ wheels, suspension fork, countless child-oriented components and progressive geometry, it should be suitable for both fun school runs and exciting bike park expeditions.

The NIZE ONE 24 is the latest addition to our kids bike buyer’s guide. Alongside the NIZE ONE, we’ve tested countless other kids’ bikes, including a wide variety of concepts and some ingenious solutions that will help our little ones become tomorrow’s raddest shredders. Read our kids bike buyer’s guide to find out all about it.

Based in the Bavarian Allgäu region in south Germany, NIZE Bikes is a brand-new company that wasn’t too happy with the current offer of kids-specific mountain bikes. What really bothered them is that there aren’t any brands that produce bikes sustainably and, above all, locally. Without further ado, the Bavarians rolled up their sleeves and founded their own brand, which focuses on producing sustainable, kids-specific bikes – all strictly made in Germany. With the ONE 24, NIZE are officially presenting their first bike, which can be ordered directly through their website. As the acronym already suggests, The ONE 24 rolls on 24″ wheels, offering a suitable option for little shredders between 125 cm and 145 cm tall. With a 20″ and 26/27.5″ model already available for pre-order, there should be soon an option for smaller and bigger kids measuring between 110 cm and 160 cm – and an even smaller 16” model is also in the works.
The ONE 24 is based on an enduro hardtail concept, which relies on a rigid frame without rear suspension. However, NIZE’s munchkin-bruiser comes equipped with a 120 mm suspension fork, which the Germans pair with a geometry inspired by modern enduro bikes. As a result, the ONE 24 combines a long reach with a slack head angle, which should provide sufficient stability downhill. This makes it particularly interesting for both easy riders and shredders – or anyone who doesn’t yet know what they actually want to do with it. The bike is manufactured to comply with the ASTM category 4 standard, which means that it was tested according to standards established for adult bikes for rough terrain. While at 11.2 kg the ONE 24 isn’t exactly light, the weight is still reasonable for a robust kids’ bike. NIZE are really proud of their made in Germany frame. So proud, in fact, that they’re giving customers a 10-year warranty. That’s a massive plus because, especially with kids’ bikes that often get handed down to smaller siblings, a long warranty is real peace of mind. The bike comes in two spec variants called Essential and Black Series, which retail for € 1,267 and € 1,547, respectively.

The NIZE ONE 24 in detail

The NIZE ONE 24 is discreetly understated and relies on a sleek look with straight lines and an elegant matt black finish. According to NIZE’s founder and CEO Genius, black isn’t just Batman’s colour of choice but also very popular among baby shredders – tu-tu-tu-tu-tutuuuu :-). However, if your kid doesn’t identify with the Dark Knight, you can also order the frame in raw alloy or light green. The head badge is engraved in the head tube and underlines the unpretentious and yet elegant look. The cables are routed internally while the absence of a shock leaves room for a bottle cage in the main frame triangle.

For the ONE 24, the German manufacturer relies exclusively on premium component brands. The spec of the Black Series test bike we present here leaves no wishes open. Shifting is taken care of by an 11-speed Shimano DEORE drivetrain with an 11-42 t cassette, which should allow your Mini-Shreddy-Eddy to negotiate even the steepest climbs. Shimano also supply the BL-MT401/BR-MT410 brakes, which provide decent deceleration and a dial to adjust the reach. This feature comes in particularly handy (no pun intended) with the ever-growing hands of children. The ONE 24 is one of the few kids’ bikes to feature a dropper post, which has 75 mm travel and can be controlled via a remote on the handlebars. Especially for children, this is an excellent feature, because it ensures plenty of freedom of movement despite the short legs. NIZE also designed the frame around the anatomy of children, bringing the cranks closer together, relying on a super-light fork design and using extra narrow grips. The ProTaper handlebars, however, are on the wide side. While this is meant to inspire more confidence downhill, for smaller kids it might be a little too wide and uncomfortable. To adapt the reach to your ever-growing offspring, you can order a second stem together with the bike, which is 10 mm longer than the stock one. However, the longer stem alters the riding behaviour of the bike and doesn’t replace a frame that adapts perfectly to your child’s anatomy – at least in the long run.

While at first glance the NIZE ONE 24 might look simple, it’s very well thought out and actually offers many useful and kids-specific features. The aggressive geometry and dropper post make it suitable for a wide range of applications and riders, while the robust components should be able to take the abuse typical of little shredders. Last but not least, it’s the only kids’ bike we know of that is welded and assembled in Germany.

Tops

• Suitable for a wide range of applications and riders
• Clever, kids-specific features
• High-quality spec at a reasonable price

Flops

• Handlabars are too wide for small kids

For more info visit nize.bike.