Issue #049, Review - October 1, 2021

VPACE MORITZ26 kids mountain bike in review

The MORITZ26 by VPACE claims to be a well-behaved A-grade student who can also crank it up after class. The MORITZ is a good bike for easy riders but that’s not to say it can’t deliver off-road!

By the way: In addition to the Jeffsy, we have tested a lot of other children’s bikes and other concepts for the bikers of tomorrow. You can find all the findings in our detailed children’s bike buyers’ guide.

The VPACE features a stylish, full-suspension aluminium frame, a frame shape that offers lots of freedom of movement, and good-quality components. And yet the VPACE manages to look tame and mild-mannered at first glance. But it can however wild your kid wants to. The 26″ wheeled MORITZ doesn’t just have the geometry of a good descender but also comes with a dropper post, some of the most powerful brakes on test and clever rear suspension with a so-called Flex Pivot. The specially shaped seat stays are allowed to flex when the suspension compresses, so it doesn’t need an additional pivot point. This reduces potential defects, maintenance and weight! At 12.4 kg, the MORITZ26 is the lightest full-suspension kids mountain bike in the test field. In combination with the deliberately large wheels that roll over obstacles better than small wheels, it also promises to climb well. The clever details of the MORITZ don’t end there.

Unlike many of its competitors, the MORITZ features a narrower child-friendly bottom bracket so that your kid’s feet can stay closer together when standing on the pedals. Excellent! With regard to shifting, VPACE rely on a mixture of tried and tested components and child-specific products. The combination does the job and apart from the rather stiff dropper remote, children’s hands should get along well with the comfortably tall cockpit of the MORITZ, though the handlebar might be too thick. To protect the beautiful frame and our ears, the chainstay protector on the VPACE needs to be bolstered with some additional tape or an old tube. Other than that, there’s nothing to hold the MORITZ back. According to its intended use, kids are allowed to jump the VPACE up to 61 cm high, though we’d recommend replacing the front tire with something grippier before attempting to do so. Just keep in mind that this will increase rolling resistance and make riding to school unnecessarily tiring.

**Cool**
The Magura brakes are easy to adjust and offer a lot of stopping power.

**Oops**
For the first time, the MORITZ26 allows kids to carry a water bottle and VPACE are planning to offer a FIDLOCK bottle in their online shop. Unfortunately, the shock brushes against the bottle when it compresses, which is why we can’t recommend it.

**Sherlock Holmes**
VPACE rely on a clever combination of drivetrain components, featuring technology that you’ll find on adult bikes. This gives kids a nice and wide gear range.

**Adapted**
The crank length and bottom bracket width, as well as the size of the pedals are adapted to suit little shredders.

The VPACE MORITZ26 is a well thought-out and successfully executed concept of a full-suspension mountain bike for kids, promising to be fun in every situation, from long tours to bike parks. The quality of the lightweight frame is good and matches its components. There’s a shredder slumbering in the MORITZ. However, due to its excellent all-round qualities, it also makes for an excellent easy rider.

Tops

frank and down to earth concept
high-quality frame and components
wide range of uses from tours to bike parks
good quality spec that's also child-friendly

Flops

standard diameter handlebar
stiff dropper remote

Find more information here: vpace.de

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.

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VPACE MORITZ26 kids mountain bike in review

Tops

Flops

11 exciting concepts at a glance

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