GET SET FOR SPRING - EIGHTSHOT KIDS BIKES - IN STOCK NOW!

Spring is almost upon us, we can feel it! Get set for better times and the freedom to explore. The Eightshot Kid’s bike brand is available now at Wheelbase, take advantage of our sale prices now!…

In stock now, the Eightshot X-Coady 24 SL and Eightshot X-Coady 24 FS are great examples of this German brand’s complete focus on high-quality, child-friendly bikes designed specifically to make cycling more fun for kids. How have they achieved this? By very careful consideration of every detail, from each component spec’d, to the geometry and sizing of these great kid’s bikes.

Eightshot X-Coady 24 SL

Eightshot X-Coady 24 Fs

These Eightshot bikes with 24” wheels have been designed for children within the age range of 7-12 years, with a height range of 128-155cm and an inside leg measurement somewhere between 61-72cm. The X-Coady 24 SL and FS models are not downsized adult bikes, a process some bike brands are prone to do, these bike have been designed and refined using feedback from children and parents until every consideration has been tweaked to make your child’s riding more comfortable AND more fun.

Eightshot X-Coady 24 SL

Eightshot have designed the X-Coady 24 SL and FS bicycle frames around the dimensions of kids with some key considerations including bottom bracket height. Eightshot have slightly lowered the bottom bracket compared to other kid’s bikes from other brands; the reason for this is simple – as children begin to explore more demanding terrain they tend to have to put their feet down quickly to steady themselves. A lower bottom bracket combined with shorter cranks means pedalling clearance is maintained while your child is positioned slightly lower to the ground and is able to dab their feet as and when they need to.

Eightshot X-Coady 24 Fs

Eightshot X-Coady 24 FS

We also love Eightshot’s focus on a child-friendly Q-Factor; to quickly explain Q-Factor, it is the overall width of the bike’s bottom bracket, cranks and pedals, as the diagram below shows, many kids bikes just mirror the Q-Factor from their adult’s bikes, however that combined width is excessive for smaller children. Eightshot’s smaller Q-Factor keeps your child’s legs closer together making pedalling more comfortable and efficient all round.

We know from experience, both as retailers and as parents to children who love to ride with their family, that as kids grow and get to the 7-12 age range that these bikes are aimed at they naturally want to go further afield and explore more varied terrain. The demands of kid’s bike increase significantly at this point and the Eightshot X-Coady bikes are certainly up to the job.

Eightshot X-Coady 24 SL

So what are the key elements required for such a bike? Well, firstly there doesn’t need to be any gimmicks. We want bikes that are light but tough, have sensible gearing to help little legs cope with the demands of riding more difficult terrain & longer distances, reliable brakes that can be easily operated by smaller hands and contact points that have been designed to work well specifically with children – for example a smaller saddle, narrow handlebars, slimmer grips and brake levers that are positioned closer to the bars so that little hands can reach them quickly and easily.

Both the X-Coady 24 SL and X-Coady 24 FS feature Shimano Tourney 8-Speed gearing with a great spread of gear ratios to enable kids to ride up hills with ease and keep up with their older siblings and parents on fast, flat terrain. A simple to use twist-shift gear shifter is easy and intuitive for kids to use and by being incorporated into the handle bar grip it’s less lightly to get damaged than some typical gear levers.

With safety in mind Eightshot have spec’d a chainring guard to help stop little fingers getting trapped as well as protecting the components from the rough and tumble of every day riding.

Both bikes feature 140mm cranks that have been scaled to fit the dimensions of the bike and to match an average inside leg length for children that this bike is aimed at. Large, flat pedals mean your child’s feet will stay stable and secure on them, with less risk of slipping a pedal on rough terrain.

Braking on the X-Coady 24 SL and X-Coady 24 FS is taken care of by powerful v-brakes which are simple and easy to maintain. The brake levers on the handlebars have been designed with small hands in mind and are close to the bars so reaching for the levers in the heat of the moment is quick and safe.

Contact points have been considered too with Eightshot’s own child-specific saddle fitted; the profile of the saddle is shorter and slightly wider that the equivalent dimensions of an adult saddle, this gives increased support and enhances comfort when your child is pedalling while seated. The bike’s stem is 60mm so that reach is child-friendly and your kids aren’t in a stretched position, similarly the handle bars are 580mm wide to accommodate narrow shoulders giving a comfortable feel.

Eightshot have managed to hit a sweet-spot with their wheels & tyres combination on both X-Coady 24 bikes. Ideally a child’s bike should have tyres with sufficient volume to help kids navigate rough terrain and cushion them on the occasional curb hit; equally they’ll need a fast-rolling tyre that isn’t working against them, making pedalling harder. Eightshot have this aspect sorted too with their 24 x 2.0 tyres featuring a grippy tyre tread that provides traction on soft ground while rolling well on smoother tarmac surfaces.

Both bikes feature 24” wheels that are easy to get rolling but are big enough to help carry speed, keeping your child rolling without having to constantly pedal hard to get going again. The wheels have 32 spokes for a tough build to keep their wheel true and sealed-bearing hubs feature quick release wheels allowing you to quickly and efficiently remove wheels if you need to transport the bike in your car.

There is really only one key difference between the X-Coady 24 SL and X-Coady 24 FS in terms of specification and this is the child-specific suspension fork on the X-Coady 24 FS. Eightshot have spec’d an RST CAPA T24 fork with 50mm of suspension travel and features a soft spring that has been designed to work well with the lower weights of an averaged sized child. The addition of a suspension fork on this model means that when you venture off-road with your child they’ll be more comfortable and will be able to stay in control as the terrain gets rough.

So that’s our detailed look at the excellent Eightshot X-Coady 24 SL and X-Coady 24 FS kid’s bikes. We’re really impressed with the quality of these bikes from a brand that is focused solely on developing bikes for children. If you’re looking for a child’s bike that is going to reinforce their love of riding with friends and family and want to encourage them to start to stretch their riding to longer distances, possibly on more challenging terrain then these two models are a great choice.

In stock now – Eightshot X-Coady 24 SL…