Archive for year: 2023

Zulu One Review: The first item we took note of when we started our Prevelo Zulu One review was the Tektro HD M276 hydraulic disc brake set. The second feature we noticed was the internally routed rear brake cable. It spans a whopping 7.25 inches from port-to-port along the top tube of this 14 inch wheel kids’ bike. The third thing we liked on this bike right away was the bash guard protecting the 25t front gear ring and chain. With such a low profile, the addition of a the ring guard is a pretty smart move.

You can purchase one of these for your 3-5 year old on the Prevelo website.

Assembling The Prevelo Zulu One

We love it when bike manufacturers include all the necessary tools to get your kids rolling. And, that’s the case with the Prevelo Zulu One. They include a pedal wrench and the appropriate hex keys to assemble the bike. Prevelo also makes sure that all the assembly that can be done with this bike- is done when you take it out of the box. This is a big deal if you have ever had to set up disc brakes. Not to worry with the Zulu One because the bolt-on wheels are already attached to the fork and BOXT rear drop outs.

At a minimum you only have to attach the pedals, and affix the handlebars to the stem. If your child is on the small end of the fit range for this bike, you can swap out the installed seat post for the included shorter option. If you get in early with this bike, it means it could fit your child for well over 18 months.

Our 12 year old got this aluminum/alloy framed bike ready to go. Then it passed dad’s QA testing. Mom exclaimed “Wow. I wish my bike was that color.” It’s true. The semi-luminescent gun-metal gray paint job with red accents make this bike a looker. The photos can’t quite capture the slight reflective paint job, but it’s attractive.

Perfectly Dialed in!

Oh yeah, did we also mention the reach for the brake levers is adjustable? Take a look at the illustration from Tektro to see where a 2mm hex key will allow you to adjust the distance your kiddo needs to wrap their paws around the brake levers.

The claimed weight for the Zulu One on the Prevelo site is 15.9 lbs. We confirmed this using the tried-and-true bathroom scale method. A 520mm wide Heir handlebar with 35mm rise and 25.4mm – 19mm taper will allow you to adjust the bars for your child’s reach. Kid-sized grips are also a feature of the Zulu One.

The Prevelo Zulu One, At-A-Glance Numbers

The 14 inch aluminum wheels are paired with 2.1 inch wide Innova tires. The tread on the tires is impressive for a bike this small because they’re definitely not street tires. A 85mm long crankset was spec’d to accommodate your your 3-5 year old’s inseam.

The minimum seat height is 16 inches and the maximum seat height for the Prevelo Zulu One is 25 inches. Again, this is due to the 2 seat posts included with the bike. We strongly encourage you to check out the rest of the measurements on the Prevelo website . They are located under the Zulu One page’s SPECS tab to confirm this bike is the best kids bike for your child.

Riding The Prevelo Zulu One

After a few minutes of getting used to the Zulu One, our rider was standing up and pedaling like a pro. We even rotated the brakes on the handlebars so he could stand up at speed on the pedals in a race position.

Fit is paramount when selecting a mountain bike for your child. A proper fitting bike allows your kid to ride safely and utilize all the features a bike has to offer. The end result is more fun for everyone. And, that was certainly the case with this little guy and the Prevelo Zulu One. He definitely approved of the disc brakes and learned how to feather them evenly. He was crushing corners like a boss in no time.

Our test rider loved the Prevelo Zulu One right away because he is an experienced BMX rider. The combination of the bike’s features and our rider’s skill set were a perfect fit.

Like with full-sized adult bikes, the geometry of a kid’s bike is important. The ergonomics of the Zulu One’s frameset and crank length allowed our little shredder to comfortably ride in the saddle and dance on the pedals through the berms.

The 2.1 inch wide Innova tires loved the pump track. They gripped the dusty wood features at the bike park without slips or slide-outs.

Our Ultima Parola On The Prevelo Zulu One

Of course this single-speed kids’ bike can be ridden on the sidewalks and paved trails. However, the bike’s quality construction and build deserve more. Simply put, this bike wants to get messy. The disc brakes and grippy tires yearn to gobble up dirt as your family gets off-road for the first time. This bike will provide new experiences for your mountain biking family. We’re happy to state the Prevelo Zulu One is going to be a wonderful first mountain bike for a lot of children in the years to come.

More family time and more skills!

As an added bonus with this bike (if you don’t already know how), you may wish to learn how to change brake pads and bleed brakes with your kids. Owning this bike means additional maintenance and it introduces the opportunity to do yet another bike related activity with your kids. This is just another example of how owning and riding bikes together can help you bond with your little ones and spend some quality time together.

When our kids were too small to carry their own luggage, we’d pack their clothes in with ours in the rolling suitcases we got for our wedding. As the kids grew and needed more of their own space, we gave them roller bags. Although it was nice for each of us to have our own bags, roller bags were not ideal for the way we travel.

We almost always travel in the minivan. On road trips, we would get to our hotel, check in, put the bikes in the room and then make additional trips to the car to get 4 heavy roller bags. An extra trip to the car doesn’t seem like a big deal, but after a long travel day, neither grumpy kids nor exhausted parents wanted to take extra steps.

Last year, we started the research to find the prefect travel bags for our family. We quickly decided on duffel bags instead of suitcases because of their flexibility, light weight and potential for freeing up your hands with the addition of backpack straps. After reading hundreds of reviews, we purchased Patagonia 60L Black Hole Duffel bags. Over the past couple of years we have used our Black Hole Duffels for all of our long and short trips.

The Patagonia Black Hole Duffel Bag Has These Great Features

Appearance Of The Patagonia Black Hole Duffel Bag

One of the best features of these bags is that they come in a variety of colors. We purchased four different colored bags so each of us knows which bag is ours. This is helpful when rummaging for one particular bag in a packed mini-van and also lets each of us take care of our own supplies. Despite over 2-years of being used by our rough and tumble boys, they still look like new except for some very minor scuffing.

Exactly How Much Stuff Will Fit In This Thing?

Water Resistance

A bonus! Since we live in the desert, our bags are more likely to get splashed with Gatorade or splattered with mud than doused in a rainstorm. Despite that, it’s nice to know that the bags will keep moisture out and can be easily wiped off in case of unexpected spills or storms.

Durability

These bags are tough! They have been packed to the brim, dropped and tossed onto the ground, and dragged on the asphalt. Amazingly, our Black Hole Duffels have no rips, tears or even noticeable worn spots in the rip stop laminate fabric despite the rough handling.

Backpack (and other) Straps For The Patagonia Black Hole Duffel Bag

Patagonia Black Hole duffel bags come with removable backpack straps which make them much more convenient to haul around than a suitcase. This feature frees up our hands to wheel bikes and carry luggage simultaneously. The shoulder straps are padded and comfortable. The carrying handles on the top of the bag are long enough to easily sling the bag on your shoulder if needed, but not nearly as comfortable as the backpack straps. There are also sturdy carry straps on both ends and daisy chain attachments to connect gear/helmets to the outside of the duffel.

Don’t let the people online who say the straps are hard to attach scare you! These straps are easy to attach (see video of our 11 year old attaching both straps in less than 20 seconds).

To attach the straps:

1. Slide the narrow side of the rectangular plastic fixture attached to the strap through the plastic D-ring on the bag
2. Once the rectangular piece is all the way through, turn the piece sideways so that the piece attached to the strap is the same direction as the D-ring on the bag
3. Connect the straps to the bottom of the bag with the easy click-in buckles

Interior

The capacity of the 60L duffel bag is perfect for bringing all of our mountain biking clothes and accessories for a weekend or longer trips. First, it’s big enough to hold each family member’s belongings and small enough to be packed into the hotel by a 9 year-old. Second, there are two zippered compartments on the top of the duffle and a single side pocket that is accessible from both the inside and outside. These duffels hold everything we needed with room to spare.

But wait, there’s more! As if the above benefits weren’t enough, the entire bag (including straps) folds down into its own inside pocket. Great for storage!

Our family 100% recommends the Patagonia Black Hole 60L Duffel bag. It’s the perfect bag for our family mountain biking excursions.

The only thing I would change about this duffle is a larger top opening. The main top opening isn’t the same size as the bag dimensions. This means that you have to pull more things out to find items that might not be in the center top of the bag. However, this is only a problem when the bag is packed completely full, which is usually not the case.