Prevelo Zulu Four Heir Review

The Prevelo Zulu Four Heir is designed for kids 8-11 years old and if you’ve done your research – you’ll see that this is the biggest and baddest of kids’ mountain bikes in the Prevelo line up. It has 24-inch wheels, a saddle height range of 26.0 inches – 31.5 inches, and of course the 80mm air fork with carbon lowers. The MSRP for the bike is $1,499.00 American, and you can buy direct Prevelo.

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If you’ve never purchased a bike online before, don’t worry! Just measure your kid correctly. Prevelo wants to make sure you get it right – and in order to do so, they’ve put together a handy sizing guide to help you with the numbers.

Who Is The Prevelo Zulu Four Heir Built For?

This bike is built for cross-country riding and trail riding. It’s suitable for novice riders through advanced riders. Beginners will really dig it because it’s light and it can be controlled easily. Novice riders will also appreciate the simplicity of the 1x drivetrain and disc brakes. Intermediate through advanced riders will really like dialing in the Heir fork for optimal performance. They’ll also insist the Stans Crest rims be set up tubeless to shave off a bit more weight and they can take advantage of lower air pressure when appropriate.

We don’t know if the best part about the Zulu Four Heir is the drivetrain, wheels, or fork. Our dad thought the 12-speed Shimano set-up was “pretty neat” on a bike this size. Mom knows that Stans tubeless ready wheels are among the best in the biz. And, our two boys are well aware that an air fork is not intended for neighborhood bike rides.

Tektro hydraulic disc brakes are a good choice for this bike. They have the smooth stopping power and the levers are comfy.

You could easily add a dropper post to the Zulu Four Heir. If you have a local online marketplace, used external droppers are reasonably priced.

Weight, Lengths, And Angles For The Prevelo Zulu Four Heir

Prevelo Zulu Four Heir – Components/Grupo

Riding The Prevelo Zulu Four Heir

Three experienced riders rode the Prevelo Zulu Four Heir for us and they really put the bike through its paces. A couple of them did their best to break it through mostly normal use, but the bike just wouldn’t give up.

All of our riders specialize in BMX and gravity-focused mountain biking, so their first impressions of the bike centered around (A) How light it was compared to their full-suspension bikes and (B) What a remarkable climber it it is.

Taking great care to pair a young cyclist with the right sized bike does wonders. Among fostering general enjoyment, it allows the rider to control the bike safely by being able to get a foot down when needed, control the brakes, and get a full leg extension when pedaling. We strongly caution against getting your kids bikes “they will go into”. Think about it, how would you like to ride a bike that was too big or too small for you? Would it inspire confidence? Would you be able to steer, pedal efficiently or maneuver across technical terrain?

Aboard the Prevelo Zulu Four Heir indoors at Woodward Park City, our young female rider had a blast. She rode the bike in the skate park zone, hit the pump track, the air bag, and hucked it into the foam pit. The bike took a thrashing and we were totally prepared to replace a derailleur if needed. Not to worry, though. The Prevelo stood tough.

The bike excels in a cross-country environment, its home turf. The 12-speed Shimano drivetrain shone brighter than diamonds. Our rider at this venue was not used to the gear range and after a couple of tough climbs, he was able to make the extra clicks and take advantage of the 51t ring in the back.

Short chain stays and a low geometry come standard on the Prevelo Zulu Four Heir. These features allowed our rider to shift his weight as needed and corner effectively.

A 140mm crank set is great fit for the bike’s intended age group. None of our riders complained about over-spinning when pedaling and the clearance was fine for a couple of rock rolls on the chunky side of the ride zone.

On the pump track, the Prevelo Zulu Four Heir was sent flying. Locking out the Heir fork so it would not compress resulted in positive energy and good vibes. The stem on the bike is only 35mm, so you could swap this out for a longer option.

The kid-sized Prevelo “Big Kid” saddle was comfy for all three of our riders and it will be a welcomed attribute on longer rides involving miles of smiles.

The Prevelo Zulu Four Heir Is Big On Fun And Will Have Your Kids Using Their Outside Voices

The Zulu Four Heir is going to be a notable upgrade for a lot of young mountain bikers because of its versatility, weight and functionality. Riders who fall into the beginner and novice categories will like it because they’ll get the learning experience of how to operate the front and rear disc brakes. And, they’ll begin to get familiar with shifting through a wide range of gears. As they become familiar with the bike’s features, riders will become confident and trail riding will be a natural progression.

Intermediate through advanced mtb kids will be able to enjoy the bike to its full potential because of its durability and build. The fork can be easily tuned and working through all the gears on the 12-speed cassette will enable children to ride longer and ascend steeper climbs. The Stans wheels are light and tough. The bike’s tires are a good fit and the geometry will encourage your kid to to have a great time on a wide range of terrain.