Vitus Energie 26 Youth CX Bike - £649.99

As the appeal of cyclocross continues to grow, so more clubs and juniors are keen to have a go at this exciting discipline. But it’s not enough to simply scale down adult race bikes.

The Vitus Energie Kids is a ground-up rethink of how a bike should be built for growing bodies, smaller hands and new young riders who are keen to practise their handling and control. Cyclocross is a great way for kids to quickly improve their riding skills - the tight corners, hills, mud and obstacles - and doing it on a bike that fits and feels right will fast-track their progression and confidence.

Control is everything. The Energie Kids combines flat-mount disc brakes with short-reach shifters, ensuring that smaller hands always have their fingers in the right place for steering and braking. And for narrower shoulders, the handlebar is compact too, with a smaller drop and shorter reach to prevent the instability of over-stretching. 1.5-inch (38mm) Kenda tyres offer plenty of traction for wet days whether racing or simply enjoying a family ride, and bolt-thru axles really help to firm up the feel and efficiency of the bike. A single front chainring combines with a Microshift rear derailleur to keep the shifting light so that even when small hands are wrapped up in gloves on colder days, it’s easy for them to tap through the gears.

As adults, we know how awkward and inhibiting it can be to ride a bike that doesn’t fit properly. That’s why everything about the Energie Kids is optimised - from the narrower bottom bracket area to relieve pressure on young hips to the short stem to improve the responsive handling. To have the most fun on a bike, to get the most out of it, to fall in love with riding bikes even, it needs to feel great. The Energie Kids is a cyclocross bike with features that give it the versatility to help your kids grow as riders whether on or off the race circuit.

• Lightweight 6061-T6 Aluminium frame
• CX specific build with race ready performance
• Huge mud clearance
• Microshift R8 8 speed groupset
• Disc brakes