Test: Go biking with an eight-year-old? What normally fails due to the landscape profile works extremely well with the support drive. On this family outing with three completely different KTM mountain bikes, not only was the difference in performance between dad (KTM Myroon Master) and mom (KTM Macina Force 27) evened out - the junior also got electric tailwind with a 24-inch KTM Macina Mini Me.
Bike tours can become one of the most beautiful outdoor experiences to do with the family. The brisk movement makes progression a pleasure in itself and presents a challenge that's great fun along the way. Different impressions of the landscape and interesting intermediate destinations provide variety, which children urgently need to stay on task. And when they get tired after a long day, the little ones can let their dad or mom push them.
If you just want to cycle a bit with your partner and children, you don't have to worry too much about the equipment. The situation is different, however, when sporting ambitions come into play. Even a mountain bike tour that is harmless in itself through moderately demanding terrain mercilessly brings to light the differences in performance that can be seen between partners with different levels of fitness, and even more so between parents and children. What is great fun with low demands for the bike-enthusiastic dad can be an annoying rush for the more fitness-oriented mum - and simply not feasible for the offspring.
But for such cases, there has long been professional help from KTM. The traditional Austrian manufacturer recognized the sporting potential of additional electric drives very early on and now offers a wide range of E-MTBs and E-Crossbikes, long-travel Fullys as well as Fatbikes with rigid forks (for an overview of the e-bike innovations from KTM). In addition, of course, there is the extremely extensive portfolio of non-motorized hardtails and fullys, and all of this together can easily give you an ingenious (if not new) idea: why not simply compensate for the said performance differences electrically?
No sooner said than done - three wheels are needed to get our off-road-loving small family fit for off-road fun together. Bernhard, Steffi and eight-year-old Leon are immediately enthusiastic about the black and orange KTM bikes - they look sleek and very harmonious. Thanks to the uniform look, you can also identify yourself as a family team. Steffi and Leon can even find matching sports clothes in the closet, only dad has to match here.
In return, Bernhard can look forward to a bike that combines elegance and sporty standards like very few bikes. His Myroon 27 Master is based on a slim carbon frame, where the first thing that catches the eye is the beautiful curve of the head tube and seatstays. Internal shift cables and the rear brake line that runs completely within the frame ensure a smooth-surfaced exterior that is not only a visual delight, but also makes cleaning easier.
With its 27,5-inch wheels, the Myroon glides smoothly over hill and dale; the 2,25″ wide tires absorb bumps with their large air volume and reduce vibrations. As is typical of the genre, the CrossCountry hardtail is equipped with a 100 mm fork that can be locked from the handlebars when the rider takes a particularly sporty stance.
The shifting system that KTM installs on the carbon bike is very up-to-date: eleven sprockets at the back, two chainrings at the front – this results in a very large transmission range with easy uphill gears and can be shifted optimally. In addition, the 2×11 circuit saves weight; maybe it's the omission of the third chain ring that brings the Myroon under ten kilos. Last year's model already had us some time ago convinced in the test.
In this respect, the bike that Steffi has chosen cannot of course keep up. Her Macina Force 27.5 even weighs a little over 20 kilos, but the extra weight is due to the powerful Bosch propellant, which gives its rider 250 watts more power over the long term - which corresponds to a fairly well-trained pair of cyclists' legs. It's no wonder that Steffi is ahead of the pack on so many climbs - but out of consideration for family peace, the spouse duel is not taken to the extreme.
With the Macina Force, KTM offers a serious e-hardtail for just over 2.000 euros. With the Active Line drive from Bosch, the bike is a bit more restrained and pushes less furiously than the "Performance" models, but that's just right for MTB tours. The visually appealing 400-watt-hour battery integrated into the aluminum frame also contains enough "juice" for extended tours.
With a long-travel, sensitively responding steel spring fork and 2,25″ tires, stones and roots penetrate to the driver only well dampened; Steffi can also look forward to a pleasantly upright sitting position. This gives the bike novice security, especially on steep sections, as she can shift her body weight far back.
Typically, the Bosch drive is equipped with just one chain ring, which is sufficient given the powerful support. The inexpensive Shimano Alivio has nine sprockets at the back, which cover a very large range of gear ratios – Steffi always has the right gear ready, both uphill and downhill.
And little Leon? Children's bikes are no longer neglected by the industry. A lot has happened in the sporting field in particular; With high-quality, light junior MTBs, parents can now enable five-year-olds to get started with off-road cycling. For the planned tour, however, something else is needed, and you have to look for that with a magnifying glass in the industry. The 24-inch Macina Mini Me is almost a unique selling point in the KTM range - and a great idea, because only then can the eight-year-old ride on an equal footing with his parents.
In some ways, Leon's Mini Me resembles the Macina Force his mom rides. The drive and gears are identical – Bosch Active mid-engine and Shimano Alivio 1×9 – and the Mini Me also uses a solid aluminum frame. Suspension fork, disc brakes - the small bike has everything your heart desires. The sitting posture on the 24-incher is more upright, which is important given the fact that children have a smaller field of vision due to their development.
At the age of eight, Leon is on the one hand already a very experienced cyclist, on the other hand, given his age, he is able to concentrate on the terrain and operate the drive. Dosing your power correctly in order to get the desired support from the Bosch motor first has to be practiced extensively before you go on a tour. KTM installs a throttled version of the Bosch motor on the Mini Me, which stops the support at 20 km/h instead of 25 km/h. So no young biker can get lost in the rush of speed.
But where it matters, the drive really accelerates. Its 250 watts have to push a significantly lower load up the mountain; even dad Bernhard has to stretch a lot on some steep sections to keep up with the junior. So the family duel comes about, led by Leon with sharpness. Children don't back down when they're in a clinch with older ones. And in view of his son's material advantage, Bernhard doesn't have to be considerate this time either. The KTM family tour was a complete success - and thanks to the electric drive, no tired child had to be pushed over the last few kilometers.
