Children's bike test: The S'Cool Faxe Race shows that more is not always better - suspension forks and thick, heavy tires make the bike very heavy without offering much added value. It's a shame, because the children's bike is convincing in terms of design and geometry.
Visually, the S'cool is very successful: the blue-green coloring with matching details pleases both girls and boys; Pre-installed reflectors, a side stand and the very high steering head accommodate safety-conscious parents. The resulting upright sitting position is particularly useful for beginners and could be varied thanks to the spacers under the stem. The short seat tube allows early mounting and a long service life, but the handlebars are quite wide.
With a 1×7 gear system, the bike is child-friendly in this regard, although the twist grip is a bit stiff. There are also mechanical disc brakes that work solidly, although parents should keep an eye on pad wear so that the child does not eventually pull the small levers all the way to the handlebars. The mountain bike pedals with their red "pins" are very easy to grip and you certainly don't want to get them on your shins.
Up to this point, the Faxe Race is doing well, but unfortunately the makers have put optics over function and built a suspension fork and oversized tires on the bike. The former can only be made to respond with a lot of pressure and is largely ineffective given the low weight of the rider; the latter are almost too rough for asphalt, and unnecessarily heavy. Solid axles, which make it more difficult to remove the wheel - for example if the wheel has to be taken into the car - show that the manufacturer had to cut costs in order to keep the not exactly tight price.
