{"id":195691,"date":"2025-10-07T19:10:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T19:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/195691\/"},"modified":"2025-10-07T19:10:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T19:10:10","slug":"light-fast-and-finally-kid-correct-lahylas-trail-bikes-reviewed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/195691\/","title":{"rendered":"Light, fast and finally kid-correct: Lahyla\u2019s trail bikes reviewed"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alex Lavall\u00e9e did not set out to start a bike company. The Montreal industrial designer, who spends his days designing hockey gear for CCM, just wanted a real mountain bike for his kids. Not a tank. Not a toy. A proper trail bike that would let them ride the same kind of terrain he loves. He couldn\u2019t find it. So he built it<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Lahyla<\/a>\u2019s first two models, the Drew 24 and the Drew Mullet 26\u00d724, promise everything we expect on adult bikes, only sized and tuned for smaller riders. Full carbon, four-bar suspension, Manitou dampers that work for light riders, proportional parts and the small stuff parents care about, like bottle cages that fit a real bottle on a 24.<\/p>\n

What we tested and where<\/p>\n

We spent time with both bikes and watched 11-year-old Colin Konings absolutely rip the Drew 24 at the local pump track. Then he tried riding it at Horseshoe Valley bike park during a summer camp there. He loved it then graduated to the Drew Mullet. Colin was able to lift it onto the chairlift by himself; something he couldn\u2019t do with the rental bikes he\u2019d been riding. He raced it in the dual slalom race at Horseshoe Valley Bike Fest and got fifth. And by the end of the day he was jumping the slopestyle course (left over from Crankworx) that featured nine foot lips and 19 foot gaps.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was awesome,\u201d Colin said. \u201cBecause it was so light. The brakes were phenomenal.\u201d<\/p>\n

His dad, Kevin, watched the progression in real time.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe seemed very comfortable on the bike and just whipping the thing around,\u201d Kevin said. \u201cI don\u2019t know if it was the weight, the geometry or the way the suspension was set, but he had a lot of confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The Drew 26X24 on the dual slalom track. Colin Field photo.
\nOn-trail feel<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the first thing you notice on these bikes; the weight. The Drew 24 is 24.5 pounds. The full-carbon frame makes lift-and-carry moments simple, but more important, it lets smaller riders move the bike in the air and change lines mid-corner. Colin cleared Party Train\u2019s biggest jump on the first go. He actually over cleared it, then settled into it like he had been riding the feature all summer.<\/p>\n

Grip and braking impressed our young tester. Narrower kid grips took a minute to adjust to, then felt normal. The lever reach is actually small-hand small, not \u201calmost there\u201d small. Both bikes come with short droppers, which Colin used constantly on steeps and roll-downs.<\/p>\n

Suspension that finally wakes up for light riders<\/p>\n

Lavall\u00e9e and the engineers over at Faction Bike Studio<\/a> didn\u2019t just shrink modern bike geometry. They reworked leverage ratios and kinematics so the shock starts moving under a 60- to 90-pound rider. That matters. Instead of packing up and skipping across braking bumps, the rear wheel tracks. Manitou tunes are intentionally light, and both ends show usable adjustment range for featherweight riders.<\/p>\n

The Drew 24 has 120 mm front \/ 115 mm rear and keeps pump-track pop without killing efficiency. The Drew Mullet has 140 \/ 130, adding travel for bike-park days and steeper lines without feeling like a couch.<\/p>\n

Fit and spec for small humans<\/p>\n

This is where Lahyla separates from the pack. There are 127 mm cranks on the 24. Short-reach levers. Small diameter handlebars. Droppers that kid hands can operate. And a standover that actually lets a kid bail. The bottom bracket feels planted rather than tippy. And yes, there is a bottle cage on the small frame.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had the bottle all day,\u201d Colin said. \u201cI\u2019d take it off on the chair or sip on the hill.\u201d<\/p>\n

It sounds minor until you realize most 24s either delete cages or make you play Tetris with tiny bottles. Just like us, kids don\u2019t want to wear CamelBaks. And parents don\u2019t want to carry everyone\u2019s bottle.<\/p>\n

Geometry that makes progression feel normal<\/p>\n

Colin could manual the Drew 24 easily and corner well with that low-BB planted feeling. The mullet adds stability without dulling pop. He rode a couple other rentals the same week. Both had droppers, but the Lahyla felt livelier under him and easier to place on lips. That tracks with what we saw on course.<\/p>\n

Designed in Canada, built to last<\/p>\n

The frames are made at a top carbon factory in Asia. Prototypes lived under kids for more than a year. Spare parts are slated for the website to keep bikes rolling for the next rider. Lahyla\u2019s argument is simple: buy once, let your kid progress, then resell for strong value.<\/p>\n

Price and value<\/p>\n

This is the sticking point. The Drew 24 is $3,999. The Drew Mullet is $4,199. That is real money for a bike a kid might outgrow in one season.<\/p>\n

\u201cHigh for sure,\u201d Kevin said. \u201cI believe in good bikes, but for a kid\u2019s bike it\u2019s pretty up there.\u201d<\/p>\n

We agree it is a premium purchase. The counterpoint is performance and resale. If your kid is riding park, racing enduro or jumping slopestyle features, the Lahyla unlocks trails that lesser bikes shut down. If you can sell it in a year or two for close to what you paid, the math starts to look like an expensive rental with a lot more smiles in between.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The Drew 24. Colin Field photo.
\nWho it\u2019s for<\/p>\n

\u2022Families with a kid who lives at the bike park or wants to
\u2022Parents tired of \u201cgood enough\u201d kids\u2019 suspension
\u2022Riders in the 115\u2013135 cm range for the 24, 135\u2013156 cm for the mullet
\u2022Anyone who values light weight, correct fit and real braking for small hands<\/p>\n

Availability<\/p>\n

Lahyla is selling online now and through select shops in Quebec, with Ontario and the West Coast coming next.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The Drew 26\u00d724. Colin Field photo.
\nThe verdict<\/p>\n

Lahyla built the kids\u2019 bikes I wish existed five years ago when my son was 10. They are light, genuinely kid-tuned and come with the right parts out of the box. We watched an 11-year-old go from curious to clearing man-sized slopestyle jumps. That\u2019s the entire point.<\/p>\n

If your rider is pushing limits and you have the budget, the Drew 24 and Drew Mullet are incredible progression tools. Yes there are other companies building decent kid-sized bikes; but the carbon frame makes these bikes seriously lightweight. And just like for us grown ups, the lighter the bike (within reason) the easier they are to ride.<\/p>\n

If you are more rail trail than chairlift, look elsewhere. For little shredders with big lines in mind, Lahyla is getting it right.<\/p>\n

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