This is no ordinary kids hardtail mountain bike. Yes, it’s got some choice suspension and gearing. Yes, the geometry is designed for proper off-road riding. Yes, it’s got the latest standards such as UHD-compatibility and boost 148 axle spacing. But the big sell here is that this is an eMTB designed for kids, and boasting the power of Specialized’s SL motor in a brand new form designed for this use.

Need to know:

• SL hardtail eMTB designed for kids
• Alloy frame, bars and wheels
• SRAM NX 11spd gearing and Level T hydraulic brakes
• Brand new Specialized 1.2 SL Custom Rx Trail Tuned motor
• One size
• £3500
• Three colours: Gloss Blaze with Slate Speckle, Gloss Oak Green Metallic, Satic Black

The Gloss Blaze colourway is striking

If you’re into mountain biking, one of the greatest joys in introducing it to other people, and especially kids. We don’t know any mountain biking parent who isn’t hoping that their offspring will feel the same passion and excitement for riding bikes on trails that they feel. And with this growth has come better and better mountain bikes for kids; gone are the days of heavy builds and rubbish tyres. Kids today get plush suspension and proper gearing.

Specialized has taken this one step further with the unveiling of the Specialized Levo SL Kids; a eMTB hardtrail designed for children. And it makes sense, since while little folk might have the energy, they don’t have the leg strength and sheer power grown ups do, and since they’re proportionately smaller, every hill is that much bigger. An e-bike counteracts that.

Of course to make an e-bike kid-friendly, it needs to shift some serious weight, so the motor systems on ‘diet’ or lightweight e-bikes are perfect. To a kid, SL is full power.

The Levo 1.2 SL motor

Specialized says it’s used its full complement of R&D resources to make a bike designed to give kids the best off-road e-bike experience possible.

This includes geometry, based on Specialized’s Retul fit system which collects bike fit and body dimension data. Low standover allows kids to stand when they need to, while a slack head angle provides that all-important confidence on descents. A long reach gives stability on fast sections, while manoeuvrability is added through shortened chainstays for a zippier feel.

A 100mm RockShox Reba fork up front provides suspension and traction

The Levo SL Kids boasts an 100mm RockShox Reba AIR fork, plus SRAM NX 11spd drivetrain with powerful SRAM Level T hydraulic disc brakes for reliable speed control and stopping power.

The Specialized Levo SL Kids comes in one size – 24, referring to wheel size – which Specialized say is suitable for kids between 122 – 152cm, or 48 – 60 inches, or approximately 6 years and up.

Power up

At the heart of the Levo SL Kids is a newly updated Levo SL 1.2 motor, giving kids at least two times the power they put in or more. It comes with an integrated 320Wh battery and thanks to this and the fact that children are lighter and therefore less of a drain on the battery, chances are the kids will run out of energy before the bike does.

Specialized says its Turbo Operating System makes the whole system feel smooth and seamless, and also monitors motor and battery health, ride metrics, and mapping. A built-in Turbo System Lock should also help as a theft deterrent.

Mission Control is Specialized’s system that allows the motor output to be tweaked and tuned to suit the rider, which is especially useful for kids. Set it low and less powerful so the child gets used to the feeling, then adapt and power-up as their skill, confidence and speed changes. It’s also possible to save particular profiles, which is ideal if the bike is shared between several young riders.

Want the kids to join you on the trail? Check out our guide to the best full-suspension mountain bike for kids… or if they’re a little young yet for that, we’ve also got the best kids balance bikes to get them started.