Once in a while, when researching, we come across some of the best kids’ bikes. This time it was the Cleary Scout hardtail mountain bike, which comes in 24- and 26-inch trims. It is not as much a new bike to us because we have researched and written many times about Cleary bikes brand as one of the best bikes for kids.
If you are worried about which bike to upgrade your little shredder, either of the choices would be perfect as long as they fit the size. Check out our bike sizing guide so that you get the right fit.
To be specific enough, the Cleary Scout 24” is like a toned-down version of the 26” Cleary Scout. However, we are always amazed at how Cleary Bikes focuses its attention on details, which made up acknowledge the serious thoughts, artistry, and good work put in designing the hardtail bikes.
We are pretty sure that the Cleary Scout will put a smile on the face of your youngster, especially if they are a trailhead.
The Cleary Scout is a front suspension mountain bike with a lightweight frame that can respond to various terrains thrown at it. And with the gears, your little groms would enjoy going over hills, cruising on plains, and descending downhill. It is a bike that you can take on the trails, paves, and bike parks, and it will pull a performance.
So, let’s see what more the Cleary Scout 24 and 26 inches have in store for the young cyclists excited about mountain biking.
Cleary Scout Review – Facts that Stick Out!
Although the Cleary Scout is neither a cyclocross bike nor a gravity enduro bike, it gives the little ones the authentic feel of riding a good bike. It is suitable for moderate trails, bike parks, and pavements. In addition, it is a perfect bike for bike commuting.
Although there are lighter high-end kids’ mountain bikes, the Cleary Scout bikes offer a smoother ride.
Both the 24-inch and 26-inch Cleary scout bikes can pull a good performance during bike commutes, bike camping, and bike packing activities.
In addition, it has an excellent price point for a kids’ mountain bike.
Buy from Cleary Bikes: Scout 24 or Scout 26.
You can also buy from MechanicCycling: Cleary Scout 26
Who can ride 24- and 26-inch Cleary Scout?
We can surely tell that this is a bike that will make your child have a beautiful experience as they grow up. They will create memories, sport their souls out, and pedal calories away.
Generally, young riders with an inseam of between 22 and 26 inches and a height of around 50 to 57 inches will love using the 24-inch Cleary Scout. The wheel is 24 inches, which pretty much allows the kids to stand firmly on the ground.
If your child has an inseam of 25-inches plus, and they are taller than 56 inches, the 26-inch Clearly Scout is a good fit for them. The beauty of this is that they will hold onto it a little bit even if they hit a growth spurt.
Check out our bike sizing guide, which stresses the inseam method for finding the right bike fit for your child.
Perfect Geometry
Both 24- and 26-inch Cleary Scout bikes have appropriate sizes that many kids will manage conveniently. Its modern geometry gives the children room to handle the larger wheels, either winding the hills or making the sharp corners. The geometry is a perfect fit for a kid’s hardtail mountain bike. Although it is not as much ‘enduro-ish,’ it can perfectly handle flowy terrains/trails, inducing confidence and comfort on the young shredders to ascend and descend. It ticks the box for a perfect hardtail mountain bike for kids.
Adjustable Handlebar
The adjustable handle will help in managing the various sizes, making it ideal for challenging terrains. In addition, the handlebar is wide enough, which gives riders room to assume a great riding position and make any extreme moves on their steering.
Tires with Excellent Traction
With knobby and wide tires, you are sure that the bike will have excellent traction. In addition, the tire hugs the trails and terrains it passes, making it possible to experience genuine fun on the bike.
The 24” Cleary Scout comes with 24”x2.25, while the 26” Scout comes with 26”x2.25 tubeless-ready Vee Tire Co Crown Gem tires. In addition, you have a choice to add the 2.7-inch-wide tire, which will have better traction, enhancing the ride quality on terrains. This is an option if you have an aggressive trailhead for a kid.
Compatibility with the tubeless tires makes the bike a maintenance-free bike. Your kid will only need to pump and go. If you opt for this, you will forget the endless changing of tubes in the middle of rides, which wastes time.
The 1 x 10 Drive train set Up
The 1x drivetrain does not come with a front shifter, front derailleur, and all those cablings, making it exceptionally lightweight, simple, and lower maintenance. It also means more ground clearance due to a smaller chainring. A 1x drivetrain is also quieter as there is no chain snap.
With a shorter chain, the 1x drivetrain has more tension that helps reduce noise when riding over rough terrains. Getting this bike means that your kid will be experiencing a better ride in the down-country side and rough terrains. The 28t narrow, wide chainring of the Cleary Scout makes it impossible to drop the chain.
Steel Frame
We like that Cleary chose the Real 4130 Chromoly steel frame for the Cleary Scout bike trims. Although steel is not as light as aluminum, it is resilient and durable.
Besides, the steel frames do a better job when it comes to vibration on chattering. When your kid rides on the Clearly Scout, especially when the ride is bumpy, the kids will not experience too much chattering and vibrations as they would if the frame was aluminum. You will appreciate that they will not be as worn out as they do when riding other bikes, as the steel frame smoothens the ride to some extent.
Front Shock
The Cleary Scout is a hardtail kids’ mountain bike. It comes loaded with a performance-oriented front shock. The Suntour XCR air shocks with 100 mm of travel can absorb as much shock as possible, making rides on bumpy terrains and trails relatively smoother. Not only does the shock perform, but your kid also has the option of locking it for uphill climbs and when they are commuting on their bike.
Hydraulic Disc Brakes
Anything that moves needs to stop at some point. With the excellent traction, thanks to the knobby tires, and performance features, for kids to have control over Cleary Scout, they need a pair of good brakes.
The hydraulic disk brakes stop the bike even in dicey conditions, making it easy to control the bike. The pair of Tektro HD-291 hydraulic brakes are activated with junior-sized levers that activate quickly. You can also adjust the reach using a small Allen Key.
For kids who do mountain biking, the hydraulic brakes are quite a feature. They are a good option for long descents and emergency stops, or when boys are boys – stunting on their mountain bike. The brakes do not squeak at all and have excellent stopping power.
Performance
Let’s look at the performance of the Scout when climbing and when descending. We know that the Scout is quite a performer when it comes to trails, bike packs, and around the neighborhood. It is a bike that a young rider can use to maneuver the tracks and pump without fear.
Performance on Climbs
You can tell that the Cleary Scout bikes perfectly handle terrains. This is because they come with a head tube angle of 69 degrees, more like the XC bikes. Now, the steeper the head tube angle, as is the case with Scout, the better handling the riders can achieve. This means that the kids can remain stable when climbing, which makes them concentrate more on pedaling and maintaining weight distribution.
The cleary Scout gives the young riders the ability to hop on their bikes and not think of what to do while on top of the bike. On uphills, the bike is well-behaved as there is not too many disappointments to the rider.
With the weight, the Cleary Scout is not quite the bike that wins the local legend title on Strava. And if the young rider gets tired amidst a long ride, you can use the towing devices.
Performance on Descent
On descents, the bike’s weight now compensates for the torture it caused the rider cycling up. We feel that a dropper post could pretty much be an excellent addition to this bike. It is the first thing to overhaul for any serious mountain biking parent, or at least your kid will most likely ask for it.
There is no argument that the Cleary Scout tires hug the rougher terrains thanks to the knobby tires. However, kids can perfectly balance it around corners and maintain an aggressive position when things get steeper.
For more aggressive riders, we would recommend lengthening the stem by about 10 mm to have more space to control the bike. The reach is great, though. The bike plants itself on track unless it hits larger rocks. The lower BB makes it stable enough to evoke the daredevil spirit from the little shredders and trailheads.
Who is the Cleary Scout Bike for?
Generally, the Cleary Scout line of bikes is an excellent investment for:
- Young riders who want to have a better riding experience with different terrains
- Teen cyclists who want to start biking and need a safer model
- Young riders who want to ride in bike parks.
- Parents who want to train their kids, both boys and girls, mountain biking
- The kids who want to do riding as a sport and need to practice managing the various terrains and landforms
- Young riders who want to have more effectiveness in managing the various bike models and need some tougher ones
- Trailheads who are training to be enduro mountain bike riders. Those who want to have a down-country mountain bike experience.
- Kids who want to accompany their parents on bike tours and bike camping activities
- Teens who want to commute to school or run errands on bikes.
Parting Shot!
If all you are looking for is a bike that is constructed for terrains, can take any treatment, and will last long enough to help your kid learn and master mountain biking for the trails, the Cleary Scout is that bike.
Cleary Scout is an excellent and impressive bike. It has a combination of features that make the children have good moments. The specifications and design of the bike are excellent as they will make kids of various ages have an easy time using the bike and managing the various terrains. It makes the best choice for people who want to ride within their localities, especially challenging ones.
Depending on your child's inseam, both 24” and 26” Cleary Scout bikes fall in between Xc bikes and enduro mountain bikes. We can perfectly describe them as a perfect bike for flowy trails of down-country riding experience. They can be taken on trails and can pull out a show in bike parks. It is just the perfect bike for a good time, burning calories, and staying active.
If you are looking for something rigid for commutes and you are a diehard Cleary brand fan, go for the Cleary Meerkat. Otherwise, for aggressive mountain biking thrill, the Prevelo Zulu will cut it. There are also other good bikes for kids aged 8-11 years, which you can consider alongside Cleary Scout 24”.
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