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First Look: Propain's New Yuma Kids Bike

Jun 22, 2021
by Henry Quinney  

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FIRST LOOK
Propain Yuma

Propain release a new kids bike to their range - the 140mm travel Yuma.

The bike uses an aluminum frame, an optimized suspension system and strives to give young riders balanced and stable geometry.

The bike is delivered with 24” wheels but can be easily converted to 26” by the means of a flip chip. This should hopefully make the idea of buying a mountain bike a little less intimidating for parents in terms of the financial outlay.

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Flip chips in the swingarm allow you to change wheel size between 24" and 26".

Geometry and Build

The frame uses a 380mm reach combined with an effective seat and head tube angles that would make a lot of adult bikes blush with 75 and 65 degrees respectively.

The Yuma frame is designed to be lightweight and also aims to cater to kids by having a relatively low standover height to ensure they can always get their feet on the ground. That said, the 2.7 kg frame weight doesn’t seem featherweight, but the total builds come in at a reasonable 12.7 kg, which is south of 28 lb.

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Propane claim that the “optimal length of the top tube in combination with a steep seat angle allows the youngsters to have an upright pedal position and an optimal weight distribution over the handlebars when going downhill”.

The bike uses a single pivot to deliver 140mm of rear wheel travel. Propain wanted to use a system that was lightweight, easy to live with and also make the bike’s travel useable for lighter riders. The bike is available in two colour options and can have the headtube badge, decal and grip colours configured to suit your taste.

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The Yuma comes in two different colours and also has the option of customising some of the details.

The bike includes Acros frame bearings that come equipped with additional sealing. The extra seal is there to stop the ingress of dirt or moisture. The bikes also use internal cable routing as well as downtube and chainstay protection. There will only be one build kit.

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The frame will house a 500ml water bottle.

Within the front triangle, there is space for not only a 500ml water bottle but also a small tool back that affixes to the seat tube by the BB junction. The frame is also compatible with internally routed seat posts.

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The small bag is there to store tools, snacks or spares.

Rider Height Recommendations

24": Body height from 1.25 m - about 1.50 m
26": Body height from 1.40 m - about 1.55 m
The maximum rider weight is 80 kg / 176 lb.

The 26" Grown Up kit can be purchased separately and is not included.

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Specification and Prices

The sole build kit for the Yuma will consist of a SRAM GX 1x11 drivetrain, SRAM Guide T brakes and suspension duties split between a RockShox Deluxe Select and a Manitou Machete Junit fork. It will also be equipped with Newmen X.A.25 which will be shod with VEE Flow SNAP 2.4 tyres.

The new Yuma is available for € 2,199.00 from 22th of June 2021 in Propain's webshop. Prices outside the EU may vary. North America prices are TBA.

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103 Comments
  • 247 0
 My daughter is 30 weeks pregnant with a little boy. Just ordered a 24". Should arrive right on time for him.
  • 1 2
 XD
  • 3 0
 Good luck! My 4 year old likes hot wheels…
  • 1 0
 When my wife was about that far along with our last kid I went out an bought a triplet(tandem bike for 3). Kid is 8 and we still have not used it argh.
  • 1 0
 @thechunderdownunder: 7 years old and stills prefers lego to his riprock....hahaha
  • 45 3
 Listen, wifey, we have 3 kids. They like their bikes a lot. And every bike gets really ridden hard. So, it's actually a good investment. No, scratch that, it's a great investment! 2k divided by 6 years of riding is cheapo. Actually, it's practically like they are paying us to take the bike Khmm..
  • 33 13
 Listen, husband, we have 3 kids. They like their bikes a lot. And every bike gets really ridden hard. So, it's actually a good investment. No, scratch that, it's a great investment! 2k divided by 6 years of riding is cheapo. Actually, it's practically like they are paying us to take the bike Khmm..
  • 41 2
 @gamonoso: Listen mummy and daddy, you have 3 kids, we like our bikes a lot. And every bike gets really ridden hard. So, its actually a good investment. No, scratch that, its a great investment! 2k divided by 6 years of riding is cheapo. Actually, I've decided that you should be paying me to take the bike Khmm... in fact forget the bike, i'll take my 6k now in bitcoin.
  • 12 1
 @browner: Listen bitcoin warrior investors, you have 3 kids, we like our bikes a lot. And every bike gets really ridden hard. So, its actually a good investment. No, scratch that, its a great investment! 2k divided by 6 years of riding is cheapo..... Take my now worthless 2$ of bitcoin, I'll take the 2T of CO2 that a mining farm used to generate it.... put it into a superheated compression chamber turn it into a false diamond.... and trade you for some earplugs to block out the whining the wife will make cos I just "invested" 6k on a creditcard in our kids health and wellbeing!
  • 11 0
 Listen, 3 kiddos. You like your bikes a lot and every bike gets ridden hard so... its time to get a job!!!
  • 1 0
 I wish we had gotten 6 years out of a kids bike. I get that you can size up the wheels but the bike frame is still the same size. so either they are to small when they first get it or to big at the end.
  • 3 0
 @fabwizard: You've got me wrong.. 6 years inbetween 3 kids. My kids are 6.5, 4.5 and 2.5 years old. Currently on 12, 16 and 20" wheels. Usually every kid manages to ride every wheel size for about 2 years (apart from 14" which is their first pedal bike and usually not used for more than 6-9 months/kid.
  • 2 0
 @pakleni: oops my bad.

Similar except the one got to much growth hormones from their milk and had to buy two 24 inch bikes one with normal standover and one low standover.
  • 3 0
 Listen, Kids! You like riding and ride the hell out of your bikes. But you are too young, and don't ride anything that requires $2,000 plus bike. Therefore I will use that money to upgrade my bike, which will eventually be one of yours once you actually ride trails that require a multi thousand dollar bike. Until than what you have will suffice to ride the streets, the local park, school yard or walking path.
  • 2 0
 @riklassen: get them on a hard tail while there knees still work.
  • 1 0
 @riklassen: their…
  • 1 2
 @thechunderdownunder: for some reason that just sounds bad when talking about kids.

Or more like catholic school kids )-;
  • 1 0
 @scar4me: 100%, we are on kid 2, year 5 of a Spawn Rokkusuta. Price per year represents incredible value.
  • 1 0
 @pakleni: I'm trying this approach, my three sons are 2 years apart each (currently 10, 8 and nearly 6) sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

The 16" pedal bike got used by sons 1 and 2, and the 16" balance bike was used by sons 2 and 3. The first 20" was used by sons 1 and 2, but son 3 is tall and and he jumped straight from the 16" balance bike to a 20", so I had to buy a 2nd 20" that's just for him.

Son 1 is now on a 26", son 2 on a 24" and son 3 on a 20", but I think son 3 will need to move to 24" before son 2 is ready for 26", and son 1 is right at the lowest height for the 26", so he will probably get at least 2 years out of it.
  • 2 0
 @ChiefSilverback: Wouldn't it be easier to remember to feed the middle child every now and then? Wink
  • 1 0
 @pakleni: he eats like a horse, maybe i need to get one of those 'inversion therapy' tables and see if i can't stretch him!!
  • 21 0
 Please Note: Your kids will be grown up have moved on to sex and drink before the bike actually arrives.
  • 4 0
 Made it as far as the word "sex" and got distracted. Sorry. Sure your reply made a good point.
  • 9 0
 Not sure about you but I never thought having sex and drinking affects riding bikes. You can still ride bikes during the day, drink after that and then finish it off with having sex. But indeed, you can't do all simultaneously. It takes some planning but it is surely doable.
  • 12 0
 I built up an Intense uzzi vpx in small for my lad about 5/6 years ago, put a 160 fork and a -2 headset with 24” wheels (those old intense had a high bb so it ended up about 345) managed to squeeze a 100mm dropper on it and shortened a set of Sram 1x cranks. It was a fun project and I think my boy learned something helping with it, all up cost was just over a £1000. Fun times! These do look nice though I have to admit.
  • 15 1
 Do they have an XL version?
  • 7 0
 as someone building up a commencal meta 4x making a small run of larger frames for grown up big kids wanting a play/dual slalom bike would be fun
  • 2 0
 @McMeta666: dude I want a meta 4x/SL/hip-hop frame so bad. Perfect woods fun bike.
  • 11 0
 I didn't realize all along that I could purchase a "Grown Up kit". Will this allow me to move out of my parents' basement?
  • 3 0
 Available in North America - never? CMON, it is insane that u cannot get kids bike during active season, price wise - good option.


Also I found that mid fat tires helps kids a lot on downhill sections, since it smoother some rocks and rots, and provide more grip
  • 1 0
 just upgrading from the cheap tires they come with provides a ton of extra grip, same with going tubeless.
  • 3 1
 Not convinced about the swapped wheelsize thing, the reach doesn't change. It's either going to feel too long in 24 or too short 2 years later when you put 26 wheels on. Pushing a saddle back or putting a longer stem on isn't the best solution to that problem either.
  • 6 0
 I think it’s a nice option. Not sure what bikes you grew up riding but mine didn’t fit as well as this would in either wheel size!
  • 2 0
 @Altron5000: "you'll grow into it"
  • 2 0
 @Altron5000: When you were a kid did you ride with dad(on a proper mt bike) or you friends(on clapped out pieces of crap). I did not ride with my dad until i was a teen, even then road only.

If dad wants kid to keep up, dad has to buy kid a proper bike.

This theory is working so far.
  • 1 0
 @danlees Flow Bicycles addresses adjustable geometry kid's bikes better than anyone. They have an elliptical head tube with eccentric headset cups and rear triangles with mounting points for two wheel sizes. This allows the 24/26 model to go from 345mm reach and 395mm chainstays in 24" mode to 368mm reach and 420mm chainstays in 26" mode. This might result in some odd looking frames, but at least it seems to provide a substantial enough change to warrant "growing" the bike to fit 26" wheels and taller kids.
  • 3 1
 The switchable wheelsize is real nice. I wish brands made a 14/16" bike with the same feature. I ended up buying 14 & 16 spawns separately because my kid is a micro 3.5 year old and couldn't fit the 16 right off. Thankfully the market's good enough to flip kids bikes pretty easily when they're done.
  • 1 0
 I'll add, if you buy a 16 pedal bike with v-brakes you can't just buy a 14 wheelset. You need to relocate the brake bosses for the rear brake, which, between buying those adapters and the cost of a new wheelset/tires, is almost the cost of a new bike...
  • 3 0
 Very cool idea. When your growing bikes will never fit exactly how they should, but this helps things get close and keep a safe stand over.
  • 1 0
 So how come the Yuma doesn't have the same rear suspension design as all of the other Propain bikes? This looks to be a no frills single pivot bike with a long travel front fork. 140mm of fork travel seems like an aweful lot for a 10-12yr old kid.
  • 1 0
 140- depends on what they are riding, same as an adult.
  • 1 0
 @fabwizard: I suppose and I suspect the fork is more supple than an adult 140mm fork, but still they'd need to be sending some big stuff to need that kind of cush IMO.
  • 1 0
 @SuperHighBeam: Northshore/Squamish/whistler kids are absolutely sending it.

You are right for now my sons fork is really plush(he's only 45 pounds) but as he gains weight and the jumps get bigger it is there.
  • 1 0
 Oh man! If these existed when I was a kid I would have... continued to ride clapped out used bikes totally beyond their intended usage... 'cos my parents were artists not dentists... Jokes aside, if your kids are sending it hard enough to use this they're gonna be scary fast when they grow up.
  • 5 6
 This whole marketing idea trying to sell parents your kid will be able to update to 26“ and ride a few more years is so silly.
What exactly does change when you swap out 24“ wheels for 26“ wheels? Oh yeah, the wheelbase, great!
  • 2 0
 i think that a lot of adults will use these as 4x or long travel dirt jumpers
  • 2 1
 "Available from 22th of June 2021."

That's funny since we talk about Propain. Better add +6 months to that..
  • 12 10
 Nice bike but everyone knows you should start your kids on a hardtail
  • 1 0
 Just moved my kid from hardtail to an XS marin 27.5 rift zone.
  • 4 1
 Everyone should start on a HT.
  • 2 1
 100%. I don’t know why you’re getting downvoted.


Look at bmx kids - they’re almost always the fastest when they get into MTB.
  • 4 0
 BMX
  • 6 0
 Unless the rest the family is also on HT's (assuming you do family rides) its not a fair situation for your kid white knuckling it on the HT down a tech trail. All my kids became immeasurably better riders as soon as they went full squish. Of course IF all your family rides are on flow trails, then a HT is arguably superior to learn on (for a kid).
  • 2 0
 @meathooker: I agree he shouldn't be downvoted. Not because he's right but because it was a joke.
  • 2 0
 Everyone also knows you should start disabled or old people on an ebike
  • 1 0
 @CDT77: im white knuckling it down black tech trails on my $500 hardtail. The trail that we ride is called whiteknuckle
  • 2 0
 By that logic they should start fully rigid.
  • 1 0
 @meathooker: um bmx fully rigid not front sus.

Those bmxers ride a ton, that is why they are so good.
  • 1 0
 @fabwizard: agreed as well. i just didnt want to type that much on my phone this am
  • 1 1
 @fabwizard: Fully rigid with plus tires FTW! Little kids don't need to drag around suspension that barely moves under their weight and only exists for the Dad parking lot test
  • 3 0
 @VtVolk: These FS bikes like the one in this article and many others now have suspension that works just a good as daddies.

In fact my 8 yo has a 140/140 while dad has 110/100 .

The big added bonus of rear sus. So far the feet have not bounced off the pedals.
  • 3 1
 @VtVolk: That used to be true for expensive junk like a Spesh Riprock with a coil fork. But Manitou/Hayes makes INSANELY good kids components. All custom tuned (JUnit fork) and designed (Dominion with SFL kids lever) etc...their Duroc wheels are sweet too. You set the sag (on their nicest dual chamber airspring), add a bit of compression and rebound and its freaking primo. Like better than a lot of adult forks but custom tuned to their weight (unlike adult forks). Plus tire bikes, in our testing and working with kids on our team, are about as bad as it gets for one reason. Rotational weight is king for kids. It limits their ability to pedal and puts a lot of rotational weight at the end of the lever so foundational skills like bunny hops, manuals, basic wheel lifts and technical jumping is compromised. They are always at the back of the pack. This is also why most every highend kids bike doesn't typically make them anymore: Norco, Commencal, Spawn, Prevelo, Orbea Lafiery (sick), Nukeproof, Trailcraft, etc. A proper hardtail with light wheels (hard to find) and legit MTB tires is ideal for youngsters...and a BMX (most important bike).

Fwiw here is my little 8yro riding a 24" FS stacked with Manitou stuff (JUnit fork and Mara Pro shock). Its not parking lot, eye candy. He'll bottom out 145mm once or twice a ride when he overshoots or hits the steeper gnarly stuff with big drops at speed. He's far from the best on his team too. Lots of kids are shredding at young ages and can benefit from a proper ride.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwnohpCG3EM

FWIW this is a wonky bike because its actually a 26" frame (long rear end and FC) but with 24" wheels. Its always better to just get a kid a bike that relatively fits rather than a bike that changes wheel sizes but not frame size. If he/she is ready for a bigger bike, sell the 24", resale on nicer kids bikes is ridiculously good, and has been pre-pandemic too (unlike adult bikes).
  • 1 0
 @VtVolk: define "little kids". I put my oldest on a 24" HT last year with a 60mm travel 'kids tuned' fork and he used all the travel. He's now on a Nukeproof Cub Scout 26 with 120mm travel, again tuned for 'lighter riders', and the suspension is very active.

I agree there's no point hauling around 5lbs of shitty coil fork, but a properly setup air fork is great.
  • 1 0
 @ChiefSilverback: under 6 should be rigid imo

I didn’t get my kid a suspension fork until he was 6 and was sure to keep him on a ht. He jumps on his sister 24” fully to play around but I’m trying to get him to learn the basics before he’s on one full time. Possibly 9yr but we’ll see how behest progresses.
  • 1 0
 @ChiefSilverback: I was talking about small kids, like 50 pounds or lighter, regardless of age. Obviously kids like the one in @Svinyard 's video who are killing it benefit from suspension!
  • 1 0
 @Svinyard: every kid in my neigboorhood rides a specialized with a coil fork and 3" tires
  • 1 0
 @ChiefSilverback: i used one of those bikes for a dj build and the spring was so soft i just had to lock it out
  • 2 0
 its longer than an old 26" Giant Trance XS! (also lots slacker too).
  • 2 3
 "Yuma" = "gringo" (ever so slightly derogatory term for a foreigner) in Cuba and possibly some other parts.
Oh and I'm sure my boys would do a great job of testing these if they need some reviewers! ;-)
  • 4 0
 I thought Yuma was just an armpit of a town in Arizona. Except for Mr. G's! Best beans and rolled tacos anywhere.
  • 1 0
 Now make that same suspension layout & frame design
In adult sized frames in Aluminum
& I’m ready to order...
  • 2 0
 Should be called the "Bobby"
  • 1 0
 June 22th...hope there is still some availability when I get paid on the 30rd.
  • 2 0
 Where's the idler pulley?
  • 1 0
 I wish my lad was into biking enough to justify buying something like this for him. Maybe someday.
  • 2 0
 So 26" is not dead, just rehashed being marketed for kids? Got it
  • 1 0
 Bingo, you got it. Now the bike market expect parents to equip there kids with 12", 14" 16", 20", 24", 26", and then finally 27.5" or 29". rascalrides.com/kids-bike-sizes-chart (yes the 26" isn't listed on that chart but the bike size has more to due with the size of the kid rather than their age but presumably ages 11-14 would ride 26")
  • 1 0
 @SuperHighBeam: I just put my 4'7" 10 year old on the Nukeproof Cub Scout 26, he was far too big for his 24", and only just tall enough for the 26", I think he'll get at least 2 yeas out of it.

On a side note Salsa and Bombtrack both offer 'kids' drop bar gravel bikes for ~10 and old, using 24" wheels...
  • 1 0
 @ChiefSilverback: Hence why I said 26 was best suited for 11-14 years old.
  • 1 0
 26": Body height from 1.40 m - about 1.55 m.

Riders have grown a lot in 10 years.
  • 2 0
 Somehow, I bet nobody from Propain has been to Yuma.
  • 2 1
 2,200€ for a kids bike LMFAO
  • 1 0
 Kids bikes with adult price! The industry is insane! There's also a list who applied for Covid loans while they made millions during the pandemic!
  • 2 0
 @drivereight: 1. There are buyers for these bikes otherwise they would not develop and sell them. 2. Do you ever ride with kids? Try riding Fromme with a kid on a 50 pound CCM vs 24 pound VPace. both kids make it down and have equal fun and learnng. But the dad with the 24 pound bike kid is going back up for another couple runs. the other is heading to the car.
  • 1 0
 End of the day the components are the same as adult bikes, the only place you're saving is needing less tubing to join the different bits together.
  • 1 0
 Who's making 26" tires? Can't find them anywhere!
  • 2 0
 Continental, Maxxis, Schwalbe. I'm currently running running Conti Trailking 26x2.4 front and Schwalbe Nobby Nic 26x2.35 rear on my hardtail. It is my main (or pretty much) only mountainbike, but I usually use the BMX on the pumptrack. This morning I thought why not take the mtb to the pumptrack. It was much harder to get up to speed yet at the same time much less scary as the BMX is hard to keep from sliding over the loose gravel and the mtb with nobby tires just grips. So I just ordered a pair of Maxxis DHF 20x2.4 for the BMX. Excited to see how it works out. If I can get the speed and agility of the BMX yet with the grip of the mtb it should be massive fun. That said, if the DHF is offered in 20x2.4 then it surely should be available in 26" too. They actually had the DHR in 20x2.3 too but I was mostly after lateral grip, not in braking direction.

TL;DR;out of context: Continental, Schwalbe, Maxxis
  • 1 0
 Schwalbe are still offering quite a lot in 26 when i was looking the other night
  • 1 0
 I tought kids now skipped 26" and went from 24 to 271/2"...
  • 1 0
 I put a 26 on front of a (24) big hit grom, my son rode it fine. Now he has a 27.5 marin rift zone.
  • 1 0
 @fruitsd79: makes sense
  • 1 0
 Curious how this stacks up against Trailcraft.
  • 3 0
 the bike dads should have a review soon. also vs VPace
  • 1 0
 My daughter has a Pineridge 24, and a Yuma running 24s still. She is nearly 10. Initially she barely rode the Yuma, loved the Trailcraft being so light. Now she is riding a lot of park and DH and hence has been on the Yuma, she took the Trailcraft to the park again the other week and was shocked how twitchy it felt compared to the Yuma. The Trailcraft's are excellent bikes, probably better suited as an all rounder to be honest, as people say 140mm travel on the Yuma is a lot for everyday riding for a kid. If they are into more serious stuff though then the Yuma really does come into its own. I just picked up a cheap Vpace MAX 26 to replace the Trailcraft 24 as she gets bigger, and have ordered a set of 26s for the Yuma so still plan on keeping an XC-ish hard tail for her and the Yuma Cheers Rob
  • 2 0
 To add, I was very tempted to order a Vpace Moritz 2 26 instead of moving the Yuma up to 26s but didn’t. They do look nice though. I put a megneg can on the Yuma which in my experience of not having ridden it seems to help get the shock going without needing to run insanely low pressures. I do find myself just standing in the garage staring at the Yuma thinking that is an awesome looking bike.
  • 1 0
 @rjefferis: FYI the VPace Max 26 is sized similar to other brands 24 so you need to be aware that they may grow out of it earlier if you go from another brand 24 to the VPace 26.
  • 1 0
 @fabwizard: thanks yeah agreed, I did a little comparison between the trailcraft 24 and max26 and the max was still bigger overall, the trailcrafts are quite conservative though. The max I picked up was essentially a rolling chassis. I had everything else spare so made sense at the price. Otherwise I would have probably held off for another 9 months and gone 27.5.
  • 1 0
 @rjefferis: VPace and Trailcraft are both very light compared to the reaper and fluid which seem to be the main competition of the big brands.
  • 4 3
 In stock summer 2076
  • 2 1
 Shorter Lower Slacker
  • 1 0
 no mullet option?
  • 1 3
 try to find new tires for the 24" version...
  • 2 0
 Chain reaction was the first place I thought of as they are one of the biggest shops in the world... and they have 24" tyres.
www.chainreactioncycles.com/tyres?f=4294958105







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