Batch Commuter Bike 24 Review

The Batch 24 inch Commuter is a gorgeous bike with cool details like a rack and fenders. But does its performance live up? Read the review!

**The Batch Commuter 24 has been discontinued*** Check out our Best 24-inch Bikes to see our favorite 24 inch bikes.

Batch Commuter Bike Overview

RATING: Recommended

MSRP: Discontinued

BEST FOR: Aggressive or heavier riders on flat terrains.

SEAT HEIGHT: 27.5″ – 34.5″

WEIGHT: 31.7 lbs.

GEARS: 8-speed with trigger shifters

BRAKES: Mechanical Disc

View on Batch

Batch Commuter Review- Results of our Test Rides

Batch Bicycles is a new bike shop brand under the same corporate umbrella as Huffy. With high-end detailing like disc brakes and an internally-routed brake cable, paired with a super sweet black-matte frame, a rack, and fenders, the Batch Commuter has all the makings of a winner.

Performance

From casual neighborhood bike rides to bike rodeos, flying down dirt hills, and Pokemon Go by bike, our riders tested out the Batch Commuter in their natural habitat. The Batch performed surprisingly well, even on that bumpy dirt terrain!

But while the Batch is a beautiful bike with quality much higher than its parent brand, it’s also pretty heavy. Additionally, the shifting of the chain from cog to cog can be a bit clunky. Full of potential and cool-cache, the Batch’s weight as well as rough shifting gives us a bit of pause for its high price tag.  

The Batch Commuter’s primary selling point for us is its smooth ride. With wider tires with a very mild tread, rides on the pavement were like gliding on ice.

Our neighborhood has mild to medium inclines, and while our young testers enjoyed the Batch on flat sections, inclines were a struggle due to the heavier weight of the bike.

To be fair, my kids are used to riding high-end 24 inch bikes that are pretty lightweight, so the heavy Batch was a bit foreign to them. However, the bikes they ride daily are either cheaper or almost the same price as the Batch Commuter.

If you live in a flat area, the Batch is a gorgeous bike that you should consider for athletic riders that can handle the extra weight.  

Size

Seat Height: With a 7″ seat height range of 27.5″ – 34.5″, the Batch Commuter is one of the largest 24″ kids’ bikes on the market.  With the seat set 2″ – 3″ above a child’s inseam, the Batch should fit kids with inseams approximately from 24.5″ to 32.5″.

Our 8-year-old tester with a 25.5″ inseam is sitting on the Batch with the seat set at its minimum seat height of 27.5″. On the right, our 12-year-old tester with a 29.5″ inseam is sitting on the Batch with the seat height set at 31.5″

The Batch Commuter fit both of our testers well. While our 12-year-old is on the taller side for most 24″ bikes on the market, he’s actually still quite a good fit on this larger Batch.

The Batch Commuter is also available as a small, medium, or large adult bike all with 27.5″ tires. 

Wondering if this will be a good fit for your child? Check out our sizing guide where we walk you through 5 easy steps for finding a bike that’s a perfect fit for your kid.

Weight:  Weighing in at 31.7 lb, the Batch is the heaviest 24″ bike we’ve tested. The lightest 24″ kid’s bike – the woom 5 – is only 18 lbs! Other high-end bikes also weigh significantly less than the Commuter and also cost less. The Priority Start 24 comes in at a very manageable 23 lbs. The Guardian Ethos 24 weighs 25.5 lbs.

This extra weight led our testers to comment on how bulky the bike felt, and also how it was difficult to maneuver because of its weight. Even as an adult rider, I found it to be a bit tank-like. The weight is also more noticeable and difficult to manage on inclines.

We removed the rack, which is steel and weighed 3.9 lbs. That’s a lot of extra weight on a kid’s bike if you don’t absolutely need the rack there. Without the rack, the Batch is still heavier than other bikes, but at 27.8 lbs., it’s an improvement. Our testers did notice the difference, but still commented on its heavy weight.

Frame & Geometry

With an aluminum alloy frame painted matte black, an internally routed brake cable, and a nifty rack in back, the Batch Commuter certainly has that coolness factor about it.

Rider’s Body Position: The Batch’s frame design and mid-rise handlebars place the rider in a comfortable, semi-upright position. Like most kid’s bikes, as your child grows and the seat height is raised, they will be in a more leaned-in position. They are still, however, upright enough to remain comfortable for casual riding or “commuting”.

Brakes

With mechanical disc brakes and an internally routed brake cable, the Batch Commuter has a pretty sweet braking set-up. We do find it a little odd that Batch’s Mountain Bike has linear v-pull brakes while the Commuter has disc brakes, but I guess a true Commuter bike may need to stop on a dime in traffic situations. It’s also beneficial to have stronger brakes for a heavier bike.

Tires

The Batch’s 24 x 1.75″ street tires have a mild tread for smooth ride on the pavement. At 1.75, they’re a bit wider than many other 24″ bikes which does add weight to the bike, but also produces a more cushioned ride.

The sweet fenders will protect your kid’s clothes against splashes in the street, but more than anything, they just look super cool!

Gearing and Shifting (Gain Ratio)

The Batch Commuter has eight gears ranging from 2.6 to 7.7 gain ratio. While this gain ratio is very wide and provides plenty of gearing range for flat roads and inclines, we do wish that its lowest gear were actually a bit lower, rather than the highest gear being so high. Being such a heavy bike, it would be an added benefit to help kids power up those hills.

Additionally, the highest gear is higher than necessary at 7.7, especially with all that extra bike weight a child would be carrying along with it. If your child is going to be sticking to mainly flat areas, the Batch’s gearing is sufficient. If you live in a hilly area, the gearing combined with the weight of the Batch aren’t as ideal.

While most 24″ bikes feature grip shifters, the Batch has a trigger shifter. We normally prefer grip shifters for casual riding for kids because they’re more intuitive to use. But by the time a child is large enough for the Commuter, learning to master a trigger shifter shouldn’t be a problem.

The Shimano Altus drivetrain is mid-tier quality and does a sufficient job. We did have several issues with the chain coming off the chainring, but our bike shop friends who assembled the bike said that that’s a fairly common occurrence in bikes they sell with drivetrains of comparable quality.

Additionally, we did find the shifting to be quite clunky as the chain moved from one cog to another on the up shift. This is more common with trigger shifters than grip shifters, but we found it to be jumpier than should be normal.

I even went back to the bike shop to hop on a Trek Wahoo 26, which also features the Shimano Altus. There was a drastic difference in the smoothness of shifting between the two bikes, despite identical drivetrains. The Wahoo was significantly smoother and quieter as the chain shifted through the cogs.

Saddle

The Batch’s saddle is cushioned and comfy to cater to kids who just want a padded seat! It’s also railed to allow for slight adjustments forwards and backwards to find the perfect placement for your child.

We don’t love that the seat post doesn’t have a quick-release for easy height adjustments. An Allen key is required, which just seems like a strange and inconvenient oversight for a bike this price.

Where to Buy

Batch Bicycles are purchased exclusively through bike shops. If your local shop doesn’t carry Batch, you can contact them to request a special order.

Comparisons

As a casual, neighborhood commuting bike, the Batch Commuter is comparable to several other high-end bikes, including the woom 5 and Priority 24. Given the Batch’s weight and price, the woom and the Priority are both better bikes and a better deal.

If you really want to stick to a bike shop bike, you could also check out the Trek Wahoo 24 which is about the same price but weighs just under 21 lbs.

Batch Commuter Bottom Line

With solid quality components, a gorgeous black matte finish, but a heavy frame and clunky shifting, the Batch Commuter is best for aggressive or heavier kids that can handle the extra weight of the bike and who won’t be shifting with great frequency.

FTC Disclosure: Affiliate links are included in this review.  No monetary compensation was provided for this review, however, the reviewed product was supplied by the manufacturer or distributor to help facilitate this review. All opinions and images are that of Two Wheeling Tots LLC.  All content and images are copyrighted and should not be used or replicated in any way. View our Terms of Use.