Prevelo Alpha Four – 24″ Kids Bike Review

With all-terrain tires, a lightweight frame, and top-of-the-line components, the Prevelo Alpha Four is a wickedly versatile kids bike that will enable your adventurous rider to grow their skills on various terrain. Long paved family rides? No problem! Pump track? Also no problem. Beginner single track? Absolutely!

Whether your rider needs a fun, durable, and responsive bike for everyday riding or a technical bike for basic trail riding, the Alpha Four makes riding natural and effortless. Built with trigger shifters and a wide gear range, the Alpha’s quick and smooth shifting allows kids to dominate elevation changes big and small. Read our full review below for all the reasons we love this 24 inch kids bike!

Prevelo Alpha Four Overview

RATING: Exceptional

MSRP: $549

BEST FOR: The adventurous day-to-day rider looking for a quick, responsive, and versatile bike. Exceptionally capable on anything from road to basic trail riding and everything in between.

SEAT HEIGHT: 25.5″ – 31.5″

WEIGHT: 21.5 lb.

ADDITIONAL SPECS
GEARS: 9-speed Microshift with Trigger
BRAKES: Tektro Dual Hand Brakes
FRAME: Aluminum Alloy
GAIN RATIO: 2.1 to 6.8
MAX TIRE WIDTH: 1.95″ front and back
WHEELBASE: 968 mm

View on Prevelo

Prevelo Alpha Four Review – Results of our Test Rides

Prevelo bikes are designed specifically for kids. While some kids’ bikes are just scaled-down versions of an adult bike made with off-the-shelf components, Prevelo Bikes are meticulously crafted using kid-specific geometry and parts. From tire selection to shifters, we can confidently confirm that the Prevelo Alpha Four is well spec’ed and well loved by our test riders

What type of rider is the Prevelo Alpha Four best for?

The Alpha Four is an exceptional, lightweight, all-terrain 24 inch bike that is best suited for the average to aggressive rider both on and off the pavement. Extremely versatile, the Prevelo is phenomenal straight out of the box for everything from playful rides around the neighborhood to extensive distance rides on paved or dirt trails.

So how does it compare to other all-purpose 24″ bikes in its price range (like the woom 5 and Pello Reyes), and when should you choose the Alpha Four?

If your child will be riding on both paved and dirt trails, we found the Alpha Four to be an exceptional choice for both timid and aggressive riders.

If your child is sticking mainly to pavement, due to its more aggressive positioning than the woom 5, the Prevelo is our favorite all-purpose bike for aggressive riders in this category.

Best Use Comparison of 24 Inch All-Terrain Bikes

Prevelo Alpha for Road Warriors (Mainly Paved Riders)

The lightweight and efficient frame of the Alpha Four allows young riders to efficiently pound out the miles. With 9 gears with a wide gear range, the Alpha’s drivetrain is ready for tackling on long climbs or extended flat straightaways from the get-go.

For those riders ready to take it up a notch, swapping out the Alpha’s all-terrain tires for the smooth-rolling Kenda Kwest 24×1.5s is a worthy upgrade. Narrower road tires will not fit on the Alpha’s rim.

Prevelo Alpha for Basic Trail Use (and its Limits for Mainly Dirt Riders)

With trigger shifters, 9 gears as well a knobby Small Block 8 tires, the Alpha offers a fun and fast ride on basic single-track. For more traction and cushioning on really chattery trails, the Alpha can be upgraded to wider 1.85″ tires such as the Maxxis Holy Roller. Due to restrictions of the frame, the Alpha cannot take a tire wider than 1.9″ on the front and the rear.

For those who plan on riding mainly dirt or for those likely to embrace mountain biking to its fullest, we recommend the Pello Reyes over the Alpha due to its ability to take a wider 2.1″ tire, mechanical disc brakes, as well as optional suspension fork upgrade.

For more advanced riders (especially those focused on the downhill) the Prevelo Zulu Four with wide 2.1″ off-road tires, hydraulic disc brakes, and an air suspension fork is likely worth the upgrade.

What size rider fits on the 24″ Prevelo Alpha Four?

The Alpha Four has a seat height range of 25.5″ to 31.5″ and is a best fit for kids between 50″ and 55″ tall. Both our 51″ and 54.5″ tall testers (on opposite ends of the bike’s range) fit great on the Alpha Four.

Our 51″ tall tester rode with the seat slammed down at 25.5″ and had proper leg extension for an efficient stroke as well as comfortable arm extension.

On the taller end, our 54.5″ tall tester with a 26″ inseam rode with the seat closer to its max at 30″ and also experienced a great fit. Although he only has 1.5″ of room for growth on the seat post, he expressed no concerns with the fit of the bike, and I fully anticipate him being able to max out the seat post without affecting his performance.

Being at the higher end of the bike’s seat height, the handlebars are positioned significantly lower on his body compared to the shorter rider above, but he had no issues handling and maneuvering the bike.

In terms of size, the Prevelo Alpha Four is pretty spot on when compared to other high-end, all-terrain bikes. The woom 5 is slightly taller, but between the Pello Reyes and Polygon Ultralight, there is no significant difference.

Prevelo Alpha Four – Geometry and Components

Weight

The Prevelo Alpha Four is one of the lightest 24″ bikes on the market. With less weight to manage, lighter weight bikes are tremendously helpful in enabling kids to quickly build confidence in climbing and maneuvering.

Coming in at 21.5 lb., the Alpha Four felt quick and nimble for our smallest 60 lb. tester, while still being robust enough for our taller 75 lb. tester.

Compared to other all-terrain 24″ bikes, the Prevelo is hands down the lightest bike designed for more aggressive riders. The woom 5 is lighter, but its more upright geometry (see more below) makes it less desirable for aggressive riders who really want to lean into turns, jumps, and obstacles.

Weight Comparisons of 24″ All Terrain Bikes (lb.)

Geometry

The Prevelo Alpha Four places the rider in a semi-upright position that allows aggressive riders to easily lean in to the bike, without being too leaned forward to make more timid riders uncomfortable.

The Alpha Four has a similar geometry to the Pello Reyes, but is more aggressive than the woom 5. In the side-by-side comparison below, you can see how the adjustable-height handlebars of the woom 5 offer a more upright seating position that timid riders tend to prefer.

Gearing and Shifting

The Alpha Four has a 9-speed MicroShift drivetrain with a wide gain ratio ranging from 2.1 to 6.8 which is the widest range available on an all-terrain bike. Other bikes offer a similar low gear (lower number – used for climbing hills), but their high gear (used for quickly gaining and maintaining speed on flats) is slightly less.

If you are unfamiliar with gain ratios, how they work, and why they are important, be sure to check out Prevelo’s blog article that gives a great explanation.

In addition to a wide gear range, the Prevelo features 9 gears and a trigger shifter. The Pello Reyes also has 9 gears and a trigger shifter, but its 1.95″ wide tires roll a bit slower on pavement than Prevelo’s slimmer 1.5″, making it less ideal for paved rides.

Microshift Double Thumb Shifters

The Alpha Four is specced with a Microshift double thumb trigger shifter. To shift to a harder gear, the child simply pushes the upper smaller button with their thumb on their right hand. To shift to a lower, easer gear, the larger lower button needs to be pushed. The child in the image below is pushing the larger button to shift down to a lower gear.

Learning to use trigger shifters can be less intuitive than grip shifters. But two of our test riders had previously only used grip shifters, and they were able to figure out the Alpha’s trigger shifters within a couple of minutes. In fact, they loved the trigger shifters so much that they essentially demanded that I find them a bike with shifters just like the “blue bike!”.

If the Alpha Four is your child’s first geared bike, you should anticipate them struggling to grasp trigger shifters at first. With time, they will certainly get it, but to help them progress more quickly, we’ve found putting different colored or shaped stickers on the trigger shifter button to help.

As you ride along with them, shout out a color or shape and have them push the button while pedaling to see how the bike “feels” different. With time they will pick up which button to use to make the bike feel faster and which button will help the bike feel slower.

Dual Hand Brakes

Tektro front and rear v-brakes smoothly bring the Prevelo Alpha Four to a stop. With a small reach, they were easy to pull and activate for young hands, and offered plenty of braking power for all of our adventures on and off road.

While the v-brakes on the Alpha Four don’t have the stopping power of disc brakes, don’t mistake them for the standard v-brakes found on lower-end bikes. These brakes are easy to activate and offer MUCH more stopping power than the hand brakes found on bikes when you were a child!

Prevelo Alpha Four Competitors

The Prevelo Alpha Four is our favorite 24″ bike for kids riding on mixed terrains. With more technical brawn than the woom 5, but not as trail-focused as the Pello Reyes, the Prevelo hits that sweet spot in between.

For those on a tighter budget, the Polygon Ultralight is a great deal, but is heavier and has a much narrower gear range.

Prevelo Alpha Four Bottom Line

The Prevelo Alpha Four is an exceptional 24 inch bike for eager young kids riding both on and off the pavement. Lightweight with a low-center-of-gravity, the Alpha Four offers a fun and playful ride paired with ample technical ability.

The Alpha’s knobby all-terrain tires, trigger shifters, and 9 gears make the Alpha Four a must-have for the adventurous child ready to take on wild adventures on both paved and basic dirt trails.

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.