Prevelo Alpha Zero Review

The ultimate ride for young groms, the Prevelo Alpha Zero balance bike is superbly built from top to bottom, and perfectly suited for adventure. Read the full review below for more details on its awesomeness.

Prevelo Alpha Zero

RATING: Exceptional

MSRP: $239

BEST FOR: Young toddlers in 18 or 24 months clothes who are ready to tackle the world on their bike.

SEAT HEIGHT: 11.4″ – 14.6″

WEIGHT: 8.5 lb.

ADDITIONAL SPECS
TIRES: Air
BRAKE: Hand Brake
FITS PANTS SIZES: 18mo to 3T
FRAME:  Aluminum Alloy
FOOTREST: No

View on Prevelo

Prevelo Alpha Zero Review – Results of our Test Rides

The Prevelo Alpha Zero balance bike is what every young grom’s (and let’s be honest, their parents’ as well) dreams are made of.  No bright and busy graphics or literal bells and whistles, just a perfectly proportioned and precision-built balance bike.  From the handlebars to the tires, Prevelo’s balance bike provides a smooth and effortless ride that is sure to instill a love of biking in your child at a young age.

Size

The Alpha Zero is on the smaller end for balance bikes and is suitable for kids in 24-month to 3T pants (but just barely).  The minimum seat height is 11.5″ and extends to 14.5″.  An extended seat post is not available for the Alpha Zero.  Having a long wheelbase, however, the Zero does allow taller riders to comfortably ride the bike with a seat post set slightly lower than ideal.

Our 38.5″ tall, 3.5-year-old tester in 3T pants technically needed the seat set higher than the maximum 14.5″, but was able to comfortably ride the Alpha Zero anyways.

3.5-year-old Tester on the Prevelo Zero

Our very tall 2-year-old tester who has been in 3T pants for quite some time is maxed out on the Alpha Zero, but still rides it comfortably.

Quality of Components

Even at first glance, it’s not hard to see the quality of construction found on the Alpha Zero.  If the cool two-tone coloring with a sleek matte black fork doesn’t get your attention, the individual components certainly will. Standout features include the threadless headset, Kenda tires, low-profile bolts and a rear Tektro handbrake.

The threadless headset is a step above the standard threaded headset.  Threadless headsets are typically better at keeping their alignment after the impact from a crash.  On balance bikes with standard threaded headsets, the handlebars almost always become off-center with the front wheel after even a minor impact.  While the handlebars can often be twisted back into place, with time it becomes frustrating for both parents and kids. The Alpha Zero eliminates this problem!

Soft and cushioning, the Alpha Zero’s Kenda tires are high quality and provide excellent traction on both paved and mild, all-terrain trails.  For added safety, the axle of each wheel is capped with a low-profile bolt to prevent scratches.

Brakes

While many balance bikes don’t have brakes, we feel strongly that it’s almost always a good idea to have a handbrake.  While kids typically stop balance bikes with their feet, as they get older and are able to ride faster, a quality handbrake allows them to stop faster and with more control.  With sealed-bearings and a smooth-rolling hub, the Prevelo Zero is a fast bike, but nothing its Tekro handbrake can’t handle.

Mounted closer to the handlebar grips than typical for kids’ hand brakes, the brake levers were easy to reach and activate by our three-year-old tester.  Mounted on the right side of the bike, the brake introduces the basics of safe braking at a young age as it teaches them to rely on their right hand to brake (which is connected to the rear brake).  The grips on the bike, however, were of slight concern as they left small rubber debris behind on our tester’s hands. But being a new bike, we expect this to wear off with time.

One concern we did have during our testing was a scratch our tester received from the tail-end of the brake cable.  This concern, however, IS NOT exclusive to Prevelo and can happen to all balance bikes with rear V-brakes. 

After the brakes on a bike are properly adjusted, the tail-end of the cable remains.  This wire is typically tucked into a small tab on the rear brake to prevent it from sticking out, but during one ride on the Prevelo Zero, it popped out of place.  While extending his legs during his stride, the wire caught the back of our tester’s leg, leaving a decent sized scratch.  To prevent this from happening, we suggest using Islabikes’ trick and installing a zip tie to keep the wire cable in place (as shown in the red balance bike below).

Comparison

The Prevelo Alpha Zero is similar to several other balance bikes in both price and components.  The Islabikes Rothan, Frog Tadpole, and woom 1 are all built with high-end components and are similar in size, but they do have slight differences in seat height, weight, and wheelbase length.

With the longest wheelbase, the Prevelo Alpha Zero is best suited for adventurous riders who would benefit from the added stability on jumps, hills, or trail riding.

With the tallest seat height, the Yedoo Too Too is best for older or taller toddlers.

Lastly, the woom 1 is our top choice for the average rider as it offers the widest seat height range in this group and is available in many different colors.

Prevelo Alpha One Bottom Line

The perfect ride for future podium winners, the Prevelo Alpha Zero is sure to instill a love of biking in your young rider.  On the smaller end of balance bikes, the Alpha Zero is best for kids aged 18-months to 3-years who are ready to tackle life by the handlebars.

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.