Nimble, lightweight, and with a wide range of gears, the Prevelo Zulu Four is quite simply a killer mountain bike. If your little grom dreams of plowing through rock gardens at speed, or hitting jumps and drops like it’s nothing, the Prevelo Zulu is the perfect pony for them.
Based out of Southern California, the Zulu was born and bred to take on the chunky and steep terrain that surrounds its home stomping grounds. Since its inception, Prevelo’s founder, Jacob Rheuban, has been tweaking and fine-tuning the Zulu while spending hours on the trail with his own young sons.
But how does it compare to other 24″ mountain bikes on the market? In this review, we’ll put the Zulu Four to the test against the woom OFF AIR 5 to find out. From gearing to suspension forks, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about the Prevelo Zulu Four.
Prevelo Zulu Four Overview
RATING: Exceptional
MSRP: $1,299
BEST FOR: Young groms ready to progress on more aggressive single-track. Not too aggressive, not too laid back, the Zulu is the perfect “all-mountain” bike for intermediate to advanced riders.
SPECIFICATIONS
SEAT HEIGHT: 24.8″ – 31.3″
WEIGHT: 23.2 lb. (w/ Heir pedals), 22.6 lb. (w/ Heir pedals and tubeless)
GEARS: 10-speed, Microshift Advent X, Trigger
GAIN RATIO: 1.4 – 6.0
FORK: RST First 24 AIR – 100mm travel – lockout, and adjustable compression and rebound
BRAKES: Tektro Hydraulic, 160mm rotor front, 140mm rotor rear
FRAME: Aluminum Alloy
TIRES: Kenda Booster Pro 24 x 2.2 Tubeless Ready
RIM: Heir i27 Asymmetrical Tubeless Ready
HEAD TUBE ANGLE: 66 degrees
SEAT TUBE ANGLE: 74 degrees
WHEELBASE: 989 mm
What we love about the Prevelo Zulu Four
- Fine-tuned for young groms, every component on the Zulu is hand-selected to fit young riders
- Just 23.2 pounds, the Zulu Four is lighter than ever (and now slightly lighter than the 24″ woom OFF AIR 5!)
- Backed by Prevelo’s top-notch, no-nonsense customer service
- Features a true trail-worthy 100mm air fork, one of the best forks for kids on the market
- Quick and responsive Microshift Advent X Trail trigger shifters are some of the best we’ve seen for kids
- Tektro hydraulic disc brakes with 160/140mm rotors provide all the stopping power you’ll need
- Wide range 10 gears (11- 48t cassette) for tackling steep inclines or bombing down challenging descents
- Head angle slack enough to feel confident going down, but steep enough for the front end of the bike to stay down and glued to the trail while climbing
- Dropper post compatible; proprietary “Heir Deheighter” dropper post developed with Kind Shock offered for $220
- Rims come pre-taped for a tubeless set up
What you should know about the Prevelo Zulu Four before you buy:
- The Zulu is no longer offered in a standard and upgraded Heir model. The single model is now basically the same high-end quality that the Heir was, but is not called Heir.
- While exceptional for a kids’ air fork, the Zulu’s 100mm air fork won’t actually provide 100mm of travel for lighter kids. Depending on a child’s weight, kids who need to run the fork at low PSIs are more likely to get a max of 90 or 95 mm.
2024 Prevelo Zulu Four Updates
In summer of 2024, Prevelo updated its Zulu models. The geometry remains essentially the same, but there are some seemingly small spec changes that have made a pretty big impact on the overall awesomeness of this bike. Here’s a highlight of the most noteworthy changes, which we’ll detail further throughout the review.
- LOWER WEIGHT: Having shed over 2 pounds, the Zulu is now slightly lighter than the woom OFF AIR 5!
- LOWER SEAT HEIGHT: With a lower seat height, kids can transition to a 24″ MTB sooner. (Although this isn’t best for every kid, which we’ll explain below.)
- DIFFERENT TIRES: Moving away from Vee Crown Gems, the tires are now the super lightweight Kenda Booster Pro.
- UPGRADED FORK: The RST F1RST fork is one of the very best available for kids bikes, and now comes standard with adjustable rebound.
- SMALLER GRIPS: The 19mm grip diameter is more narrow to better fit kids’ hands.
- DOUBLE THRU AXLE: Front and rear thru axles – the previous model only had a rear thru axle.
- UDH COMPATIBLE FRAME: For families that love to upgrade their bikes, this new feature will future-proof your choice of drivetrain.
- QUICK-ENGAGEMENT REAR HUB: With plenty of pawls, the rear hub is now functionally faster for starting or ratcheting, and also produces a louder tick for extra swagger factor.
- PRE-TAPED RIMS: While the older Zulu models were also tubeless compatible, the 2024 version ups the convenience with rims that come already taped!
- LOWER DROPPER POST: With the change to a Pivotal saddle, the “Heir Deheighter” dropper post can be dropped lower than previous Zulu models, allowing shorter kids to safely use a dropper post earlier than ever before.
Prevelo Zulu Four Review – Results of our Test Rides
This review is based on our tests with the 2024 Prevelo Zulu Four as well as our experience with the 2022 model. We’ve put the Zulu to the test with four different riders ages 6 to 11, and 51″ – 55” tall.
This review will be updated with more detailed information about the Zulu Four’s performance once our testing period has concluded. In the meantime, we’ve temporarily updated this review so that the most updated sizing and features details are accurate.
What type of rider is the Prevelo Zulu Four the best fit for?
The Prevelo Zulu Four is an “all-mountain” kids’ mountain bike crafted for young riders ready to take on more challenging and technical trails. With a 66-degree head tube angle and 989 mm long wheelbase, the Zulu has more cards in the downhill camp than other 24″ kids mountain bikes, while still being squarely in the “all-mountain” category.
The Zulu is ideal for adventurous riders who thrive on downhill sections yet are up for the challenge of a steep climb to get there. Its 11-48 cassette offers the gear range needed for uphill pushes and downhill bombing.
Previous versions of the Zulu Four were heavier, making climbs a challenge for kids, but the 2024 model is several pounds lighter, now matching the featherweight woom OFF AIR 5. Given how critical bike weight is to a child’s success on technical trails, this weight reduction is a significant win for the Zulu Four, enhancing its versatility as a true “all-mountain” bike.
For young shredders seeking out the gnarliest terrain, the Zulu also won’t disappoint. It slack head-tube angle and air-sprung fork guides riders confidently, quickly, and efficiently, handling tough trails without missing a beat.
Size and Fit Recommendations
The 2024 Zulu Four has a lower minimum seat height than previous versions, allowing a child to transition to a 24″ mountain bike a tad earlier. With a seat height range of 24.8″ – 31.3″, this is the smallest 24″ MTB that we know of. (For reference, the Specialized Riprock 24 has a minimum seat height of 27″, while the woom OFF AIR 5’s is 27.8″.)
On the smaller end of the Zulu Four, here is our very tall 6-year-old test rider (51″ tall with a 23.75″ inseam) on the 24″ Zulu Four and the 20″ Zulu Three. She is riding with the saddle set to 26.6″ on the Four and 26.75″ on the Three.
51″ Tall Rider on Zulu Four and Zulu Three
I was worried that the jump from a 20″ MTB to a 24″ MTB would be a struggle for her, especially since this is the only brand with a 24″ MTB small enough to fit her at this point. Turns out the Zulu Four was an exceptional fit. It also really helps that the 2024 Zulu Four is 2 pounds lighter than its previous version.
That said, our smallest rider was riding with the saddle almost 2″ above the minimum seat height. While we have not yet tested this bike with a shorter child riding with the saddle at its lowest point, we would anticipate that some kids that small may have difficulty maneuvering a 24″ bike and would be better served staying on a 20″ bike a little bit longer.
If you think your child may be a bit too big for the Four, check out the slightly larger Prevelo Zulu Five (26″).
Prevelo Zulu Four Components and Frame Geometry
Air Suspension Fork
Featuring an RST F1RST fork with adjustable compression, adjustable rebound, and lockout, the Zulu features one of the best kids’ suspension forks on the market. That said, you do need to temper your expectations when dealing with kids and suspension.
When you have kids in the saddle, they are applying significantly less weight to an air fork compared to an adult on an adult bike. As a result, engineering a quality suspension fork that fully compresses and rebounds under the weight of a sub-100 lb. individual isn’t quite cold fusion, but close.
Several high-quality air forks have hit the market over the past couple of years, and they are light years better than what was available 10 years ago. The RST F1RST is easily one of the best suspension forks for kids on the market, but like all kids’ air forks we’ve tested, you shouldn’t expect for your lightweight child to be able to use the entire range of its 100mm of travel.
For example, our 51″ tall 6-year-old weighs 62 lbs. (she’s pretty solid, so weighs more than an average kid her height). We found the ideal PSI setting for her weight was 33, which was about 25% sag. At 33 PSI, she is able to get the compression she needs on the trail, but the fork only extends a maximum of 95mm, rather than the full 100mm.
In order to get the full 100 mm extension on the fork, we had to set the PSI higher, which made the fork too rigid for her weight. To reiterate, this has been an issue on every kids’ mountain bike we’ve tested.
That said, the Zulu Four’s air fork works much better at lower pressures for lighterweight kids than other forks we’ve used in the past. Even when set to just 20 PSI, the fork still gets great compression and rebound.
Tektro Hydraulic Disc Brakes
As a bike built for downhill adventures, Prevelo equipped the Zulu with Tektro hydraulic disc brakes with a 160mm rotor in the front and 140mm in the rear. The levers are easy to reach for small hands, and also easy to pull.
As an upgrade to the 2024 Zulu, the grips were narrowed to 19mm (from 22mm). Better sized for kids hands, this makes it easier to grip the handlebars while also keeping one or two fingers on the brake levers.
Drivetrain
The Zulu comes equipped with Microshift Advent X Pro trigger shifters and Microshift Advent X AM clutch derailleur.
As a double-push trigger, our testers had no concerns reaching both buttons with their thumb. In fact, in our many years of testing, we’ve found this particular trigger shifter to be one of the easiest for kids’ hands to manage. With light actuation and realistic throw distances, kids are able to shift pretty frustration-free.
The corresponding Microshift Advent X AM derailleur easily navigated through the 10-speed 11-48t teeth in the cassette. And with a 28T narrow-wide chainring in the front and on/off clutch settings on the derailleur, Prevelo got serious with the details of the drivetrain to keep that chain from flapping around or falling off. (While the woom OFF also has a narrow-wide chainring, it doesn’t have a clutch derailleur.)
It’s also serious about providing an impressively wide gearing range to make longer, extended climbs more feasible for young riders. With a gain ratio range of 1.4 – 6.0, its granny gear is significantly lower than the woom OFF AIR 5 with its range of 1.9 – 6.0.
This new 2024 Zulu now features a quick engagement rear hub, which you don’t normally see on kids’ bikes. Whether this will be a noticeable benefit to your rider will primarily depend on how technical the terrain they’re riding is. For an interesting discussion on the benefits of quick engagement rear hub, check out this article.
Rims and Tires
The Zulu Four comes standard with tubeless-ready rims (that arrive pre-taped!) and tubeless ready Kenda Booster Pro TR 2.2″ tires. The Booster Pro TR is a newer cross-country tire from Kenda that is designed to be lighter while still providing plenty of grip and traction for looser dirt, cornering, and generally rough terrain.
The TR stands for “Tubeless Race” and is the lightest tubeless ready tire made by Kenda. These tires also come in a heavier STC version that has sidewall protection. Depending on where you normally ride, you may want to consider replacing the TR with STC to prevent rock slashes to your sidewalls.
The woom OFF AIR has slightly wider tires than the Prevelo at 2.35″, but not enough to be noticeable.
Slack Head Tube Angle (HTA)
The head tube angle of a bike is the angle at which the fork touches the ground (if it extended that far). A more “slack” headtube angle pushes the front tire forward, farther away from the rider. A less slack head tube angle moves the front tire closer to the rider and more “under” the bike.
The Zulu features a slack 66-degree head tube angle which positions the front wheel much more forward on the bike and also increases the wheelbase. The forward position of the wheel keeps the bike much more stable and planted on the downhill and helps it to roll over larger rocks and roots with greater ease.
On the flip side, when headed uphill, the slack HTA isn’t as efficient as it allows less of the rider’s weight to be placed over the front tire. With less weight on the tire, the front wheel is more likely to slip as it can’t get as much traction.
This can particularly be an issue with young riders who already have minimal weight to shift around. Because most young riders lack the extended physical and mental stamina of an adult, the less they have to “work” the bike, the more effort they can put into climbing. (The steeper seat tube angle helps with this though, see next section.)
The Zulu is slacker than most similar 24″ mountain bikes. The Specialized Riprock Expert has 67 HTA, Spawn Yama Jama has 68 HTA, and the woom OFF AIR has a 69 HTA. The only other 24″ kids mountain bikes we found with a 66 HTA (or less) is the full suspension Trailcraft Maxwell 24 (66 HTA) and the Commencal Clash with a 64.5 HTA.
Seat Tube Angle
The seat tube angle (for you purists, we are talking about the effective seat tube angle) is the angle at which an imaginary line that starts on the saddle and runs through the bottom bracket makes contact with the ground. A steeper seat tube angle will position the rider more “on top” of the pedals, while a slacker seat tube angle will position them closer to the rear tire.
The Zulu has a steeper 74-degree seat tube angle, which helps to center the rider on the bike. This central position helps riders to be able to lean into a climb to help keep weight on the front tire. As a result, the steep seat tube angle helps to counteract some of the negative effects of slack head tube angles when climbing.
Saddle
Pivotal saddles now come standard on the Zulu Four. While the angle of the saddle can still be tilted up or down, without rails, the saddle can’t be adjusted forward or backward.
One advantage of this system is that without rails underneath the saddle, the seat can be lowered closer to the seat post collar for a lower minimum seat height.
Optional Upgrades
Prevelo HEIR Footport Pedals
While the Prevelo Zulu ships with sturdy plastic pedals, Prevelo offers their custom metal pedals with rounded pins as an upgrade for $95. The rounded pins allow for plenty of grip without the risk of injured shins from standard pins.
Proprietary Heir Deheighter Pivotal Dropper Post
The Zulu Four is dropper post compatible with routing ports integrated into the frame. With the transition to a Pivotal saddle for the Zulu line, Prevelo and Kind Shock designed the proprietary Heir Deheighter Pivotal dropper post. This dropper is exclusive to Prevelo and is the only dropper post on the market to work with a Pivotal saddle. It’s an air-sprung hydraulic dropper with 75mm travel.
When purchased at check-out, Prevelo will install the dropper prior to shipping for no additional charge.
How does the dropper post affect the seat height of the Zulu?
Because kids are constantly getting taller, properly fitting a dropper post on a kids’ bike can be a bit tricky.
The Heir Deheighter dropper raises the minimum safe seat height by just a few inches. Because of the way a Pivotal saddle is designed (compared to a traditional saddle on rails), Prevelo’s proprietary saddle/dropper combination is able to achieve a lower minimum seat height.
Zulu Four vs. woom OFF AIR
One of the most common questions we get about 24″ kids mountain bikes is how Prevelo and woom compare to one another. While both 24″ mountain bikes are designed for serious young groms, their build and components do result in better performance in different riding conditions. Looking at numbers alone, the Prevelo leans more towards an “all-mountain” bike, while the woom is more of a XC bike.
Also remember that the minimum seat height for the Zulu Four is several inches lower than the woom OFF AIR 5, so a child could fit on the Prevelo much sooner than the woom.
Prevelo Zulu | woom OFF AIR 5 | |
MSRP | $1,299 | $1,199 |
Seat Height | 24.8″ – 31.3″ | 27.8″ – 33.7″ |
Weight | 23.2 lb. | 23.4 lb. |
# Gears | 10 | 9 |
Gain Ratio | 1.4 – 6.0 | 1.9 – 6.0 |
Drivetrain | Microshift Advent X | SRAM X5 |
Chainring | 28t | 28t |
Cassette | 11-48t | 11-34t |
Air Fork | RST, 100mm | RST, 80 mm |
Brakes | Tektro, 160/140mm | Promax, 140mm |
Tubeless Ready? | Yes | Yes |
Pre-taped Rims? | Yes | No |
Dropper Compatible? | Yes | Yes |
Head Tube Angle | 66 | 69 |
Seat Tube Angle | 74 | 70 |
Wheelbase | 989 | 970 |
Prevelo Zulu Four Bottom Line
From bombing down more advanced single-track to getting playful at your local bike park, the Prevelo Zulu Four is the perfect noble steed for your little grom. With confidence-building geometry, the Zulu will quickly progress your young rider from hesitating on obstacles to charging through them. For those young riders who are all about the downhill, yet need a low granny gear to help power up the uphills, the Zulu is the perfect 24″ mountain bike for the job.
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