Test BBF Rocky Rider: The BBF wants to convince parents and children alike with features and components suitable for everyday use that promise off-road competence. But the bike also has disadvantages.
BBF Bike looks back on a 30-year history under this name, and the predecessor company, the Berlin bicycle dealer Mietzner, was founded in 1935. The company supplies the bicycle trade with numerous own brands as well as exclusively sold brands and thus covers a broad portfolio, which of course also includes children's bikes. It is typical for BBF that all models from 20 inches are equipped for road use, i.e. with a permanently mounted dynamo lighting system - although this is no longer mandatory, but is of course very useful, especially on everyday bikes. Fenders, rear racks and hub gears are also rarely missing on any BBF children's bike, which is why Rocky Rider is rather untypical for the provider.
BBF Rocky Rider: Fresh colors, lots of equipment
What distinguishes the orange bike? Apart from the fresh color concept with the turquoise blue accents, it is immediately apparent that the BBB has a lot going for it. The bike with the compact frame, which leads to a more upright sitting position, comes with a hub dynamo and LED lights; in addition, plastic mudguards à la MTB are mounted.
In addition, the Rocky Rider is equipped with a suspension fork that offers around 50 mm of usable travel, and it also differs from the current 20-inch mainstream in terms of gearing: BBF uses a 3×7 gear with triple chainring, like it does was once typical of mountain biking. With the emphasis on "was", because the current standard is 1×12 or 1×11, and the mono chain ring has also become established on children's bikes. It is easier, especially for younger cyclists, to concentrate on just one option when shifting gears, and with a twist shifter like the one on the BBF, things are very simple: turn forwards = hard gear, turn backwards = easy gear.
Complicated circuit
But the twist grip on the left of the handlebars (for the front derailleur) works the other way around, which can be confusing for little cyclists. The children don’t have much of the 21 gears on the BBF (18 gears are specified on the product page) anyway: With a 14-28 freewheel and 42-34-24 teeth at the front, the gear ratio range is only slightly wider than, for example, with the 1×7 variant with 12-32 ring gear and 30 chain ring. You buy your child that with significantly more complicated operation and higher weight.
The Rocky Rider rolls on two-inch wide Kenda tires with strong profile, which certainly have a good grip on slippery terrain - but the bike is still not a real children's mountain bike. At 12,9 kilos, the BBF is simply far too heavy for a sporty driving style (and also 2,5 kilos heavier than the manufacturer states). True 20-inch MTBs at a comparable price weigh three to four kilos less, which is a world of difference when it comes to handling.
At a glance: BBF Rocky Rider
12,9 kg (with pedals) / 569,90 euros / no size specifications
+ Child-friendly frame geometry
+ Lighting system and fenders
– Very high weight
– Impractical circuit
– Heavy, less functional suspension fork
Our test driver Laurin is six years old and 128 cm tall.
Such models don't have a suspension fork, but our test riders didn't have much of one: The steel spring fork of the Rocky Rider only responds well to the first 20 mm of spring travel and then noticeably hardens. In return, it makes the bike top-heavy, which of course doesn't suit the handling.
Functional neither in everyday life nor in sports
It's good that BBF specifies a lighting system - but even that only makes sense if the Rocky Rider is used as an everyday bike, and then features such as tires, 3×7 gears and suspension fork are useless. So it is not clear where the traditional manufacturer wants to go with this bike. In any case, the Rocky Rider cannot score with functionality and driving fun.
