Test Puky LS-Pro 20-7: The bike from the sporty model series from Puky pleases with its very low weight, low price and child-friendly equipment. If you want something more off-road, you'll find an off-road-capable model from the second brand, Eightshot, that costs even less.
Children's bike veteran Puky remained true to classic concepts for a long time and then dared a sporty new start with the second brand Eightshot. The child-friendly MTB series was a huge hit, and the company could have left it at that. However, Puky has set about expanding its main range and has added sporty lightweight models to the tried-and-tested school bikes with hub gears and coaster pedals, which fit perfectly into modern times.
From three to thirteen: LS-Pro!
At Puky, LS-Pro stands for a wide range of wheel sizes and age groups. There are five versions from 16 to 26 inches, so that you can practically ride the same bike from toddlers to teenagers, of course with age-appropriate equipment. The 20-inch model called Puky LS-Pro 20-7 is right in the middle: Puky intends it for children from the age of six and immediately specifies the appropriate height and stride length range. In practice, of course, it shows that even our four-year-old test rider gets along well with the bike - and at 107 cm, Alois is significantly smaller than Puky intended for the 20-inch bike. So much the better, because the LS-Pro can be used longer before it is passed on.
Puky also pays attention to a child-friendly seating position with the sporty lightweight models, and when the saddle is pushed in completely, it is significantly lower than the handlebars. With its bend upwards, this teases out another two centimeters in height. By installing a longer stem, the 20-inch bike can also be made suitable for larger children.
At a glance: Puky LS-Pro 20-7
8,14 kg (w/o p.) / 479,99 euros / for children between 120 and 142 cm / 53-66 cm inseam
+ Very light
+ Upright, child-friendly sitting position
+ Solid completion
+ Mounting of mudguards and carrier possible
+ side stand
– Shortly translated circuit
Our test driver Alois is four years old and 107 cm tall.
Closely graduated circuit
The equipment also deserves the title "child-friendly": The V-brakes are operated with compact children's brake handles, the seven-speed gearshift with a twist grip. Puky does without a large range of gear ratios and mounts a narrowly graded 14-28 sprocket combined with a 32-tooth chainring. Even the highest gear has a very short gear ratio, which isn't bad, so that little speedsters don't get too fast. A squat mountain gear like on the children's MTB is missing here. It is striking that Puky uses a classic freewheel and not a sprocket cassette. Both wheels are fastened with quick releases; child-friendly saddle and post with yoke clamp appear high-quality.
All-rounder with fender option
The frame and fork allow fenders to be fitted, and a carrier can also be fitted. The side stand that makes sense on the children's bike is already on. All of this qualifies the Puky as an all-rounder for pretty much every purpose, which is geared towards asphalt and solid ground with moderately profiled, 38 mm wide tires. The tires are not the only difference to the 20-inch MTB from sister brand Eightshot: the latter is designed for a harder pace with a much more massive fork and reinforced frame and is therefore also a good deal heavier. Anyone looking for a children's bike in the Puky universe should keep in mind that the two companies each cover different purposes.
At 8,14 kilos plus pedals, the SL-Pro 20 is really light; at just under 500 euros, it is also one of the cheapest models of this type on the market. The manufacturer's high quality standards are another plus of this bike.
