The Giant Seek 1 in practical testing: The world's largest bicycle manufacturer is delighting young drop-bar enthusiasts with a super-lightweight children's bike. A highlight is the electronic shifting system, whose levers are specially designed for small hands. Anyone who thinks there's no market for a €3.000 children's bike should visit our Dutch neighbors.
A racing bike for children: The Giant Seek 1
As the world's largest bicycle manufacturer and supplier for other brands, Giant is so well-positioned that not every project has to be a blockbuster. This allows them to realize concepts that, at least from a German perspective, don't seem particularly promising. Is there really a market for a €3.000 children's racing bike? Anyone familiar with local customs might well doubt it. But you only have to travel to the Netherlands and look at, for example, the Tom Dumoulin Bike Park Visit to find out how many children participate in road and cross-country racing there – that's hundreds of potential users of the small Giant, and suddenly the situation looks very different.
Special geometry for children
What makes the Giant Seek 1 stand out? First of all, the compact frame with its special geometry allows for early use. The manufacturer specifies a height of 130–150 cm and an age range of 10–16 years; however, the Velomotion test proves that even a seven-year-old girl can handle the bike perfectly well. This is primarily due to the unusual frame geometry, which is achieved using…Dynamic Cycling Fit“ was developed: With the innovative “measuring bike” from the Giant subsidiary, you can test practically any conceivable dimension.
The children's bike features an unusually steep 78° seat tube angle, positioning the rider further forward. The frame's reach (horizontal distance from the bottom bracket to the top of the head tube) is about 20% shorter than a 56cm adult frame, and it also has a short 60mm stem. Extending the seatpost further moves the saddle back, making room for the rider's growing thighs. A seatpost with more rearward setback and a longer stem could make the Giant suitable for teenagers; however, most 16-year-olds will likely have outgrown it.
Diverse area of application
Another clever trick in the design of this children's racing bike is the use of 650B wheels, or 27,5 inches. Because the outer radius of the rim is 19 mm smaller, the child sits correspondingly lower; the frame and fork can be designed more compactly. To achieve a low center of gravity, Giant has opted against the option of mounting really wide tires – officially, anything wider than 37 mm isn't possible. However, this is more than enough for children, and the Giant Seek 1 can confidently be called a gravel bike, even though it's primarily a road bike and secondarily a cyclocross bike.
Sensible component selection
It's not just the frame geometry that's innovative, but also the components. It starts with the drivetrain: In collaboration with Giant, component manufacturer TRP developed a special version of its Vistar shifters, which, with brake levers curved towards the handlebars, are adapted for small hands. The fact that the twelve-speed system with an 11-36 cassette and 30-tooth chainring is electronically shifted is by no means a luxury on a children's racing bike: The lever travel and hand force of mechanical systems can be overwhelming for small hands; the electronic shift paddles, on the other hand, are easy to use. The hydraulic disc brakes are also ideal in this respect.
The highlight: The carbon wheelset
The Giant Seek 1 comes equipped with GIANT SLR 1 Disc Carbon 650B wheels, a true luxury. A search for the wheelset on the Giant website reveals a price of €1.700 for the front and rear wheels, which, according to the manufacturer, is quite reasonable considering their weight of 1.300 grams. However, it is somewhat surprising that the wheelset accounts for more than half the total price of the bicycle. Conversely, one could argue that the bike offers exceptional value for money. Furthermore, there is also the Giant Seek 3, available for €1.800, which features electronic shifting, mechanical-hydraulic brakes, and an aluminum wheelset.
