With multiple MTB mini-shredders running around, the Flow team have owned all manner of balance bikes, kids bike seats — including the Kids Ride Shotgun child seats — and still regularly use their MTB tow rope. So when the Kiwi outfit announced it was launching a balance bike designed in-house, we were excited to see what it had come up with.

These balance bikes are designed to be used off-road but aren’t out of place doing hot laps around the pump track or exploring neighbourhood pathways. The kids loved how they looked and immediately felt comfortable aboard the Dirt Hero. We shared them around with other littles on off-road playdates to really put these little bikes through their paces.

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An overview of the Kids Ride Shotgun Dirt Hero balance bike

While balance bikes are a dime a dozen, the Dirt Hero stands apart from the kid’s toys like those from Little Nation and Cruzee and even to a degree the balance bikes from many bike brands too.

Based on an alloy frame, KRS has opted for 100mm thru-axles instead of quick-release or bolt-on options and the wheels spin on 2.25in Vee Tire Co Crown Gem tyres. These are pneumatic tyres that use the same tread pattern and MPC compound found on the 29in version.

Both the wheels and headset spin around sealed cartridge bearings, which should stand up to the abuse a three-year-old can subject a little bike to without becoming a rusted-out, crunchy mess.

KRS has spec’d 450mm wide bars, and used geometry that resembles a full-size mountain bike, making the front centre length longer than the rear — for whatever reason most balance bikes are the opposite.

There’s a bash guard under to downtube, a grippy foot rest and an optional Magura disc brake for more power and cool factor than V-brakes.

Building the Kids Ride Shotgun Dirt Hero

To build the most suitable balance bike for your little rider, Kids Ride Shotgun offers the Dirt Hero as a modular kit consisting of a frame kit, two wheel kits, and an optional brake kit.

We built a 12-inch bike without a brake and a 14-inch bike with a rear stopper. They were so simple to build that the kids got involved, which is a welcomed experience for anyone who has built kids bikes.

A lot of thought and care have gone into the presentation of the Dirt Hero, and they are neatly boxed up with minimal, well-considered packaging — there is hardly any plastic to be found.

Before you can get to the frame, you are greeted with the “Start with me” kit, which includes the instructions, three top tube decals, two 100mm thru-axles, a mudguard and every tool required to build the bike. The included allen keys even have ball ends, which is a step above tools typically shipped with DIY build kits — well done Kids Ride Shotgun. Although the bolts come with thread locker and the axle threads are greased, we suggest you apply grease on the body of the thru-axles and use a torque wrench if you have one.

There is also a set of temporary tattoos to increase the stoke, or at the very least appease your child while they wait for you to assemble their new bike.

The aluminium frame kit is lightweight and only requires the installation of the handlebars before going to the wheels. The stems on the two bikes we received were pre-installed correctly and straight. The tapered handlebars have a small rise to give the authentic MTB look, with markings that actually align with the supplied stem.

The handlebars have a reduced diameter at the ends to accommodate smaller grips, which are plush. Every kid who got on the Dirt Hero commented on how comfy they were, however they do tend to rotate and move on the handlebars. This is fine for kids at learning speed but is a little concerning for the parent of a shreddy four-year-old.

It otherwise ticks lots of safety boxes, including a steering limiter to stop over-rotation of the handlebars, ultra-low standover above the top tube, and no sharp or catch points for skin or clothes to snag on.

It’s clear the folks at Kids Ride Shotgun have spent A LOT of time with little ones out on the trails, as they have even gone as far as covering the underside of the saddle to eliminate fingers getting caught, and use flanges on both the inside and used outside of the grips to keep small hands in position. The tyres come without valve caps, probably because they are considered a choking hazard and even the rotors have guards on the inner spokes to keep little fingers from finding their way into a bad place — the forethought for preventing tears due to the bike itself is impressive.

Riding the Kids Ride Shotgun Dirt Hero

Kids Ride Shotgun offers the wheels in 12-inch and 14-inch options to suit a minimum suggested inseam of 337mm and 367mm, respectively and come with all required dropout adapters. Sizing is the most important thing when it comes to a balance bike. Your child shouldn’t grow into a balance bike. The bike should fit them straight away and grow with them. There should be enough room for your mini to stand up and have the bike roll out from underneath them, so allowing around 2-4 cm of clearance when standing above the seat is ideal.

It’s fantastic that Kids Ride Shotgun offers two-wheel size options, not only for the obvious reason of fit but also because not all kids feel comfortable getting on a bike until they’re older. One of our mini-shredders was on his first balance bike from 18 months, but his sister wasn’t confident riding until she was three years old. She is now 3 ½ and can ride the Dirt Hero in both wheel sizes comfortably, with the saddle at about half height on the 12-inch and at almost fully retracted on the 14-inch.

Compared to other balance bikes we’ve owned, the long front centre was immediately apparent. Back at the Handmade Bike Show, Mark Prova of Prova Bikes noted that for some reason children’s bikes often are short at the front and long at the back — something he himself came across when putting together a custom 20in titanium MTB for his niece. Fortunately, the Dirt Hero also bucks this trend so that your grom doesn’t get bucked over the handlebars and provides more stable handling.

For little rippers who have no fear or just kids ready to learn how to brake, Kids Ride Shotgun offers the Magura MT4 hydraulic disc brake kit. These ambidextrous rear brake kits are set up specifically for the Dirt Hero, with the hose cut perfectly to length.

As we mentioned above the 140mm rotor has guards to keep little fingers at bay, and the MC1 levers have a parallel blade and reach adjustment suitable for little hands. It took a while for the kids to get used to the brake, but it is worth seeing the grins when they discovered their first skid! They’re also a must for kids confident enough to use the grippy footrests.

Regardless of the wheelsize the Dirt Hero rolls on knobbly Vee Tire Co Crown Gem rubber. These are rated for up to 30psi, however given that our three-year-old tester only tips the scales at 12kg, we ran them as low as 13 psi to give maximum traction and provide some cushioning both on and off-road.

Flow’s Verdict

The Dirt Hero is literally a mini-mountain bike without a drivetrain. The frame and the parts hanging off of it have been selected specifically to help your kids confidently explore your local bike paths, pump track and singletrack, but also to make it last as long as humanly possible.

It is light enough for a three-year-old to easily pick up to manoeuvre or off the ground after a fumble. Like all its other products, Kids Ride Shotgun has designed the Dirt Hero from the ground up rather than settling for an off-the-shelf solution.

This is reflected in their pricing, starting at $520 AUD for their 12-inch setup without the disc brake or $540 for the 14-inch equivalent. The hydraulic disc brakes add $170 to the kit. This is definitely not a cheap balance bike, but with the modularity and quality of the parts it’s also probably the only one you will need to buy before your grom is ready for pedals.