Parents, meet the Jett. What is the Jett exactly? It is Specialized newest kids bike line that has completely raised the bar across the board. The goal with the Jett was simple – design and build the best line of kids bike on the market. The new Specialized Jett design tackles many of the flaws that other companies have overlooked for decades and the result is truly the ultimate kids bike – The Specialized Jett.
While you might be thinking, why does Specialized need another kid’s bike? Let us explain. The kids bike line has long been missing one component for just about every bike company on earth. This component is the handling of the bike. Have you ever stopped to consider the weight of your child’s bike in comparison to their weight? Think about a 50lb rider on a 26lb bike. Now, picture yourself on a 100lb
bike. Throw in the fact that you are a new developing rider with minimal balance skills and are still trying to grasp the basic concepts such a braking and pedaling. Yup, it does not sound very fun, does it? Specialized has addressed this issued with the new Jett line as they focused on improving the handling and
fit across all the Jett bikes.
Weight
Ok parents, we know, kids bike weights have been less than ideal for a long time. Short of purchasing a specialty kids bike from a “Boutique” brand, no brand has offered you a bike at a reasonable price AND weight yet. Well, that has now changed. Weight was one of the biggest goals for Specialized on the new
Jett and we think they did a dang good job. Below are the listed weights of the Jett line-
- Specialized Jett 16 Weight – 15.2 LBS
- Specialized Jett 20 Weight – 17.6 LBS
- Specialized Jett 24 Weight – 20.7 LBS
All of the Specialized Jett bikes are manufactured with a Lightweight Alloy frame and are outfitted with kids appropriate components.
Components and Fit
If you are familiar with the Specialized brand, you may have heard of RETUL before. If not, it is essentially a tool for creating a perfect fit for the rider. What they were able to do with this tool is identify the challenges that currently exist on youth bikes. Specialized found that the cranks were too wide and that longer cranks and high stack (handlebar height) created a shoulder angle that was too open.
Using this information from their current bikes, they were able to accomplish the following:
- Identify the correct fit
- Defined touchpoint position range, including standover
- Overlayed kids growth over 3 summers to find a correct fit for up to 30 months
With this new information, we end up with a design that is much more refined for from the ground up. The new Specialized Jett has the following adjustments vs your average kids bike:
- Adjustable handlebars
- Narrow grips
- Short rear brake levers – adjustable
- Kids Specific bridge saddle
- Seatpost Adjustability
- 2 pedal position crank
- Narrow Q factor (crank arms are narrower)
- Low standover
These 8 details might seem small, but they are far from it. The combination of these traits combine for a bike that is more refined than anything in this class and will give young riders more confidence and control in their development process.
A few notes for you parents reading. The above specs have 3 big points that you will adjust as your rider grows. The adjustable seat post (adjusted via Allen key) will be used quite often as you make minute adjustment as your rider grows. The adjustable height stem will be used like once a season and can be adjusted by changing the spacers combination. And finally, the 2 pedal position crank will be key as your rider grows and you want to lower the pedals to maintain proper fit on the bike. With over 1000 retailers nationwide, you should have a local Specialized retailer near you if you need a professional hand on those adjustments.
All Specialized Jett models come with 2.0” wide Pathfinder tires to ensure a stable smooth ride.
Specialized Jett Pricing
The Specialized Jett starts at $450 and travels up from there. The 16” Jett is only offered in a Single Speed version while the 20” wheel Jett comes in both Single Speed and geared options. By the time your rider is ready for a 24” Jett, Specialized has just offers it with gears.
Buying a Specialized Jett has never been easier. You can find the Specialized jet through approved internet retailers such as us here at northwestbicycle.com, any one of Specialized 1000+ retailers, and of course are Specialized.com. If you have any questions regarding the fit of the Specialized Jett or just need help in picking the correct size, please do not hesitate to reach out to us here at Northwest Bicycle.