The Roxter eRide 26 is a new addition to Scott's range. It sounds unspectacular at first glance, but the bike has it all: it is Scott's first e-mountain bike for children. The hardtail with a 100 millimeter suspension fork is based on an aluminium frame with 26 inch wheels and a Bosch Active Plus drive with a 400 Wh battery. This provides young mountain bikers with a nominal 250 watts of power as well as a peak output of 400 watts and a torque of 40 Nm. Ride spoke to Scott's Head of Bike Marketing Jochen Haar about the new e-mountainbike.

Ride: Why does Scott build e-bikes for children?
Jochen Haar: Because it will become a market. At least that applies to e-mountainbikes. We build e-MTBs that are suitable for children, not e-bikes for children that are intended for urban use. This is important to distinguish! .

Where do you see the benefit?
E-mountain bikes for children open up completely new possibilities. This includes new target groups, including families and therefore children. Anyone who has ever put their child on an e-mountainbike and gone on tours together off-road or in the mountains knows about the fascination it is capable of triggering.

Do you also see any drawbacks or criticisms of the kids' e-bike?
First of all, there are justifiable legal restrictions in this country. Anyone who buys their child an e-MTB must undoubtedly deal with it responsibly. Furthermore, a children's e-MTB should be used on the terrain for which it was designed: off-road. Children's e-MTBs have no place on the road.

Is the e-bike the future for children too?
E-bikes generally have a great future, that's nothing new. The proportion of conventional children's and youth bikes has been growing continuously at Scott for years, and we will grow much more strongly in this area in the future. The development of e-mountain bikes for children, on the other hand, is only just beginning and is therefore a niche market. We see e-MTBs as an extension of the possibilities to get people - big and small - excited about cycling. Every biking family member knows about the potential for conflict on a bike trip and completely different skill levels. E-bikes level these out - the experience factor increases and the potential for frustration decreases. Whether parents generally want to introduce their children to cycling with an extra boost is ultimately up to them - this fundamental question is not answered by us, but by the parents or the market. At best, we offer the opportunity to do so.

Information on the Swiss legal situation regarding e-mountain bikes for children

In Switzerland, pedelecs with a speed of 25 km/h are considered mopeds and may only be ridden on public roads from the age of 14 with a category M permit. This permit can be obtained with a simplified basic theory test; a practical test (unless there are doubts about riding competence), road safety lessons or an emergency helper course are not required.

According to Art. 6 para. 4 let. B VZV, a cantonal authority may issue a special category M driving license before the minimum age is reached if the use of another means of transport is unreasonable. "However, this is a rare exception, for example for children growing up on a remote farm," explains Thomas Rohrbach from the Federal Roads Office FEDRO. "Otherwise, it would only be possible to ride on cordoned-off areas," Rohrbach continues. "But be careful: private driveways or parking spaces are also considered public roads or traffic areas," Rohrbach clarifies.