HARO FLIGHTLINE 24 PLUS DISC - CHAMELEON

The Haro Flightline 24 Plus Disc is a new addition to our 24-inch kids bike range and one of the more exciting products that we’ve seen recently because it’s so interesting.

In this preview, we’ll go through who should consider it, why you should consider it and a little about the components so you get a better understanding of what the bike is about.

We don’t often see colour shift paint on kids bikes. And, if we’re being absolutely honest, that’s why the Haro Flightline Plus 24 caught our attention.

After exclamations about how good it looks, we discovered the Flightline Plus 24 has got some super interesting traits. Stuff that makes it easy to ride and handle for kids moving up a size or two.

WHAT IS THE FLIGHTLINE PLUS?

The Flightline Plus is a unisex 24-inch kids bike that has been designed for sealed and unsealed bike paths.

Another important design consideration was weight - or lack of it. Haro has used aluminium almost everywhere on the bike to bring the weight down.

So, it may look a little deceptive; wide tyres (we call these “plus” tyres) usually equate to a heavy bike but this is an exception.

THE “PLUS” PART & FRAME

In the bike industry, the word “Plus” refers to bikes with wide tyres - we call these Plus bikes.

Any bike that has tyres between 2.6-inches to 3-inches is called a Plus bike.

And this is the Flightline Plus’ super power. Well…it’s at least the thing that makes it unique to our other 24-inch kids bikes.

At 2.6-inches wide, these tyres have a lot of air volume.

What’s the big deal?

More air volume = smoother and more comfortable.

The air itself behaves like micro-suspension; absorbing impacts and smoothing out vibrations from bike paths and roads.

Haro don’t cut corners with their frames which makes them some of the best in the industry. And by “cut corners” we mean use low-quality aluminium and manufacturing methods.

All this makes the Flightline Plus’ frame really light. So if one of your pain points has been heavy kids bikes, you’ll love how lightweight the Plus is.

Lastly, the frame is paired to an alloy fork. This lightens the steering and makes handling the Flightline Plus much easier (and more responsive) because there’s less weight to move around.

THE COMPONENTS

The Flightline Plus 24 has an excellent range of mid-range Shimano components; practical, reliable and robust.

A single front gear is paired to 8 gears on the back. This is a much simpler arrangement than having 3 gears on the front. Because it eliminates the need for several moving parts, there’s less maintenance.

The other advantage is simplicity.

Kids won’t get confused about which front gear to choose and when to choose it based on the terrain.

With this setup, riders simply need to focus on the back 8 gears.

The gears are operated by a Shimano trigger shifter. One paddle shifter changes into a harder gear and one paddle changes into an easier gear.

Next, the Flightline Plus 24 comes built with amazing brakes.

Hydraulic disc brakes are the benchmark for brakes. Because there’s so little maintenance involved and they are more robust than mechanical brakes. They are trouble free.

And most importantly, the brake levers are adjustable for small hands - without dramatically affecting braking performance.

This adjustment allows us to adjust the brake levers so they sit closer to the handlebars. Riders will feel way more confident controlling their new Flightline Plus.

Lastly, we want to mention the extra effort Haro has made to further reduce weight.

Alloy rims are lighter than steel rims. Plus they are double-walled for extra strength.

And another component that no one asks us about are the hubs. These are also made of aluminium alloy. Any weight reduction in wheels makes a huge difference to how easily the bike rolls and maneuvers.