Hoy Cammo 650c

The Hoy Cammo 650c is every bit as glossy, engineered and exotic looking as anything dad (or mum) would want to bring home and call their own. It was instantly liked by our testers, who valued being valued by the bike's designers, people who took their riding as seriously as they do.

There are few people in Britain, and indeed the rest of the world, who don't know the name Chris Hoy. The recently retired Scottish track cycling powerhouse, world and Olympic champion, and knight of the realm launched his own brand of bicycles in 2013. Covering all bases, the Hoy range also includes kids' bikes. Chris himself was a child cycling star, racing BMX in the 1980s.

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The thing is, Sir Chris doesn't do things by halves, from training, to winning, and detailing his bikes. To call the Cammo 'a kid's bike' is like calling the internet 'quite useful' – it just doesn't do it justice. Every adult who saw it said the same thing, when looking deeply into the luxuriously deep red paint: “I wish they made bikes like that when I was a kid.”

Its 650C wheels are just larger than 24in, just smaller than 700C. According to Hoy Bikes, it's designed for children aged eight to nine. Tall ones, maybe. Our 11-year-old tester (height 135cm) fitted it perfectly.

The bike was an instant hit, whether riding fast or slow, on the hoods or down in the drops. It's like it simply goes where you think it; the physical input required to effect a line change is minimal. Our main tester, who is learning to ride in close peloton formation, really appreciated this ability to 'think it' into gaps or away from trouble, without having to actually steer it.

The Hoy Cammo also likes to climb. The riding position ensures power from the legs, arms and back can be brought to bear to get it to the crest in short order. Off the top of the hill the bike descends with purpose and poise. At 8.8kg (19lb), it's got enough mass to stick it to rough downhills and enable it to stay on line even under pint-sized pilots.

Frame and fork

The 6061 aluminium frame is beautifully welded, with clean joins throughout, all well covered in some of the nicest paint I've seen recently. The block red and off-white is bold and the contrasting bands of light blue are what you'd expect on a bespoke custom paint job. It's a good looking, stylish road bike, not a kid's toy. Someone with a deep love of bicycles and things that look right had a hand in the way the Hoy Cammo looks. We approve.

The frame itself is a compact shape, with a sporty looking sloping top tube. It's nothing too extreme, but offers good levels of standover clearance, which is useful if John or Jane is growing into it. The frame is clean and free of fuss, with down tube bottle mounts and a pair of mudguard eyelets for winter use.

The alloy fork with sloping crown blends well with the clean lines of the head tube. With a 40mm offset (basically, how far forward the dropouts are of the steering axis), it offers a quick feel. It's not twitchy – this is a bike for learning the ropes of road cycling, not winning crits – but far from lazy or slow.

Gearing

Sir Chris is known for a lot of things, of which two are: his ability to spin 150rpm and the size of his quads. Speccing gearing for pre-teens is a hard task, as the range of body shapes and abilities varies greatly, but Hoy Bikes clearly expects riders of this age to be blessed with Sir Chris sized legs, speccing a 34/46-tooth chainring combo with a 13-26t cassette on the Cammo 650c. The Islabikes Luath tested recently had 36/46-tooth chainrings, with a SRAM 11-32t cassette.

I'm not suggesting riders this age can't push gears like this, I'm questioning whether they should. I'm a firm believer that kids should spin, develop condition, cadence and pedalling form before speed and leg strength. Also, kids of this age (and some adults) are apt to write gear ratio cheques that their bodies struggle to cash, and when overgearing and inexperience collide, rides can be ruined. In youngsters, this can mean running out of puff before the ride is over, not making the summit, and the like. Not good for the head body or soul. I'd rather see a 32/42, which would give a deeper bailout gear and a big rig that is more sustainable for youthful fast burn/fast recovery muscles.

Check out our buyer's guide to the best kids' bikes here

The look of the transmission is worth noting, though: we love it. The 155mm-long unbranded Lasco alloy cranks and rings are anodised black, and clean and dainty in design. The derailleurs are grey, and through them all is threaded a lovely bright silver KMC 8-speed chain. Silver chains are rare on kids' bikes, because black ones are, generally, cheaper spec options. In my experience, fitting silver ones to youngsters' bikes helps promote a regular care and cleaning regime to keep them looking good – dirt and grime is visible and obvious. With any luck, keeping the chain shiny is a habit that will lead to them looking after every element of the bike.

Operation of the gears is via Microshift integrated paddle brake/gear levers. Sized for junior hands, they're about spot on for the age group, though some will still find it a reach. The feel is light and the shifting action is clean and crisp. It's not Dura-Ace, but good all the same.

The derailleurs themselves are from Shimano's excellent entry-level groupset, Claris. Everything works, is durable enough, and looks the part. The brakes are Tektro dual-pull callipers and they're good without being spectacular, slowing the bike with precision and enough power to give confidence. My key tester has rather fallen in love with cross-top secondary brake levers, and that the Hoy Cammo doesn't have them is, in his eyes, the only spec faux pas. But he does concede it's a 'cross bike thing, not a 'pure' road fitment.

Finishing kit

The fitting of the rider to the bike is well handled by Hoy. The 70mm-long stem and narrow 38cm bar with shallow drop (118mm) and short (70mm) reach combine to let youngsters attain the classic tops'n'drops positions without hurting themselves or relinquishing control of the bike.

Bar tape is classic white, and is soft and relatively durable. The saddle looks the business, and is both well shaped and colour coded to match the bike. Our tester didn't get on with it. Saddles are personal things, even when you're a kid. The seatpost, also colour detailed to match the frame, is a usefully long 350mm with an inline head that places the rider over the pedals and reduces the reach a whisker. The post has a twin-bolt head for easy adjustment.

The wheels are light(ish), good looking and, the most important factor, strong, with 28 spokes lacing smooth-running (loose ball) Joy hubs to anodised and machined Alex alloy rims. No issues had or expected.

The tyres are a treat: folding-bead 128tpi Kenda Kalientes, featuring Kenda's top end LR3 compound and its Iron Cloak puncture protection system. Light, fast and durable, they have a full slick crown with a very, very fine file tread to the shoulders. They lend the Hoy Cammo a turn of speed and enhance the road feel of an already sweet-handling bike.

Is this Hoy Cammo the real McCoy? It's a definite yes, from us. Where does it fit into the new world order of upmarket pre-teen road bikes? Pretty much on the top stem of the podium, where the Hoy bike's namesake made his home.

Verdict

A stunning looking purist road racing bike for pre-700C peloton disciplines