Yes. But don’t get hooked up on a frame size. We have had/still have a pile of 26er weeny frames. The ‘smallest’ frame is 12.5″ ‘size’ but has longest top tube and reach…

My 10yr lad has a 13″ frame Hotrock, but he actually prefers his Mums 15″ Hotrock, I think that’s down to its silly light weight though (rigid forks etc).
I’ve a box full of posh bits to jazz up his Hotrock when the weather improves. Even picked up some Sids…crikey, how light…!!!

But as Mat said, don’t be too caught up on sourcing a tiny frame, its the top tube length that’s key.

14.5″ Trek FS Frame
SID 80mm forks
152mm Crank
26″ frame forks but with 24″ Wheels
It has a shorter stem & X Fusion dropper now (with cable to limit rise!)

You mean don’t get too excited be seat tube length? Frame size is clearly quite important here! I’ve been looking for a while – and rather more seriously in recent weeks for a suitable frame for such a project and you’re right that some things which come up small in the seat tube and listed as small are jump frames which presumably not only have a long TT, but are also massively overbuilt for the purpose, but then they’re quite obvious.

On which note, any thoughts on where to get such a small frame, or anybody selling one? The only things coming up on ebay are full bikes which would then involve the hassle of selling on all the heavy bits I don’t want.

Not just jump bikes!

“Smallest” frame in length and stack was our Trek 4300, 13.5″
Next is Islabike Beinn 26 with Manitou forks.
Then Specialized Rockhopper (womens) 13″
Largest is Cannondale F900sl for length and stack, but smallest seat tube.
The Claud Butler is largest seat tube at 16″, but shorter than Cannondale, but higher stack than all, including the 16″ Zesty.

Frame ‘shape’ is important – because the Specialized and a Trek also had low BB’s, making them real easy to get on and off with short legs…

We have a small Specialized Enduro which was built up for Katie, just deciding whether to split it or sell it as a full bike

I built up a 14″ Kona fire mountain for my boy last Christmas. I opted to get a set of 24″ wheels from Superstar and kept the original 26″ for when he outgrows the bike, hopefully yo get another six months out of it. It’s a really good bike to ride, and his riding has came on leaps and bounds.

I think the inbred it’s better than the 456 for a kid, there was a thread a while ago and I think brant said add much. Maybe because it is not so tall at the front.

I’ve built this up over the last few months, photo now out of date as it’s now been converted to 1×10 XT/Deore mix inherited off my old bike, now 24.75lb

(previous thread here)

brants comments on here :

http://forums.mtbr.com/one/14-inbred-10-year-old-867397.html

more here

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/cheap-ish-alu-ht-frame-in-xs

I built this Cube Access 13″ up for 11yo Daughter for Christmas

Wish we had like buttons here sometimes as liking what I’m seeing some cool little bikes there people making me wonder what I’ll be building for my nephew in a few years time as at mo he’s 10 months old and now building him a 1950’s sunbeam trike with massive over haul to look better than new.

No idea what size it is but she was 9 when I built it up

[url=https://flic.kr/p/5wyzeg]LRB[/url] by scaredypants, on Flickr

“that Turner” has a pretty high saddle – presumably the rider was a reasonably tall kid

here’s the 24″ bike the little ‘un was riding when the older one got the red thing

(and besides, comfy bikes almost always have the bars above the saddle and I’d like my kids to be comfy so that they might become keen)

[url=https://flic.kr/p/eT2vWb]P1040345[/url] by scaredypants, on Flickr

There are plenty of good 24″ wheeled bikes around now so surely it is better to get a bike that is the right size and in the right proportions to the rider.
See my comments earlier – not all ‘Small’ or ‘XS’ or 13″ frames are created equally – and a few mm or cm here or there can make a massive difference….

Ours…

Trek 4300+X-fly forks = 8) Now owned by another forumite.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/pHkdip]Trek 4300[/url] by Matt Robinson, on Flickr

Under a 10 year old:
[url=https://flic.kr/p/mW8FqZ]Callander House Falkirk MTB trails[/url] by Matt Robinson, on Flickr

I got me an Islabike, first proper trip out under a (then) 9 year old:

[url=https://flic.kr/p/bEU9Eh]Grantown on Spey bike trails[/url] by Matt Robinson, on Flickr

The *last* Islabike ride in our household, now under another kid at bike club.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/zydLsA]Aviemore Overnighter[/url] by Matt Robinson, on Flickr

The Specialized, bought from another forumite, and about to be up for sale here
[url=https://flic.kr/p/fJXuum]2006 Specialized Hardrock Sport[/url] by Matt Robinson, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/p5b7gA]SBC Wallace Monument Hillclimb[/url] by Matt Robinson, on Flickr

According to the size sticker, this is the smallest frame. In fact it is the longest and tallest and lightest. It flies.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/yCCZW]Cannondale F900SL[/url] by Matt Robinson, on Flickr

Mrs_oab is only 5′ – the 10 year old is pretty much her height. That Cannondale is not leaving the oab household, but is due a shiny new groupset…
[url=https://flic.kr/p/mWaBsL]Callander House Falkirk MTB trails[/url] by Matt Robinson, on Flickr

Does anyone else suspect that Matt runs a bike chop shop and money laundering business? 😆

😆

I wish there was money to be made, instead of spent…

As the eldest_oab heads for more like my height I plan on buying new/nearly new, moving to 1×11 and 27.5″ all round…

Built a few up for our girls over the years as they have been growing up. Stuck with air forks and shocks as they are easily tuned for light weights.

Abigales small Giant Reign which was eventually stripped to put the bits onto a bigger frame

Katies small Specialized Enduro which was upgraded a lot from the pic and is at the back of the garage waiting to be stripped and moved on

She threw that bike all over Verbier. Probably the last pic of it as she was on the limit of the frame size. Its about the same time I realised she was going to be alot faster than me.