Bought this:

Jessie’s 5 spot by Alex Leigh, on Flickr

It’s for my MTB mad coming up 12 daughter. It’s getting built up with an air shock, light set of wheels, air fork and pink headset, cables, nano pedals and seatclamp 🙂

On her now-too-small islabike we had ‘Jessie’ stencilled on the side. I’d like to get it done again. I’ve seen a few on here do that, so any recommendations for where to get them much appreciated.

There are tons on eBay or try gil@thecycleshed.

Alex, I second gil. He did my Finbred vinyl decals. Verbal (or is it Random?) is going to LOVE that build!

I drew my own on the computer and had them printed from a pdf locally in Nottingham; I got a huge 1300 x 210mm sheet full of graphics for £12 printed onto clear “car body wrap” sticky vinyl. They needed lacquering in, though.

As Simon says, any shop that sells signs will be able to do it for you.

If you do your own artwork, print it off on paper & offer it up on the bike to make sure you have the size right.

Is she tall enough for 26’s or are you going to put 24’s on first?

And agree, however you build it, make it as light as possible.

Ta All. She’s fine with 26s – that’s what her Islabike was. Should be able to get it built pretty light. She already has her sister’s spesh Myka to ride, so time for her to grow into the 5-spot.

Another vote for Gil.

He also does proper screen printed multiple colour stickers not just vinyl cut.

Do a search of his name on the retrobike forum and lots of quality examples will come up.

That looks like a small six pack rather than a five spot, the rockers on a six pack are solid like that one and five spot rockers are hollowed out like this one

Six pack

The back ends are the same on both, but the six pack front ends are beefier and a bit slacker and the rockers are a different length, but they both use a 190×50 shock
It looks nice though 😀

As an aside, when did stickers become decals? 😉

Is that the one custom built by DT (Dave Turner) for Mrs DT?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2x-Personalised-Name-Cycle-Push-Bike-Stickers-Decals-/220724225011?pt=UK_SportGoods_CyclAcces_RL&var=&hash=item33643063f3

Paul – the fella who sold it to me – was told by Hotlines (he thinks where he bought it from) that it was for Mrs DT. Turner themselves via their FB page don’t think it is 😉 I was wondering about those rockers, but it’s pretty old (first year for the disc mount)). Anyway whatever it is, it’s going to be pretty cool if I can build it as light as I think.

Shall drop Gil a mail.

It matters very little anyway, she’s a lucky girl! Enjoy 😀

Making an assumption that you’re in the uk get her to do it herself in tech at school. The majority of reasonable size schools will have a sticker cutter and the software to design it on. We do anyhow.
I hope she appreciates what she’s got!

Gil did mine only last week

P1040761 by eastham_david, on Flickr

will that shock have to adjustment needed to accommodate her light weight, or will you have to add some weights to the bike to preload it correctly???

I have an air shock donated from an old orange 5. Should do the trick. Most bits turned up do shall get building this weekend.

Need cranks? no spikey bits mind, just the crank arms

email in profile…

Gil@ the cycleshed here too – did my Niner and our boat at work…

Drascombe Gig by matt_outandabout, on Flickr

Looking at the gussetage and the bolt on disc mount, it’s not a ‘spot or a 6-pack, it’s the precursor to both, an RFX of maybe 2001 vintage (my ’02 has a welded on disc mount).

How heavy is the frame – my 18″ one was the wrong side of 9lb. Built to survive a nuclear strike.

There’s a whole host of rocker/seatstay options floating around to change travel and geometry – check some oooold threads on MTBR.

Great bikes, mind…

Ullo Jon. How are things. It’s certainly not super light but will be of acceptable weight I reckon with all the light bits going on it. That shock for example weighs a chunk. I think you could be right about the RFX. It does have a couple of really weird things going on tho – one is no serial number just a mark ‘L’ on the BB welding I guess to make sure they built it the right way round 😉 And a strange little thread I can see no use for. Shall do some pics when I build it.

Few bits turned up today. Mainly pink! I’m hoping the addition of a granny ring will negate a bit of weight gain from her Islabike. If not, I’m riding it 🙂

Howdy… Good, thanks. Northern monkey now… 🙂

Strange thread – on the BB CNC’d lump, drive side? For an E-type front mech I think. Mine has no serial either. I think they were all built to order by Sherwood Gibson of Ventana fame. No ISCG also dates it as pre-’02.

Be a wee bit careful about the air shock – they don’t feel great with one on, especially if it’s got 6″ links (3:1 shock ratio). That said your daughter probably weighs chuff all, so it shouldn’t be a major issue. Don’t flog the coil, put it that way – she might like it better when she’s bigger, heavier and stronger.

That makes sense Jon. Mine is 01. Take your point about the air shock. The Vanilla came with a tiny weight spring so it’d be easy to move back. She’s pretty strong now but is a total weight weenie. Demanded to know how much heavier her sis’s spesh myka was over her Islabike she’d grown out of.

I’ll take some more pics and throw it to the wolves on MTBR. Been a while since I was over on that Turner forum. Seem to remember it was a bit focused 😉

Not sure how such a burly frame is going to look with lots of pink bits on it. RFX in drag 🙂

Jessie’s not a 5 Spot by Alex Leigh, on Flickr

7.3lbs with vanilla. 6.3 with Swinger. On my dodgy ebay scales. Missing a big box of stuff with zochhi forks/xt drivetrain/xtr brakes from a mate and a rather pimpy carbon post/sdg womans saddle from CRC.

I feel this build has more than a hint of displacement activity 😉