So I just won the auction for a 24″ Carrera Blast on eBay for my son and have started thinking about what pieces to replace to make it awesomer. It needs a new drivechain so I’m pretty keen to just strip and rebuild from scratch.

I’m definitely dropping the stupid 3×7 gearing and most likely going to go 1×9. I think a short cage Sora mech will be nice and tucked away and should work with a 11-32 cassette so giving a good range of gears, and a 32t chainring.

The triple crankset needs replacing, the Suntour XCT Junior seems reasonable (https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/B0029MP3AO) unless anyone can recommend something single ring with a chain guard like Charge/Islabikes use?

I really want to replace the fork with something rigid, is there anyone selling suitable forks that are not carbon?

The saddle looks huge, whereas Isla/Frog/Charge have proper sized ones. Any ideas where they get them from?

Anything else I should consider swapping around? I’m obviously also now looking for cheap/light stems/bars/seatpost etc to pimp the bike a bit. 🙂

Thanks for any suggestions!

So http://www.madison.co.uk/products/cycling/components-hardware/saddles/trail-youth-saddle-black/ looks like a good saddle choice.

There’s some Stans Crest 24″ on the classifieds.

I’ve got a short flat carbon bar in the garage that never ended up on the kids bike build. 25.4mm clamp size. Email in profile if it’s any use to you.

I’ve got one of those saddles, in its older guise Y04, I think they called it, in great shape, a tenner posted.

I put those Suntour cranks on my son’s Blast. Swopped the rings for a single thick/thin one I had spare. Ran it 1 x 10 speed. Finding cheapish wheels was the hardest bit.

Give Islabikes a ring and they will sell you a saddle for £15.

My lad is on a 24″ Kona, 1×9. 30t with an 11-32 was fine around Swinley, but after a half term break in the Quantocks a 12-36 cassette seems to have appeared..l

Sat my daughter on a 24″ Frogbike in the lbs yesterday. Future planning immediately headed down this same rabbit hole of mini bling.

If only someone had a 24″ Frog in the classifieds….

My son’s Genesis Core 24 plus Stans Crest 24″ wheels are in the classifieds

To be honest both the frog and especially the Charge would have been very tempting had I not spotted a bargain on eBay last week, and who can resist a build from the frame up 🙂