[Closed] Building a bike for a 9/10 yr old..

Reba's are nice and light and 26'' prices not too bad second hand. There was a pair on here for £90 not long ago.

I was looking at getting some old bombers to build my lads first bike.

Other than that I'd agree with rebus, or maybe SIDs

Cheers - had thought of the Reba, I'll keep my eyes peeled. Any suggestions on a decent light-ish wheelset? Literally have no idea with this as my BFe doesn't exactly sport light wheels...

I've built a couple with cheap Rebas. 26" wheel sets are cheap as anything on eBay now. I got a nice set of EA70xcs for under £100. Likewise, narrow, flat handlebars are particularly unfashionable but perfect for a kid's bike. Short stems less of a bargain.

Re stems - has anyone got any views on the cheap ones from China

[url= http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Aluminum-Alloy-MTB-Mountain-Bike-Bicycle-Cycling-Handlebar-Stem-6061-T6-/301508432011?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&var=&hash=item46334d908b ]This[/url]

or [url= http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/141376138563?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&var=440518882889&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT ]this[/url]

My son has had a 13.5" Rockhopper since he was 10... the basic bike came from eBay, but had an immediate change of bars and stem to get the front lower, as well as some better pedals.

I still have the original 80mm Dart IIIs but a pair of 100mm Rebas from eBay were a huge improvement. I already had a stem - but otherwise I'd have gone for a Carboncycles Exotic Meta II which comes in a 60mm for £13.24. Bars here are 600mm flat from On One which are only £8 new (since replaced by some 685s now he's nearly 13). Pedals are Wellgo LU987s which are £11 new... he now has Nano's thanks to Superstar having a sale at Christmas!

He does have XT shifters though... not cheap, but the light action of SLX or XT makes a big difference to small hands.

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Great cheers for that - bars look a great deal. Any other ideas for rims/hubs etc? 🙂 Brakes wise thinking along the lines of Shimano BR-M486.

Ive not long built up a carrera detonate 24 for my son who is 8...this has involved changing pretty much every working part....the end result is something im (and he is) very happy with.
Ive also built a ladies 14" giant yukon for my 9yo daughter(she is 4'10) and she loves it......all that is left that she would like is some light forks.

Ill post some pics tomorrow

Have you thought about building your own wheels...it can work out cheaper...i picked up a pair of rims(alex dm24) off the bay for next to nothing...then sourced a novatech front and rear hub for 35 quid...then a set of spokes from spa cycles and I think all in its cost me 55 quid.

I've sent you an email about some Shimano MT15s which may work for you!

For those using a 1 X 10 set up what size chainring? Looking at a 11-36 cassette.

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For those using a 1 X 10 set up what size chainring? Looking at a 11-36 cassette.

I've recently built up a 24" wheel carrera blast for my 8yr old. Fitted superstar wheels so I could run 1x10 on it, 32t front sprocket, 36/11 rear cassette. Used a few bits that I've taken off my bike, elixir 5 brakes, x9 rear mech etc. Also fitted answer flat bars and superstar stem.
Most awkward really was the crank, the standard one wasn't compatible with the single ring so had to cut down a set of SRAM s600 cranks instead.

peabrain - Member

For those using a 1 X 10 set up what size chainring? Looking at a 11-36 cassette.

using a thorn 150mm crank, 30t with 11-36 cassette on a Carrera blast - you can get a 28t 64bcd from absolute black

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Good shout poah.

Thats me £103.50 worse off

what you get?

Thanks guys.

I have the thorn cranks. Wish I could afford the 28t, but will have to be a 30t. The lad is strong and hates his granny ring on his current bike so should be ok.

edit - just checked his current bike and his chainrings are 42/34/24, 7 speed freewheel is 14-28. I think he will be fine with the 30.

Loving the builds btw

It's a slippery slope - my son is already eyeing up a Reverb. But going 1 x 9 or better still 1 x 10 sounds better to me as that would bring the bike down to 27lbs or less, and kids don't need the really big gears.

Some nice builds. 1x9 or 1x10 speed sounds a decent idea to me, although he's tall being only 10 in May he would probably benefit from rear shift only.

Poah...2 sets of thorn cranks @150mm length to rid 2 bikes of terrible cranks

Also, I wouldn't get too hung up on wheels, anything you build for him will be much lighter than the cheap bikes that most kids get bought for them. Cheap xc superstar wheels, cheap shimano MTB wheels, 2nd hand shimano/mavix717, anything a bit out of vogue you will get cheap ie wheels with silver spokes. I'd definitely put some lightweight, fast rolling tyres on whatever wheels ie racing ralphs, rocket rons.

Actually thinking of using the Hayes MX2 brakes, Deore/XT gearing, Sun/Shimano wheelset from my dad's hardly ever used 2006 Cinder Cone. Works out a lot cheaper to do this and flog the frame/forks on. Wouldn't mind upgrading the crank set though as both one I have for son's bike and the Cinder Cones aren't brilliant. Ideally change chainring/cassette sizes to run 1x9 speed.

The other key issue is that you buy brakes where the lever reach adjustment can be wound right in and still work well. I had problems with Magura Marta sl, wound right in they are touching the bars before they really bite.

Actually thinking of using the Hayes MX2 brakes, Deore/XT gearing, Sun/Shimano wheelset from my dad's hardly ever used 2006 Cinder Cone. Works out a lot cheaper to do this and flog the frame/forks on. Wouldn't mind upgrading the crank set though as both one I have for son's bike and the Cinder Cones aren't brilliant. Ideally change chainring/cassette sizes to run 1x9 speed.

Good point re brake lever adjustment. Just checked and they're the Hayes sole hydraulics - they need a damn good service though. TBH it's probably going to be easier to start again as the cassette/chain rings will need changing, seat post won't fit, bars/stem no good. Seems a shame to pull the Cinder Cone apart for minimal parts.

What are you all using for a seat for kids this age?

Just a half decent adult one or something smaller?
I have most of the parts for a build for my 9 going on 10 daughter not sure about the seat though.
I was thinking of a rigid fork initially.

I used a half decent adult seat for weight they have not moaned

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-acera-m395-disc-brake/rp-prod119954

I got these brakes - £20 an end and adjustable reach

Decent enough that i would happily use for touring or general trail use

Come with adjustments as the hoses are massive

No pics of complete bikes to show but they ended up at not much under £300 each with Sid forks , 9 speed X0 running gear, light tyres, inner tubes and Hope wheels etc.

Weight sub 25 lb for 3 x would possibly be sub 24 if 1 x

Better bikes but expensive and you get carried away

http://www.amazon.co.uk/SHIMANO-BR-BL-M355-Hydraulic-Brake-Rotors/dp/B00JRUFX0Q

Do these seem any good? I only have experience of Hope so haven't a clue if they're going to be suitable! Seems cheap enough considering full set.

bit of a weight issue but they should be fine
personally I wanted something a bit weak as i had visions of them catapulting themselves over the bars

TBH it's probably going to be easier to start again as the cassette/chain rings will need changing, seat post won't fit, bars/stem no good. Seems a shame to pull the Cinder Cone apart for minimal parts.

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I bought a second hand 14" Kona Fire Mountain for my son, had the frame powder coated, converted it to 1x9 with better shifters and rear mech. I also bought some 24" superstar wheels so the bike is the exact right size for him. I've kept the original 26" wheels to fit later as he grows.

Forks are 100mm darts which came with the frame. They are reasonably smooth as I thought I may need to upgrade these. Might be his birthday treat.

If I'm understanding that correctly IMO you might be better off buying a complete bike. You can then do a bit of swapping about parts and still have complete bikes. Look at jump bikes as they tend to go for less than small mtbs , the trick is to find one that someone has lovingly built, and then realised dirt jumping was never for them. Until the bike above came up as too good to miss, I spent some time trying to find a suitable Ideniti Dr Jekyll (their adjustable dropout system is 24 and 26 wheel compatible). I've seen some really nice jump bikes go for under £200 on eBay actions.

I already have the 14'' Kona frame (or will do this week), plus crank, chainrings, f&r mechs, post clamp. Probably would be cheaper to buy a full bike but they're not that common in this size and I'll only end up changing bits anyway 🙂

Kev - the Fire Mountain looks great, brings back memories as I had a 14'' FM way back in 1994 when I was 12! Was my first proper bike.

Ah, I was thinking you were saying all this stuff incl the frame was already a complete bike you didn't want to breakdown and most of it might be worn out, wrong size or unsuitable.

Hi nickmsm

I built a 14" Kona for our son after seeing the price of the Isla Creig.
Similar build but big saving.

100mm RS reba fork
Crossride wheels
Avid elixir with adjustable reach
Isla 152mm cranks with 28 tooth ring Super star front guide
12 / 34 9 speed seems fine all round Whinlatter blue.

isla

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Kona

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Madison and Decathlon do junior saddles that are a good size / weight / price compromise.

This homebuild comes in at 24lb inc big flat alloy pedals and chain guide (discs cut from polypropylene sheet off ebay). 11-34, 26 or 28 on the front with 160 cranks £20 from Spa Cycles. That gearing has been fine for most places (e.g. up the "Scorpion" at Mabie, Iron Keld and Kentmere in the Lakes etc)

Some other ideas on http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/wheelsize-rant-children

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(CX race photo borrowed from the nice folk at Whiteflyer Photography)

Hello OP, are you basing your build on 26in wheels? I have some wheels you can have - 317rims, formula hubs, 135 rear, both QR - if you want them you can have them for the cost of postage (or if you can collect from Manchester then happy days).

The rear hub needs a service, or replacement if it's really bad (a formula replacement should be fairly cheap to swap cos you could even reuse spokes to keep the costs right down).

thinking about it I can slap some tyres on them as well to get you started, and a set of wellgo flats - if it gets a lad on a bike then it's all good by me 🙂

I built this for my 10 yr nephew for Christmas. Told his parents he wanted to get into mountain biking and they were ready to march off and buy a BSO.
Went for a 16" frame after trying my missus 16" Kona Tika as he's simply huge for his age!
A lot of it was bits I'd removed for upgrades , Deore drivetrain, Raceface finishing kit, elixirs etc but he's absolutely thrilled with it and he was well and truly hooked after his first trip to Afan.

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More nice builds 🙂

edhornby - that's very kind thank you! I would really appreciate that, I'd like to spend a healthy amount on the forks/gears so some cheap rims to start off with would be great.

I got some good used 100mm rebas for about £80 changed the oil etc they have the ally steerer so quite light and air sprung so better for a light rider to get the spring correct. I sold the dart forks it came with for £50 so the new forks worked out at £30
Used XT rear shifter and shirt cage mech for the spares box.
50mm stem direct from china £10
For me I think it was cheaper to buy a complete bike and sell the bits you don't need rather than have to buy everything.
Post up a list of what you need and I will have a rummage in the shed.

Cheers, possibly would have been cheaper but I enjoyed building up my Cotic so thought I'd go the same route with this 🙂

As it stands looking for forks (if anyone has some Rebas for sale?!), shifter/rear mech - don't mind 9 or 10 speed, & cassette. Think everything else is in hand now.

not a problem, I've had a new set of handmedowns from my brother so I'm paying it forward 🙂

my forum name with a dot in between and then 'at' gmail 'dot' com - never posted wheels before so any advice would be great, or can you collect? (ok West Sussex may be a trek !)

Thanks have sent you an email 🙂

Nick,I have some Marzocchi 100mm forks, 9 speed Deore mech,chain and cassette if you're keen.

Thanks for offer, really after some Rockshox though as I know them. Already sourced a 10 speed SLX/XT set up so have that sorted now.

Nearly ready to start building the bike up, just need new cranks and a couple of other minor bits. RE the Thorn, what's the best sized chain ring to use? Running a 1x10 speed with a 11-36 cassette. Thinking a 30 or 32t? Will there be any issue with chain dropping?

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/thorn-104-64-pcd-triple-crankset-mk2-black-prod31813/

I used a 30t on my 10yr old's Cube build (Thorn cranks also), with an 11-36 cassette and hope 40t expander. He's not great up hills so that gives him a pretty decent gear to use. No chain-dropping today (first real test), using a zee clutch mech.
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with the thorn crank you can use 30t on the 104ring or a 28 on the 64ring (absolute black). my boy uses a 40t superstar xpander with a 30t front on a thorn

Bike was finished on Saturday, son has already been out on it a few times. Cost way over what I had planned to spend in the end (doesn't it always? 🙂 ) but he loves it and it's a massive step up from his old 20'' bike! Thinking is I can transfer components onto a newer frame this time next year so worth going for light/decent stuff now IMO.

Full spec:

2008 Kona Shred 14''
RockShox Reba RL
On One Handle bars
XT 10 Speed Shifter
SLX 10 Speed Cassette
XT 10 Speed Chain
SLX 10 Speed Rear Mech
Shimano MT15 wheels
SLX brakes & XTR rotors
Hope Headset
Captain Sport tyres
Thorn Crankset MK2
Hope 32t chain ring
Kore cubix stem 50mm
Charge Spoon

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How tall are your kids on 26" bikes? Nem Jnr is nearly 7 but very tall and already on 24" wheels.

Ah Nick, I emailed you today, my apologies about the wheels, I've been trying to get mine working and then pass the wheels on but still fuming at my own cackhandedness

good work on the build 🙂

My son is 10 in a month and he's 146cm.

Ed - No problem at all! Was offered some new wheels and was in a hurry to get him out. Hope you get yours sorted soon.

Thanks nick - so 10cm ish to go before the current 24" bike will need upgrading 🙂

Missed this thread first time round, but thought I'd point people at these cranks in case it saves some money.

[url= http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/products/budget-r-junior-chainset?bct=browse%2faccessories%2fgears-chainsets-chains-spares%2fchainsets-spares ]http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/products/budget-r-junior-chainset?bct=browse%2faccessories%2fgears-chainsets-chains-spares%2fchainsets-spares[/url]

Edit: see classifieds soon for two 24" wheelers, though not as classy builds as those on here.

I posted these pics on another thread on here, but it seems relevant to this one too.

I just finished building this up for my 9 year old son. Height 142cm. Currently standover is a litte tight, but not too bad. Now he has ridden it a few times he isn't keen to go back to his old bike.

A lot of the bits on it is stuff I had in the loft, so the overall cost wasn't too bad. Drive train is 1x10 with Thorn cranks with a 28t ring and 11-36 cassette. His old bike is a 12" 24" wheel Kona with a 34t front ring. So he is finding this one a bit easier on the hills.

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Built up this little Fire Mountain for my brother's stepson who is a tallish 11yo.. the seat is set a bit higher than Alfie needs it in this shot

It was just built up with whatever came to hand plus a few bits and bobs that my bro had to get new cos we didn't have them lying around

Basically 1x9 deore with cheapo ebay wheels and some old darts

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Some great builds in this thread - it's a shame there aren't more decent off the shop floor options. @nickmsm that's a quality set up... I too have been working on the 'swap it all onto a new frame' concept, so I hope it works!

Just need to make sure new frame's a 1 1/8th headtube and jobs a goodun 🙂 Pleased with the outcome, it's quite good fun to ride too 😆

My 8 year old was 145cm last time I measured him at least a few months ago.

His bike was finished on Saturday and ridden at LAggan on Sunday. It did the job perfectly, and I'm well chuffed - only the second bike I've ever built and the first was a littel kids bike so no gears or disc brakes to do. I will get a photo soon!

Here's mine - Mondraker Podium carbon. Bought frame/drive train/forks off classifieds, rest from my spares pile. Frame is 17" and fitted him well at 11.

Fitted a nice short stem (well, actually I made him do that, and fit the wheels and tyres - basic stuff but they have to start somewhere!)

It's built up into a nice light bike, but he struggles a bit with the front mech - probably needs a service but I'm tempted to go 1x
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