Hmm, a few hesitant ebay clicks and I have a frame sitting in the garage. Guess I’ll go down the building route!!

Next stop wheels….

That seems to be consistent with what I’ve generally seen. Sifting through one thread, found a reference to a Poison Zyankali –  £100 for the frame and around 1600g , so prob better to stick with the blast frame and spend money on other things.

Quick question on the frame. Seems like the newer carrera frames are a little different that slightly older ones. One of them has a little extra tube piece under the saddle. Any view on one frame being better than the other.  Or lighter etc?

Or are there any other donor frames worth considering?

What else did you spec on the bike dirkpitt?

My issue is that as far as I can see stans wheelset plus rst fork = £450 – and I don’t have any other bits around, so by the time the rest is added the cost is going to get much higher.

Respraying it is definitely a draw, pretty sure that would capture my little one’s imagination, picking/making decals too!

I floated it past my wife yesterday, was quite surprised when she didn’t shoot the idea down. In fact, she’s just started reading Flying Fergus to the little one which is quite on topic.

Thanks again for the input. As you say there are quite a few unknowns in that what we ride might end up changing. The building aspect is certainly a draw, as I would like to capture his interest in something like that.

I wonder – as I’m on a fairly steep learning curve on bike components maybe I’m not thinking about the right components – which is why I have trouble matching it up to an Isla. Broadly I was thinking as the following to go on a powedercoated carrera frame: RST First 24 air fork, Isla wheelset with Rocket Rons, Clarks M2 hydraulic brake set, X5/GX2.1 10sp rear derailleur, the Hoy 140mm cranks with a UN55 118m BB, otherwise balance of reasonably priced cost effective bar, stem, saddle, post etc. Think that should be <11kg and bit over £500 with most components new but shopped around for best prices. Anything there that is naff/or where a better similarly price option exist?

I totally do appreciate there is the whole project aspect and again, maybe rose tinted spectacles, but the prospect of building it with my son and him showing interest!

I do have two boys, so it could be reused twice as a 24 inch bike, and might be able to further use some of the parts in the second ones following bike (potentially 26 inch fork, derailleur, brakes..)

Thanks poah for the info, a 63mm adjusted SID is around 434m I think – so difference of around 34mm. I suppose with the angle that is going to increase the front of the bike by around an inch?

(I’m looking at the SID as it seems to have been suggested in other threads and understand you can change the oil so it is better for lighter weighted souls.)

Finally got round to cutting the bar down – I went for 520mm in the end and he looks so much more comfortable on it. Managed to get him to trundle 8km on it as his first decent long ride on the bike. Was very pleasurable to see him shooting off into the distance at regular intervals!

I’m continuing to look at this, but costing it is looking a bit ugly! Seems like its around the same as just getting a decent condition second hand isla and I’m not sure that the components would be any better.

Anyone know if a SID dual air 26 inch fork mess up the geo/ride noticably? And how much it would cost to get one of those adjusted to cope with a kid’s weight?

Those stans are lighter than the numbers I was working off on Superstars (which reckon the set is 1623g, 721g front, 902g rear).

Again, doing some rough maths here, but adding on 2 tyres (+445+445), tubes (+165+165), 2 discs (+100+100) gets you to 2.97kg. Taking the isla front wheel at 1.5kg, assume the rear one is 1.7kg gets you to 3.2kg. So probably 200-250g in it between the sets of wheels? And another 250-300g to the stock wheels.

Does make me wonder if its worth a new wheelset, instead focus on changing the tubes, tyres, discs and cassette. Are the stock wheels robust enough?

(Ta for the powder coaters name too).

Where did you get the powder coating done for that cost?

Ballpark – So the rotor is probably just over 100g (G2 160mm is 106g), rocket ron 445g, tube around 165g if also schwalbe 24 inch and skewer c.100g. That makes the wheelset itself around 700g. Superstar quote the crest front as 721g, though that might include the skewer so not much in it at all. Seems like an excellent find and may make this cost effective after all!

Does anyone know if the ‘Luna’ decals come off as the boy and girl bike look identical except for the colour scheme and decals (and seen a cheap luna near me!)

Thanks rossburton. Should help give us idea – do you know what rotor and tube – can try to look up the weights (without being too much of a weight-aholic, it is useful to get an idea!)

The Isla ones sound like a bit of a no brainer in comparison.

Did you manage to weigh them?

Great thread. I’m thinking a year ahead and considering starting getting together everything for a build with my son (I realise it’s utopian in my head but will end up with shouting)

These Carrera’s do seem like a really good starting point and I would aim to get it down to <11kgs. Seems like sorting the wheelsets+tyres, fork and changing it to a 1×10/11 can pretty much get there. Problem is that the costs mount so quickly – especially the wheelsets + £150 on a RST First, I don’t know if I’d be financially better off looking for a second hand Isla Creig or something!

Focusing on the wheelsets – I’m trying to search for a Alexrims MD19 supplier – seems like that’s what comes on the genesis core and weighs 390g so not too much more than the crests, might be a goer if its cheap enough. Anyone able to point me in the right direction?

That’s interesting – looked up the 16 and it does state it comes with an alloy bar. Surprised they went with a steel bar on the 20.

Looks like they both have the same 60mm stem.

As an update, I’ve gone for SKS Rowdy mudguards, seem quick enough to get on/off and will hopefully transfer fine onto the next 24inch bike too. Plus had voucher so they only cost £2 of real money! Sorted the bell (£2 from Go Outdoors!), front and rear lights.

I ended up deciding that the RSP bar wasn’t quite right, once chopped down there wouldn’t be quite enough space for the grips etc. So I’ve hopefully sourced the aluminium version of the same make handlebar which I can chop back (didn’t want to chop the original as might need to stick it back on should it be in an ok enough condition to sell after my little one has had finished with it!). Original bar weighs 415g on the kitchen scales btw, new ones should be ~200g, not that it’s going to be that much of a difference I think. Still pedals and bar change will amount to almost a 400g saving (undone by putting mudgards on it!).

I think I may try the rsp riser bar. It needs serious chopping down from the standard 680mm. Think will take it down to around 500-520mm.

Need to figure out getting the handlebar grips off now….

Thanks prezet for the reply.

I’ll look at those mud guards. I’ll let you know where I get to on the riser bar.

One other thing that I think I need to fix is that I don’t feel he’s getting enough leg extension when pedalling. He’s 122cm tall with around a 54cm inside leg. I have him barely able to touch the ground in terms of seat positioning but I don’t know if I need longer cranks?

So the bike is here and I have one happy chappy.

But a few small items to sort…

1. Mudguard – any suggestions?

2. Riser bar- I plan to try a different one as it is a bit wide and there are some cheap alloy options out there. I think a flat bar will be too low for him.

3. Kick stand – any suggestions?

4. Pedals – he was not a fan after he spiked himself in the leg several times. So I pout the pedals from his cnoc16 on it for now.

5. Bell. Won’t stay still, so need to get a clamp style one!

For anyone still interested in the Vitus – the website seems to have more details up on it. http://vitusbikes.com/products/twenty-2018/

My order has just arrived (and at the g-parents so it’s hidden from the little one) so haven’t had time to investigate it.

Ry33, if you are shopping in that price bracket I would say that although I did notice on the handles, I reckon they would clean up fine, or you could get a different set of handles for cheap. I’d be getting the Hoy of I wasn’t so tight, or the Raleigh if I wasn’t worried about its second hand value (incidentally, been tracking some Hoys on fleabay and reckon their second hand values are slightly better than frogs in my opinion).

I see so much about how people have lost very little value on their islabike, from which I am also benefiting on my lads current cnoc 16; but I think things might normalise a bit more as process have shot up on the new bikes in part door to the significant depreciation of the pound. So if you bought a couple of years ago you are likely quids in. Not convinced this will continue to be the case, especially with more competition.

I just can’t justify the cost of a Benin 20, was tempted by the hoy, but it was still too much for me to spend on a bike for a year of use at his rate of growth, the compromise is a Vitus 20 and a large wedge of cash on my pocket now.

I pressed the button on the Vitus. Comes in orange too which was his preferred colour!

In the end, seems like there are compromises compared to an island, hoy, Raleigh etc that seem to end up in the Vitus being around 1.3kg heavier, but I don’t think they will impact him that much. And if it is, seems like there is around 270g saving in the handle bar, possibly a couple of hundred in the seat post or seat which will bring it down. Think most of the rest of the difference is in the steel fork Vs alloy?

One usability criticism seems to be the handle bars are too wide for some (they are 560mm vs500 on an islabike). If so will need to see if they can be hacksawed down a bit!

Hello all, I’m in the same boat in looking to move child from cnoc16 uptown a 20 as he’s starting to look like a clown on a mini bike. But I’m a bit of a beginner when it comes to bike knowledge myself.

He’s got a 54cm inside leg measurement and 122cm tall, big for his age and a good cycler, but it’s all still leisure, he’s not racing or anything. Got a younger one too so bike is likely to get two uses before I sell it on but having seen how quickly he grew through the cnoc I’m tempted to go second hand or much cheaper.

Even second hand a new islabike is a fair whack, very few hoys or Raleigh’s around. And then saw this. I don’t really know how much difference 1.4kg vs the lightest in category is going make. Is it really that significant?

And how much can you shave off cheaply, by doing the handlebars etc – how much lighter is the alloy bar prezet?

Thanks for any replies, appreciate help as I’m drowning on information on these bikes!