# HT Frame Suggestions for 27.5 Kids Bike



## ravenhot (Nov 22, 2019)

Kid has outgrown his 24" ride and so I'm looking to build a 27.5 from frame up. I have a decent amount of spares kicking around from my bike - and can set it up with SLX/Deore 12spd component-wise. Have a plan for wheelset, but struggling to find the best frame to start with. 

Kid is 5-1" so a little on the small side for most small frames, but would rather something he grows into vs. find a 26er for a year. 27.5+ and 29's are obviously out...

First candidate was the Commencal Meta HT AM - but from what I understand of their geo they are speccing the small frames with a mullet 27.5 rear and 29 front with 150mm fork, which would mean I need to go to a 160mm fork to put dual 27.5's on it. 

Second candidate is the Marin San Quentin 3 which is built more with 27.5's in mind and can take a fork from 130-150mm range. The Marin seems like a better candidate for his small size. 

I'm finding other frame-only options here and there, but most seem to be targeting 29 build out. Any recommendations on other frames to add to my search?


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## ggphysics (Jul 31, 2017)

My 11 year old is on a 2020 Salsa Timberjack XS. I mounted up 27.5 Rocket Rons tubeless tires to save some weight. I also changed the cranks to Trailcraft 152's. He loves the bike and it'll have a decent retail when he outgrows it. He's 5'2" and 130lbs.


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## ravenhot (Nov 22, 2019)

Interesting. Timberjack was one of the frames I looked at but it says designed for 29 or 27+. Did you overfork it to get it to work with regular 27.5?


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## SCTerp (Aug 9, 2017)

Another option is a Ragley Marley size small - geo is based on 130mm fork with 27.5 front and rear. And geo is similar to San Quentin with slightly shorter reach and taller stack.


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## ravenhot (Nov 22, 2019)

SCTerp said:


> Another option is a Ragley Marley size small - geo is based on 130mm fork with 27.5 front and rear. And geo is similar to San Quentin with slightly shorter reach and taller stack.


Good suggestion - for some reason google keep bringing that one up when I search for the San Quentin. Looks like it's UK based and shipping fees are a little rough.


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## shortnangry (Nov 16, 2014)

If you can find a Surly Instigator 2.0, that’s a good choice. No longer in production. Steel frame built around 26+ wheels but fits 27.5 nicely. Plenty of space in the rear; I ran up to 27.5 x 2.5 and had room for 2.6. Also ran 2.3 and 2.4 and it rode nicely. Designed for 140 mm travel fork. 142 mm rear spacing; if you want boost spacing this won’t do. Rear dropouts will run QR or 12mm TA with different dropout chip. For 12 speed you’d need the slotted 12mm TA dropout because it is a standard mount derailleur hanger (the other 12mm TA chip is direct mount and boggles Shimano 12 speed derailleurs). 44mm headtube so you can run tapered steerer fork. Small has pretty generous stand over and the frame rides very nimble. Geo wasn’t new school slack but not classic XC steep; I found it hit a nice sweet spot, but that was my taste. No internal dropper routing unless you drill the hole. All around, this is a nice frame to run 27.5 wheels unless you need boost spacing in the rear, want new school slack geo, or want internal dropper without drilling it. 

if you’re interested there was a long string in the Surly forum where the Instigator got a lot of love. Maybe some of those riders have moved on but have the frame sitting around waiting to be adopted into a good home. 2014 Surly Instigator


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## ravenhot (Nov 22, 2019)

Thanks for all the suggestions. Ended up going with the Nukeproof Scout 275 - was on sale at Wiggle with decent shipping rate to US. The geo seem better suited to a smaller rider.


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