# Kids Freeride Machine



## Demo9 (Nov 20, 2006)

Just thought I would share my sons new steed. Its not quit done but close.
Its a Scott Spark Jr 20. I stripped it to the bare frame and started throwing 
dollars at it. This is what I ended up with.
















The fork is a Marzocchi Shiver SC that I cut the crown off, then installed a dual crown
from a 05 888. I also removed the ECC cartridge, converted the leg to Air and lowered
the travel to 3.75".









I laced up a set of Saint hubs to some 20" Sun Black Label rims. I wanted a rear disc.
I was going to use the brake therapy kit, but it doesn't work with Saint hubs. So I found
a used Transition Floater kit for a Blindside hoping this might be the ticket. I had to change the bearing in the bracket to 10mm ID to match the Saint through axle and machine a couple of new spacers. I was amazed it worked. The only draw back is you have to run a 203mm rotor. I also machined a new rod for the stabilizer bar.









The drivetrain consists of 130mm bmx cranks with a Sinz Ti bottom bracket, Freeagent Mini Pedals, Sram 991 Hollow pin chain, Sram 990 cassette and x9 shifter and derailleur

The brakes are Clark Skeletal. They weigh 365g and seem to be decent, will see.

Hope you like...


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## Fantaman (Nov 7, 2009)

That looks sick for a kids bike,maybe make the pictures a bit bigger ?


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## sambs827 (Dec 8, 2008)

I can just hear the little kid "my-dad-is-cooler-than-you-dad" argument:

"My dad is cooler than your dad, he's a lawyer and puts bad guys in jail."
"So, my dad is a mechanic and he works on big trucks"
"My dad is a physical trainer and he met John Elway:
"Yea, well my dad bought me a brand new full suspension mountain bike with 26 inch wheels and disk brakes from Walmart!"
"Wow!"
"You're so lucky!"
"What about your dad, Johnny?"

"Well my daddy bought me a Scott Spark Junior 20 and put on a Marzocchi fork that he tore apart and rebuilt himself, then gave it Saint hubs, X-9 drivetrain, Clark skeletal brakes, Freeagent pedals......It's no big deal, it's only totally custom and stuff."


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## Dalis12 (Jan 15, 2008)

sweet!

bigger pics?


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## SamL3227 (May 30, 2004)

coolest lil kid bike i EVER seen.


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## 08nwsula (Oct 19, 2005)

props to dad. might be a little overkill but will definitely earn you some fathers day points


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## noparking (Apr 28, 2009)

so cool


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## ryan_daugherty (Oct 8, 2006)

all it needs now is some kind of chain guide. i bet you could figure out how to throw one on.


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## Huck Banzai (May 8, 2005)

All I can say is wow; one lucky kid, I wouldn't be surprised to see him on WC podiums in years to come.


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## nightofthefleming (Jun 14, 2009)

Seriously one of the coolest things I've seen in a while. That's one lucky kid !


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## insanitylevel9 (Sep 23, 2009)

that is awesome


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## SHIVER ME TIMBERS (Jan 12, 2004)

man that is a
very cool ride...hopefully the kid has the skills to match how good that bike is


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## Nick_M2R (Oct 18, 2008)

Quite freaking awesome ride there!
Wish i had a bike like that when i was a kid


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## Ray Lee (Aug 17, 2007)

Maybe the coolest thing I have seen on here...... but you better start planning for his next ride, some off the rack bike is going to cut it now :thumbsup:


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## jsrwcase (Jun 30, 2009)

Great engineering!


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## RamRider (Sep 10, 2009)

Very great ride and very great workmanship. 
I be he has the coolest bike in the neighborhood.


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

Hmm, looks different than this one, now that I see them up close. It has been done before though. Pretty neat.


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## Demo9 (Nov 20, 2006)

I cannot lie that bike was my insperation for this build.


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## SamL3227 (May 30, 2004)

yours gots the bigger brakes!


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## hardtailkid (Jan 25, 2010)

......and you dont even change the seat. Just kidding. 

That bike looks sweet!!!!! Is it a tad over the top though? I mean, when is your son going to be taking drop and jumps which require those parts? LOL im not trying to criticize, but just being curious.


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## mtnbikej (Sep 6, 2001)

hardtailkid said:


> ......and you dont even change the seat. Just kidding.
> 
> That bike looks sweet!!!!! *Is it a tad over the top though? I mean, when is your son going to be taking drop and jumps which require those parts? LOL im not trying to criticize, but just being curious*.


Exactly.......either the kid is super fat or there is not really any need for the kid to need/use 8" rotors.

Also with a 20" wheel.....how much is the child really going to be able to tell the difference between whether or not there is a floating brake on there.


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## SamL3227 (May 30, 2004)

he would have to use rimbrakes then it looks like, and who uses those anymore?


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## cyrix (Jan 29, 2008)

mtnbikej said:


> Exactly.......either the kid is super fat or there is not really any need for the kid to need/use 8" rotors.
> 
> Also with a 20" wheel.....how much is the child really going to be able to tell the difference between whether or not there is a floating brake on there.


Oh there you are Buzz Killington.

This dad decided to create an awesome one of a kind bike for his kid...you know instead of just buying him some off the rack bike and all you can do is *****. He's obviously a dedicated dad who wanted to do something cool for his kid.

I bet you're REALLY fun at parties huh?

Demo9, that is an awesome build and your kid is really lucky. Ignore the troll.


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## jcook1989 (Mar 16, 2008)

mtnbikej said:


> Exactly.......either the kid is super fat or there is not really any need for the kid to need/use 8" rotors.
> 
> Also with a 20" wheel.....how much is the child really going to be able to tell the difference between whether or not there is a floating brake on there.


If you could actually read you would know that it's no a real floating brake is only gives him a way to mount up a disc caliper to the bike with out having to weld on tabs. Also he can only use an 8" with that set up.


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## mtbnozpikr (Sep 1, 2008)

Demo9 said:


> I laced up a set of Saint hubs to some 20" Sun Black Label rims. I wanted a rear disc.
> I was going to use the brake therapy kit, but it doesn't work with Saint hubs. So I found
> a used Transition Floater kit for a Blindside hoping this might be the ticket. I had to change the bearing in the bracket to 10mm ID to match the Saint through axle and machine a couple of new spacers. I was amazed it worked. The only draw back is you have to run a 203mm rotor. I also machined a new rod for the stabilizer bar.


Wow, that's a pretty awesome idea and it seems as if it was carried out skillfully and successfully. I think that it will be quite interesting (that's an understatement) to see how 203mm rotors will perform on a 20 inch wheel with not a lightweight rider on board. Well done though:thumbsup:


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## hazdxb (Oct 11, 2008)

that is AWESOME! and those brakes make it look kickass!


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## StinkyFTW (Jun 29, 2008)

That's a pretty sick bike, but you might want to reconsider those brakes.... Think about it, those discs/brakes on a bike with 20 inch wheels is going to be a lockup fest. Especially with a kid that probably weighs 100 pounds.


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## Rock Climber (Jul 25, 2007)

sambs827 said:


> I can just hear the little kid "my-dad-is-cooler-than-you-dad" argument:
> 
> "My dad is cooler than your dad, he's a lawyer and puts bad guys in jail."
> "So, my dad is a mechanic and he works on big trucks"
> ...


:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

OP, you have one lucky kid, have fun riding together!!!!


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## Demo9 (Nov 20, 2006)

Thanks for all the props! The only way to change the rotor size in the rear is to buy
a new hub and a brake therapy disc adapter kit. This would add an 
$3-400 bucks, so I will see how he does with the current setup. Kids learn very quick. 
My son currently rides a bike with a rear disc and can modulate the brake really well.
Most people (adults) spend $5000 on there bikes. So whats the big deal???? I have roughly $1200 in this build. A Kona Stinky 2-4 or a Specialized Bighit Grom run in the $1200-1400 range. People buy those for there kids all the time.


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## chris_d (Apr 5, 2008)

Way Cool! Looks like it was a very fun project.


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## Guest (May 17, 2010)

Demo9 said:


> Thanks for all the props! The only way to change the rotor size in the rear is to buy
> a new hub and a brake therapy disc adapter kit. This would add an
> $3-400 bucks, so I will see how he does with the current setup. Kids learn very quick.
> My son currently rides a bike with a rear disc and can modulate the brake really well.
> Most people (adults) spend $5000 on there bikes. So whats the big deal???? I have roughly $1200 in this build. A Kona Stinky 2-4 or a Specialized Bighit Grom run in the $1200-1400 range. People buy those for there kids all the time.


Nice build:thumbsup:

I am friends with the guys who built the first one that you used with inspiration and its gotten ridden hard for the past 2 years. Now it is being passed on to another young shredder who will be growing into it.

I will try to get some updated pics, but they machined a custom shock mount so the bike could run a RP23 air shock, think its a 5.5x1.5 and allows you to get rid of the pogo stick in the rear end.


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## Uncle Cliffy (Jul 7, 2006)

Mucho props to the build. I'm kinda jealous of you little one. :thumbsup:



mtnbikej said:


> Exactly.......either the kid is super fat or there is not really any need for the kid to need/use 8" rotors.
> 
> Also with a 20" wheel.....how much is the child really going to be able to tell the difference between whether or not there is a floating brake on there.


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## Cantil3v3r (Jan 14, 2009)

nice work Demo9...i can only imagine it was as much fun for you to build the bike as it will be for your son to ride it! :thumbsup:


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## saukit (Apr 6, 2009)

Props to Demo 9 for one of the coolest bikes ever! There's not a kid in the world that wouldn't be stoked about that thing.


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

mtnbikej said:


> Exactly.......either the kid is super fat or there is not really any need for the kid to need/use 8" rotors.
> 
> Also with a 20" wheel.....how much is the child really going to be able to tell the difference between whether or not there is a floating brake on there.


Technically it is not floating since the arm is still attached to the seatstay. I believe it was just so he could mount a disc brake... Though you might want to see if an A2Z adapter might work for this application. Much cheaper than the Brake Therapy.

Very cool build though. The brakes look ridiculous. Might be easy to bang up.


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## DWDW (Oct 7, 2005)

Wow. Awesome job, especially the fork.

I am inspired. Would any other crowns fit those forks. How did you cut off the existing crown of the SC shiver? I've got a 5 year old and this would be way better than the fork he has now!


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## Demo9 (Nov 20, 2006)

I used a cutoff wheel to remove the crown. The dual crown needs to have a 35mm I.D.
I was thinking maybe a Boxxer crown would work, they use 35mm stanchions. The only thing I don't know is how wide the crown is. Say center of tube to center of tube. The boxxer crown may be to narrow. If its too wide just make a spacer. I had to make a 3/16" spacer to move the hub back to center using the 888 crowns.


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## DWDW (Oct 7, 2005)

Thanks Demo9. .. again, wow.


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## 006_007 (Jan 12, 2004)

Very cool.

Only sad thing is your son will probably grow out of it in less time then it took you to build!


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## 1+1 (Dec 20, 2006)

Demo9, your kid will remember this forever. Now get working on the next size up. 006_007 is right, they do grow out of them faster than those brake pads will wear out. That's why you should have more kids, so the bike stays in the family. That's why I got 3 and would have another or 3 if we could. The way I look at it, I get them hooked now, they grow up, buy bikes I recommend, I'll 'borrow' them and WIN!!!!


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## Demo9 (Nov 20, 2006)

I already picked up the next bike. Its a 05 Kona Stink Jr, Fox 36 Talas RC2, Chris King Headset, Sram X9 drivetrain, FSA Cranks, Juicy 7 brakes. Now just waiting to build up some cool 24" wheels. I find it really fun to build kids bikes, heres his first bike build
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=480584&highlight=new+with+a+twist


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## DWDW (Oct 7, 2005)

I just checked out the Hotrock. Nice work again! I admire your ingenuity, and your commitment to your kids. I'd love to see pics/videos of your kid ripping that bike.


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## ruralrider528 (Nov 8, 2008)

to all the guys complaining about 8 inch rotors on a kids bike.....jealousy! I think that bike is 300 times better than anything that I have ever had as a kid, awesome work!!


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## paddler28 (Apr 4, 2010)

Very cool bike. How much did it weigh in the end though?


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## William42 (Oct 29, 2006)

I see plenty of room to loose weight on that build  

but seriously, sick ass bike


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## hardtailkid (Jan 25, 2010)

You should have him in the garage as much as possible with you for the next build. Nice bikes, but I think he would take more pride in a bike he helped to put together. I know hes a youngin, but get him started! Any pics of the Stinky?


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## Demo9 (Nov 20, 2006)

paddler28 said:


> Very cool bike. How much did it weigh in the end though?


I have not weighed it yet. I built the bike for shuttling and bike park use so weight wasn't a huge concern. Although I am going to change the rims as the rims I used happen to be the heaviest bmx rims available. No wonder they were so cheap......

William42, I would like to here your ideas to lighten the bike up


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## insanitylevel9 (Sep 23, 2009)

all i can say is i wish you were my dad...


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## meak (Jul 17, 2004)

Coolest 20" bike I have ever see!!!
Great Dad!!


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