# 24" Cleary Meerkat - Stage 3 Mods



## Spectre (Jan 23, 2004)

I just finished the last of 3 mods on my son's Cleary bike:

Stage 1: Switched out Small Block 8 tires for 24" x 2.1 Schwalbe Rocket Ron tires

Stage 2: Added SR Suntour XCR Air fork

Stage 3: Switched out Sunrace 9-speed 11-32 cassette, rear derailleur and thumb shifter for Shimano 10-speed 11-36 cassette, Zee rear derailleur and Zee Rapidfire shifters.

I thought a lower gear for climbing might help my son ride further and he was having trouble shifting the thumb shifters while keeping his hands on the handlebar.


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## Szy_szka (Oct 29, 2015)

Quick question: is the SR Suntour XCR Air fork designed for the 24" wheel or did you grab the one for the 26"?


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## Spectre (Jan 23, 2004)

It's the 24" XCR Air fork. I've got a full review of the fork at: Product Review: 2016 SR Suntour XCR Air 24" Fork ? DIRT MERCHANT BIKES


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## Szy_szka (Oct 29, 2015)

Spectre said:


> It's the 24" XCR Air fork. I've got a full review of the fork at: Product Review: 2016 SR Suntour XCR Air 24" Fork ? DIRT MERCHANT BIKES


Thanks!


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## Ltdan12a (Jun 15, 2012)

So it's been 7 months, how's he like it? Still going strong?


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## Spectre (Jan 23, 2004)

It's all worked really well. The trigger shifters work much better than the thumb shifters. I highly recommend going with the 36 tooth low cog as it really helps with climbing. The air fork is still working great.

My son looks very natural riding the Cleary which is faster steering than the Specialized Hotrock 24 that he was on for a couple of months before getting the Cleary.


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## Ltdan12a (Jun 15, 2012)

Great to hear! My son is on a cleary owl right now, but he's itching to move up to something with gears


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## Spectre (Jan 23, 2004)

Yup, kids love gears! Kids see that adult bikes have gears and they don't want a kids bike anymore. I'd be happy to chat with you when you're ready to make a move.


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## Steve-XtC (Feb 7, 2016)

Glad it's working out.... 
Out of interest how are the 152mm cranks working out ??
I'm guessing he must be almost tall enough for them almost a year on (and with Trailcraft now selling cranks being poor timing) ?? We have no plans to change from his current 142mm but thinking the next bike will need to be full susp for a reason to change (perhaps a 26er)... but this might be the right time for some 152mm cranks...

Any more longer term on the Suntour's ??? A year on and we are still happy with the RST's ... but have nothing to compare against...(and the Suntour have a huge advantage that you can actually buy them regularly whereas RST seems like a hunt to find any in stock)


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## Spectre (Jan 23, 2004)

The 152mm cranks seem to be a good length. Not too long...not too short. The Suntour XCR Air fork is still working well. Having SR Suntour's North American service center located in the Portland area is a real plus for me.

In terms of full suspension vs front suspension for kids' bikes, I've found that front suspension might be a better choice for all-around trail riding. Most of the kids' 24" full suspension bikes seem to be around 30 lbs which seems to be a lot for a kids to haul around on long climbs.


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## Steve-XtC (Feb 7, 2016)

Spectre said:


> The 152mm cranks seem to be a good length. Not too long...not too short.


I think this will be the next length we go to... especially as its more easily available..
What BB choices do you have ???

(Reason I ask is UK weather makes BB important.... especially when closer to the ground/mud) We are currently on square taper which is heavy but bombproof... but moving to HT II or GXP means frequent BB changes here (or at least full stripdown which is a pain if pressfit)... as they just aren't really sealed... (No wonder Hope do so well despite the eye watering price in their home market)

I just buy the standard HT-II on my trail bike and chuck the whole thing ... I was reading that the inspiration behind Whyte was due to the hugely different stats for the UK market for Shimano.... mountain biking here often looks more like mud wrestling...and its fairly common to end up with submerged in mud BB.(and hubs).. especially winter... (Oh how I love our climate)



> The Suntour XCR Air fork is still working well. Having SR Suntour's North American service center located in the Portland area is a real plus for me.


I can see that helps... from my perspective in the UK both are equally distant...
I'm really just interested as I fully expect his next bike to be a 26 or 27.5.... 


> In terms of full suspension vs front suspension for kids' bikes, I've found that front suspension might be a better choice for all-around trail riding. Most of the kids' 24" full suspension bikes seem to be around 30 lbs which seems to be a lot for a kids to haul around on long climbs.


Yep, there just isn't much you can do.... the rear susp weighs what it does.... not a killer weight to an adult but pretty big for a kid.... not to mention our climate again!

I'm hoping to eek out the current hardtail until he can use a 26 or 650B full susp...
I'm toying with even starting with a 26er using 24" wheels.... I know it will drop the BB an inch... I'm trying to work out what else it will affect...(Obviously I might need to restrict travel).... but do you think I'm missing something obvious ....

Most of the trails we ride are more suited to FS at least going down.... but obviously at the moment don't want misery on the uphills....

I've found my FS much more fun on our closest trails than my XC hardtail... and if anything less tiring... the XC needs constant nursing in the air... or it like to dive nose first... whereas the FS is much more forgiving and you can concentrate on the next turn or ramp/dropoff without touching the backwheel with your ass...

That said I don't actually feel the extra weight.... I mean i know its there... simply lifting the bikes is chalk and cheese but actually climbing it makes little difference...
If I was racing instead of "out with kid" then I'm sure the XC bike climbs faster with the forks locked etc. and the front wheel stays down on a 1:3 .... but out with the kid I don't really feel like the FS is heavy.... (The XC is 1/2lb lighter than his 24 but then its carbon everything)


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## Dantesays (May 15, 2015)

While you guys are on the subject of cranks on the Meerkat, was wondering if you could help me. My son has a new Meerkat. The 152 cranks are too long (I knew this going in), but I had planned on switching to shorter bmx cranks we already have. These woud be 110BCD/5-arm spider. Question, can I switch to a standard BMX 34T chainring without worrying about chain drop, or do I have to use something like the wolftooth 110BCD, which is designed for 1x setups? Trying to do this as cost-effectively as possible. Thanks!


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## Steve-XtC (Feb 7, 2016)

SRAM S600's brand new pretty cheap... (Cheaper than a chainrings )

IMHO its worth keeping to a standard 4 bolt 104 BCD ... (works out cheaper quite quickly) or you can quickly spend time solving the chaindrop...

For a standard chainring you'll need some sort of chain retention but you can get a narrow wide pretty cheap and forgo the chain retention...and be able to try different sizes... 

After forgetting to activate the clutch on the kids bike one ride and not having a chain drop with the Narrow Wide we don't activate it anymore and haven't had a chain drop... 

You can try different narrow wide and buy used off ebay till you find the right size... so you can sell for more or less what you pay. 

The cranks are cheap ... a set of pedal taps is required (and hacksaw, file, drillbits) but its actually pretty easy to do...

My second pair took less than 30 minutes.... the first pair took a lot longer but I was waiting for parts etc. and also thought it would be a lot harder than it is. No specialist press drill etc. though I do have a chopsaw that saved time using a hacksaw...

Main learning was drill really slowly or the alloy melts...rather than cuts...


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## Dantesays (May 15, 2015)

Steve, thanks for the info. The SRAM crank shortening seems like a great way to go, but I'd have to invest in most of the required tools, and I'm not confident enough in my drilling and filing skills. I was really hoping to stick with the 5 bolt bmx cranks, because I can easily and inexpensively move from 140mm through 155mm in 5mm increments. Perhaps I'll try a 34T 110bcd nw chainring and see how that goes, or otherwise invest in the Trail Craft 140mm cranks.


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## Steve-XtC (Feb 7, 2016)

Dantesays said:


> Steve, thanks for the info. The SRAM crank shortening seems like a great way to go, but I'd have to invest in most of the required tools, and I'm not confident enough in my drilling and filing skills. I was really hoping to stick with the 5 bolt bmx cranks, because I can easily and inexpensively move from 140mm through 155mm in 5mm increments. Perhaps I'll try a 34T 110bcd nw chainring and see how that goes, or otherwise invest in the Trail Craft 140mm cranks.


Yeo either way I found a bit of trial and error getting the right size ... I have really got used to oval now ... so perhaps still see what you can pick up used on eBay in the 110bcd

We ended up with 30 on the front and 40 on the back for my then 6yr old on 24" wheels, he now has a 32 oval that's about the same as a 30t.

34t was too big for him at the time... but we have some pretty steep if short hills ... I might stick the 34t on and let him try a year on... his smallest rear is 12t as we took off the 11t to fit an expander (I lucked out getting an absolute black lock ring for 12t for uk 45p plus postage on eBay ... )

I have some spare 142mm cranks but I honestly can't see post to the us being worth it ... I was going to build another bike from spare parts but work got in the way.

I got the cranks for £10 and I think £5 post and as I already had all the tools that was total cost.

If you can find someone with a tool shop local it might still be a viable option... the mid quality taps work fine.... aluminium is a lot easier than steel... I was a bit worried as my memories of tapping mild steel at school 3 decades ago were not great ...

Either way ... I'm not sure if worry about going up in 5mm increments tbh... there is almost no disadvantage to using 5mm or even 10mm shorter than the 'ideal' indeed a lot of testing seems to indicate the ideal is a lot lot shorter than 175mm for a 6' guy so you can go straight to 152 or 155 then 165 or similar jumps easily.

You can google a bit on cadence and crank length .... I'm 5'10 (and a half ... the half counts as my brother is 5'10") and ride 165 or 170 cranks ... 175's hurt !!! My kid will more than likely be on his 142mm until either 152/155 or 165 but it will depend on the next bike frame... and bottom bracket. Once you leave square taper it gets much harder


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## Dr_UNIX (Jun 28, 2015)

Dantesays said:


> but I'd have to invest in most of the required tools, and I'm not confident enough in my drilling and filing skills


I couldn't tell from your profile page if you are in the U.S. or U.K.

If the U.S. check out SRAM S600 MTB crankarms Shortened and http://bikesmithdesign.com/Short_Cranks/alpha.html; which will cost $109+/$119+

If in the U.K. check out Crank Shortening - Highpath Engineering Ltd for about 55 UKP.

If you want to still consider DYI FAQLoad - Crank arm shortening and Steve-XtC's http://forums.mtbr.com/families-rid...livio-second-cranks-much-quicker-1011787.html are a good resourcess.


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## Dr_UNIX (Jun 28, 2015)

To add to the resources of this thread, Crank Length Calculation - Highpath Engineering Ltd is a good read to think about adequate child's crank length.


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## Steve-XtC (Feb 7, 2016)

Dr_UNIX said:


> To add to the resources of this thread, Crank Length Calculation - Highpath Engineering Ltd is a good read to think about adequate child's crank length.


Very good resource especially the bottom of the page.... price wise however you need to add vat in the U.K. (Sales tax) at 20% then P&P ... so the price ends up much higher to end end user (not that they make any more money but I was quite shocked when I totalled it all up and that was what led to my first crank shortening

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Dr_UNIX (Jun 28, 2015)

Steve-XtC said:


> his smallest rear is 12t as we took off the 11t to fit an expander


What's an "expander"?


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## Steve-XtC (Feb 7, 2016)

Dr_UNIX said:


> What's an "expander"?


Also sometimes called extenders..
you take a big cog








Then you either remove the 11t and fit a slightly bigger lock ring* or *remove the middle 14, 16 for example and fit a 15T cog (so you still have 10 gears but 1st is 40 or 42 teeth

Edits for clarity (sat at computer now)

This is the expander with a 15T cog that relpaces the 14 and 16

Oneup Components Cassette Expander Kit > Components > Drivetrain > Expander Cogs | Jenson USA

If you go through the photo's you can see it fitted.

This is an option to remove the 11T

absoluteBLACK | Parts | Extender COG + 13T lockring

Personally I prefer losing the 11T (specially for kids who are probably going fast enough on single track if the 13T is too big)

*I just went from a 1x10 13-40 to 1x11 11-42 and I have to say its a expensive upgrade for very little if any gain... (even the chains are way more)

*I don't find the 42 useful (at least not on my trail bike) ... though admittedly I have some 2.2" tyres at the moment... but I've yet to find anything steep enough to need the extra 2 teeth that I either keep rear wheel grip OR keep the front wheel down. Perhaps if I fit some 2.4" tyres on my XC bike I could conceivably find a single track that the 42 helps more than the 40 and the front wheel will stay down???


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## bond007jms (Aug 22, 2006)

Purchased the same bike for my family. Didn't do the mods you indicated, but might over time (live in the flat lands, no need for the extra gears right now). Did a lot of research. Kept coming back to this bike. For me it was the best spec, weight, geo for the money. One thing to keep in mind is that for 2017, the bike moves to a trigger sifter and an air fork (not sure they are selling it yet, but I lucked out and bought a 2017 mule). Could not be happier!

Research (hope it helps someone...all the weights were either off the showroom floor or the mfg websites):
Brand	Model	Brakes	Fork	Spd	Weight	Cost Cost per lbs
Trek Superfly	v Coil	21	25.25 $490.00 $19.41 
Ghost	Powerkid	H-disc	Coil	24	27 $600.00 $22.22 
Dawes	Academy	H-disc	Air	9	24 $760.00 $31.67 
Tailcraft Pineridge Comp H-disc	Air	10	23 $1,300.00 $56.52 
Islabikes	Creig H-disc	Air	10	24 $1,200.00 $50.00 
Norco	Charger	H-disc	Air	8	27 $710.00 $26.30 
Giant	XTC Jr M-disc	Coil	21	29 $390.00 $13.45 
Gint	XTC Jr SL H-disc Air	24	28 $600.00 $21.43 
Specialized	Hotrock	v Coil	7	29 $380.00 $13.10 
Specialized	Riprock	M-disc	Coil	8	30 $500.00 $16.67 
Clearly	Meerkat	H-disc	none	9	24 $545.00 $22.71 
Fuji Dyamantie M-disc	Coil	24	28 $450.00 $16.07


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## Dantesays (May 15, 2015)

That's good news on the 2017 model, particularly the switch to a trigger shift. We've owned the Meerkat for only a few weeks now, but I had to immediatley replace the thumb shifter with a grip shifter (my son's preference). Other than that, very happy with the bike.


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## bkranich (Jul 3, 2012)

Where are you guys getting the info about their spec changes for 2017? Their website still lists it with the micro shift and rigid fork.


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## bond007jms (Aug 22, 2006)

bkranich said:


> Where are you guys getting the info about their spec changes for 2017? Their website still lists it with the micro shift and rigid fork.


Write to Jeff, the owner, he will help you with your questions about specs, cost, mods, etc.


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## Rothfoo (Feb 7, 2017)

I was looking at Cleary and e-mailed them on Jan 17th. Looks like the new model will be out in March and they will offer a couple of "levels" - At a lower price with a rigid for and a higher end model with the Suntour XCR Air suspension fork. As best I could tell both models will have the option of a thumb or trigger shift... The optional shifter might be on the higher end only. Hope that helps


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## TopSpeed510 (Feb 3, 2021)

Sorry, hopefully someone still on this thread. Anyone know the max width on Cleary Meerkat ? I would love those Rocket Ron but its really hard to find 9r overpriced at $100/pair. Any suggestions on tires good quality and budget friendly


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## rton20s (Aug 27, 2010)

TopSpeed510 said:


> Sorry, hopefully someone still on this thread. Anyone know the max width on Cleary Meerkat ? I would love those Rocket Ron but its really hard to find 9r overpriced at $100/pair. Any suggestions on tires good quality and budget friendly


We have been pretty happy with the Vee Crown Gem in both 16" and 24" for our boys. They have been a decent quality tire at a reasonable price. We've had no issue with traction in either size. Our trails are typical California hard pack, loose over hard and fire roads.


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## TopSpeed510 (Feb 3, 2021)

rton20s said:


> We have been pretty happy with the Vee Crown Gem in both 16" and 24" for our boys. They have been a decent quality tire at a reasonable price. We've had no issue with traction in either size. Our trails are typical California hard pack, loose over hard and fire roads.


Thanks for the advice. I have heard good things about Vee Crown Gem but currently everywhere is sold out for 24x2.25 which i believe is the max size for Cleary 24


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