# Custom Hotrock 24



## strohpbs (Oct 7, 2012)

Today's the day. Son gets his 11th birthday present and dad (and mom) get to see the biggest smile in the world.

Started with 24" Hotrock 24" XC and stripped it to the frame. Only thing I carried over was the headset and the saddle. Everything is else is custom. Unfortunately we didn't get to weigh it before but based on other models we have in the shop we're assuming it was around 29lbs. All finished = ~24lbs with 4" travel. 

Fork: '06 26" Manitou Skareb
Rims: Sun Envy (would have gone with Envy Lite's but couldn't find any in the timeframe I needed)
Hubs/Derailleurs/Shifters: X9
Drivetrain: 2x10 SRAM (22/32 w/bash) S600 shortened to 148mm bike bikesmith.
Brakes: Avid BB7
Stem: Race Face Atlas
Bars: Salsa 1 Pro Moto Carbon Flat, 11 degree sweep
Seat Post: Specialized S-Works Pave
Pedals: VP 001
Tires: Rocket Ron (run ghetto tubeless)

Once he gets a little stronger I hope to drop to 1x10 with 32 tooth front. Pics coming soon. BTW, if anyone wants a new 24" coil spring front fork let me know. I'll cut you a really good deal.


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## strohpbs (Oct 7, 2012)

Anyone have a line on lightweight saddles that are small, i.e. short.


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## AKamp (Jan 26, 2004)

strohpbs said:


> Anyone have a line on lightweight saddles that are small, i.e. short.


My son is running a WTB Rocket which is fairly small. More like a medium size


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## strohpbs (Oct 7, 2012)




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## strohpbs (Oct 7, 2012)




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## bizutch (Aug 26, 2004)

strohpbs said:


> BTW, if anyone wants a new 24" coil spring front fork let me know. I'll cut you a really good deal.


pm sent


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## 08FXT (May 3, 2012)

Awesome setup!! Your son's smile says it all!
I'm shopping for a 24in bike for my 8 yo who has outgrown his hotrock 20, thanks for sharing details about your mods, may come in handy down the road for me!


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## Surfpoodi (Sep 14, 2011)

I built up a 20 Hotrock with those colors and put a Odyssey Junior Seat in red on it. Light, cheap, and looks good, but it might be too small for a 10 year old?

How does the 26" fork work with the geometry. Seem okay?


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## XCScott (Aug 31, 2012)

Sweet! My son is 6 and is riding a Hotrock 24. As his riding skills improve I will be upgrading some things for him...probably not quite to this level however. Great job!


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## strohpbs (Oct 7, 2012)

Surfpoodi said:


> I built up a 20 Hotrock with those colors and put a Odyssey Junior Seat in red on it. Light, cheap, and looks good, but it might be too small for a 10 year old?
> 
> How does the 26" fork work with the geometry. Seem okay?


In all honesty it works fine if not better than the stock fork from a geometry standpoint, especially for the type of riding we do which is fairly technical and hilly. It slacks out the bike a little which helps him stay back on the descents and when rolling over things but not so much that it causes a problem climbing. It looks like a mini dirt jumper. IMHO, the best upgrade anyone can make right out of the box is finding a 2005ish 80mm 26" fork and replacing the anchor that comes on the stock bike.  You can find them all over on ebay/craigslist for around $60. Even if it has to rebuilt it will only cost you $20 in parts and some labor at a shop.


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## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

That bike came out really nice. I did exactly the same thing with a Craigslist Gary Fisher Tyro. I used Sunringle' Ryno lite rims on XT hubs, a Manitou Axel fork, Avid Elixirs and a 1 x 10 X7 drivetrain. 
My son loves it. 
Yours will be thrilled when he sees how much stuff he can clear over having 20" wheels.


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## traffic002 (Dec 16, 2008)

Great thread. Kudos for the amount of sweat and love put into the build.

My boy turns 10 next month. He's only 4'6" and weighs 67#. I've looked through CL and not finding much. I visited the bike shops and the best bike (for my boy) that I found was the Hotrock 24" STREET.

What I'd like to get is a rigid fork and 1x9 drivetrain 24". Going from a 20" "mountain bike" with 1x6, he'll be gaining wheel diameter (much like we would go from 26" to 29". I'd have to check the gear ratios, but we won't be doing 1hr climbs or anything. And then I'd have to check on crank length as that's probably the next big thing next to a fork.

Now,....WTF on the suspension forks. Just heavy pieces of junk that requires 120#+ rider weight to activate the fork. Disc brakes is another one. Why do you need such stopping power for a featherweight rider? Just more weight. Looks cool for sure. But can't justify the weight.

I saw a Cannondale 24" with a "Lefty" and disc brakes. I have to say it's one of the coolest kid's bike I've seen. But that thing weighs more than my steel framed mountain bike. Ouch!!

How do I get a functional bike for my kid without braking the custom build bank? I have my wife's Spec Rockhopper XS bike hanging in the garage. It's got 1996 components on it. But the frame itself is probably a 2008 with 1-1/8" headtube and disc brake tabs. But the thought of building a custom bike busts my limited budget.

My trails are forest single track. But we have a bike park like trail nearby as well where they've taken a lot of the roots out and lots of man-made runs.

I, myself, ride a steel hardtail with a 120mm fork and 1x9 drivetrain. I used to ride with him on my monocogue 29-er SS, rigid. So I'm more "to the basics" type of rider. But just looking to give my boy a real fighting chance of enjoying the trails.


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## xc71 (Dec 24, 2008)

traffic002 said:


> Great thread. Kudos for the amount of sweat and love put into the build.
> 
> My boy turns 10 next month. He's only 4'6" and weighs 67#. I've looked through CL and not finding much. I visited the bike shops and the best bike (for my boy) that I found was the Hotrock 24" STREET.
> 
> ...


I would get a Scott Scale RC 24" & look for a used older SID race or Carbon Race in 80mm travel. Ditch the big ring for a BBG guard. Your correct in that you don't need disc brakes. My son is running the same rim brakes that come on the Scale RC and they are very powerful with an easy pull and really light weight. Here are a few more idea's.
http://forums.mtbr.com/families-riding-kids/scott-spark-rc-24-mods-697418.html


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## strohpbs (Oct 7, 2012)

Yeah, the disc brakes were a bit much but the front fork didn't have canti tabs so was going to have to run disc in the front anyways so just matched it out in the rear. I did opt for mechanical though over hydraulic for ease of maintenance. Can't really complain about the weight as I got it down into the 23lb range.


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## traffic002 (Dec 16, 2008)

strohpbs, what did the little project run you in the end? C'mon now, I'm talking all the little "hidden" costs.

XC71, I checked out the Scott Scale JR and the RC. Yeah, I remember the Scotts having one of the few "functional" forks on a kid's bike. The RC specs look right on the money. That's the only problem...I guess you gotta pay to play.

I didn't mind shelling out $380 for my boy's Redline Proline Mini and swapping cogs to gear it down. The Scale comes in at a similar $400-ish. But $1000 is a little harder pill to swallow.

23# vs 27# for the Scale Jr.
Cheap drivetrain vs an 8sp XT set-up
Cheap cranks vs an FSA (although not too crazy about the longer crank arms)

I wonder if I just get the JR, swap out the handlebar with an alloy one and change the rear cassette with a PG730 cogset for 12-32T gearing and replace the big ring with a BBG bash, if I'd get a good compromise. I wouldn't even mind losing the front mech and running a 32t single ring. 32/32 should be fine with a 24" wheels.

By the time he gets too big for the elastomer fork, then I can have my wife's frame built up to a nice spec for him to ride. When he outgrows that, then my wife still has a nice bike to ride...

...just thinking out loud...


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## traffic002 (Dec 16, 2008)

Incidentilly, I wonder if the BB and cranks from his Proline Mini would fit on the Scott Scale Jr? That'd be a nice little drop in weight!!


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## strohpbs (Oct 7, 2012)

$1250 at cost with donated x9 shifters and carbon bars and very cheap used fork. Didn't calculate full retail but would prob be in the $3500 range.


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