# Son's 24" bike



## IAmHolland (Jul 8, 2010)

I just completed it this past weekend.

Frame is from a Columbia Trailhead 24" bike, stripped and powder coated.
2000 Rockshox SID XC fork
Alex ACE-20 rims
Sapim spokes and nipples
Shimano RM-66 hub
Schwalbe Rocket Ron, run with gorilla tape tubeless
Origin 8 TorqLite 110mm bottom bracket
Lasco 152mm crank
RaceFace Turbine 22/32 rings
BBG Bashguard
FSA alloy chainring bolts
Wellgo M-111 pedals
SRAM PG-951 chain
Shimano CS-HG81 cassette, 11-34T
SRAM X.5 medium cage rear derailleur
SRAM 5.0 front derailleur
SRAM X.5 trigger shifters
Avid SD7 levers
Tektro 530AL v-brake (rear)
Avid BB7 with 160mm Ashima rotor (front)
Some ebay centerlock to 6-bolt adapter.
Tioga seat post
Selle Italia Jr. saddle
Sette seat post clamp
Jagwire compressionless brake cables
Carbon Cycles 60mm stem
Ritchey CompLite handlebar (have an EC70 carbon handlebar to go on when I get the time)
VP headset with cartridge bearings
Lizard Skins Dual Compound Moab grip, cut down to about 90mm.

Weight: 22.7 lbs with pedals

Test ride was OK. There needs to be some adjustment on the fork, it's a bit too firm right now. I dropped some pressure after the ride, from the +VE side and the damper, but need to take it for another spin.

The carbon handlebars should take a bit of weight off, not much. I am considering a carbon seatpost and going to a X.9 derailleur and ExtraLite rings to drop some more weight off. It won't save a whole lot, but not sure where else to take weight off. I had to double wrap the rims with gorilla tape for tubeless, so that probably adds some weight unfortunately.

I'm still looking for a better kid's saddle. He had Odyssey Jr. on his 20", but he said it's getting a bit small and uncomfortable for him. He likes the Selle Italia, but I don't like that it's not formed like an adults with the relief areas.


----------



## Demo9 (Nov 20, 2006)

Wow, Looks great, Love the color!


----------



## IAmHolland (Jul 8, 2010)

The color is awesome. My son picked it out, and I was in shock. I want it for my bikes. It's 2 colors, a yellow-green. When the sun hits it, at the part that reflects back directly, it's a bright yellow and as it bends around the tube it goes to a florescent green. It is totally awesome in person.


----------



## griff71 (Feb 21, 2012)

Very nice!


----------



## BeginnerCycling (Nov 21, 2011)

Cool looking bike!


----------



## mike61911 (Mar 18, 2012)

very cool looking ! did you get him to help you? good bonding time


----------



## IAmHolland (Jul 8, 2010)

mike61911 said:


> very cool looking ! did you get him to help you? good bonding time


Thanks all!

Yes, I did! He wanted to help.

He did the bottom bracket, cranks, headset, seatpost, seat, stem, cassette, initial tires onto the wheel to seat the tape, derailleur, chain, rotor, and I helped with the install of the fork. I did the pedals, brakes, the shifters, brake levers, and cabling.

I did show him how to adjust the derailleurs and how to set up the derailleurs, but I don't think he'll remember. He'll have another shot in a couple of years when he moves to a 26".


----------



## xc71 (Dec 24, 2008)

Great job, looks good & light weight.:thumbsup:
Extralite chain rings are a great idea, very light, shift great and last a long time.16 & 30 grams for the 22/32.
If your looking at going lighter, a cheap carbon post like the Token post is a good way to go.
Bolt on skewers & Alum. crank bolts from torontocycles. 
Aluminium 11/32 cassette. 32 cog & 22 granny with 24" wheels will climb some really steep hills.
Foam grips.
You could probably find some cheap Ti axles for those pedals on ebay.


----------



## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

VERY Nice.


----------



## Cinq (Jan 2, 2003)

Wow, very nice!

Kind regards,

Clemens


----------



## Roaming50 (Apr 30, 2009)

Awesome color and nice bike! The front mech looks a little high though. Do you have clearance issues preventing it from going lower?


----------



## IAmHolland (Jul 8, 2010)

kerryn said:


> Awesome color and nice bike! The front mech looks a little high though. Do you have clearance issues preventing it from going lower?


Thanks, and it can go lower. I always found that, with a triple derailleur, it's better to set it up as if the big ring was on. Even though I'm running a double, I pulled it up so that in 22 front with 11T rear, there is as much clearance as possible. That said, it the chain rubs on the 32T ring in that gear, but it clears the derailleur and shifts fine.

I should probably put the big ring on so that I can size it properly. I just did it by feel.


----------



## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

Nice build.


----------



## alex_sdca (Apr 6, 2009)

Well done. The riding position looks aggressive, those rocket rons and carbon cycles stem might be in my future....


----------



## krud (Jul 18, 2008)

Very Nice!! Where did you find the Alex ACE 20 rims and Lasco cranks? I have been looking for the rims for a while and can't seem to find any. Thanks.


----------



## trrubicon06 (Jul 24, 2009)

Where can one purchase the 24" Rocket Rons? All I can find are outside of the US.


----------



## Roaming50 (Apr 30, 2009)

krud said:


> Very Nice!! Where did you find the Alex ACE 20 rims and Lasco cranks?


I'm not sure where the OP got his cranks but I looked these up this morning and Utah Trikes have them.


----------



## IAmHolland (Jul 8, 2010)

Yes, I got them at Utah Trikes. A 110mm bottom bracket will give you a 48.5 chainline. I replaced the rings with Race Face Turbine rings and alloy chainring bolts to lighten it up.

The Alex ACE-20 rims, I got it from an ebay vendor, Chasertech. He doesn't list them, but he can sell them.

The Rocket Ron, I bought from Amazon. I was searching too, and they were all outside the US except I stumbled upon Amazon.com having them. They are not cheap though, and is roughly the same as shipping from Europe.


----------



## krud (Jul 18, 2008)

IAmHolland said:


> Yes, I got them at Utah Trikes. A 110mm bottom bracket will give you a 48.5 chainline. I replaced the rings with Race Face Turbine rings and alloy chainring bolts to lighten it up.
> 
> The Alex ACE-20 rims, I got it from an ebay vendor, Chasertech. He doesn't list them, but he can sell them.
> 
> The Rocket Ron, I bought from Amazon. I was searching too, and they were all outside the US except I stumbled upon Amazon.com having them. They are not cheap though, and is roughly the same as shipping from Europe.


Thanks for the info. Got the cranks and rims are on there way.


----------



## blammo585 (Apr 24, 2012)

Yes, nice bike.


----------



## Roaming50 (Apr 30, 2009)

Do you happen to know the weight of the Selle Italia Jr. saddle as i am looking for a better saddle for my son. I came across this while searching. I haven't tried it but perhaps it may fit what you are looking for in a saddle.

MCS Expert Seat


----------



## badgercyclist (Jan 14, 2007)

I love this! My 10 year old daughter asked me yesterday about building her a mountain bike. This looks like a good example to start from. I'm guessing that's a 26"SID, right?


----------



## IAmHolland (Jul 8, 2010)

kerryn said:


> Do you happen to know the weight of the Selle Italia Jr. saddle as i am looking for a better saddle for my son. I came across this while searching. I haven't tried it but perhaps it may fit what you are looking for in a saddle.
> 
> MCS Expert Seat


about 300g

I saw the MCS Expert. They never responded to my inquiry, so I never bought it.

I was also looking at the Crupi Ti seat, but it seems a bit expensive and may not have much padding.

I am using a WTB Rocket V SLT now. There are a number of changes to the bike (some parts in transport still), I will repost when it's all modified. End weight should be 21.7 lbs or so, it's 22.0 lbs now, dropped off another 0.7 lbs.



badgercyclist said:


> I love this! My 10 year old daughter asked me yesterday about building her a mountain bike. This looks like a good example to start from. I'm guessing that's a 26"SID, right?


Yes, it's a 26" SID. It's a 2000 SID XC (a coil negative spring). I was debating between the SID XC I have on it now or a newer SID (2009 or 2010 can't remember) I have on a XS 26" I started but aborted. I opted for the XC since it was already 80mm and I didn't need to muck with a spacer. I can't find spacers for the older SIDs, FWIW, to drop it down to 63mm.


----------



## Axe (Jan 12, 2004)

Thanks for the AC20 tip.  Ordering.

Can not decide if I need to go for 28t or 32t (I have 32t hubs around, but thought it may be nice to make 28 - and disk compatible). Same idea of disk front, V-brakes rear.


----------



## IAmHolland (Jul 8, 2010)

Axe said:


> Thanks for the AC20 tip. Ordering.
> 
> Can not decide if I need to go for 28t or 32t (I have 32t hubs around, but thought it may be nice to make 28 - and disk compatible). Same idea of disk front, V-brakes rear.


You're welcome.

If you're buying hubs, I would get 28h. I had 32h as well, and I like Shimano hubs for ease of maintenance. The hub choice is the only thing I wish I spent more on and just bought 28h hubs. Primarily because it would have helped get things down to 20lbs or less.


----------



## Axe (Jan 12, 2004)

IAmHolland said:


> You're welcome.
> 
> If you're buying hubs, I would get 28h. I had 32h as well, and I like Shimano hubs for ease of maintenance. The hub choice is the only thing I wish I spent more on and just bought 28h hubs. Primarily because it would have helped get things down to 20lbs or less.


Yeah, probably would order 28h, as long as I am lacing them up.

Now looking at your bike I wonder if I should strip paint and send it for anodization. Daughter wanted a blue one. 

Sounds silly, but when she likes it, she rides more, and I consider that a good investment.

Simple things like a few bling items from Purely Custom on her 20" bike quite inspired her to ride.


----------



## IAmHolland (Jul 8, 2010)

Axe said:


> Yeah, probably would order 28h, as long as I am lacing them up.
> 
> Now looking at your bike I wonder if I should strip paint and send it for anodization. Daughter wanted a blue one.
> 
> ...


I absolutely agree. Kids have egos too and having a cool bike helps quite a bit, especially when they pick out their own color. Iridescent colors are wicked cool. I'm jealous when I look at my own single color bike.

I wish I could spend more time with my daughter, but my son is way more advanced even though he's only 2 years older.

With the paint, the shop did the stripping (MAAS brothers). All I did was drop it off at Trailhead Cyclery and they have a deal with MAAS for pickup and drop off. I'm not sure if ano shops would do the stripping for you. Reading that other thread in Norcal makes me not even want to try.


----------



## Axe (Jan 12, 2004)

IAmHolland said:


> With the paint, the shop did the stripping (MAAS brothers). All I did was drop it off at Trailhead Cyclery and they have a deal with MAAS for pickup and drop off. I'm not sure if ano shops would do the stripping for you. Reading that other thread in Norcal makes me not even want to try.


I have stripped a few frames, not too bad. 

I was going to stop at Trailhead for the wheelbuild..


----------



## sledz (Jun 27, 2012)

Awesome, Thx for help on my 6 year olds 20" this week...now I see your 24" build !! this is great... I'm getting ready to build a 24"" for my 8 year old !!... or maybe your kid has out grown all ready?


----------



## stom_m3 (Jun 28, 2011)

Great build! I'll be starting one soon for my son. How tall is your kid and do you know his inseam? Thanks.


----------



## IAmHolland (Jul 8, 2010)

sledz said:


> Awesome, Thx for help on my 6 year olds 20" this week...now I see your 24" build !! this is great... I'm getting ready to build a 24"" for my 8 year old !!... or maybe your kid has out grown all ready?


Sorry, I just finished it this year, and he's riding it now. He hasn't outgrown it, just started fitting it.



stom_m3 said:


> Great build! I'll be starting one soon for my son. How tall is your kid and do you know his inseam? Thanks.


Barefoot, he's 52 inches with an inseam of just under 24 inches. With shoes and socks, should have a bit more than 24 inches.

As an update, I'm using a carbon seatpost and handlebar with a different saddle and Ti skewers, so the bike is under 22lbs now. I haven't changed the derailleur and chain rings and crank bolt to lighter parts, but I'm not sure it'll save enough weight to bother with it. I can maybe get it to low 21 lbs instead of higher 21 lbs. I can probably get it below 21 with a lighter weight cassette, but at a much higher cost than I think I want to spend.


----------



## Asmodeus2112 (Jan 4, 2008)

I got some ACE-20's. I have not built them yet, but am curious about how well it went going tubeless with the Gorilla Tape.


----------



## Axe (Jan 12, 2004)

Asmodeus2112 said:


> I got some ACE-20's. I have not built them yet, but am curious about how well it went going tubeless with the Gorilla Tape.


I got some ace-20 as well and built them up with some rotaz(?) hubs from Ebay. Ended up doing disk BB7 on both ways.

Drilled them out for Schrader valve. Just was lazy to order new tubes.

Frankly, not sure about bothering with tubeless for now.


----------



## IAmHolland (Jul 8, 2010)

Asmodeus2112 said:


> I got some ACE-20's. I have not built them yet, but am curious about how well it went going tubeless with the Gorilla Tape.


It was OK. I tried to double tape to get the bead lock as with my BST rims, but it still didn't. The bead didn't lock, due to the high side wall, for rim brakes I presume. I'm going to switch to a sliced tube next, when I need to clean out the junk to switch sealant brands. I'm hoping the tube, with 1 layer of Gorilla or just using Stan's tape, will allow the bead to lock when I let out all the air. Due to the failure to lock, I have been running the tires in the low 20 psi range. When he had tubes, I ran it under 20 psi for trail riding.

I used Caffe Latex, and will switch to Stan's so I need to clean it any way. That time should be coming up soon as the Caffe Latex bottle just ran out.

You need an air compressor to seat.

It's a bit of a hassle, I'm not entirely sure it's worth it. If I'm feeling lazy, I may just buy a Stan's kit and give it a go.


----------



## kabayan (Oct 25, 2004)

For you DIY's, there's a Schwinn steel girl's 24 inch MTB frame at Nashbar for $9. Free shipping with $25 purchase today.


----------



## wayonbird (Dec 17, 2012)

yeah, I saw the MCS Expert. They never responded to my inquiry, so I never bought it.


----------



## unbobfinch (Aug 22, 2007)

Nice build. I think this one is my favorite 24" build so far. I love the paint.


----------



## GSJ1973 (May 8, 2011)

unbobfinch said:


> Nice build. I think this one is my favorite 24" build so far. I love the paint.


I agree! Holland did you happen to weigh the wheel set? Curious if it is in the 1500g range or heavier/lighter.


----------



## IAmHolland (Jul 8, 2010)

unbobfinch said:


> Nice build. I think this one is my favorite 24" build so far. I love the paint.





GSJ1973 said:


> I agree! Holland did you happen to weigh the wheel set? Curious if it is in the 1500g range or heavier/lighter.


Thanks for the complements!

I did not weigh it, unfortunately, but I did calculate it at one time. Theoretical was below 1500g, but barely around mid-1400g. That doesn't mean much though. It's also a heavier build as I used Shimano center lock hubs. If I went with some lightweight hubs, it would definitely be. I might do a lightweight build for my daughter (6yo on 20" bike) so I can use a 24" rigid fork with discs instead of the heavy coil fork.


----------



## GSJ1973 (May 8, 2011)

How much weight do you think you could save/ total wheel weight with 28 spoke rims/hubs and 400gram hubs? 

Seems crazy my 29er AC wheels weight 1420 grams and I DH them on ski resort downhills!


----------

