# Transition ripcord build



## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

Bike Arrived this morning in a large box - excuse the pics I only have an iphone










weights in at 30.4lb with his current pedals and comes with 9mm font and 10mm rear bolt through. Hubs are rebranded novatech so I could swap the rear axle over to the switch ultra hub.










The fork is a ton weight at 2150g with the SID at 1460g its a big chunk of weight removed.




























With his old parts swapped over bike now weights a more respectable 25.85lb with pedals.

spec

Frame - Transition ripcord with monarch R
Forks - SID RCT3 2015 MY
Brakes - M675 SLX 203F 160R icetech
Crank - Thorn 150mm + RF NW 30t
Pedals - Kore thermo rivera
Chain - KMC X10 93
Cassette - XT 10sp
Rmech - SLX shadow + medium
shifter - zee 10sp
Wheels - superstar switch evo (rebadged Novatec D881SB front and D882SB) laced to Alex ACE 20 rims with sapim race DB spokes. 9mm/10mm bolt through
Tyres - Hutchinson toro 2.0 hardskin set up tubeless
Saddle/seatpost - SDG bel air & SDG mico lay back
Bar - Easton haven carbon 711mm
Stem - superstar Zepher 50mm
Grips - ODI rouge


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## gtrguy2 (May 17, 2015)

Nice build- looks great!


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## Bertleman (Feb 10, 2004)

nice bike! I want to get one for my daughter...glad I can get the frame only now...


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## tomfish (Aug 9, 2010)

your little dude is stoked!!


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

first ride


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## tomson75 (May 25, 2014)

Nice bike.


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## ProjectMayhem (Aug 23, 2013)

Bet he loves it. How tall is he?


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

about 137cm


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## ProjectMayhem (Aug 23, 2013)

Sweet! My son is 140cm - I had thought the Ripcord looked quite small for him but maybe only in comparison to his current steed.


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

There is a 100mm reverb on the bike and lewis uses it at full extention. there is a good 4-5 inches of growth left on the bike


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## Right seat driver (May 25, 2014)

POAH said:


> first ride
> 
> View attachment 1010132


Nice build. By any chance did you weigh the frame set?


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

sorry no idea, its about 3lb heavier than the blast Lewis had before. maybe 6.5-7lb with shock


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

Fitted a debonair air can to his monarch R today - massive difference, totally recommended upgrade.


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

Lewis has increased in confidence with the ripcord.


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## Lithified (Apr 14, 2007)

Man what a lucky little dude! Keep shredding! Looks like a great time.


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## AGarcia (Feb 20, 2012)

Thinking about one of these for my 6 1/2 year old. He's 49" (125cm) and about 53 lbs. Any thoughts on whether he's too short for this bike?

Thinking about buying the frame and doing a custom build using either a Reba or a SID fork, and a ZTR Crest /DT Swiss 350 wheel set.


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

https://www.transitionbikes.com/2016/Bikes_Ripcord_Sizing.cfm


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## catch22 (Apr 30, 2004)

I ordered one of the last blue 2015s last week for our daughter who will turn 7 in January. She's really tall for her age (50-51" last I checked) so I think sizing will work well for her and hopefully we'll get a good 3+ years on the Ripcord. Really excited to get her moved up to a 24" bike. Currently she's on a rigid 20" Raleigh that I made a bunch of changes to and she does great with it but she loses confidence quickly when trails get a little bit rocky. Watching her, it seems like it's just the 20" wheel's tendency to get hung up and bounced around on smaller roots and rocks that are spooking her. I think the 24s will be a huge benefit and stoked to get her out on the trails on it next spring (or winter if we can make a trip or two down south).

I was planning on grabbing a 2016 sky blue frame when those became available but couldn't pass up a deal on a complete in the blue color which she (and I) both really like. I'll have it in hand tomorrow and need to see what spec this one is going to have. With it being a really late run 2015 I'm wondering if they are still going to have the full 2015 part spec or some of the 2016 changes. Once I figure that out I'm planning to spend the next couple months prior to her birthday swapping in lighter bits from the parts bin and scouring ebay. Thinking either a Manitou R7 (literally sold a like new one about 6 months ago thinking I didn't have a use for it) or a Reba up front. Relatively certain it will be setup 1x10, maybe with a 42t cog if shifting is tolerable with the really short stays. I'm leaning towards replacing the wheelset with something lighter but want to get the stock ones on a scale first to see how much potential loss there will be. Most likely it will be some light hubs built to the 24" Crest rims so we can go tubeless for her. Probably swapping bars/stem/post and maybe tires as well. I'll try to get some photos and updates as the build comes along.


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## Szy_szka (Oct 29, 2015)

catch22 said:


> Thinking either a Manitou R7 (literally sold a like new one about 6 months ago thinking I didn't have a use for it) or a Reba up front.


How do you go about getting a new fork for the 24" wheel size. I cannot find anything for that wheel size on any of the large bike sites (Chain Reaction, Jenson, etc.). Is there a trick to it (as in ordering a fork for the 26" wheel)? Thanks!


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## catch22 (Apr 30, 2004)

Szy_szka said:


> How do you go about getting a new fork for the 24" wheel size. I cannot find anything for that wheel size on any of the large bike sites (Chain Reaction, Jenson, etc.). Is there a trick to it (as in ordering a fork for the 26" wheel)? Thanks!


Transition (maybe a few others?) had the foresight to design the 24" frame around a 26" fork at 100mm (axle to crown of 475mm stock) to be run with the 24" wheels. Really well thought out move on their part and allows for lots of options both new and used up front. I'm not sure what A2C most 24s are designed around but I'm guessing it's around 400mm?


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

yeah, the RST first air 24 is 400mm. There isn't really much change from the 2015 model other than the 1x10 and a shorter crank. The fork is slightly lighter but basically the same internals (not that Lewis's actually got used lol )


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## Szy_szka (Oct 29, 2015)

catch22 said:


> Transition (maybe a few others?) had the foresight to design the 24" frame around a 26" fork at 100mm (axle to crown of 475mm stock) to be run with the 24" wheels. Really well thought out move on their part and allows for lots of options both new and used up front. I'm not sure what A2C most 24s are designed around but I'm guessing it's around 400mm?





POAH said:


> yeah, the RST first air 24 is 400mm.


So wait, just to clarify: while the frame on this bike is designed for forks up to 475mm A2C; it actually comes with the specific 24" fork (which is 400mm). Did I get this right?

So running a A2C 475mm fork on a frame that is NOT designed to handle it is going to negatively affect the overall geometry, right? Are there any safety issues to worry about?


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## catch22 (Apr 30, 2004)

Szy_szka said:


> So wait, just to clarify: while the frame on this bike is designed for forks up to 475mm A2C; it actually comes with the specific 24" fork (which is 400mm). Did I get this right?
> 
> So running a A2C 475mm fork on a frame that is NOT designed to handle it is going to negatively affect the overall geometry, right? Are there any safety issues to worry about?


No, this frame is specifically designed and sold with a 26er fork matched with a 24" wheel. Stock fork on the Ripcord for 2015 was RockShox 32 XC and for 2016 it's a RockShox Recon Silver TK. Both are 100mm travel 26er forks with an A2C of 475.

POAH was just clarifying the 24" fork A2C for me in his first sentance. Most 24" bikes are designed instead for a 24" fork/wheel combo (one of the few higher end options is the RST First Air 24 which is the 400mm A2C). Running that fork on the Transition would make a mess of the geometry for sure. The rest of his response was directed towards my thoughts/speculation on the 2015 vs 2016 build kits on the Ripcord.


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## catch22 (Apr 30, 2004)

Hey POAH, is that a tapered fork you're running on there? Did you have any issues with the taper being so high on the extremely short headtube? I picked up a new old stock Reba for the one I'm building and went to install yesterday only to find that with a Cane Creek 40 headset the bearing and race sit 3-4mm too low and bottom out on the taper before you can properly preload the bearing. I went after the race with a file and got it too the point where I can barely preload but I'm wondering if it's going to retain proper tension. I went looking for an EC44 upper headset and apparently they only exist in the form of Anglesets. Now I'm searching a bit for a higher stack EC44 lower as I don't think anyone has made a thicker lower race for a 44mm headset. I'm sure the current setup with either work or I'll find another way but just curious if you ran into any issues.


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

its a straight steerer, you can fit a tapered one using an external cup.


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

just to see what it would be like with a 26" wheel at the front I put my old crosstrail wheel on Lewis's bike. He quite likes it although I'm not sure how well the bike would handle.


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

new wheel build for Lewis. Stans crest with novatec 711/712 hubs. yet to choose spokes probably go for sapim CX-ray to get a sub 1400g build.


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

Got the crest's built up. went with standard DT DB spokes and brass nips (1475g). saving a few extra grams wasn't going to be cost effective. also fitted easton haven stem and black spacers. Black expander on order too. weight is 26.76lb with reverb.


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## stew325 (Jan 3, 2011)

Looks like a really fun little bike! How much lighter is this wheel set than the last set?


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

approx 225g, could have made it even lighter with circus monkey hubs, ligheter spokes and alu nipples but the cost of the spokes and the reliablity of the CM hubs in **** weather made them a no no.


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## kheaton (Feb 20, 2015)

Do you remember what the chainline is with the 150 cranks? 

Is just put Bombshell BMX cranks on my sons Ripcord and the chainline is 43mm. I had to mount the ring on the inside of the spider (which the crank is not designed for) in order to get this line. 

It still does not spin freely backwards when in the large cog. My son does this often while riding and if not just right, the chain will come off.


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

chainline on lewis's with the 113 BB axle and the low profile cranks is 50mm


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

Even with the debonair can, there isn't enough small bump sensitivity with the monarch R even in the LL tune. I can get the shock tuned but after speaking to TFtuned I'll be investing in a better shock and getting that tuned. Will be getting a RT3 unit after easter. Also had a chat to transition and have bought a 120mm airshaft for his sids. Will get that swapped tomorrow.


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## Steve-XtC (Feb 7, 2016)

POAH said:


> just to see what it would be like with a 26" wheel at the front I put my old crosstrail wheel on Lewis's bike. He quite likes it although I'm not sure how well the bike would handle.


Like a 29er but best not to open that can of worms.... 

Seriously though.... can you fit a 26 on the rear?


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## Smurf (May 10, 2006)

@poah - Are you getting a standard RT3 or the debonair RT3?

I've noticed that you used the debonair air can on the previous shock but TFTuned state on their website:

** Please note short stroke shocks 165x35/ 184x44 do not run the DebonAir aircan as it's not compatible with these shorter travel shocks**


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

Steve-XtC said:


> Seriously though.... can you fit a 26 on the rear?


not a chance



Smurf said:


> @poah - Are you getting a standard RT3 or the debonair RT3?
> 
> I've noticed that you used the debonair air can on the previous shock but TFTuned state on their website:
> 
> ** Please note short stroke shocks 165x35/ 184x44 do not run the DebonAir aircan as it's not compatible with these shorter travel shocks**


you get the debonair air can as an afermarket item in the correct size, so unless the newer 2016 units are different and you can't physically fit the can on, I'll be putting the one I have on it.


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## Bertleman (Feb 10, 2004)

Are you running tubeless tires? If so which ones?


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

front is a kenda kinetic rear is a hutchinson toro


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## Bertleman (Feb 10, 2004)

are you running them tubeless?


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

yes, gorilla tape on the rims and stans fluid


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## catch22 (Apr 30, 2004)

POAH said:


> not a chance
> 
> you get the debonair air can as an afermarket item in the correct size, so unless the newer 2016 units are different and you can't physically fit the can on, I'll be putting the one I have on it.


Finally got our daughter out on dirt a couple times on the Ripcord and the rollover of the new wheels coupled with the geometry has made a huge difference vs the 20 she was on last year. Running into some similar issues you were having with the rear shock though. It's tough to run low enough pressure to use it much at her light weight. One thing I started thinking that might help is a swap to RWC needle bearings in place of the bushings. I've never run them myself but one of the common things I read from people that have is that they have to run higher shock pressures and more damping because the bearings free up the shock so much. Seems that maybe they would free up the shock on these to be a bit more active even with the lighter weights on board? Curious to hear your thoughts since you have significantly more experience trying to get the shock worked out.


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## Smurf (May 10, 2006)

Hi

I've swapped a few messages with poah on another forum so I'm going down the same route as him, with a debonair can on either the standard Monarch R or a RT3 if I can get one at a good price...and a custom tune from a place I've used before (as has poah) here in the UK (called J Tech) or I might use LocoTuning - another great team of guys.

All of the investigations he's done / talking to tuners is that it's the best way to get the shock to work for lighter riders. I recall it didn't cost much for the custom tune on both his shock and forks.

I've not used the bearings but if they aren't too much and easy to swap it sounds like its worth trying.


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

both the fork and shock are too heavily damped for a small kid (lewis is 80lb). Getting a new shock won't make any difference either. We were running 35% sag and it was hardly moving on small bumps or slow speed impacts, the fork was the same although sag was a bit less. The shock would almost get full travel on the big jumps/hits that lewis would do with the fork getting close. I sent them off to get reshimed for his weight and style which cost me £125 and that included collection and return to J-tech here in the UK (a monarch RT3 is £200) and its made the world of difference. With the 120mm airshaft we are running 100psi for 30% sag at the front and 40ish psi in the back for 30%. With the debonair air can its running one spacer in the negative air chamber. 

I did look for a second hand float CTD in order to get it pushed but couldn't find one in 165x38 at a good price.


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

we were out today and he's very happy with the tuning on the fork and shock


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## nkrohan (Aug 25, 2016)

Thanks to this thread and POAH's advice... We just finished upgrading my son's 2014 Ripcord and the final weight is 24 lbs 10 oz (11 kg) with pedals, down from 30 lbs 8 oz (13.8 kg) . Still have some fine tuning but stoked to have him on a bike that weights less than mine.

So basic build info:

Fox Float 100mm (FSA headset to deal w/the tapered fork)
Stans Crest ZTR wheels, laced up with XT hubs and stock Kenda tires mounted tubeless
SRAM NX 155 crankset (not sure what BB was used)
1x10 cassette just form our stash
Shimano XT brakes/SLX shifter/ XT rear derailleur
Easton Haven carbon bar and stem


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## AGarcia (Feb 20, 2012)

Nice bike ^^^!!

Does anyone know what the stock wheelset weighs?


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

about 2kg


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## AGarcia (Feb 20, 2012)

POAH said:


> about 2kg


^^^^Thanks, Given that the Kenda Kinetics are pretty heavy, as are the wheel set, Looks like with a wheel/tire swap, one could easily drop about 4 pounds from the bike. For example by going with a Stans Crest rim/wheelset and some Schwalbe Rapid Robs. That might be what do, as I'm likely going to pick one of these up for my son for Christmas.


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## Smurf (May 10, 2006)

AGarcia said:


> Nice bike ^^^!!
> 
> Does anyone know what the stock wheelset weighs?


Front is 913g
Rear is 1140g

To give you some idea of possible weight saving, DT Swiss 240s hubs, ZTR Crest rims and Sapim race spokes (hubs set up for QR front and 10x135 rear) weigh 694g and 774g

Simon


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## Steve-XtC (Feb 7, 2016)

Smurf said:


> Front is 913g
> Rear is 1140g
> 
> To give you some idea of possible weight saving, DT Swiss 240s hubs, ZTR Crest rims and Sapim race spokes (hubs set up for QR front and 10x135 rear) weigh 694g and 774g
> ...


Our 24" wheel build on Stans coincided with CX-Ray's on sale. 
With the Novatec 781/782s and 32 spokes these weighed in (from memory) at 1106g without rim tape/cassette both QR but with some.
Chinese eBay titanium skewers


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## coyote69sheldon (Sep 1, 2016)

*Dropper Seat Post*

Ignore question. It was posted to wrong member.



nkrohan said:


> Thanks to this thread and POAH's advice... We just finished upgrading my son's 2014 Ripcord and the final weight is 24 lbs 10 oz (11 kg) with pedals, down from 30 lbs 8 oz (13.8 kg) . Still have some fine tuning but stoked to have him on a bike that weights less than mine.
> 
> So basic build info:
> 
> ...


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## coyote69sheldon (Sep 1, 2016)

Did not post with quote. sorry... dumb smartphones.


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## coyote69sheldon (Sep 1, 2016)

Which model of Reverb 100mm dropper did you purchase? 355mm or 420mm



POAH said:


> There is a 100mm reverb on the bike and lewis uses it at full extention. there is a good 4-5 inches of growth left on the bike


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## AGarcia (Feb 20, 2012)

So, I just ordered a Ripcord for my son! He's 4'3" with a 24" inseam. My shop didn't have one in stock for him to try, but after looking at the geometry, stand over height measurements and pictures posted here, I think it will work out well. My son and I are looking forward to seeing it!


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## AGarcia (Feb 20, 2012)

Question for those of you swapping forks: Are you guys just running low pressures for the air spring? Are you re-valving the forks?


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

fork (sid) and shock (debonair can added) are both revalved. They aren't suitable in their standard tune for light kids


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## AGarcia (Feb 20, 2012)

POAH said:


> fork (sid) and shock (debonair can added) are both revalved. They aren't suitable in their standard tune for light kids


Thanks, POAH. Also, is the stock rear a 10mm bolt-thru axle or QR?


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

standard on the 2015 was a 10mm QR, on the 2016 its a bog standard 5mm QR


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## AGarcia (Feb 20, 2012)

POAH said:


> standard on the 2015 was a 10mm QR, on the 2016 its a bog standard 5mm QR


Thanks! Dustin from Southern Wheelworks is going to build a wheelset for my son's Ripcord. We're going with 28 hole Stan's Crest Rims, Bitex hubs, Sapim Laser spokes and alloy nipples. The new wheelset, together with some Schwalbe Rocket Ron's, Ashima rotors and running tubeless should drop over 4lbs of weight on the bike.


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

you can obviously run a 10mm through axle on the rear and 9mm on the front on the newer bike


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## AGarcia (Feb 20, 2012)

POAH said:


> you can obviously run a 10mm through axle on the rear and 9mm on the front on the newer bike


Thanks!! Your advice had been very helpful! I think I'm more excited about this than my son!


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## AGarcia (Feb 20, 2012)

I picked up my son's bike today.










My son is 51" tall, with a 24" inseam. The bike is still a bit big for him, but he'll be able to use it for several years. I'll be doing some things here and there to lighten it up. A handbuilt custom wheelset is on order.


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## AGarcia (Feb 20, 2012)

New wheels for the Ripcord are built! 1323g including valve stem and tape.


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## Slow poke (Jul 23, 2013)

Nice color and the rims are going to look killer on it!


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## AGarcia (Feb 20, 2012)

Thanks, Slow poke! I just put the wheels on and a few other mods. Bike weight is down to 23lbs, 13oz, with pedals. I think if I swap the fork, it can drop at least another pound.


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

new shock day for the ripcord - DBair IL


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## jibeddari (Jul 31, 2009)

nkrohan said:


> Fox Float 100mm (FSA headset to deal w/the tapered fork)


I'm currently building up one using the same tapered fork, what FSA headset was that?


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

44mm EC bottom cup is what you want.


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## Monster Truck (Sep 17, 2009)

Great info. I'm definitely on the fence on this one. My son, 8 soon 9 is on the Trail Craft 24". It fits him perfectly and he rides the hell out of it. We did a weekend in Angel Fire last fall. I rented him the Kona 24 and it totally sucked. It was too big, mostly because they stacked the bars up 7cm higher than necessary through spacers and high riser bars. And the suspension doesn't work for 60lb dudes. So he rode the hard tail Trail Craft. We had so much fun that we will be hitting Angel afire atleast a couple times this summer. Will likely hit Winter Park and are going to Whistler. The rest of the time, while not on the BMX track we're riding in Durango. 

So I feel that a bike upgrade is justified. But I'm a bit tainted on the very bad experience with the rental, mostly since the suspension didn't work. 

If I do pull the trigger this what I'm like looking at:
Fame only $1000
Rock shock Rekon is $175. Local suspension guy recommends it since it can be valvd for a kid 
Valve job for fork and shock. Est $200. 
Headset $40. 
Pull the rest of the parts of the Trail Craft for some Stans Wheels; a half decent XT drive train and brakes. 
Probably needs some better rubber than the Rocket Rons (which have been excellent)
So probably ball park $1500. 

We just had so much fun on the existing hard tail and I don't want to mess with success.

Thoughts???


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## silvascape (Sep 11, 2014)

Hi Monster Truck
The Kona Stinky is a bit of a beast and it sounds like you hired one which was set up for someone much bigger than your son. Very poor service. My son is 7 and weighs 25kg and has a Kona Stinky which he used for down hill stuff - there is no way he is pedalling that beast up hill much - and he gets full travel on the suspension. 
He also has a Norco 24" full suspension bike. I am not sure exactly what suspension it uses but its excellent - he gets full travel and its a responsive, fun bike. You can certainly get a 24" dually set up to perform well for a 25 kg kid and they will love it certainly use it to its full ability. My sons Norco weighs 12kg so while there is a weight penalty from going dual suspension he can still pedal it up hills that have me getting off the bike. 

One thought - from your pricing you might be better off buying a brand new dual suspension bike, swapping out any components you wish to then selling the hard tail as a complete bike.


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## Monster Truck (Sep 17, 2009)

Thanks for the reply. I'll have to do some more math, or maybe actual math and not just best guess on the buy a complete bike and sell the HT. It may be a better deal. Glad to hear that you are able to make it work. I'm having so much fun on the bike with the boy. And I know full well that it is only for a limited time.


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## silvascape (Sep 11, 2014)

If your son is doing a lot of harder tracks try some Maxis High rollers
Maxxis High Roller DH Tyre - Dual Ply | Chain Reaction Cycles
They may be heavier than the Rocket Rons but they are grippy and super confidence inspiring and roll well. We have not tried them but I have been told that Black Jacks are pretty good too.
Schwalbe Black Jack MTB Tyre | Chain Reaction Cycles
but general consensus seems to be that they do not roll as well


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## jibeddari (Jul 31, 2009)

Got experience with the Blackjacks, a good all round tire for us that we think is easy to pedal ...









... they are a lot less reliable than my own MM Vertstars in conditions like this however


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## Monster Truck (Sep 17, 2009)

Trigger = Pulled. Went with the full build. Local shop made me a fair deal, the bikes are in stock and available, which is not always the case. 

I'll swap out the best parts from the Trail Craft and then sell the Trail Craft. 

Local tuner guy (Diaz Suspension Design) highly recommends the Debonair can in addition to a revalve. 

Good tips on the tires. I'll probably get at least something more aggressive for the front than the Rocket Ron, but I've found that you don't need too much for the kids. It is hard to understand the different forces they apply vs an adult. And a 2.3 is already huge for their size, like me riding a 3.5 or so. 

The Schwalbe Blackjacks came on his 20" Isla Bike. They worked well then, probably still good to go!

I'll post up some pics and weight when I get it build in a couple weeks.


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## tmh74 (Jun 3, 2012)

POAH said:


> 44mm EC bottom cup is what you want.


Another Ripcord building project going also here - I would like to use RockShox SID with tapered steerer.

In this tread (post number 24) catch22 said, that the tapered area of the steerer tube of old RS Reba caused some trouble with upper part of the headset. He apparently used Cane Creek 44mm EC bottom cup, which went fine, but ZS44 upper cup didn't go as supposed to. Caused by the fact that head tube of the frame is only 90mm long, and tapered area of the fork reaches upper headset area.

But then there's a post from nkrohan (post 45), who has fitted a Fox fork with tapered steerer using FSA headset, with no word of trouble met.

Perhaps the tapered area of the forks steerer is shorter on nkrohan's Fox fork (than catch22's Reba), or FSA headset's lower part is thicker than CaneCreeks?!

As there is a plenty of nice used 26" forks with tapered steerers available, it would be very nice to know, what's the best solution fitting the tapered steerer into this frame.

I'll be trying to fit the SID in next 2-3 weeks, and I'll post the outcome in this thread after trying.


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

tapered area of the fork won't get up to the top. other 44mm headtubes have no real issues with tapered forks with an external cup.


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## tmh74 (Jun 3, 2012)

POAH said:


> tapered area of the fork won't get up to the top. other 44mm headtubes have no real issues with tapered forks with an external cup.


Many thank's for your replay, I'll give it a shot - just ordered a RS SID with tapered headtube from ebay.


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## thesmokingman (Jan 17, 2009)

tmh74 said:


> Many thank's for your replay, I'll give it a shot - just ordered a RS SID with tapered headtube from ebay.


I think this might help, I've found that the RS tapered carbon steerers have a quicker taper transition compared to their alu counterparts. For ex. my dual air tapered SID XX fork with alu steerer would not insert into a 14in Tideace frame. However a carbon steerer SID WC fit into the frame w/o issue. Upon comparison, the carbon taper tapers down to 1-1/8 sooner than the alu. Thus short headtubes might do better with a carbon taper.


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## tmh74 (Jun 3, 2012)

Thank's for the smoking man also! Let's see what happens when I get all the stuff..

I already did some digging, and found out that CaneCreeks EC44/40 lower headset has stack height of 12mm, when FSA EC44/40 stack height is 13,4mm and Hopes EC44/40 has 14mm. Might have some influence, if the tapered area ends very near the upper headset.. on the other hand, a spacer under the crown race put in to the steerer migth do the job as well.

But we'll see, the fork I bought has a aluminum steerer tube, and in the pictures I found, the tapered area ends quite close the area where the upper headset will be...


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

I run a straight steerer so no issues lol


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## Monster Truck (Sep 17, 2009)

I just found a picture of a Reba 26" with a tapered steer. I am not sure the year. It had qr dropouts and is 26". It is posted on ebay. It had a tape measure next to the steer to show length. It clearly shows the taper section is approximately 4" from the crown. So I suspect that this fork won't work. I have a newer Reba 27.5 100x15 axle and I measured the taper part at 75mm, so I could work. But the fork is too long AC for the Ripcord and is being used on a different bike.


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## GSJ1973 (May 8, 2011)

Monster Truck said:


> I just found a picture of a Reba 26" with a tapered steer. I am not sure the year. It had qr dropouts and is 26". It is posted on ebay. It had a tape measure next to the steer to show length. It clearly shows the taper section is approximately 4" from the crown. So I suspect that this fork won't work. I have a newer Reba 27.5 100x15 axle and I measured the taper part at 75mm, so I could work. But the fork is too long AC for the Ripcord and is being used on a different bike.


You are likely going to want a straight steerer 1 1/8 fork I think. If you must use a tapered fork the solutions are 1. Fork with steerer taper of 75mm or less 2. External lower headset cup headset. BUT note an already tall 100mm 26" fork with lower external headset cups is going to jack that front end up an additional 14mm or more. The head tube is super short at 90mm so this is likely the reason they spec'd a 1 1/8 fork stock knowing the taper of the fork interferes. 3. +5mm headset crown race and Chris King headset. We had several issues a few years ago at our shop with Rock Shox and XS/S size frames where the taper of the fork is actually too tall and this is why you see so many of the +5mm, etc crown races on the market today. I think the newer forks taper ends at 75mm but at one point we had to use the +5mm crown race which gave a few extra mm's to allow the tapered Rock Shox to work on those short head tubes.

Probably best to find a 26" 100mm 1 1/8 fork. I think a tapered 27.5 100mm fork would jack up the front end too much on a 24" bike right?


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## Monster Truck (Sep 17, 2009)

AC on the Reba isn't much longer than the stock fork. I haven't been very impressed with the 26" qr compatible forks out there so I'll give the Reba a try. The taper on the newer ones is 70ish mm. Figure I can spring for a new front wheel since I already have this fork (need 15mm TA hub). Worst case is that I run it at 80mm travel, add in the external cup headset and it will be close to stock AC. I think 80mm travel is likely plenty for us. As I said, he crushed Angle Fire on the hard tail with a 60mm fork last year. Jenson is selling the lower BB cup/bearing/ crown race for $8. I'm more concerned about the offset on the 27.5 fork vs the 26. But I don't think that will hurt is too much. However it works out it is fun building a bike for the kid and way cheaper than building a bike for me.


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## Mako74 (Feb 13, 2012)

Hi POAH - great build you've done! Question on the SID RCT3 and 120 mm shaft. Is it a simple case of just swapping the 100mm with the 120mm and off the prodigy goes or did you have to do something else with the shimms etc.?


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

yes, just the airshaft change on the solo air forks.

I had the fork tuned so the shims would have been changed from the standard set.


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## jibeddari (Jul 31, 2009)

Build done, took the owner about 10s to adjust to the new wheel size ;-)


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

the rear QR is on the wrong side


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## jibeddari (Jul 31, 2009)

POAH said:


> the rear QR is on the wrong side


Hehe yeah well spotted, never paid much attention to what side QRs go on. Is there any reasons to be aware of other than looks?

My build details, weights are approximate:

Forks: Fox 32 Float 100 FIT RLC 2012, tapered (1530g)
Headset: Pro ZS44/28,6 top, Cane Creek EC44-40 bottom
Handlebar: VPACE Max 60cm (135g)
Grips: VPACE Silicone 110mm (60g)
Stem: VPACE Max 50mm (110g)
Saddle: VPACE Max (230g)
Seatpost: TOSEEK 3K Light weight Carbon off ebay, cut down length (~180g)
Seat collar: Santa Cruz QR (best ever!)
Crankset: VPACE Max 32T 130mm (~600g) with bottom bracket (110g)
Pedals: Wellgo C271 (220g)
Shifter: Shimano Zee M640 1x10sp (127g)
Rear mech: Shimano Zee M640 1x10sp (250g)
Cassette: Sunrace MX3 10sp 11-40t (386g)
Brakes: Magura MT2 2017 (250g each)
Rotors: Avid HS1 160mm (~100g)
Tires: Schwalbe Rocket Ron, tubeless setup

Custom wheels built by Spokesman Wheels
Stans Crest MK3
Sapim CX Ray
Novatec D771/D772
Stans tape, Ryde tubeless valves

Total ride-ready weight is 9.8 kg

To be added:
77designz fender and 32T crash plate

Perhaps interesting links:

MAX Kinderbike Komponenten - Control Kit - VPACE Bikes
MAX Kinderkurbel - VPACE Bikes
https://shop.santacruzbicycles.com/santa-cruz-qr-seat-collar-34-9mm.html
https://77designz.com/en/

Lessons learned:

- Magura MT2 brakes use a non standard tubing that makes installation a chore, you'll have to rotate the brake handle itself onto the hose lock screw as the screw and barb are one piece(!). Had I known this I'd gone for the next model up MT4 (or some Shimanos) which uses standard tubing (olive/barb/lock nut).

- Tubeless setup worked beautifully with Stans rims/Rocket Ron, never been easier.

- The VPACE cranks are the best I've ever seen for kids. I had to wait a while for delivery as the company isn't really set up for sending packages outside EU, but once they arrived ... yay  Wasn't sure if 130mm arms would be too short for the frame but no, it works very well and I think it was a good choice.


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## Mako74 (Feb 13, 2012)

Stull waiting for my sons Ripcord to arrive so time to spec.

What dropper post would be an ideal fit to Ripcord's seat tube lengthwise? Thinking about Reverb 350mm with 100mm travel but not sure if it'll sit deep enough for steeper descents and dh.

Can I run internal cabling in Ripcord for the dropper?


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

no internal for dropper, lev DX is a good choice or any other post that doesn't have the cable at the saddle clamp


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## lixxfe (Apr 19, 2012)

*Internal Routing for 9Point8 Fall Line*



POAH said:


> no internal for dropper...


Not entirely true if you aren't faint of heart and are handy with a drill. There's a clear path between the Seat Tube and Bottom Bracket. Just need to drill a hole in the BB for the cable to exit. Not the cleanest cable routing, but works fine. Thought about drilling the seat tube itself, somewhere between the bottom bracket and the swing-arm pivot, but got nervous as I thought it was a high stress area, and the seat tube is fairly thin-walled (about 1/16") whereas the BB tube is closer to 1/4" in wall thickness.

I made a series of pilot holes first before finishing with a 7/32" bit. After drilling through, I angled the bit, as shown here, to straighten the path for the cable. 








This is a view of the hole from the rear, right below the swingarm. Note the 2nd hole at the very bottom. This was an existing threaded hole, probably for drainage, that I initially intended to use and drilled out first. Unfortunately, the cable path was wrong so I couldn't use it after all.








Here's a view inside the bottom bracket of the cable for the dropper








This one shows the clearance to the square taper bottom bracket spindle. Looks tight, but there is more clearance than appears because the BB spindle is tapered in the middle. Not sure a 24mm BB would work though...








Here's the cable exiting the hole.








Routing of the cable isn't the cleanest, as I mentioned, but the post works great with no significant increase in cable friction due to the tight bend. If the cable was for a derailleur, I would be concerned, but no issues for the dropper.








Finally, this is a shot of the completed bike. Weight as shown is 22.5# (10.2kg).








Note that I selected the 9Point8 Fall-Line (75mm stroke, 325mm length) for several reasons: It has a short minimum head height (unlike the KS Lev, or Gravity Dropper). It has a short insertion length (Important because there is an obstruction in the seat post at the swingarm pivot). It has adjustable air pressure, so it can be tuned for rider weight. It has a very smooth initial stroke (important for lighter weight riders). It can be travel-adjusted using spacers. Their head has the best design IMO (separate adjustments for clamping the seat and setting its angle. And, finally, I've had nothing but good experiences with 9Point8 (This is the 3rd seatpost that I have of theirs, and it won't be the last).

One other note: I cut the seat tube down by about 1" to keep from having to shim down the 75mm of stroke. Otherwise, the seatpost at full extension would have been too long for my son, who is barely 48" tall.


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## svinyard (Aug 14, 2017)

Assuming you could buy the frame/shock for 999$ (MSRP), what do you think the cost would come out too for a 23lb-ish build? Assuming you aren't getting dealer discounts. About the only dealer thing I could get is maybe Magura brakes for free.


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## thesmokingman (Jan 17, 2009)

svinyard said:


> Assuming you could buy the frame/shock for 999$ (MSRP), what do you think the cost would come out too for a 23lb-ish build? Assuming you aren't getting dealer discounts. About the only dealer thing I could get is maybe Magura brakes for free.


To hit 23lbs, one would have to focus on low weight, skinny rims/tires (crest), etc and probably around $2.5K including the $1K frame cost.

My son's carbon FM076 26in build would come out to around $2.5K if I counted all the parts at their new prices. Weight on his bike is sub 26lbs fully loaded with i35mm rims and 2.4in rear nobby nics and 2.6in wtb ranger plus fronts. We talked about it and gave up a couple pounds for serious bombability and max grip.


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## svinyard (Aug 14, 2017)

thesmokingman said:


> To hit 23lbs, one would have to focus on low weight, skinny rims/tires (crest), etc and probably around $2.5K including the $1K frame cost.
> 
> My son's carbon FM076 26in build would come out to around $2.5K if I counted all the parts at their new prices. Weight on his bike is sub 26lbs fully loaded with i35mm rims and 2.4in rear nobby nics and 2.6in wtb ranger plus fronts. We talked about it and gave up a couple pounds for serious bombability and max grip.


Very cool, thanks man. I'm definitely interested in that frame build. It looks like an awesome bike.


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## Beiciwr64 (Oct 2, 2013)

*Newly built*










Forks:Reba ST 120mm re-valved
Headset:Shimano Pro
Handlebar: Giant 690mm Carbon
Grips: Bontrager 29mm
Stem: Renthal
Saddle: DDK bmx
Seatpost:Easton Havoc
Seat collar: Hope
Crankset:Sram GX cut down from 175 to 145 mm x sync 30t 0 offset 
Pedals: Cromag radar youth
Shifter: Sram gx 10spd
Rear mech: Sram gx 10spd
Cassette: Shimano 10 spd
Brakes: Sram level t
Rotors: sram 180 ft 160 rear
Tires: Hutchinson Toro tubeless
Wheels:Stans crest,novatec hubs
Weight 25Ibs


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## thesmokingman (Jan 17, 2009)

svinyard said:


> Very cool, thanks man. I'm definitely interested in that frame build. It looks like an awesome bike.


Hey thanks. Soon as I get a lil time free I'll do a write up but have been busy with normal stuff and the start of the new season. Each new season always brings with a rash of crashes from the new riders so it keeps the wrenches busy.


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## Steve-XtC (Feb 7, 2016)

Beiciwr64 said:


> Forks:Reba ST 120mm re-valved
> Headset:Shimano Pro
> Handlebar: Giant 690mm Carbon
> Grips: Bontrager 29mm
> ...


Looks fantastic !!!!
Anything to look out for on the GX cranks ??? 
Are they all capable of 104 BCD - any specific design better for cutting??

I need to do something to replace some unsuccessfully shortened Shimano LX cranks ... where the hollow insides screwed everything up.... His Enduro bike has some cut down Zee's but they are only marginally lighter than square taper.(some shortened SRAM S600's with UN55 BB).(but fine for his DH/Enduro). so I'm on the lookout for a replacement before the XC season.... and I don't really like removing cranks every week... I'm not sure it does the spindle or BB any good...

I'd *prefer* to buy some older used ones...given the first thing is taking a drill and saw to them... but wondered if any have hidden gotchas or specific models to loo out for....


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## thesmokingman (Jan 17, 2009)

Steve-XtC said:


> I'd *prefer* to buy some older used ones...given the first thing is taking a drill and saw to them... but wondered if any have hidden gotchas or specific models to loo out for....


I've got a spare set of Thorn cranks in 152mm flavor with a n/w racaeface if you're interested. It's similar to the crank below running a blue raceface ring. Can be run with a bash too.

https://i.imgur.com/nnLe5P7.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/JDVJWVK.jpg


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## Beiciwr64 (Oct 2, 2013)

[QUOTEAnything to look out for on the GX cranks ??? ][/QUOTE]

Non whatsoever.
They came off my Whyte T130s,pedal smashes galore, due to low BB on these bikes,so i changed them out to 165mm.
I cut off around 15mm off the cranks,crank length is 145 mm now,centre to centre.
I wouldn't go any shorter as you run out of straight edge on the crank arm.
I also had to purchase 9/16 tp 20 left and right taps.








15mm cut off


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## Steve-XtC (Feb 7, 2016)

Beiciwr64 said:


> [QUOTEAnything to look out for on the GX cranks ??? ]


Non whatsoever.
They came off my Whyte T130s,pedal smashes galore, due to low BB on these bikes,so i changed them out to 165mm.
I cut off around 15mm off the cranks,crank length is 145 mm now,centre to centre.
I wouldn't go any shorter as you run out of straight edge on the crank arm.
I also had to purchase 9/16 tp 20 left and right taps.

15mm cut off 
[/QUOTE]

Ha ha (or bugger) .... I should have kept hold of the ones came on my 2015 T-130 M which came with 175's !!! 175's kill me and I had a set of XT 170's and BB so I swapped them out and then sold the 175's...(and pulled off the front mech whilst I was at it)


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## JackP42 (Nov 16, 2007)

Like lixxfe, I also put an internal dropper on my daughters Ripcord. I opted to come out in the lower portion of the seat tube. I bought housing guide from CRC and carefully put an oval hole in the seat tube. I think the install pretty much looks factory.

I put the 9point8 Fall Line in size 325x75 to suit my daughter. The nice thing with this post, besides it being short, is that the 75mm stroke model is basically the 375x125 model with 2 25mm stroke reducing shims installed, so as she grows and can accommodate more stroke, I can take the shims out.


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## lixxfe (Apr 19, 2012)

I cut the seat-tube down 1", so I don't think it would have worked on my kid's bike, but that's super clean routing for the dropper! 

Also, I did not know that about the spacers in the 9point8 dropper. That's an extra bonus. Thanks.


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

I used a ks lev dx so no cable movement when you use it.


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## FlowDad (May 29, 2017)

Just picked up a stock second hand Ripcord so it's time for the mods to start. 

Any thoughts on using a Manitou R7 100mm fork? They are a super cheap option on eBay. The major complaint on them seems to be a bit of flex but I don't think a 25kg kid will have too many issues. 

Apart from that tossing up Trailcraft 140mm or similar Brood cranks. Any thoughts either way? I like the look of the Broods and they are available from Spawn delivered to Australia but the trailcraft ones come with a chainring. 

Running a 36t rear, do I go a 26t or 28t chainring - we will be starting a little small for the bike (and keeping the 20" until he is properly big enough)

Wheels, I'm thinking Trailcraft with the Rocket Ron option. Not the lightest but pretty good, quite a bit cheaper than the Crest option and I can't find 24h varieties anyway down here at the moment. 

Any advice or opinions would be great.


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## Steve-XtC (Feb 7, 2016)

FlowDad said:


> Just picked up a stock second hand Ripcord so it's time for the mods to start.
> 
> Any thoughts on using a Manitou R7 100mm fork? They are a super cheap option on eBay. The major complaint on them seems to be a bit of flex but I don't think a 25kg kid will have too many issues.
> 
> ...


Wheels are not usually the best item to ship in terms of saving money though you can ask trailcaft what it would cost ... and you have import duty on top of shipping.

You can easily get Novatec hubs in Australia at a good price ... you'd have to find availability of rims. The Stans are perhaps expensive in terms of thinking about a kids bike but they are just the same price as the same rims in 27.5 or 29... IMHO they are a good investment and the fact my 8yr old can seat tubeless rocket rons on them with just a track pump kinda says the design and manufacturing quality.

I don't really know how close the trailcraft wheels come. It's not the sort of thing most of us have a chance for a comparison.

What cranks and B.B. are already on it?

For a 104 BCD crank 30T is as small as you can get but probably pretty adequate unless you have lots of big climbs.... you can always stick an 40T expander on the back

You can get smaller with direct mount but it isn't an issue for us...


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

you can get 64BCD 26t and 28t rings that fit on the thorn cranks


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## Steve-XtC (Feb 7, 2016)

Aussie source for D771/D772 hubs (772 AU$50 seller: cyclingdeal


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## Stefan0103 (Apr 12, 2016)

Ripcord build for my daughter.


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## rdblatch (Jun 6, 2008)

Hi all, 
Love this thread. Thanks for all of the great pics and ideas.

I just pulled the trigger on a stock 2018 ripcord for my 8y/o. It's an awesome bike but, like all of you, I'm hoping to lighten it up a bit.

I don't want to go overboard, but let's say I have $300 to spend. What's the best bang for my buck?

Carbon bars? (which ones? I see some that are really cheap on Amazon but are they safe?)
Carbon seatpost?
Cranks?
Chainrings?
Stem?
Seat?

How do I drop the most weight for $300?

Thanks.


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## svinyard (Aug 14, 2017)

Hey man, I think you can drop a LOT of weight in the wheels. Stock are really heavy. Like approx 2lbs iirc. Look on eBay for trailcraft wheel builds. You want the Stans Crest ultralight ones (not the trail craft own house brand) and they have them at discount due to a scratch or something small like that for around 450$. Maybe you could get them built for cheaper or build your own. Regardless, nothing will effect the performance more and the price ain't bad. Huge upgrade imo. I think the bike starts around 30lbs. That should put it at 28. 

Other than that, I think swapping the fork is the other thing that's significant but it's a pain to find a light SID fork with a straight steerer tube.

For tires, I LOVE the Brood Maxtion 24" but they are spendy (and light). Vee Crown 24" look sweet too and may drop rotational weight as well but I don't know the numbers for that tire. Looks nice


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## rdblatch (Jun 6, 2008)

svinyard said:


> Hey man, I think you can drop a LOT of weight in the wheels. Stock are really heavy. Like approx 2lbs iirc. Look on eBay for trailcraft wheel builds. You want the Stans Crest ultralight ones (not the trail craft own house brand) and they have them at discount due to a scratch or something small like that for around 450$. Maybe you could get them built for cheaper or build your own. Regardless, nothing will effect the performance more and the price ain't bad. Huge upgrade imo. I think the bike starts around 30lbs. That should put it at 28.
> 
> Other than that, I think swapping the fork is the other thing that's significant but it's a pain to find a light SID fork with a straight steerer tube.
> 
> For tires, I LOVE the Brood Maxtion 24" but they are spendy (and light). Vee Crown 24" look sweet too and may drop rotational weight as well but I don't know the numbers for that tire. Looks nice


Thanks so much. I'll definitely take a look.

Are there other inexpensive places to drop weight? Or should I just plan to spend $$$ if I really want to get this bike any lighter?


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## GSJ1973 (May 8, 2011)

rdblatch said:


> Thanks so much. I'll definitely take a look.
> 
> Are there other inexpensive places to drop weight? Or should I just plan to spend $$$ if I really want to get this bike any lighter?


If your budget is $300.00, I'd be looking at new tires, new cranks, new seatpost, new bars, and stem.

If you can muster up $600 or so, replace those wheels fast. They are 2100 grams as I recall. The fork is also super heavy at 2100 grams or so. Wheels/tires #1, fork #2. Lots of good deals on older FOX 26" stuff on eBay right now for ~$300 and around 1600 grams.

Didn't want to do frame-only option?


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## Steve-XtC (Feb 7, 2016)

> Are there other inexpensive places to drop weight? Or should I just plan to spend $$$ if I really want to get this bike any lighter?


As GSJ1973 said ....



> Didn't want to do frame-only option?


Last year I tried really hard to buy one.... 
I was trying to get frame only but for reasons best known to Transition it was impossible to get in Europe for less than the complete bike and the complete bike for our use (pedalling) meant stripping everything off down to the frame and shock ... Transition refused to communicate on this further than sending me the email address of their distributor .. who refused to deal direct with me...other than give me a list of dealers.

I tried 15 or so dealers throughout the UK, Germany, France and Poland ... either the price was more than the complete bike or two were reasonable. I paid for 2 frames from dealers... both got cancelled (and refunded).

After that I decided since they are not obviously interested in selling outside the US I'd just get something else... it didn't speak volumes about any possible after sales support like a new mech hangar if no-one would sell me the frame...

My reasons for wanting the frame only are both the forks and wheels are really heavy and we do a lot of pedalling and the cranks are *way* too long for seated pedalling ...

In the end we got a Norco 24.... *which had all the same problems* ... if slightly shorter cranks but still 10mm too long and heavy wheels and fork but we picked it up used and that funded the new forks, wheels and cranks.... and replaced the brakes (not 1 finger levers) with some XT brakes... (good reach and bite point and they were on another bike...) and fitted 10sp XT which has since gone to 11sp but isn't really necessary... but the parts ended up getting fed onto other bikes... 
The wheels were even heavier... even though that doesn't seem possible... they were the MH301 hubs (model below the Ripcord)... tiny narrow rims and plain gauge spokes... and super heavy Maxxis Snyper tyres... I forget the exact weights but one tire weighed about the same as the rear wheel WITH a rocket ron tire, tape etc. *and cassette*...

I guess in our case because I bought used I wasn't too upset at having to replace parts and had expected it. From what I remember just swapping wheels and cranks alone (both of which I had from his other bike) was 2kg of weight. I guess the forks were something around another 1kg...The bars and saddle got replaced because they were in the spares bin but I don't think they contributed much and fitting a dropper later probably increased the weight over the supplied seatpost.


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## jaybert (Sep 10, 2020)

Hi, sorry to revive an old thread but I was considering building a ripcord for my son's next bike as a learning exercise for myself.

I had a question re: the fork and whether the one I'm looking at would work. Sounds like I may actually need a 26" fork and a 24" one would not work/mess up the geometry? The parts around having to get the forks re-valved to handle kids weight I was hoping to avoid.

Specifically I was looking at machete junit elite 24"

https://hayesbicycle.com/collections/forks/products/my21machetejunit_z?variant=34635433902125

My son has the 20" version on his current bike and it seems well suited for his weight. Would this potentially work? Also it seems like given it's tapered vs straight I may need something different/special to make it work?

Thanks!


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## JackP42 (Nov 16, 2007)

jaybert said:


> Hi, sorry to revive an old thread but I was considering building a ripcord for my son's next bike as a learning exercise for myself.
> 
> I had a question re: the fork and whether the one I'm looking at would work. Sounds like I may actually need a 26" fork and a 24" one would not work/mess up the geometry? The parts around having to get the forks re-valved to handle kids weight I was hoping to avoid.
> 
> ...


The fork you selected is a tapered steer tube and the Ripcord takes a 1-1/8 straight steer tube, so it won't fit, and there is no way to make it fit. The fork that came on my daughters Ripcord has an axle to crown length of about 485mm so you will want to match that reasonably closely. The fork also appears to be a 26" wheel fork as a 26" wheel/tire easily fits in it.


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## jaybert (Sep 10, 2020)

JackP42 said:


> The fork you selected is a tapered steer tube and the Ripcord takes a 1-1/8 straight steer tube, so it won't fit, and there is no way to make it fit. The fork that came on my daughters Ripcord has an axle to crown length of about 485mm so you will want to match that reasonably closely. The fork also appears to be a 26" wheel fork as a 26" wheel/tire easily fits in it.


I thought you could get an external headset to deal with the tapered instead of straight.

I did find this thread

https://forums.mtbr.com/families-ri...it-145mm-fork-transition-ripcord-1130447.html

which is essentially what I was considering though I am new to bike building so pretty much just repeating what I've read.


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## JackP42 (Nov 16, 2007)

There could be a headset out there that adapts a tapered fork into a straight 1-1/8 head tube, but not that I've seen. There are adapters for the opposite, a straight steer tube into a tapered head tube. I would think that is such an adaptor headset exists, it would significantly add to the A2C so you should be careful with this.


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## TimTucker (Nov 9, 2011)

Just depends on the diameter of the headtube.

From the posts above it sounds like it'll fit an EC44 lower headset, which is what you want for a tapered steerer.

From skimming through, the only problem seems to be that the overall headtube length on the ripcord may not be long enough for some tapered steerers (apparently some taper more quickly than others).


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## jaybert (Sep 10, 2020)

TimTucker said:


> Just depends on the diameter of the headtube.
> 
> From the posts above it sounds like it'll fit an EC44 lower headset, which is what you want for a tapered steerer.
> 
> From skimming through, the only problem seems to be that the overall headtube length on the ripcord may not be long enough for some tapered steerers (apparently some taper more quickly than others).


what happens if it doesn't fit? Are there other options or just SOL / need a different fork? Thanks for answering the questions (here and elsewhere). I'm trying to read/learn but there's so much to learn.

edit: https://www.jensonusa.com/Cane-Cree...YZoAKxqKwle6WIOsRzvlukZLPBBxXSnkaAsikEALw_wcB. That the headset that would likely be the right one?


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## TimTucker (Nov 9, 2011)

Yes, that's the type. This is one that I've used in the past:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32900727858.html

For fit, I'd try reaching out to Hayes directly to see if they had any thoughts on what the minimum head tube length would be for the Junit fork to work with an external cup headset. They're usually pretty at responding, though I'm not sure how fast it would be on a holiday.


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## jaybert (Sep 10, 2020)

TimTucker said:


> Yes, that's the type. This is one that I've used in the past:
> https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32900727858.html
> 
> For fit, I'd try reaching out to Hayes directly to see if they had any thoughts on what the minimum head tube length would be for the Junit fork to work with an external cup headset. They're usually pretty at responding, though I'm not sure how fast it would be on a holiday.


Thanks I emailed them. The my21 machete junit elite is on sale so hopefully they respond before that sale ends. Based on the other thread the 120mm one may be the ticket once you take into consideration the exits A2c from the external cup.

Transition currently has the gold frame available for preorder to arrive before end of year vs the other colors. This was going to be a winter project both since no real biking up in Connecticut during the winter and because my son isn't tall enough anyways to ride it now so I have some time but also risk if I don't order it now it'll end up in the April timeframe like the other colors.


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## neosomatic (Jul 4, 2007)

New RipCord Build!










Rock Shox Reba RL Solo Air A6 26" Fork
HEIR DIRECT MOUNT CRANK 140mm with 28 tooth ring
Full Sram XX1 11 speed
SRAM G2 RSC Disc Brakes
Renthal FatBar Lite Carbon Riser Bar cut to 640
i9 30mm stem
Maxxis Minion DHR II DC/EXO TR 24" Tire
Maxxis Minion DHF 3C MaxxTerra EXO TR 24" Tire
Spank Spike Race 24" rim 32H drilling with DT Swiss 240 hubs - tubeless
ESI Grips

Comes in at 24 lbs without pedals.

Dropped the bike off here to get the suspension tuned/valved for a 50lb kid: Suspension Syndicate | A Resource for the Wiseguy


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## jaybert (Sep 10, 2020)

neosomatic said:


> New RipCord Build!
> 
> View attachment 1926595
> 
> ...


Looks great.

If you don't mind answering how much are they charging for the re-valve/custom tuning (rear only if they broke it down)? Did you consider switching out the rear shock for something different from stock as a starting point? I built one up for my son earlier this year also and was trying to figure out what to do with the rear. The front is a manitou junit so speced for a kid but couldn't figure out if it was worth investing in custom tuning the monarch R vs getting something else to start with and tuning that.


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## neosomatic (Jul 4, 2007)

jaybert said:


> Looks great.
> 
> If you don't mind answering how much are they charging for the re-valve/custom tuning (rear only if they broke it down)? Did you consider switching out the rear shock for something different from stock as a starting point? I built one up for my son earlier this year also and was trying to figure out what to do with the rear. The front is a manitou junit so speced for a kid but couldn't figure out if it was worth investing in custom tuning the monarch R vs getting something else to start with and tuning that.


My son has a 20" Commencal CLASH with the Manitou machete Junit fork with 120mm of travel. That fork (and rear shock) works really well for a lighter rider.

I considered going with the Junit on his RipCord build but decided the hassle of trying to figure out the headset was too much. Did you go with the 24" Junit fork for your build?

They quoted me 60 for the bleed of the rear shock and 60 for the re-valve. I won't have the bike back for another week, so I can't comment on how well the entire thing worked out yet.

The quote to re-valve the fork also came in at 120 dollars.


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## jaybert (Sep 10, 2020)

neosomatic said:


> My son has a 20" Commencal CLASH with the Manitou machete Junit fork with 120mm of travel. That fork (and rear shock) works really well for a lighter rider.
> 
> I considered going with the Junit on his RipCord build but decided the hassle of trying to figure out the headset was too much. Did you go with the 24" Junit fork for your build?
> 
> ...


Yea went the 24" junit fork. Just needed to get the right headset to accept the tapered fork and was all good. Went off the info from another thread here that gave me confidence it would work. Had the place I purchased the fork from set it to 120mm (also suggested here) to keep the ATC height equal to stock to offset the extra height caused by the headset.

I contacted manitou to ask about the McLeod shock in the 165x38 size and to get it speced in the nino tune for kids but apparently the McLeod line is discontinued which was a bummer. I looked around a bunch for a used one but never had any luck. My son seems perfectly happy riding with the stock shock since this is his first full suspension but keeping an eye out for others are doing.


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## JeffM21 (Dec 18, 2021)

neosomatic said:


> My son has a 20" Commencal CLASH with the Manitou machete Junit fork with 120mm of travel. That fork (and rear shock) works really well for a lighter rider.
> 
> I considered going with the Junit on his RipCord build but decided the hassle of trying to figure out the headset was too much. Did you go with the 24" Junit fork for your build?
> 
> ...


How much of a difference has the shock tune made? I’m thinking about sending mine in from Texas. My son is just over 50lbs.


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## POAH (Apr 29, 2009)

JeffM21 said:


> How much of a difference has the shock tune made? I’m thinking about sending mine in from Texas. My son is just over 50lbs.


significant if the suspension is turned properly.


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## JeffM21 (Dec 18, 2021)

POAH said:


> significant if the suspension is turned properly.


Good to hear, appreciate the reply!


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## jaybert (Sep 10, 2020)

JeffM21 said:


> How much of a difference has the shock tune made? I’m thinking about sending mine in from Texas. My son is just over 50lbs.


I sent the stock monarch R off my son's to fluid focus (i actually bought a brand new Monarch R and had it shipped to them....it wasn't that much more expensive to buy a brand new one vs. sending off the existing one, since they wouldn't tune it without a service as well on used ones). My son weighs ~50lb as well. They re-shimmed + lighter oil + less nitrogen. As to whether or not it was worth it? I have no clue since its my son riding the bike and he's pretty useless when it comes to trying to communicate how the bike feels. My eye test seems to indicate its looks better (can set it to 30-40% sag and the suspension appears to get full travel, whereas previously either we set the sag to 30-40% at super low PSI and then everything bottoms out, or set it higher but the suspension only seems to do anything on big hits).

Fluid Focus was super easy to deal with and great with communication on receiving the shock, when it was starting to be worked on, and when it was shipped back. I was hoping to buy a Mantiou Mara directly from Hayes, but they were out of stock and looked like they werent going to get any in until next year. They would put on their nino tune free of charge if you buy it from them directly. I found 1 or 2 places that had the Mara 165x38 in stock, but it got super expensive to buy it from somewhere else, then send it off to Manitou/Hayes to get the nino tune put on so I ended up just tuning the monarch R.


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## JeffM21 (Dec 18, 2021)

jaybert said:


> I sent the stock monarch R off my son's to fluid focus (i actually bought a brand new Monarch R and had it shipped to them....it wasn't that much more expensive to buy a brand new one vs. sending off the existing one, since they wouldn't tune it without a service as well on used ones). My son weighs ~50lb as well. They re-shimmed + lighter oil + less nitrogen. As to whether or not it was worth it? I have no clue since its my son riding the bike and he's pretty useless when it comes to trying to communicate how the bike feels. My eye test seems to indicate its looks better (can set it to 30-40% sag and the suspension appears to get full travel, whereas previously either we set the sag to 30-40% at super low PSI and then everything bottoms out, or set it higher but the suspension only seems to do anything on big hits).
> 
> Fluid Focus was super easy to deal with and great with communication on receiving the shock, when it was starting to be worked on, and when it was shipped back. I was hoping to buy a Mantiou Mara directly from Hayes, but they were out of stock and looked like they werent going to get any in until next year. They would put on their nino tune free of charge if you buy it from them directly. I found 1 or 2 places that had the Mara 165x38 in stock, but it got super expensive to buy it from somewhere else, then send it off to Manitou/Hayes to get the nino tune put on so I ended up just tuning the monarch R.


That’s some great info man, thanks for the detail!! If you don’t mind sharing, how much was the re-tune at fluid focus? And did you look into suspension syndicate, was there a reason you didn’t go through them, prices above seemed pretty reasonable. 

Also, how old and tall was your son when he started riding the ripcord regularly?


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## jaybert (Sep 10, 2020)

JeffM21 said:


> That’s some great info man, thanks for the detail!! If you don’t mind sharing, how much was the re-tune at fluid focus? And did you look into suspension syndicate, was there a reason you didn’t go through them, prices above seemed pretty reasonable.
> 
> Also, how old and tall was your son when he started riding the ripcord regularly?


looks to be $161 if the receipt I got via email is to be believed, and that included 2 day shipping to me in CT. I looked at reviews/feedback from others on here on which tuning shop to use, then emailed a few places and went with the one that was easiest to communicate with. I dont recall if I looked at Suspension Syndicate or not. This is the only tuning I've ever done with suspension, so was not familiar with the companies that do this at all. It's possible there were other/maybe better options out there, but happy with the service I got from them and wouldnt hesitate to use them again if the need arose. I'll probably end up sending the shock to them for service when the time comes since they have all the specs for the tune already. 

My son was 7 1/2 when he started riding the bike, a little less than 48", ~50lb. We built it over the last winter so he's ridden it for about a year. It's probably still a bit big for him, but he's managing it fine. I didn't want to sink all that money into a full suspension 20" bike and have him only ride it for a year or so / the 24" wheels do much better over the roots/rocks that we have here in the northeast.


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## JeffM21 (Dec 18, 2021)

jaybert said:


> looks to be $161 if the receipt I got via email is to be believed, and that included 2 day shipping to me in CT. I looked at reviews/feedback from others on here on which tuning shop to use, then emailed a few places and went with the one that was easiest to communicate with. I dont recall if I looked at Suspension Syndicate or not. This is the only tuning I've ever done with suspension, so was not familiar with the companies that do this at all. It's possible there were other/maybe better options out there, but happy with the service I got from them and wouldnt hesitate to use them again if the need arose. I'll probably end up sending the shock to them for service when the time comes since they have all the specs for the tune already.
> 
> My son was 7 1/2 when he started riding the bike, a little less than 48", ~50lb. We built it over the last winter so he's ridden it for about a year. It's probably still a bit big for him, but he's managing it fine. I didn't want to sink all that money into a full suspension 20" bike and have him only ride it for a year or so / the 24" wheels do much better over the roots/rocks that we have here in the northeast.


Good to hear man, I will get in contact with them. My son is about the same size right now and I had the same thoughts. Didn’t want to spend on a 20” full suspension and wanted to get the most years I can out of this 24”, even if it sits un-used for a while. We’ll see, he’s already begging to ride it. Lol. Thanks again for the help!


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## jaybert (Sep 10, 2020)

JeffM21 said:


> Good to hear man, I will get in contact with them. My son is about the same size right now and I had the same thoughts. Didn’t want to spend on a 20” full suspension and wanted to get the most years I can out of this 24”, even if it sits un-used for a while. We’ll see, he’s already begging to ride it. Lol. Thanks again for the help!


Let him ride! I’m sure he will manage fine. One suggestion would be to buy a pivotal post and a low profile seat and that will get you an extra inch or two lower on stand over height if that is an issue now. Speaking of which I actually have a post and seat I could sell if you’re interested. You can see it in 1 of the pics above in This thread and see how slammed it is. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## JeffM21 (Dec 18, 2021)

jaybert said:


> Let him ride! I’m sure he will manage fine. One suggestion would be to buy a pivotal post and a low profile seat and that will get you an extra inch or two lower on stand over height if that is an issue now. Speaking of which I actually have a post and seat I could sell if you’re interested. You can see it in 1 of the pics above in This thread and see how slammed it is.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Ha, you’re probably right! I did see that pic (thank you) and ordered him a pivotal seat and post this weekend, and putting on some 140 cranks tonight. Hoping to have it fully ready to ride here in a few weeks (or soon as the wheels come in stock).


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## jaybert (Sep 10, 2020)

JeffM21 said:


> Ha, you’re probably right! I did see that pic (thank you) and ordered him a pivotal seat and post this weekend, and putting on some 140 cranks tonight. Hoping to have it fully ready to ride here in a few weeks (or soon as the wheels come in stock).


The post and seat def helped when he started out on the bike so he could straddle and at least touch the ground on his tippy toes. We swapped over to a normal post and seat (and not even slammed down) few months ago because he kept complaining how uncomfortable that seat was and the rear tire was skimming his butt when the rear suspension was fully used up. He is pretty comfortable on the bike now so has no issues getting on/off even though he can’t touch both his feet to the ground if he’s straddling the seat. I think he’s like 4’1” or 4’2” now so not much taller than when he started.


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## JeffM21 (Dec 18, 2021)

jaybert said:


> The post and seat def helped when he started out on the bike so he could straddle and at least touch the ground on his tippy toes. We swapped over to a normal post and seat (and not even slammed down) few months ago because he kept complaining how uncomfortable that seat was and the rear tire was skimming his butt when the rear suspension was fully used up. He is pretty comfortable on the bike now so has no issues getting on/off even though he can’t touch both his feet to the ground if he’s straddling the seat. I think he’s like 4’1” or 4’2” now so not much taller than when he started.


Good to hear. He looks so far away from being able to fit comfortably, so we’ll see how it goes!


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