[manimal]

Noah has a few bikes but he primarily rides his 20" hotrock (with pimp custom trim ) ..which is great for dh and freeride-ish stuff that we normally ride:

i've noticed, however, that his big bike really slows him down when he tries to hit rhythm sections or steep dj's because of the massive fork. so i pulled his little 16" haro nyquist out of the rafters and dug into the hub to remove the coaster brake parts. the only problem now is that the gearing is way to low for him now that he's 8 and has a lot of bmx given leg power. i went ahead and ordered a chainring for it but in the meantime, he's been familiarizing himself with his rejuvenated dj machine

i've got a small table in the backyard that i originally built for him to learn how to pull/push jumps for faster race runs...but it's also set up to gap as well. after about 3 practice runs he started nailing it clean with a huge smile. now i can't get him to ride his big bike

it's sad that he so small for an 8 yr old that a 16" is just now fitting him properly

we went to a friend's house last night to check on the new work that's been done and noah tested his new favorite bike there as well

i even got in some cast-riding...just don't tell my wife

he also tried a new step-up without any persuading on my part (a rare occurrence as of late) he was confident he could make it...although he later realized that clearing it will have to wait until the bigger chainring comes in. watch how much he spins in the berm trying to pick up speed.
such a funny case...he fell over and started laughing when i turned off the camera

so anyway...here's to progression and expansion

 

[Arkayne]

Best vid ever! I can only hope my boy has a passion for bikes like daddy.

 

[Nick]

Awesome.

 

[manimal]

Best vid ever! I can only hope my boy has a passion for bikes like daddy.

haha..cool. i'll send you the high-res version if you can make a sweet GIF out of it

another:

 

[t1maglio]

Thats rad, good parenting

 

[aeffertz]

So tight!
I wish I got into it that young!

 

[Mr Tiles]

rep added for an awesome thread...

 

[pickuptrucker]

i rememered being on that size bike! i wish my dad would have tricked mine out for me haha. kids are awsome

 

[Stoked]

badass!

 

[don]

It's always a pleasure to see pics of lil manimal. Kids a ripper.

I think that 16" looks really really natural for him. I personally think kids should start out with BMX bikes as they are small, strong and simple. I rode all over on my 20" Columbia back when I was 11 and 12. The rigid will make him learn more and the quickness of a small bike goes with the energy level of most kids.

I think Noah could really benefit from a dialed 16" rig. Not sure of the price of this bear but it looks wicked for the younger ones: http://mirrabikeco.com/project_16.html

After getting rides for my kids over the years - this thing has a lot done right - 28H, 3/8" axles instead of burly 14mm/48H stuff. Aluminum frame w/ euro BB - lighter kids and smaller frame can be very light. Not sure why there is a gyro or those heavy tires but you could swap them out pretty easy. Says it comes in @ 18.2lbs - I'm guessing that Haro he is on now is close to the 30lb mark. I think Noah kick even more arse with that thing.

 

[manimal]

his haro is lighter than his mt.bike that comes in at 25lbs. i'm looking at an Eastern Traildigger 16 since they're local and noah knows some of the team guys. it weighs in at 25lbs as well but i could probably put it on a diet pretty easily. we're going to Ray's in January and noah has been watching some youtube vids of Ray's to get amped up on the trip. he's super excited that he'll have an actual park bike again for the vert stuff

http://www.easternbikes.com/completes/16

edit: i just read the spec sheet on the mirraco bike and it says it comes in at 18.2lbs?! holy crap...is that with or without the pegs shown in the pic? there is a local dealer for them as well.

 

[don]

Noah's going to love Ray's if he hasn't been there before. Make sure to video him, I'd love to see him ride that place.

That Eastern looks pretty good but the stuff like a full size seat and those bars with 20 deg back sweep is a little kooky. And that chainwheel is going to weigh a ton too. I like Eastern but I don't think they have the smaller bikes as worked as some other companies. I was looking at an Eastern 18"s for my 9 year old last summer. We ended up going with Premium which didn't look as good from the colors but the geometry and parts spec was better for only a few dollars more.

What I like about MirraCo is I saw an interview with Mirra a couple years ago - he said the smaller kids really need their own specific products. With that Project you can tell they really worked on it. And 18 lbs is light - most likely due to the frame being aluminum. To get that Eastern down 7 lbs will take some work and some $$$.

OR... if Eastern is local and he knows some of the riders - see if they will flow Noah some stuff. Everyone wants to hook up the younger kids especially if he has the potential and passion like he does. Noah could be a great tester for the 16" stuff.

 

[sittingduck]

He's spinning out on that thing... get him some taller gears! Good stuff.....

 

[manimal]

He's spinning out on that thing... get him some taller gears! Good stuff.....

Originally posted by manimal
the only problem now is that the gearing is way to low for him now that he's 8 and has a lot of bmx given leg power.

yeah, i have a chainring on order.

 

[aeffertz]

I would definitely look into the MirraCo Bike. If you ditched that gyro, pegs, and maybe got a pivotal setup, it would be the lightest bike out there. All the specs seem right on, as well as going with an aluminum frame and stuff like that.

 

[PatBranch]

Awesome! That mirrco look perfect for him.

 

[Arkayne]

if you can make a sweet GIF out of it

I've a 1MB file limit on photobucket so the resolution was cut waaay down

 

[Wolfsburg]

I say Noah is a destroyer!

 

[manimal]

I've a 1MB file limit on photobucket so the resolution was cut waaay down

haha...you're my hero. perfect size. i just realized that i forgot to email you the vid. got busy decorating the christmas tree w/ the kids and never got on the computer. maybe i'll remember tonight

 

[don]

I'm sure at some point there will be an updated vid of lil manimal hitting that step-up w/ an tuck no-hander thrown.

 

[aaronrocker]

awsome kid you have raised there manimal, wish my parents were as suportive as you are when i was that young.

 

[manimal]

i'm just glad that he took to riding as it gives me more chances to ride under the guise of father/son time

 

[pimpgixxer04]

damn your son is BA!!!

 

[TortugaTonta]

Check out the big rig, it has 18's

p.s. sorry for the size of the pic, couldn't find a smaller one



http://www.premiumbmx.com/tab2_subNav1.php

 

[manimal]

that'll be his next step up when he gets a little bigger. he already has a 20" Redline mini, a 16" haro, and a 20" Specialized mtn bike so it'll be a while before i get him anything new

this is 2/3 of his stable

 

[don]

My 9 year old has been happy w/ his 18" Premium. And it looks like the new ones are even more hooked up.

That Sweet 16 has some sweet stuff - mid BB and full chromo w/ the DT being double butted. The geometry looks like it's good too.

 

[manimal]

don...how tall is your 9yr old? average height/weight? noah is in the sub 20th percentile on the growth chart for kids his age and it's a pain trying to find stuff that fits.

 

[don]

don...how tall is your 9yr old? average height/weight? noah is in the sub 20th percentile on the growth chart for kids his age and it's a pain trying to find stuff that fits.

I am not sure but he's about average size - he's at least 53" tall based on a mark we have in the kitchen. The 18" Premium fits him well for a BMX style ride . I raised the seat a bit and he rode that thing about 20 miles on a family road ride this summer. Probably not the idea bike for that ride but he had fun - it's all about the energy level which most kids have ample of.

My daughter is just about to be 7 and she rides his old General Lee 16" that I changed a bunch of parts on: FMF alloy bars, 3/32 Sram chain, FMF alloy cranks, Odyssey mini seat. It's still heavy as the frame and fork are so beefy. Judging by the other kids in her class she is on the taller side - and the 16" fits her well.

I can measure them when they get home from school later today. And if you want pics of the bikes they ride I can get those too.

 

[manimal]

cool, no pics necessary, i was just curious if it's easier to size bikes for normal sized kids. noah just broke the 50lb mark and is about 47" tall. his 5 yr old sister is still hovering at 30lbs and riding a 12" barbie bike

 

[manimal]

It's always a pleasure to see pics of lil manimal. Kids a ripper.

I think that 16" looks really really natural for him. I personally think kids should start out with BMX bikes as they are small, strong and simple. I rode all over on my 20" Columbia back when I was 11 and 12. The rigid will make him learn more and the quickness of a small bike goes with the energy level of most kids.

I think Noah could really benefit from a dialed 16" rig. Not sure of the price of this bear but it looks wicked for the younger ones: http://mirrabikeco.com/project_16.html

After getting rides for my kids over the years - this thing has a lot done right - 28H, 3/8" axles instead of burly 14mm/48H stuff. Aluminum frame w/ euro BB - lighter kids and smaller frame can be very light. Not sure why there is a gyro or those heavy tires but you could swap them out pretty easy. Says it comes in @ 18.2lbs - I'm guessing that Haro he is on now is close to the 30lb mark. I think Noah kick even more arse with that thing.

so i went to the LBS that is listed on the mirraco site as a dealer. even w/ my discount, this bike is still $525! holy crap...that's a bit steep for our needs and besides, the few extra pounds will just make him stronger