[manimal]

since he'll be racing Sugar DH this year on the hardtail/beginner course, i decided it was time to throw on a front brake to his sled. Mikedsx ordered the spokes and i built up the wheel in his shop today on a spare disc hub i had lying around. the avid setup adds a little weight to his ride but i think the benefit of having more stopping power at sugar and other places will far outweigh the extra heft.

anyway, finished product.

i'll get him out on a test ride tomorrow to dial in the lever positioning.

and yes, both of his brake levers are on the wrong side and inverted. i had to use what i had and i had some compatibility issues with the lever/brake combos. it looks funny but it works

braaaaap!!!

 

[HRDTLBRO]

I honestly can't believe how well he can ride. You are a kick-ass father for getting him hooked and giving him the opportunity to ride like he is. Props.

 

[manimal]

I honestly can't believe how well he can ride. You are a kick-ass father for getting him hooked and giving him the opportunity to ride like he is. Props.

ha thanks...it works like this though. i want to ride AND i want to spend time w/ the kids. so i just get the kids involved and take them w/ me and call it "family time" it's like the pro water skiers that teach their kids how to drive the boat i just wish i could figure out a way to teach him to drive so we could shuttle more often

 

[ÆX]

now all he needs is a real font tire!

brake looks great. sounds cliche' but......


my,.... how he has grown!

 

[manimal]

now all he needs is a real font tire!

brake looks great. sounds cliche' but......


my,.... how he has grown!

that holy roller is about the best 20" tire we could find to suit his style of riding. they're aren't many decent 20" DH tires out there.

and yes...the kid is growing like a friggin weed! by the end of summer he might actually fit his bike

 

[Beef Cake]

If you need to find him a mud tire for 20in. check out some mod trials bikes , they have 20in. tires with pretty fat knobs .


Was this the same kid that was at Santos last summer ???

 

[Castle]

also from maxxis look at the MaxxDaddy in a 2.25... has some pretty aggressive tread but still rolls fast for a tire with that much knob... Would def. help on the trails/dirt..... Probably at his weight you could even run lower pressures and get him some really good grip out of it for the sugar race..

http://www.maxxis.com/products/bicycle/product_detail.asp?id=93

I think I saw him this time of year about a year ago, he's gotten alot bigger since then, looks like his riding has really improved too!! Lots of fun to come his way with the added front brake!

 

[manimal]

Was this the same kid that was at Santos last summer ???

you bet we had a blast down there and will return the next time i'm forced to visit the in-laws.

wow...looking at this pic now i can see how much he's grown!

 

[Jeremy R]

Hey Manimal,
That looks great.
One thing though.
Don't let him ride on a wet ski slope with a disc on the front and a v-brake on the back.
I learned how to ride a nose wheelie and clean poop out of my pants
by running that setup at Sugar years ago.

 

[PacificPointer]

ha thanks...it works like this though. i want to ride AND i want to spend time w/ the kids. so i just get the kids involved and take them w/ me and call it "family time" it's like the pro water skiers that teach their kids how to drive the boat i just wish i could figure out a way to teach him to drive so we could shuttle more often

I've been using these excuses myself for 15 yrs!!!

When my wife says she wants some family time I know its time to ride for me and boys..... then she says she wants to go away just me and her do romantic/girl stufflthumbsdown:

Awesome as always Man and Lil'Man

 

[jcook90]

i just got my dad into mountain biking, and he wakes me up early in the mornings to make me ride with him. Its kinda like you and your son, only the other way around. Plus now i have to start upgrading his bike (he rode it twice and said it needed new tires so off to the bike shop).

thats awesome that you and him get out and do that, he's seriously going to be a pro when he gets older. lucky lil' manimal haha.

 

[Broken_Spoke]

Just wait till he is big enough for a demo then the bills will start piling up

 

[PatBranch]

Here's some tires that might be good for that bike:

Tioga Factory MX


Maxxis Maxdaddy


Primo V-trac - good tread, but narrow

 

[manimal]

thanks mtnbrider...i'll definitely check out a set of those tioga's.

jeremyr - that's one of my fears but, after today's ride, i think it'll be a while before he starts grabbing handfuls of front brake. he's just too used to one brake that he hardly used it....but i think the speed he'll generate at sugar will make him reach for it more often. i suppose we'll find out tuesday if everything works out.

 

[SBDHrida]

He is going to be such a pinner in years to come.