[manimal]

First off, I need to thank the best shop manager in the world, MikeDSX, for building it up and throwing some rad stuff on there. Not many people could've made a standard manitou SX into a DH fork for a 38lb kid Also, props to MadBob for the super short cranks, pedals and brakes.

we've been working on this bike for a while now. we ordered the frame on the specialized blemished site expecting a 16" kids hotrock frame that was simply a color test that never made it to production. instead of the 16", a 20" came in. so....we built it up anyway. mike pieced it all together as parts became available and it is far better than i ever expected

noah went with me to pick it up today....he had no idea what he was getting (belated b-day present).

it's a bit big for him still but he can ride it much better than i thought. i'm going to cut the bars down and maybe put a shorter stem on it and try to find a smaller brake lever. minor tweaks for now but he absolutely LOVES it! i think it's even lighter than his 16" at about 22lbs and the fork works perfect for him. it's pretty raked out but we figured it would help out on his stair drops and stuff

the builder, Mikedsx, and noah with the new ride

the first ride

of course i have to give props to this killer LBS (taken care of me for years now )

testing out the fork

a little tall

drivetrain

sweet

by the way, he's using the gears like he's had them for years. climbed some hills and shifted perfectly the first time like it was second nature. i was very impressed

proud dad :love:

 

[Connundrum1]

The future of biking is in good hands. It's great to see you getting the lil manimal into riding and outfitting him so amazingly.

 

[splat]

that is quite the interesting build!

 

[maxyedor]

Thats rad, Now he just needs a Foes DHS with 20" wheels

 

[brungeman]

as usual, I strongly approve

 

[rpk1988]

Thats awesome. It looks like a smaller P.1 with a good rake on it.

 

[SK6]

Sweet!!!

 

[Changleen]

Very cool!

 

[jimmydean]

Nice work! He will be bustin' moves in no time. The raddest first 20" I've seen.

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

like a little bender. with the handlebars up to the armpits and stuff. awesome.
now the only thins that could top this, is a drop with a bender style barhump.

 

[hooples3]

looks great... at this rate he will be on 26" in no time

 

[PatBranch]

That bike is perfect for him! That bashguard/ring looks so big on there.

 

[beestiboy]

Did you guys experiment with a 16" up front since you arent using a brake up there anyway?

Once again we are witnessing a prodigy in training. Absolutely awesome.

 

[BigMike]

Bedious!

I love seeing things like this, it makes me not so scared that my girlfriend has decided on kids before 30.....

 

[manimal]

Did you guys experiment with a 16" up front since you arent using a brake up there anyway?

thought about it but decided that the 20" would be better for stairs and rolling over stuff.

 

[ThePriceSeliger]

What size ring is on the front of that? It "looks" bigger than what is on my DH bike.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Nice build. Highly recommend front brake, though.

 

[madbob]

Thats a sweet ride. We gotta link up some time, my kids are dying to meet and ride with Noah.

 

[DRB]

Mike is one of the best guys in the Southeast.

 

[escapeartist]

Mike is one of the best guys in the Southeast.

Fo' sho. I'm proud to call him boss (and friend).

 

[manimal]

What size ring is on the front of that? It "looks" bigger than what is on my DH bike.

i THINK it's a 36 o38 but i'm not sure. madbob would know better than i...it's his kids old ring/cranks

 

[escapeartist]

i THINK it's a 36 o38 but i'm not sure. madbob would know better than i...it's his kids old ring/cranks

I think we actually put an old mrp ring on there. Madbob's was a 40-something I think, so we put somethin a little smaller on there. We were worried about clearance.

 

[bikingisbetter]

daaaaaaaaaaaang i wish i had that 8 years ago

 

[madbob]

ummmm.......

whatever came stock on a redline mini???????

 

[habitatxskate]

daddy can i get one too?

 

[habitatxskate]

they have little bmx bikes, like haros, that are 16" too

 

[elRey]

what?

 

[H8R]

Awesome.




I would put some kind of front chain control on there, he's gonna be getting more rad every day - thrown chains are in the near future.

Even a front derailleur set up with the limit screws as a rudimentary guide would help.

 

[manimal]

Awesome.




I would put some kind of front chain control on there, he's gonna be getting more rad every day - thrown chains are in the near future.

Even a front derailleur set up with the limit screws as a rudimentary guide would help.

yeah, he's dropped it a few times. i'm gonna go with the trusty old double bash guard setup. i have it on all my bikes and have never dropped a chain with it, even sans rollers.

 

[richcreek]

you should put a frount brake on that thing. all you have to do is put a disc up there by lacing up a disc hub to that 20 inch wheel. It should look cool and stop really good. Give him my compliments on that sweet bike!

P:S i am dead serrious.

 

[manimal]

i will...when he's ready. the whole reason behind the taller fork is to put him back behind the bars a bit. we had his everygrowing skills on stairs in mind and didn't want him over the front wheel when he's flying down a big 15 set. i'd hate for him to grab a handful of front brake which would require him to take his grip from the bar to reach for the lever and then might assist him in going OTB. he's doing fine with the learning curve from coaster to hand brake, i don't want to put too much on him just yet.

however, i'd love to throw a disc in the rear. it would allow me to bring his brake lever even closer to the grip and still maintain excellent stopping power.
too bad they don't make those adapters for a 20". i'll have to figure something out

 

[richcreek]

That is good to know. you might want to check out some yard sales and stuf an pick up a kids bike with leveres on it for dirt cheap, the rest of the bike doesnt have to work but if its a kis bike the levers should be smaller for a kids hand.

 

[manimal]

i already have a kids lever on it. i have it drawn in so close to the h-bar that the "quick release" function of v-brakes doesn't work. i have a few millimeters of clearance on the rim from the pads. they stop well but there's not much room for error. he's just really small for his age, something like the 25% on the growth chart. my middle daughter finally made it ONTO the chart last month

 

[richcreek]

oh, the lever just looks SOOO big!

 

[blue]

I totally PMed you about this and then forgot that my PM box was full. Silly blue.

 

[Konabumm]

sweet, I really like the setup! Can't wait to see the next set up jumps

 

[manimal]

oh, the lever just looks SOOO big!

oh sorry, the lever i have on it now is a kids lever from one of his older bikes that i parted out. it's MUCH smaller than the one in that pic. i need to take some updated pics as i've changed out the stem/hbars to lower it a bit and bring it closer.

 

[manimal]

I totally PMed you about this and then forgot that my PM box was full. Silly blue.

"Heya, how tall is the little manimal? Just wondering, as my little brother's birthday is coming up (4"3'), and your current setup for your son interests me (His 16" BMX bike has been beaten to the curb)..."

i just measured him at 3'6" so your lil bro would fit perfect on a bike like that.