[Jim Mac]

Yo all,

Now that it looks like my 5 year old is moving towards racing BMX, I'm beginning to look at options for him in the mini arena.

Said Kid Geometry:
Weight: approx 50+ lbs
Height: 46” tall
HA: much straighter then myself!

What he's currently riding:
2011 Wethepeople seed 16” pit bike
16.5” TT
11.5” CS
HT: 75°
Cranks: 140 mm
Weight: a lot…great thrash bike but pretty heavy and steep HT angle for racing. Our local track has a pretty steep start hill which seems to throw him a bit. I'd like something to give him a bit more confidence at speed.


So, I'm looking at:
2012 DK mini
Top Tube: 16.5"
Chain Stay Length: 12"
Head Tube Angle: 71°
Seat Tube Angle: 77°
Weight: 16.4 lbs
Cranks 140 mm
“RECOMMENDED RIDER HEIGHT”: Up to 3' 10”

http://shop.dkbicycles.com/DK-Mini-Gloss-Black-Gold/dp/B006BEFRKC?field_availability=-1&field_browse=2489135011&field_product_site_launch_date_utc=-1y&id=DK+Mini+Gloss+Black+Gold&ie=UTF8&refinementHistory=brandtextbin,subjectbin,color_map,price,size_name&searchNodeID=2489135011&searchPage=1&searchRank=salesrank&searchSize=12
price = $350 range

I’m also looking at:
2012 Redline Mini MX
Top Tube Length: 18"
Chain Stay Length: 13.1"
Head Tube Angle: 72°
Seat Tube Angle: 69°


Bottom Bracket Height: BB = 10.5"
Weight: 15.1 lbs.
Cranks: 155 mm
http://www.redlinebicycles.com/bikes/bmx-race/2012-mx-mini
price = $350 range

I’m also looking at the Haro mini that has a 17.75” TT length, but the price goes up at that point to $450.00 +

I’d like to go for the DK because the price is right and the component list seems to be a slightly higher spec than the Redline MX, but am unsure about the recommended height limit. I want the bike to give him some ability to grow into, and I’m afraid that the DK frame size might limit him. Then again, he looks a bit stretched out even when he stands on his pit bike, and that has the same TT length, but it also has a longer stem.

Thoughts? Help! - Jim

 

[cmc]

i think a mini for him is a great idea. they seem to be very stable, and because of the lightness, the kid can handle it easily.

there's a forum over on mtbr about kids bikes with some discussions about mini's:
http://forums.mtbr.com/families-riding-kids/mountain-bike-vs-bmx-6y-o-489339.html

http://forums.mtbr.com/families-riding-kids/heres-vote-lightweight-bmx-mini-vs-mtb-634795.html

 

[Jim Mac]

Thanks! Another suggestion on a BMX board steered me toward a DK junior - seems to be slightly larger than the mini, but about the same geo as the RL above.

 

[WestCoastHucker]

personally, i'd go the mini route long before the junior route for your boy. imo, the mini is geared toward the under-10 crowd and the junior is for the 10-14 crowd. i even rode a junior until i was about 16...

 

[Jim Mac]

personally, i'd go the mini route long before the junior route for your boy. imo, the mini is geared toward the under-10 crowd and the junior is for the 10-14 crowd. i even rode a junior until i was about 16...

The only thing I'd say about that is specific to the DK bike brand - their geo seems to be smaller compared to the rest of the mini crowd - the DK mini has a TT length that's more similar to a micro geo (16.5 TT length, hence the up to 3' 10" piece) and the DK Junior has a 17.5 TT length, closer to typical mini geo (they stated 3' 10" to 4' 4"). This is why I'm veering towards the DK junior, but would stuck with a mini if I went any other brand.

http://shop.dkbicycles.com/DK-Junior-Gloss-Black-Gold/dp/B006BEFGEE?field_availability=-1&field_browse=2489135011&field_product_site_launch_date_utc=-1y&id=DK+Junior+Gloss+Black+Gold&ie=UTF8&refinementHistory=brandtextbin,subjectbin,color_map,price,size_name&searchNodeID=2489135011&searchPage=1&searchRank=salesrank&searchSize=12

 

[WestCoastHucker]

the reach and stack is way more important than tt length. the dk has such a short tt in comparison because the seat tube is way up at 77degrees instead of the more traditional 70degree neighborhood...

 

[cmc]

http://gawker.com/5948967/bike-trail-conquering-tyke-provides-obscenely-precious-commentary-on-his-own-accomplishments

 

[Jim Mac]

http://gawker.com/5948967/bike-trail-conquering-tyke-provides-obscenely-precious-commentary-on-his-own-accomplishments

Love what the kid says!

 

[Jim Mac]

the reach and stack is way more important than tt length. the dk has such a short tt in comparison because the seat tube is way up at 77degrees instead of the more traditional 70degree neighborhood...

I'm trying to understand the reach piece...so how would this concept work with the Junior geometry? Reach seems to have little to do with 'stand up' bikes like BMX, or am I wrong here?

 

[WestCoastHucker]

on the contrary, TT is what is irrelevant on "stand up" bikes where nobody cares how far back the seat is from your hands. the reach/stack is the distance your hands are away from where your feet are, which is the only real measurement that can be felt in this case...

 

[Jim Mac]

on the contrary, TT is what is irrelevant on "stand up" bikes where nobody cares how far back the seat is from your hands. the reach/stack is the distance your hands are away from where your feet are, which is the only real measurement that can be felt in this case...

Understand the concept now - more like a measurement from the BB to the bars.

EDIT: and given the info on the DK site, there is no way to figure this out to do a 'bike to bike' comparison.

 

[WestCoastHucker]

that is exactly what it is a measurement of. the "stack" is the height and the "reach" is the length...

 

[sbabuser]

The caption below the video made me want to puke.

 

[SlapheadMofo]

Dunno if you're thinking used as a possibilty, but I've got a Redline Mini hanging in the shed that's not likely to see the track again (can't drag the kid out of the skateparks these days.) Got one solid season of racing on it, but still in really good shape.

d

 

[Jim Mac]

DOH! Thanks, anyway! Might've picked it up, but have a DK "junior" sitting in my office now - measures to a typical mini...I think if we had a skatepark in our area, I would have the same "problem" as you - J.

 

[SlapheadMofo]

Sweet!

 

[kickstand]

Go used if you can. You can sell it for what you paid for it a few years later.

I have two Haro Mini's We got them both used. Kids started on them at 4 (they were a bit stretched) and now at 7 they are almost perfect. If I can stretch these out until they are 10 I'll be super happy.

My son has a SE lil wildman 16" pit bike, the difference in speed he can carry on the track is unreal, like a full straight away and a half in lap times unreal. The pit bike has its place, but the mini's are so much faster.

 

[Jim Mac]

My son has a SE lil wildman 16" pit bike, the difference in speed he can carry on the track is unreal, like a full straight away and a half in lap times unreal. The pit bike has its place, but the mini's are so much faster.

That's what I'm thinking....my goal was to just get him exposed to BMX by just hitting up practice. We started "late" in the season at our local track - mid August after I finished school. He's only 5, so there's plenty of time for races next year. I see him really struggle on his pit bike on some of the steep lips of our step ups, partially due to the weight and the smaller size of the wheels - it is much harder to carry speed.

Santa will bring him his new bike, so racing should be fun on a lighter bike next season. Plus, he'll be starting a the year with all the kids versus coming in at the end when the little ones are already fast.


Pit Bike Fun:

 

[kickstand]

my goal was the same, except I didn't even know mini's had been invented (thats how long I was away from the track!!)

He'll love the mini at the track, my kids even used theirs as mountain bikes before they "grew" into the 24" mountain bikes they have that they are way too small for!

 

[SlapheadMofo]

Yeah, the mini's work great for easy trail riding; gearing can be kinda high for anything tech or hilly though.

One thing that a lot of kids seem to have trouble with is getting into the habit of riding standing up; luckily the seats on most minis are so low and uncomfortable, they help motivate them to stay up on their feet. (The taller gearing helps too.) Learning that makes at least as much difference as changing bikes IMO. I'm sure that a big reason my son has progressed as much as he has in his first few years of riding is that I don't think I've ever seem him sit down on a BMX bike that's moving. That, some solid practice sessions with the starting gate, and learning how to rip a pumptrack really helped jack up the trophy collection.

(couple gratuitous shotz from this w/e at Rye - fun step up and trying to get some over-vert)

 

[Jim Mac]

Very true on the standing piece - as you can see, my son was sitting quite a bit in August. I think it also had to do with the easy-ish gearing - when we ride on the street it seems tough for him to stand, but he can torque it on short hills.

 

[marshr]

Dunno if you're thinking used as a possibilty, but I've got a Redline Mini hanging in the shed that's not likely to see the track again (can't drag the kid out of the skateparks these days.) Got one solid season of racing on it, but still in really good shape.

d

I just happened across this thread. Do you still have that mini? I have been looking for a used one. Please let me know.