mrshinsa

Just picked up a used hotrock 20" for my son.
I feel that these kids bikes are way too heavy for kids, and I'm actually quite appalled by junk components used by even name brand bikes.
My 6year old son weighs 44lbs and he bike weighed 23.2 lbs on the bathroom scale, which is over 50% of his body weight.
Its so heavy for him that he has hard time holding it upright.

I'd like to bring the weight down by couple of pounds.
What would be the most cost effective upgrade for around $100?

Some ideas I have:
- lighter aluminum wheelset + tires ($20 @Treefort, already picked up one Tioga powerblock to replace the worn rear)
- Replace seatpost + handlebars ($???)
- Sinz cranks + rings ($50 ebay) + BB-UN26 bottom bracket($15 amazon)
- Forks(I'd rather not do this one since it may require a stop to the LBS ??)


I've purchased the bike second had for $100, so I'd rather not spend more on parts than the price of the bike.

My previous thread about the crappy rear coaster wheel:
Coaster rear wheel sucksl

fietsbob

IDK what your riding plans with your Kid are ,

you can get a coaster brake included with a Sturmey Archer 3 and 5 speed internal gear hub

and thus be able to have more than one gear ratio turning the wheel.

mrshinsa

I'd rather avoid multiple gears at this point in time.
I just want something quality that isn't junk, so he would be able to enjoy riding around the street and to school.

I was hoping that a second hand Specialized bikes would be world of difference than wal-mart bikes, but disappointed to find that they are more or less the same.

fietsbob

Nothing I can do from a keyboard .. happy shopping ..

401flava

the HotRock is 1000x the bike of anything at HellMart, the cane creek headset costs more than most kids bikes cost to build complete. It's not a tricked out freestyle/race ready BMX bike, it's a 'my first big kids bike' bike. That said, the components are all miles better than most dept. store ADULT bikes, nm kids. Tektro brake, real tires with 100psi, decent wheels and hubs, real adjustable nuts n bolts as opposed to junk steel stripfest series. A completely roadworthy bike that you can trust to be safe for your child to ride is exactly what the HotRock is, vs the accident-waiting-to-happen that any of those horror show bikes at Walmart are. If your actual concern is that he's having a hard time holding up the bike @ 22 pounds, something's wrong. A 50lb kid can ride a 25lb bike that fits, no problem... you don't have to bench press it (although a fit kid should probably be able to lift half his weight overhead). Trying to lighten up a HotRock is like putting a lift kit and AT tires on a Civic... Or as Sheldon used to say, you've got a solution looking for a problem! I would take a closer look at riding skills/technique and save my $100. Or spend it on a bike camp/school where they teach good riding habits, there really are such places. When you stop and stand with a bike you're not 'holding up' the weight of the bike, you're balancing it. 44 lbs sounds small for a 20", maybe the seat is too high or stand over too tall? I'm 150 lbs and I ride a 500 lb motorcycle, and even stop at red lights once in a while.