Originally Posted by
69chevy
He is on a 24" wheeled bike. I believe his small rear cog is 14t already. Since he is on a modified big box store bike, I will need a different bike if his doesn't meet the 26' rule.
There are likely no parts to replace the gearing he has now. The rear is 8 speed and barely fits between the stays.
I haven't taken the rear hub apart, but I am sure the skinny cassette threads on.
This is him on the drops. I can lower the stem some, and have already raised the seat. I also have upgraded the tires to 23mm slicks. I'd really like to get him more "aero", but you guys are talking me down off of the "new bike" ledge.
He averaged 10mph on the 36 we did this weekend. The 18 mile down and back had a 900 ft elevation change, and his bike did very well.
You can go to one of the many online gearing calculators and plug in the numbers. I suspect that the bike is well within the limitation, given the small wheels. He looks great. I wouldn't worry too much about the aerodynamics yet. Focus instead on keeping a steady effort. That's the real physical and psychological thing that if he can start learning that now, he'll be able to apply it as he gets older/bigger/faster.