JoelS

Anyone have a youngster that's outgrown his/her roadie? Something small with 24 inch or 650c wheels. My son really wants a road ride and I can't justify buying a new one. I'm in no rush. Likely he'll be too small to climb on one until winter's out. So keep it in mind if you're going to be replacing one between now and April.

Thanks.

BlastRadius

I just saw a really cool 24" wheeled lugged steel kid's roadie on Craigslist a few days back.
It was still pretty pricey though.

huytheskigod

https://www.chucksbikes.com/store/cbpihta.htm

It's pricey but I've seen it on his webpage for a couple of years now. I'd try emailing him and making an offer. Doesn't look like he's going to sell it anytime soon.

redspoke

Heck! I might pick that up for my 4'10" better half.

velogirls

I'd suggest posting this to the NCNCA forum. There are lots of junior racers who out-grow their small road bikes. When you post, be as specific as possible about the size of your child and the size of the bike you're seeking.

https://www.ncncaracing.com/forum/

bigbossman 

Joel,

I don't know how big your boy is, but we started our daughter off on a lower-end Giant road bike when she was 11. The XS frame size fit her, and it had an 8 speed drivetrain with 700c wheels. She rode it for a year before she outgrew it and I sold it off on CL. I even made about $50 on the deal when all was said and done, so it was pretty cost-effective.

huytheskigod

This is Cute

JoelS

Thanks for the suggestions. I don't think there's a big rush on this. He's got to grow a few inches before he'll be big enough to fit on one. I'm just hoping there might be someone with one that will need to replace over the next six months or so.

BlastRadius

If you really loved him, you'd get him this:


J/K

bigbossman 

Just another thought -

When my daughter outgrew her Giant, I sold it off. I bought a nice frameset in the right size, and built it up for her to ride. I used a nice 10 speed Campy group.

Now I plan on just leap-frogging the components to the next frames in succession as she grows out of them, and selling the stripped frame-sets as I go. In that manner the investment in components keeps paying off and does not recur, and she gets to ride a quality bike. Decent frame-sets are relatively cheap.

That pays off in three ways -

1) while the outlay is front-loaded, the re-investment is minimal for the long term.

2) she rides a nice, well-equipped and fun to ride bike - which goes a long way towards getting her butt in the saddle more (and hopefully, for the rest of her life).

3) I get to keep planning for and building bikes, which I enjoy very, very much.

velogirls

campy components are great for little hands (women and children and freakishly small men). the hoods are smaller than shimano and the single lever spring action is much easier to activate than shimano. I think BBM's suggestion is a great one.

JoelS

It is, but there isn't any budget for it.

jonathanb715

Sooooo, you're volunteering to build some bikes for all of us with kids?

Of course, executing your plan requires some level of mechanical ability. The BFH approach that works so well on my old MG Midget probably isn't best for delicate Eye-talian componentry.

JB

bigbossman 

That's mostly why I chose it - that, and they offer a 13/29 cassette. Couple that with a standard triple, and the little one can take on anything I can. Plus, I added a set of cyclocross interrupter levers so she can work the brakes from the flats. I consider it a safety feature for a young, inexperienced rider.

As Joel notes, a Campy group - even Veloce - can be expensive to put together. I figure it cost me about $450-$500 to get the complete group (including a used wheel set off of CL) for the bike. But that is a one-time expenditure, as that group will migrate through the successive frames as she grows. The frame-set is usually a negligible expense as there are a plethora of nice vintage steel frames available for cheap, so you really end up spending less than you would on an entry level bike with a greater bang for your buck.

The first frame-set I built up was a very small 46cm Schwinn World Sport. that was a freebie, and I built it up with Shimano Sora. Why Sora? Inexpensive, and thumb-button shifting for small hands. Finished cost wasn't more than a couple hundred, and it was a great beginner bike. I sold it off on CL for more than I had into it, so it was a building block for the ongoing project.

The next bike is in the planning stages - a small little Tommasini frame-set I nabbed on the Phoenix CL for $150. The Battaglin frame set she's on now will fetch at least $200, and probably closer to $300 when it gets sold off, so, I'll get some net relief there on the total costs.

Meanwhile she's having fun on a quality bike, and riding the hell out of it.

If you want to build a nice budget "first time" bike for a youngster, find a proper sized vintage frame and build it with Sora. Sora is very inexpensive, fairly small-hand friendly, easy to use, and durable.

jonathanb715

This is the one that was in the full Tour de France tuck on the descent on the Steel is Real ride?

JB

bigbossman 

Sure thing. I have the tools, I have the skills, and you have the food and beer....... right? Seriously - anyone on the forum that needs bike-building help can call on me. I like doing it, and will work for food. I can't imagine it being necessary with you folks, but I'd be more than happy to host a bike-building party at my place. You furnish the frameset and parts.

Yeah - well, she's learning. She blasted by me last night going up Bollinger to Trampas. My days of superiority are numbered.

x136 

Let me know when she outgrows a 58-60cm, uh... something Italian, steel, and light.

I forget which ride it was, but I loved this:

"I think I lost my mom and dad..."

Ty.S

Too bad you like building her bikes so much, at the rate she's going, a sponsor will be giving her the newest / baddest thing on the market at the start of every season. But alas, nothing rides better then the bike that dad builds for ya!! So you're probably in pretty good shape in the end

huytheskigod

She wants to go to UC Davis right? Gotta keep recruiting for the Race team to try and bring back that National Championship!

bigbossman 

If you can arrange a scholarship, I'll see that she gets delivered there. Deal?

bigbossman 

Joel,

If you're interested in building a bike, what size frame do you need? I seem to come across them every once in a while.......

JoelS

To be honest, I have no idea. I don't even know how to guess. Can you give me a hint on that? Probably the smallest one you can find that'll take 24 inch wheels.

huytheskigod

Asked of the one that has absolutely no pull on campus...

Team get pretty nice discounts from sponsors though...

"My dad wants a new Record groupset...I mean I want a new Record Groupset..."

bigbossman 

How old/tall is the boy? You might want to try a casual trip to the LBS to see what he can stand over, and go from there.

Another idea that I've seen done - convert a small rigid mtb to a road bike facsimile. There are some really small mtb frames laying about - I was able to get my daughter on a 13" framed Trek when she was about 9-10 years old. You can run skinny slicks on the wheels, and convert the flat bars to drops. Pretty cheap, and he gets some pretty useful granny gears out of it.

SesameCrunch

Have you considered folding bikes? With telescoping seatposts and handlebars, they are very accommodating to size differences.