Weight Weenies

Anyone know if it's possible to buy a 700c frame to accommodate a 4'2" (127 cm) tall rider with a standover height of around 24 inches (60cm)? My son is outperforming his 24" wheel road bike. I want to put him on something that will accommodate full size 700c wheels so he can use some high performance equipment, namely lighter wheels. I know there are limitations on what equipment he can use for sanctioned events, but he will be competing in the Mt. Washington Hillclimb in August among other unsanctioned events where anything goes. I can't afford to spend a lot of money on a frame he will outgrow in a year, but if I can find a used one at a good price, or if a builder is interested in a co-sponsorship arrangement, I am interested. For what it's worth, his assault on Mt. Washington is already getting attention from the cycling media as well as more mainstream media... I can't mention specific news carriers in this forum yet.

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how is he outperforming the equipment?

He's fast and strong, but the bike and wheels are heavy. Despite my best efforts to build him light wheels and modify the bike, it's impossible to find 24" (ETRTO 520) rims that are lighter than 700c rims... and the frames for kids are absolute tanks. His frameset weighs almost as much as my complete Litespeed. Why should a 65 pound cyclist ride a 16 pound bike when a 160 pound cyclist can ride one that weighs 3/4 of that? I am a strong believer in power to weight ratios and kids are at a huge disadvantage in this area.

sometimes nashbar has some decent aluminium frames on sale for like $200-400 and i take that you already have some equipment to share with him. if not you could search some swapmeets for a old small steel steel farme (bike) adapt some bosses on the dt and open up the rear triangle to fit 10 speed wheels. when he grows out of it throw away the frame and transplant the components to the new frame. the bike is going to be as heavy as he has right now but he will start to adapt to the geo of a full size bike.

Thanks, but the entire point is to build him a light bike for the Mount Washington Hillclimb in August.

I don't see the problem. The other kids are also riding heavy bikes. Just let them play and have fun.

*sigh*

This IS Weight Weenies! Get in the spirit of the forum!

I hear where you are coming from. It seems like your son rides a lot so why not get him on something better.

Are 650c wheels an option? Surely you could find some light 650c rims and I have to imagine that would help a bit with the effective size of the frame vs. 700c? I would try approaching some steel or alu builders and see if they'll build you an affordable frame that will fit your son. Ti or carbon would be awesome, but aside from a sponsorship type situation that may not be cost effective. Email a handful of builders your story and a few photos and you never know what will happen. It could turn in to a unique project that would be good publicity for the builder.

My 2 cents.

xnavalav8r wrote:*sigh*

This IS Weight Weenies! Get in the spirit of the forum!

the in that case get a custom aluminium frame from tsunami. it should be lightish and around $1,000
probably a sloping geometry so he could ride with a low seat post and later on bring the post higher. by the way how old is your soon, because he might get into one of those growth spurs.

Hers is an example of an ultra small 700c road bike, available from a specialist UK supplier: http://www.islabikes.co.uk/bike_pages/luath700.html. They do a 700c road bike that is a bit bigger, and a 26" road bike that is ... you guessed it ... a bit smaller.

Thanks for the input. The reason I am shying away from 650c wheels is because I don't want to have to deal with another wheel size. I have half a dozen pairs of high end 700c wheels already. A custom frame would be awesome but I can't justify paying full custom price for a frame he will outgrow in a year or two. Unless a builder wants to use this as an advertising/publicity opportunity and offers a great deal.

I guess my general gripe is that kids bikes are WAY overbuilt, weigh FAR too much, and almost universally come with CRAP components. Parents who are really into cycling want to put their kids on good bikes with quality components. That's my observation, anyway.

Maybe this kid is willing to sell his ride

If I had an unlimited budget I would definitely buy something like that. But, alas, my budget is limited...

I was also thinking about the Kirk Lee kid's bike..
I would second the tsunami option. Joe is a great guy to deal with.
He can throw you a BB30 for a couple $$$ extra on the frame, and special light tubing since it's for a very light rider (also for extra $$$).
You might have trouble finding a BB30 155-160mm light crankset or so for your kid.
It's all a matter of $$$, even for "normal bikes".
If you want it under 14 lbs, you'll have to pay close to $2000 = Just for the frameset/cranks even if you have the rest of the equipment...

Louis

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I'm not so sure about that. I have a 900g wheelset he could use. 145mm cranks with ti bottom bracket and 44/30t chainrings weighs under 600g. We would use the DA components from his current bike. I'm pretty certain I could build a much lighter bike than he rides right now if I could source the frame for a reasonable price. I don't think he needs BB30, especially since no one makes BB30 cranks short enough anyway. But I really can't afford to spend a grand on this frame. The only other lightweight part I would have to buy would be handlebars... maybe a lightweight carbon 36cm set.

I found this

I think I could build a nice bike around a frameset like that... if I can find one. But the standover height may be too tall.