Epic Madeline

As most parents who mountain bike ride, I am disappointed at the state of kids’ mountain bikes. I mean, I have spent more on rear cassette than the price of most modern kid’s bikes. It’s not that I want to spend a lot of money on a kid’s bike but I do feel some guilt when you realize that their complete bike cost half as much as my current wheelset.  Hence they are put together from really heavy cheap components. The biggest problem seems to be weight and performance. They all weight in excess of 10-12 kgs and basically don’t work that well. The suspension is more cosmetic than functional.  Add all that up with a rider weighing less than twenty kilograms, and it would be like an adult trying to push a 50kg bike around a track.

Rather than search the internet any further to no avail and being a design engineer, I set about designing and building a custom bike for my 4 year old. She only touches the scales at 15 kg but loves riding. Again this year she was facing another year at the Flight Centre Mini Epic pushing and bouncing her 10kg single speed 16” bike around the 4km track. The target was a competitive seven speed light weight dual suspension race bike tuned for her weight. Based on all the work, this would challenge the theory -  does equipment really make that much difference?

As a design project the technical details and final design were produced in SolidWorks 3D CAD and components sourced from various on-line shops and that box of old and spare components from the workshop. The final design was based on 3k carbon frame cut from 2mm sheets of carbon and assembled using epoxy and various stainless bolts and pins.

Madelines Custom M1

Final bike details –

Model Name :   M1   (sponsored riders name is Madeleine)

Frame :            3k Carbon Sheet CNC cut and bolted or epoxy bonded together. (Yes! I have the CNC.)

Suspension :  

Front – 45mm travel , 3k Carbon tube forks  upper and lower carbon crowns (internal springs)

Rear – 45mm travel – true pivot point (integrated in the custom bottom bracket)

Wheels :

Front – 20” alloy BMX rim 12 spokes Novatec Lightweight Hub – Maxis – Max Daddy.

Rear – 20” alloy BMX rim 24 spokes Novatec Lightweight Hub – Light Semi Slick.

Groupset:

7 speed Shimano grip shift, cassette XTR 980 (minus top 2 gears)

Cranks – Custom CNC cut Alloy 130mm with custom CNC carbon 34 tooth chainring.

Bottom Bracket – Custom narrow race external bearings, alloy hollow shaft.

Brake: 

Rear Quad Nano Hydraulic with custom 140mm full floating 2mm carbon rotor.

Bars:

Integrated stem with cut down Kore Durox riser bar.

Seat : 

Pink girls seat with flower pattern ! (Some design input from my daughter)

Weight:

Just over 4 kg. (We can get under 4kg if I change the seat to a carbon rail race seat, but it had to have a girls touch)

Cost:

Materials $450. Time and labour – Don’t ask.

After 3 months of build (several hours a week) with multiple design changes and component rebuilds. Including a change from carbon cranks to aluminium, as even a 4 year old out of the saddle, stomping as she calls it, can break thread inserts in carbon. Following this, two weeks of secret closed track beta testing (up and down the driveway and round the back yard), the M1 was released for a quick week of training and tuning before the Epic. Two training ride sessions per day, involving riding to kinder and home to get familiar with gears and a lever disk brake.

Pre race with team mates

Race day was a hot dusty affair. The track for the Mini Epic was fantastically prepared by the organisers and is challenging enough for the younger kids who get the full race number and electronic timing experience. The project M1 bike and rider performed well under the pressure of race day. It was great to see that bike allowed her to cope with riding full tilt over broken ground, tight single track as well as pedal up climbs. (Basically all the things we take for granted).

The results made for a very surprised 4 year old who won the under 8 category and received a gold medal almost her own weight.

Madeline on the podium

Before any eager parent out there asks – answer is no !

M1 in pre production