Just a quick post to show my latest slightly unusual project.
It started as a request on the Singletrack forum regarding a balance bike for a young guy with a few special needs. I was planning to do a bit of brazing practice anyway, so figured it would be nice / more productive to help out and make a useful practice piece.
Tubing is nothing special - some Columbus cro-mo, 2" ERW steel tube and a 20 year old pair of forks (chainstays)....
It all came together really well, with a few nice folks helping out with FOC stuff along the way:-
Schwalbe with tyres, tubes and tapes
Magura with some soon to arrive rim brakes
My local powder coat guys with a free finish and quick turnaround to make the Christmas delivery.
Love the color, and the innovative use of forks as chain stays. Re-purposing stuff makes something extra special, especially when you can't tell it is not "meant" to be doing what it does.
I do have to ask - could you have just removed the cranks and drivetrain from any small-ish cheap mountain bike, lowered the seat, and had the same thing, basically?
Andrew started out with a regular frame but there were issues with his feet and ankles bashing on the bb shell / downtube. You also need the saddle very low for scooting, which on a regular small frame makes the front end very cramped. The pictures don't really show it, but the front is quite long (and designed to take a longer stem) plus chainstays about 18" (to an imaginary bb) to keep the rear wheel clear of his feet.
His Uncle was heading down the route of trying to find an old Alpinestars mono tube E-stay frame to hacksaw off the bb etc - I just had to step in
The nearest off the shelf option would maybe have been a trials frame. Our way has been much cheaper (FOC / mostly made from scrap and offcuts) plus nice and motivational for everyone involved.
That answers my question. I've got a baby on the way soon and am already thinking about kids bikes - so it's good to know that just removing cranks from a pedal bike isn't the best way to go.
It makes sense now that I think about it.
BTW, might be fun to put foot pegs on the front wheel/fork for long downhills (if that's something he can do). You could even do some custom ones that extend toward the rider/down as needed to optimize the position. If he doesn't quite have the balance, of course, it wouldn't be worth it.
Good thinking with the brake. I've had to add a brake to my littliest guy's push bike after he decided to chase his bro' on the berm trail. No brakes makes for an overly-exciting ride. Though he made me proud hanging on as long as he did (Mom's take on the event wasn't quite the same). Nothing better than building somehting for your little one.
Walt, you wait, building kids bikes is the most fun ever! One of the reasons I started building frames in the first place. A kid can ride about a million times better with a properly fitted bike. And do not let anything with training wheels come near that kid. Trike - pushbike- pedals.
I did think about fitting some kind of bolt on foot peg mounts - only problem was we didn't really know the best place to put them. It was kind of a remote build - Andrew's Uncle (who did all the trials, measuring etc) is in Edinburgh, Andrew is across the water in Northern Ireland and I'm maybe 200 miles south of everyone! If they are needed then we will find a way of doing it (hoping he might progress to pedals later in the year).
The lower the saddle the earlier your kid can ride. We bought an end of line wooden one from the supermarket (equivalent of $15 - worth it for the ballraced wheels, tyres, tubes etc). Then cut it up and made a central frame section that was really low down. The only downside is they can't stop at that age. My youngest got seriously away from his mum on some switchback forest singletrack - constantly gathering speed, railing round bends with flat out screaming parent unable to catch up. Some walkers coming up the track eventually caught and landed him getting air off some tree roots moments before disaster!
After that we used a leash anywhere with hills - 2 metre webbing strap - on the handlebars to help him up hill, then as a loose leash from the seatpost whilst you jog behind on the downs.
Such an awesome build! +rep to you! My mother works with special needs children and I would absolutely love to do something like this for them. I've always had an interest in helping out kids with disabilities and this is such a cool idea.
I am just sketching out some ideas for a balance bike for my daughter , need to make it as small as possible as she is little , and I can get her on it as soon as possible
Thanks Mick good advice about the leash
I was thinking about single sided front and rear to keep it narrow just got a couple of plastic pushchair 12 inch wheels which are designed to run single sided
SS sasquatch - one of our main aims was to make the bike look a bit funky / trials-bike-y. There are a few hideous "special needs" bikes out there.
The removing pedals thing works fine for learning to ride, especially once the kid is old enough / tall enough.
My short legged youngster started on balance bike as a mode of transport before the age of 2 (using it for big bro's 4 x 10 mins walk to school every day). We got a good +18 months use out of the balance bike before he was tall and strong enough for pedals.
We did consider making an electric "plip" keyfob activated brake but never got round to it I think someone is actually now marketing something like that in UK (was being pitched on Dragon's Den TV prog).
I've got some of that 2" tube left - there is already a cunning plan for a quick and dirty rat bike build........
And no scooter could ever beat this guy's work:-
www.ollierkkila.com (I can't link to the exact one - look under bicycles, solex sidewalk surfer)
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