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This article presents the results of numerous hours of forum and internet search to design an asymptotically perfect kids mountain bike (MTB). It summarises the design concept, decision making, and some building peculiarities. It addresses parents and experts that would like to get familiar with the unique requirements kids bikes have, such as weight and ergonomics aspects. The result is a 14" frame, 26" wheel-size, 8543g, 100mm suspension fork, ultralight custom kids MTB at a material cost of approximately $1800.
There is a growing market for kids mountain bikes (MTB) that can compete with their parents’ high-end bikes. Good examples are from https://www.vpace.de or https://www.federleicht-bike.com. Companies like these are supplying kid-friendly geometries combined with light-weight designs. Nevertheless, I chose to build up a custom bike just because my son and myself decided to build one ourselves to understand the design and learn how light proper kids MTB could become.
