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Giant Bikes, Race Face and partners build the sweetest kid’s bike ever.
by brule
Posted: Nov 21, 2008
Source: Race Face
Most 5 year old kids dream of riding a bike – it’s the first real taste of freedom. Typically the bike doesn’t matter, as long as it has two wheels and can handle dropping a curb or two. But Riley is no regular 5 year old. This kid dreamed big - and sometimes when you go big, it really pays off.
Most 5 year old kids dream of riding a bike – it’s the first real taste of freedom. Typically the bike doesn’t matter, as long as it has two wheels and can handle dropping a curb or two. But Riley is no regular 5 year old. This kid dreamed big - and sometimes when you go big, it really pays off.
Riley got on the horn and made a few calls to some bike industry guys he knew. A few months later – voila! Riley had a full on custom dream machine with a roster of one-off parts that aren’t even available to fully sponsored riders, never mind a 5 year old ripper from California!
The whole project was almost two years in the making but the bulk of the work was done in about three months. The bike started with a stock Giant 20 inch MTX frame – a tight little ride but no disc tabs. This meant drilling and tapping the MTX to accept custom machined disc tabs.
The biggest challenge was finding a fork that could be set up for 20 inch wheels, getting the axle to crown height right but still be super plush. The guys at Marzocchi stepped up and created a one of a kind, custom Shiver. Everything about this Shiver had been re-worked, cut and machined to fit the bill. They had to get the ride height correct, as well as set it up for Riley, a 40lb rider at best. These guys thought of everything, from the custom decals to the exclusive titanium hardware. Did we mention the word custom yet?
From there this kid’s 2 wheeled Caddy picked up some serious momentum. Hayes produced a killer set of Stroker Grams complete with composite levers and Ti parts – 160mm rotor on the front and 140mm on the back. MRP donated a composite Chainguide and Crank Brothers provided a headset. Kenda threw down a set of 20 inch Small Block 8’s and shifting duties are handled courtesy of an XTR light action trigger and an XT long cage rear derailleur (which has since been swapped out for a short cage version). A Dura-Ace road cassette gives Riley a nice 9 speed spread mated to a DT 340 rear hub. DT Swiss also provided a DT 440 front hub, all laced up to disc specific Alienation BMX rims.
Not to be outdone, Race Face rounded things out with a RIDE O degree offset seat post chopped to a svelte 3 inches, a D2 35mm 0 degree rise stem and of course, the piece du résistance, a completely re-engineered set of Atlas FR cranks. These cranks had to undergo a full on modification. They were carefully scaled down to retain the signature sweeps and machine cuts of the full size versions, yet still had to maintain all load bearing qualities in structural areas. Gently tapering the crank to its final 140mm length was a feat of engineering prowess, Race Face staffers’ spare time, and possibly a six pack thrown in for good measure.
The end result? Let’s just say this may be the most dialed grom's bike ever made. So if you’re in California and you see a 5 year old pulling a moto whip on a sweet Giant ride, it’s a good bet it's Riley. He’ll be the kid with the bike all his bros (and bros parents) are drooling over.
About Race Face Performance Products:
Based in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, Race Face Performance Products designs and manufactures leading-edge performance cycling components, clothing, and protection. RaceFace products are distributed in more than 40 countries globally. The company sponsors a number professional teams and riders. For more information, visit www.raceface.com.
The whole project was almost two years in the making but the bulk of the work was done in about three months. The bike started with a stock Giant 20 inch MTX frame – a tight little ride but no disc tabs. This meant drilling and tapping the MTX to accept custom machined disc tabs.
The biggest challenge was finding a fork that could be set up for 20 inch wheels, getting the axle to crown height right but still be super plush. The guys at Marzocchi stepped up and created a one of a kind, custom Shiver. Everything about this Shiver had been re-worked, cut and machined to fit the bill. They had to get the ride height correct, as well as set it up for Riley, a 40lb rider at best. These guys thought of everything, from the custom decals to the exclusive titanium hardware. Did we mention the word custom yet?
From there this kid’s 2 wheeled Caddy picked up some serious momentum. Hayes produced a killer set of Stroker Grams complete with composite levers and Ti parts – 160mm rotor on the front and 140mm on the back. MRP donated a composite Chainguide and Crank Brothers provided a headset. Kenda threw down a set of 20 inch Small Block 8’s and shifting duties are handled courtesy of an XTR light action trigger and an XT long cage rear derailleur (which has since been swapped out for a short cage version). A Dura-Ace road cassette gives Riley a nice 9 speed spread mated to a DT 340 rear hub. DT Swiss also provided a DT 440 front hub, all laced up to disc specific Alienation BMX rims.
Not to be outdone, Race Face rounded things out with a RIDE O degree offset seat post chopped to a svelte 3 inches, a D2 35mm 0 degree rise stem and of course, the piece du résistance, a completely re-engineered set of Atlas FR cranks. These cranks had to undergo a full on modification. They were carefully scaled down to retain the signature sweeps and machine cuts of the full size versions, yet still had to maintain all load bearing qualities in structural areas. Gently tapering the crank to its final 140mm length was a feat of engineering prowess, Race Face staffers’ spare time, and possibly a six pack thrown in for good measure.
The end result? Let’s just say this may be the most dialed grom's bike ever made. So if you’re in California and you see a 5 year old pulling a moto whip on a sweet Giant ride, it’s a good bet it's Riley. He’ll be the kid with the bike all his bros (and bros parents) are drooling over.
About Race Face Performance Products:
Based in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, Race Face Performance Products designs and manufactures leading-edge performance cycling components, clothing, and protection. RaceFace products are distributed in more than 40 countries globally. The company sponsors a number professional teams and riders. For more information, visit www.raceface.com.
238 Comments
- + 87
leavenamehere
(Nov 21, 2008 at 19:41)
wish when i was 5 i could have that 
Brooklyn already made a full suspension 20inch kids model a while ago...
Here is the link:
http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/2042310/
Here is the link:
http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/2042310/
i will prolly get net propped but whatever. i don't get it. shivers on a hardtail for a kid. custom, reinvented, ok, i noticed. but wouldn't be custom z1 enough, for example?
to Proxx: Maybe because it has too high A/C and lowering it to required height would be like 0mm suspension... And isn't that a Shiver SC with just upper clamps (and less travel in front), or is it totally custom?
wtf man :S i would never give something like that to my kids. a kid should ride on a bmx or something, where do you dream of when you ride a bike like this when youre like 5 of 6 years old..
nah man kids abuse shit like that, and dont tell me you didn't cuz you likely did and they leave shit outside and it gets crashd and yea it would be a waste of monery , yes its a sic bike but not for a 5 year old
do you think the parents of a 5 year old kid would spend that much on a bike when the only thing he does is do drops off curbs and ride down the road and back?
no i dont........................... i dont even have that and i am 15 i still am riding a stocked out bike lol and hes five and his ride is more tricked than mine (somethings wrong)but hey whatevr it dont matter to me its a sick set up and i hope he likes riding (i also hope that it dont get jacked)
(by the time this article published riley had outgrown the bike entirely -ed)
Stick him on an 18" BMX like any other 5 year old, massive waste of time and money if you ask me. Not to mention it's competing with the PHD for ugliest bike.
Stick him on an 18" BMX like any other 5 year old, massive waste of time and money if you ask me. Not to mention it's competing with the PHD for ugliest bike.
this is way too much bike for a kid 5yrs old, have you ever seen a 5yr old need any of these parts on a bike?
this bike isnt as nice as mine and second of all i said that because i got some good freinds who are midgets like physicly and they get shit everyday
i dont see why he's a dick there f*cking midget they ride midget bikes and this bike is basicallt a midget bike so let the midgets know jezz
just ecause they dont like being what they are
f*ckin moany bastards
just ecause they dont like being what they are
f*ckin moany bastards
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hes gonna pick-up a whole bunch of girlfriends with that ride. too bad he'll grow out of it by the time he realizes what kinda stuff he was riding
if they wanted to run a long cage, they should have put one of the new Saints on it. they would have more clearance. looks a bit front heavy and overkill for a young kid. at first i thought it was just like one of those crappy super cycle frames that someone threw there high end parts on.
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damn they should make shivers like that. or better. because he can't do barspins... nice hardtail Bmx though.
Let's see him rippin up the trail now! Sickest kid's mtb I've ever seen! When's Marz going to get us a Shiver for the big kids again?
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id get that for my daughter, makes me think what is out there for me to spec her out a lil ripper too. A price...no price high enuf to satisfy your kids...awesome build, props!!!
i have a feeling that he doesnt need dual crowns.
it would save alot of weight to just have marzocchi make them single crowns.
sick bike though
it would save alot of weight to just have marzocchi make them single crowns.
sick bike though
Well superstar, I don't think Marzocchi had the time or money to make a COMPLETELY custom set of forks. So I'm guessing they're dual crowns because they took a set of stock Shiver SC's off the shelf and limited the travel for the little fella. You might notice there's about 3" between the tire and the lower crown. Meaning they took a set of "SINGLE" crown Shiver SC's and made an upper crown, and just locked out the travel at about 3".
You know, it just hurts me to know you're this retarded. It just plain hurts...
You know, it just hurts me to know you're this retarded. It just plain hurts...
!!!!!
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That is Sick! I reckon its good that it has shivers on it because it will make it more stable and stop him turning too much and going over the bars. Shred hard little buddie =)
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dude My sister has that MTX 125 bike... and I never ever thought that that frame could turn out that sick!!!
Props to everyone that made it happen
Props to everyone that made it happen
all we had to ride when i was young was my younger sisters mates , wish these bikes were out ... different kind of mispent youth maybe ..haha
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them forks are shiver and i think there locked on so there proper down? but if u switch em off lock on then they will expand i think? so the bike wont be tht small :/ i duno
http://mos.bikeradar.com/images/news/2007/London%20CycleShow/Hope/Bike01-480-70.jpg
Think this custom kids bike wins hands down - A Hope (not Giant)Glory 24".....
Think this custom kids bike wins hands down - A Hope (not Giant)Glory 24".....
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to be honest this is one spoilt kid to get this, at that age settle for a cheapish bike,cos no matter what this kid rides he's never gonna do anything to warrant such a big bike..............i sound like a sour old guy, and don't blame this on me being jealous cos i've got a better ride.
Dude, at least learn how to use correct grammer. I bet that 5 year old could spell better than you.
And it's funny you say you have a better ride... your not 5 years old so you should be able to have one. Not that hard to work and save money. Or get credit and buy one up front.
BTW if you noticed... a lot of stuff on the bike was done with free time... not huge prices. More of a donation of time by these industry leaders. THAT was the point in this bike... not it costing a zillion dollars. But maybe actually reading the whole article would have answered that numerous times.
And it's funny you say you have a better ride... your not 5 years old so you should be able to have one. Not that hard to work and save money. Or get credit and buy one up front.
BTW if you noticed... a lot of stuff on the bike was done with free time... not huge prices. More of a donation of time by these industry leaders. THAT was the point in this bike... not it costing a zillion dollars. But maybe actually reading the whole article would have answered that numerous times.
It's funny that you scold alexthealmighty for not using correct grammar, then you proceed to reply with equally - if not more - horrible grammar (and also spelling) yourself. If you want to prove a point, at least be able to lead by example.
The funny thing... I just finished a 6 pack of brews after work... so of course it wasn't perfect. It's also funny how someone not even close to related to the comment feels they need to defend someone they do not know in any which way shape or form.
i'm not sure if -dashed lines- are a correct way of punctuating your statement, serapthpbpbthpttt.
go back to elementary school nerdlinger
go back to elementary school nerdlinger
I think it was less of Insulting me and more of you coming across with more pointless stuff. It was one thing for me to put a pointless post... but to be followed by multiple ones.... you guys are funny. Stop arguing and ride your bike... not that hard. You should spend less money on your bikes and fix your truck up!
I can ride my bike during the day and argue at night. It's the best of both worlds. My truck works fine, and will continue to work fine for tens of thousands of miles after yours is a smoking heap of fail.
i've been visiting mill valley lately. what a shithole. i pissed all over the door handles to your truck
sweet componenets dunno if i like the look of the frame personnely though. none the less i bet a five year old would kill for it
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you guys should put a 28 chainring and an E-13 taco chain guide instead of that big one, rear shock and 2.1x20" tires, that will be a sweater bike for that kid,
aight, do it!
aight, do it!
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Ugh, get the kid a GromHit like every other kid out there. There is no reason why he needs this, even if he is the best 5 year old rider out there. Kids grow so fast that he'll be too tall for this bike in a few years, and then you will have wasted tons and tons of labor on a huge project for nothing!
It was about companies coming together to make something nice for a kid. You completely missed the point to this bike. You sound bitter for no reason. Just say cool bike and be done with it.
If I said "cool bike," I'd be lying. This bike, albeit interesting, is a waste of good labor. That's all I'm concerned about. Kids grow really fast.
considering all interest and talk this bike is creating, i would say it hardly a waste labor. this kind of thing makes people look at the companies and that is $$$ for all that contributed.
No, it is a waste of labor because the kid will grow out of it very quickly. His parents won't be able to sell it because it's worth so much labor that no one will be able to afford it. You have to understand that time = money in the bike industry.
your looking at all the wrong things seraph that's why. Like what was said... this bike was created by donated time and money. It's nothing about how much it costs etc. And who says they parent's are thinking about selling it when they just got it? These are not cars seraph so most of us don't go into something looking at it like "well will I be able to sell this later". Instead we go into it thinking... man this will be a lot of fun.
You are missing the entire point to riding. These aren't cars and homes... bikes don't carry much re sale vale. If the parents wanted to worry about selling stuff in the future they would have done it with their home... or cars... not their kids bikes.
Time=money in all things... not just the bike world. There is also more to this world than how much stuff sells for or is worth.
You are missing the entire point to riding. These aren't cars and homes... bikes don't carry much re sale vale. If the parents wanted to worry about selling stuff in the future they would have done it with their home... or cars... not their kids bikes.
Time=money in all things... not just the bike world. There is also more to this world than how much stuff sells for or is worth.
And so what if the kid grows out of it... have you ever thought they might have another younger kid? Or maybe thinking about having something special for their kids to give to their kids one day. I still have the bike my dad learned on. The same one I learned on. And the same one my kid will some day learn on.
and for a third comment on it being a waste of money... so is the other 99% of stuff you will give a kid. Think about it... everything from clothes, to toys will be replaced as they get older. Just like any thing else.
Being your comments I'm guessing your either a younger kid... or just someone not even close to having a kid. If you actually looked at it from a parental standpoint (Assuming they have decent money to spend and are not poor) it's a great Idea. Heck If I have the money when I have a kid I'd be more than down to shell the cash out. After all from a parent's point of view... everything comes 2nd after their kids. Kids are always first... so if a parent thinks they are doing good by getting a multi-thousand dollar bike built then so be it.
Being your comments I'm guessing your either a younger kid... or just someone not even close to having a kid. If you actually looked at it from a parental standpoint (Assuming they have decent money to spend and are not poor) it's a great Idea. Heck If I have the money when I have a kid I'd be more than down to shell the cash out. After all from a parent's point of view... everything comes 2nd after their kids. Kids are always first... so if a parent thinks they are doing good by getting a multi-thousand dollar bike built then so be it.
First of all, I'm not a kid, nor do I have kids. Second of all, I've been in the bike industry for a long time, and I know how people treat bikes. Thirdly, I've had over 30 bikes of my own, and when you're done with a bike, you sell it; that's just how it works.
I'm not looking at all the wrong things, I'm looking at what matters. From the viewpoint of a bike mechanic, this bike is a horrible waste of time. I feel very bad for my fellow mechanics who built it, because soon enough their baby that they spent countless hours building will be scrapped because the kid grew a few inches.
I gotta comment on this, though: "There is also more to this world than how much stuff sells for or is worth." Perhaps there is, but this is a biking website, and I am in the bike industry, so that's why I'm sticking to the facts that pertain directly to biking.
I'm not looking at all the wrong things, I'm looking at what matters. From the viewpoint of a bike mechanic, this bike is a horrible waste of time. I feel very bad for my fellow mechanics who built it, because soon enough their baby that they spent countless hours building will be scrapped because the kid grew a few inches.
I gotta comment on this, though: "There is also more to this world than how much stuff sells for or is worth." Perhaps there is, but this is a biking website, and I am in the bike industry, so that's why I'm sticking to the facts that pertain directly to biking.
omg lol its so dialed!! wot u recon the retal price of the full bike would be if it wa actualy available?
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soooooo, have we all forgotten about John Tomac and Doug Bradbury, what about the guys at Yeti Cycles....many years ago, they were all in on building mini bikes for there kids. dont get me wrong this is pretty cool, but old hat. besides the Yeti 20 incher was a fully, how pimp was that?
yeti makes awsome bike and i don't no much about john tomac but i no his soon eli as i race and hes fast as hell on a dirt bike.
That frame looks so cheesy, like a Huffy bike.
Basically, the biggest waste of nice parts I've seen in a while.
Basically, the biggest waste of nice parts I've seen in a while.
And yes, I am going to get negative propped by all the people who think this bike is "gnar" and "wicked".
I totally agree. He's freakin 5 years old. It's going to be heavy as hell, and by the time he learns how to ride well enough to "rip" with it it'll be way too small. If these people have so much time on their hands as to build this, why not build some bikes for kids who deserve them? How about some kids with physical disabilities, or some terminal kids?
It's a sick bike and it would be awsome to have a bike like that, nevermind if you were five! That being said, I do think it's a bit overkill. Now I've never seen this kid ride, so I don't know how good he is or how hard he shreds, but I think that all the time and work put into this ONE bike could do much more. Why not just buy this kid a regular grom hit bike and use all the time an resources spent on this bike towards kids who don't have a bike or can't afford one. It's a unique bike and all, but share the ride.
That does look like a fun ride..
Has anyone ever noticed Andrew Shandro's kids bike in "SEASONS" ?? That looks like a sweet little ripping machine.. and it looks like it has little disk brakes on it too. Love to see that bike up close.
Has anyone ever noticed Andrew Shandro's kids bike in "SEASONS" ?? That looks like a sweet little ripping machine.. and it looks like it has little disk brakes on it too. Love to see that bike up close.
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Wish my parents were that loaded when i was 5. when i was 5 i had a little giant fully rigid bike...
I totally agre spiritofthewolf, pretty sick kids bike! I remember growing up, my friend and I were always building some half-ass bike with parts we got from the dump or from a neighbors yard, lol! Those were the days, lol!
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okay, so if the kids good, spend a bit of money on him, hes earned it
but titanium?? srsly??? i dont even have titanium!! that crossed the bordeder into spoiled
but titanium?? srsly??? i dont even have titanium!! that crossed the bordeder into spoiled
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hey that bike 40 pounds hartail. the specialized gromhit 34 pounds, 5 travel ,with marzochi z1 light and fuxion air shox and 24. thats a good bike not this
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anyone know riley's last name? i remember watching a video or two of this kid but i dont remember his last name to look more up...
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a complete waste of time and money if its not getting used to its potential!
but yes, sweeeeeettt ride!
but yes, sweeeeeettt ride!
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It's not rigid, it's a Shiver SC made into a smaller version of the original Shiver DC. Also, the roller on the top is useful if you're bouncing around a lot so that the chain doesn't fall off of the top of the chainring.
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