This thing is going to be white, and I mean WHITE!!

He gave me two options - White w/ green (which would drive the SID fork), and white w/ red (Reba).

Pulled the trigger today on the frame, a very slightly used Reba for $175, wheelset (WTB Frequency I19 rims, SRAM X9 hubs - claimed 1785g for the pair), and the drivetrain.

For those interested, I was able to find two 26er frames in XS on eBay.  The one I purchased is branded a FASTEAM but has no logos.  Sold by dashinebike1.  There was another that popped up today, FR-902 sold by cfbstore.  The geometry looks very similar, but the FR-902 has two things going for it - internal routing and BSA bottom bracket.

I did ask the frame supplier, though, if they included headset & BB - unclear because two different areas of the listing told me two different things.  If they don't supply those items, I will cancel and go with the FR902.

Nick, I too looked at the CS-016 as Peter has been great to work with, but check on the reach.  It's long.  Longer than my son's current 24" wheel bike.

My input -

Stick with the 27.5".  My experience was coming from an old 26" bike that I bought off Craigslist for $300.  I also had a few rides on a borrowed SS 29er.  I built up my 29" bike last year and now have a full spring/summer/early fall on it, and to be honest, I wish I would have gone 27.5".  I'm a complete novice, and I think the tradeoff for more "roll-ability" (29er) vs. maneuverability (27.5) was a lot more apparent.

That said, I love my 29er, and getting my skills up is just part of the game.

Nothing better than sharing the same passion with your kids. So much fun, so much joy. And your wife ? Doesn't she ride mountain bike ?

Absolutely - it's hard because we don't get the same amount of mileage in, and his 24" 13.5" wheel bike weighs 5lbs more than mine, so he gets frustrated on the hills.  That will be remedied when I build him is bike this winter.

As for the wife thing - tried it out, found it wasn't for me (divorced 5 years now )

Okay, I know I've posted about building a bike for my son, but I'm getting more serious now and could use the collective help of you guys here.

I'm having difficulty finding a frame.  Peter sent me the geometry of the CS-016 in 14.5" and I wasn't enthused with the long reach (560mm ETT).  I found the following frame - http://www.ebay.com/itm/261539901827?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT - and the geometry looks a million times better, but only comes with a BB92 (press-fit).

For simplicity's sake, I was going to go with a 1x setup and mechanical disc brakes.  His current 24" wheel bike has 150mm cranks, and I expect him to grow another couple of inches between now and the start of next season, so I was going to go ahead and make the leap to 170mm cranks.

I fully realize the frame, fork, and wheels are likely sunk costs as he'll outgrow most of them in a few years, but I'm willing to eat that.  What I need help on is frame options - do you guys know of any other small/xsmall (14-16" frames) in 26er?

Anybody hear anything or have experience with "Fasteam" or "Dashine Bikes" on eBay?  I'm looking into the below frame for my son -

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ONLY-USD358-set-Bottom-bracket-and-Headset-carbon-fiber-mountain-bike-frame-/261735380130?tfrom=261529535228&tpos=top&ttype=price&talgo=undefined

Wow, bump of a really old topic - haven't been able to access from work for a while (some IT-type stuff about "Categorization")...

After what amounts to almost a full season on my 057, I have to say I am very pleased with the bike.  I've fallen considerably, with a few of them being "bike flying in the air" crashes, and it's handled everything very well. Things I would have done different:

1) Gone with a 1x setup.  I've been doing a lot of research on next spring's project (read further below), and it is now definitely within my level of comprehension.  Remember, I had never so much as adjusted a derailleur or brakes before this build, so I was a little apprehensive when it came to sourcing parts.  Going with a full drivetrain/brakes groupset from Ribble was the easiest way for me to ensure I got everything I needed and that it all worked together.

2) Gone 27.5".  I'm a rank novice when it comes to the trails, and our trails around here make up for their lack of elevation change with tight turns and some technical stuff.  Coming from a 26er, the jump to a 29er (at least for me) was drastic in terms of bike handling in the twisties.

So.  What's next?

My son (age 11) and I have a long weekend trip to Brown County next weekend.  I just finished tuning up his bike (Trek MT220) for the trip, and I have some tires to throw on mine (Rons/Ralphs) and do a last-minute tune-up/shake-down ride.  We did the same trip last year, and he wants to start tackling some of the more difficult stuff while there.

Also, I'm finalizing plans to put together a bike for him in the late-winter/early-spring.  Peter sent me the geometry of his 14.5" frame, and the reach is remarkably long (560mm ETT), so I'm looking into eBay frames.  His current bike has a 21" ETT, so I don't want to go much bigger than that.  His bike will also probably have a better drivetrain than mine, as I spec'd out a RaceFace Cinch 1x crank with the XT 11-speed rear (11-42).  Also, I'm planning on going BB7 for his bike. 

I realize it's a ton of money to spend on a bike that he'll only be in for a few years, but without going into details, he's had a rough year or two and he's an amazing kid.  Biking is our chance to bond, and I'm going to have him do most of the build on the bike so he can put in some sweat equity.

Pics from Brown County to follow...

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