This is what I'm thinking. I find I’m so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. Price so good, seems like a scam, but no money down, I meet tomorrow and give it a look over.

If it checks out, a shorter stem, seatpost, narrower bars, and my daughter should fit. All stuff I probably have in my secret mtb cave.
I will insist she help on installing the new setup parts to get her on her way to bike geekdom. My wife don't give a $% about park tools. Perhaps my daughter will. :)

That seat 'almost' looks lke a 1987 sella italia knockoff.

Sweat equity!

How old is she? Good on the both of ya for getting out doing what dad wants to do:). Its all about you after all.

Here's my story. My younger son, 13, is depressed from having no friends from a brand new school and he's curled up like a little ball on his seat attending class all daylong. His class are 1:45 long with dreadful monotone teachers. No one talks. I sat in for 10 min and I had to getup and leave. Anyway, I started to get him out a few times a week to ride around our canyons. He took to riding pretty well. After two weeks, we were ready for the big boy ride, so we rode for 10 miles to have lunch and rode back home including climbing the 1 mile hill to the house. I have not been riding all year, out of shape and got Covid 19 lbs instead. He likes hills, at 5'7", 115lbs, who doesn't? On my way home, he hears heavy breathing coming from me gasping for air and he turns on the gas leaving me to fend for myself beating me to the house. I got him on my Ridley with regular pedals and he loves it. He can finish a 30 miles, relatively flat ride at a moderate pace of about 13-14 mph (with time to eat lunch) without much fuss and no riding during the week sometimes. I took him on my regular route that has a two mile climb and he suffered due to the length but hung with me grinding slowly up it. I wish he gets into it and learn to be a better rider. My dream is for him to start racing. if so, I am all in 1000%. I hope to live my racing through him someday. I didn't start racing until I was 17 but had been riding pretty seriously since about 16. I am already thing about buying a new bike for him, but must refrain myself for now. The Ridley and some of my other bikes fit him just fine. He will out grow it in a couple years.

^She's a big 9, so this is on the large side for her. Now that the weather has improved, we've gone on some longer rides- several miles long, but not quite where your son is, and she seems to want to do more. Already, the other neighborhood kids stand in amazement with how far she travels "Your riding where? wow" type stuff. I will shorten the stem, bars, seat, and put on some 170 cranks single ring in the front (down from what I assume are currently 175's). All spare stuff I have laying around.

In fact, her current bike had some 155mm cranks(which she had outgrown the length and the 34t front gearing), which I replaced with 170's and a 39t, ( I really wanted 165's, but dont have any) and she has a good pedal stroke with the 170's, except that the bb height is too low for a 170, so she is occasionally catching her feet on the ground when hammering. No bueno.

She too, has had a rough time in school a bit, and when she gets home, I can already see her going on long strange trips on her 20 inch bike to blow off steam. She is quickly outgrowing the 20. She really needs a 24, but give her ten minutes, she'll grow into this in no time.

They grow so big so fast. Enjoy the time with her. Now that we can eat outside again but I found the best was times we spend eating sitting on the curb hanging out with them. My other kid, 15 will come along too but he's not as strong on the bike as the little one. Maybe he's doesn't try. Its just time for her to go 10 then 20 miles in no time. I use to get on and hammer only to get a work out. Now I rediscover the joy of just pedaling and hanging out.

A swing- AND A HIT!!!!!

Bought the bike today. Zokes in A+++ shape. XT/XTR build. Hydraulic rear disc brake. Cable disc front (perfect for a kid not to have too much "power" in the front). This was pretty much a top of the line circa 2004 mtb race bike with some urban upgrades.

Got it home, cut a spare seatpost down to sit flush, dropped a low profile seat on it, changed stem from 130mm to 90mm (it still needs to be shorter), pulled the controls/brakes/grips inboard to her previous bar width. I didn't even GET a chance to switch out the 175mm cranks to 170mm.

She hopped on, rode off and won't come home. Kid won't stop grinning. Neither can I. She dubbed thee "Big Wheels"

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1615933607.JPG
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1615933607.JPG
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1615933607.JPG

Best post on this blog in ages.

Nice work, LS! Thanks for sharin'

Trim those bars and plug those bar ends! Do it now!

Good catch. :) I wanted her to see if the width was right (they pretty much were), and I'll cut the bars tonight and plug em' up to get em' safe.

I swear I've got a shorter stem around here. Funny thing is, aside from the long stem and the long cranks, she rides it like an adult riding a 29'er. It doesn't look ridiculous at all.

Okay- got em' cut. Also cut the fork length/steerer tube down, and will cut it even shorter as we hone in on the final fit.

Things to do-

1.Buy deore 170mm crankset (keep 175 for myself :) ) - edit- done
2.Try to get a 60mm 'ish' stem of some sort. -also done

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1615936986.JPG
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1615936986.JPG
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1615936986.JPG
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1615936986.JPG

Looks like she's already ready for more seat height once the stem length is dialed in!

Looks like a new bike, too which is never a bad thing in a kids eyes.

Yeah- This thing is in pretty darn good shape. Once I get the shorter cranks on it/stem, I'm going to dial in the seat. I kept it low today to see if she could even stand over it. I agree- she could use some seat height. By the time the parts get here, she should have grown enough to clear the frame while standing easy. Thanks again!

That isn't an old Mtb, (actually, most mountain bikes are outdated after 3 months)
I still have my 1st one :Dhttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1615938203.jpg
My 2nd oldest (along with my FS), but I don't feel the same way about spring forks..

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1615938203.jpg
My only Trek:D, any one of my favorites, and no, it didn't come on a Jetta.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1615938525.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1615938525.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1615938525.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1615938525.jpg

Speaking of which, are those porsche forks air or spring? Those look pretty stout.
I also bought my x-wife a unified rear triangle gary fisher, but lusted after the trek-y frames. Interesting bikes.

Her position looks pretty good in both pics, like a real road rider should look. Muhahahaha. I would get her the even shorter stem like they have on the modern mtbs. My kid started riding his mtb immediately, I bought him a short stem and his ride was so much ore enjoyable. Its not so much the fit, but when they get tired that when the longish stem become a *****, dragging on the way home.

You'll be lifting that seat soon. They grow fast at that age. If she can't fully straighten her leg on the downstroke...you know what to do.

Spring with heavier spring upgrade.

So true. I was adjusting seat post at the beginning of every spring a few years back. Sometime, I have to pull it up more then an inch.

I have to ask, how do you manage all those bikes and remember what's in them? How many do you think you have all together? I have 9 excluding my kid's, but you must have more then 90:eek:

Lol, I will never admit how many I have, some are more special than others and as you know, I'm multi dimensional on my bikes:D. Bicycles and Hot Wheels were my 1st love.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1615948128.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1615948128.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1615948128.jpg
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http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1615948128.jpg

Bull siht Bryon. :) I think you actual lost count

I can absolutely see some are more special then others. I am sure those are ones you won races or championships with.