Kids Carrera Blast 16 refurb/rebuild/upgrade
bambam363
Posts: 11
Just thought i would share, in case anyone else thinks about it and is unsure what is possible, I finally finished a little project for my son,
now im sure we would all love to buy the mondraker leader 16, if money was no option, and yes im sure it would be worth it at the pricetag, unsure how well it would hold its value though on resale, probably well for those who know about it.
I decided as my boy is now 4 and has been cycling independantly for close to 2 years, thanks to a balance bike, and wanting to be like his 2 older brothers, i would see if i could cobble something up, for a fraction of the cost, with the aim of having the same functionality of the leader 16.
ebay, ebay, ebay
it wasn't to hard or expensive if you take your time and know what you need, oh and the help of a few parts boxes, a collection from over the last 20 odd years.
i found a battered carrera blast 16 local for 20, ideal for frame and forks, this was stripped and painted to my boys fav colour orange, and then the spare parts and ebay came into their own.
it is now a 5 speed twist shift, front sus little orange beast and more than happy with the result
no disc brakes, i believe this would be a little overkill, and blow the budget especially as the frame/forks didnt support them.
total cost came in at 125 ish
frame 20.00
new chain 5.00 generic single speed 1/2 x 1/8
5 speed freewheel 8.99 sunrace
brakes 14.99 tektro
bars 4.99 (alloy white)
grips 4.99
pedals 4.99
cables 4.00
paint free from my random leftovers
stickers 5.00 (carrerra and rockshox)
wheels 30
tyres 14
inner tubes from original purchase
rear derailer 7.99
5 speed twist shift(might replace with a trigger) lying around
luckily the frame gap at the back was 121mm so the new freewheel fitted, just, and the only bit that was iffy was dishing the rear wheel 5mm to one side.
It may not be the same factory quality as the mondraker, but i love it and so does the boy, he managed 10+ miles in the Forest of Dean last week no problems, his only downfall is remembering to use the breaks not his feet, but hes 80% there with that, oh and it has suspension, which is well not good, but with a regreasing, does work. I just added team sid stickers for a laugh..
enjoy
now im sure we would all love to buy the mondraker leader 16, if money was no option, and yes im sure it would be worth it at the pricetag, unsure how well it would hold its value though on resale, probably well for those who know about it.
I decided as my boy is now 4 and has been cycling independantly for close to 2 years, thanks to a balance bike, and wanting to be like his 2 older brothers, i would see if i could cobble something up, for a fraction of the cost, with the aim of having the same functionality of the leader 16.
ebay, ebay, ebay
it wasn't to hard or expensive if you take your time and know what you need, oh and the help of a few parts boxes, a collection from over the last 20 odd years.
i found a battered carrera blast 16 local for 20, ideal for frame and forks, this was stripped and painted to my boys fav colour orange, and then the spare parts and ebay came into their own.
it is now a 5 speed twist shift, front sus little orange beast and more than happy with the result
no disc brakes, i believe this would be a little overkill, and blow the budget especially as the frame/forks didnt support them.
total cost came in at 125 ish
frame 20.00
new chain 5.00 generic single speed 1/2 x 1/8
5 speed freewheel 8.99 sunrace
brakes 14.99 tektro
bars 4.99 (alloy white)
grips 4.99
pedals 4.99
cables 4.00
paint free from my random leftovers
stickers 5.00 (carrerra and rockshox)
wheels 30
tyres 14
inner tubes from original purchase
rear derailer 7.99
5 speed twist shift(might replace with a trigger) lying around
luckily the frame gap at the back was 121mm so the new freewheel fitted, just, and the only bit that was iffy was dishing the rear wheel 5mm to one side.
It may not be the same factory quality as the mondraker, but i love it and so does the boy, he managed 10+ miles in the Forest of Dean last week no problems, his only downfall is remembering to use the breaks not his feet, but hes 80% there with that, oh and it has suspension, which is well not good, but with a regreasing, does work. I just added team sid stickers for a laugh..
enjoy
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Comments
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from this
not a bad frame as alloy and quite light0
