Hi all, My names stuart, i have joined here for some advice and help for my 13year old son triston. Triston has now been riding road bikes for 12 months and has really taken to it in a big way, he started out at the start of last year wanting to ride the 12 kms each way to school each day on his bmx, with a interest in motorbikes an dirt track bike riding we had already started paying for a second hand norco vps 2 down hill mountain bike for his birthday which was still 4 months away when we spotted a old guy leech 18 speed bike at a slavos store for $60 an thought this would be a good bike for him to use for school. Not even sure if hed like it or want to use it we grabbed it anyway an bought it home for him, he was on it before we could blink. After a few hrs triston came home telling us how great the guy leech was, thinking it would only be a fad we didnt spend a cent on it an just left it how it was. After 4 months of riding the guy leech he got his downhill bike for his b/day, thinking that would be that for the old guy leech we started doing what we could to get the norco perfect for him but that wasnt to be, the guy leech was never left aside long, not 1 day went by for the next couple of months that the guy leech wasnt ridden an it seemed not a day went past that he wasnt talking about the road bike or what could be done to make it lighter and faster, by christmas 2013 he had managed to add some carbon parts an clock up well over 4000kms. The down side to the guy leech was it is a 13kg bike with a very slow gear ratio ( 44 front sprocket an a 32-14 cassette) he had joined a local cycling club during the year an found he was constantly spinning flatt out trying to keep up and wasnt where he expected he was in the stamina side of things, so the full on training begun, he had also joined the school energy breakthrough team an in the year got to the stage of being 1 of the fastest riders in the trike for his age group. Now 12 months after the guy leech had came into his life he is training every day an committing most of his spare time on the bike or working out. Being the dad i am im always trying my best to support my 4 kids an there dreams, so for triss im always on the lookout for something lighter an faster. In early october 2013 he had found a pair of unused second hand carbon forks with a carbon head stem online an we managed to win them for $50, unfortunately the forks were tapered an wouldnt fit the guy leech frame so in the cupboard they went with the hope of using them 1 day ( i had no idea there was a difference in forks i naively just assumed they would fit) . By chance, just a couple of weeks ago, i found a 2006 Vellum edge frame online from a local seller, so i decided to go look at it an during the process of buying it also managed to pick up a carbon Mavic CXP30 back wheel the pair set me back $110 so i think i got a good deal. We had taken the frame to a bike shop on the way home along with the carbon forks we already had an were given a bearing from a headset that wasnt used in the job they had done that fitted the lower section of the carbon forks an bought a headset that had the upper bearing an everything else we needed to fit the forks to the vellum frame. We also got onto a cheap Shimano cassette (32/11) which should hopefully pick his gear ratio up a bit. The vellum frame had a lot of clear peel so we have sanded it back and are 1 coat of clear away from finished with it, by tomorow night it will be done ready to start assembly. There is still obviously a list to make this bike complete, i have parts from old bikes but they really wont compliment this bike at all. If anyone reads this post that can help me get this right for triston please call or inbox me, i dont have much i can spend on it but will buy anything i can afford to get this right and finished for him. Me i have spinal injury 5 bulging discs from a job on my own car an now run a small hobby business by myself from home wrecking vn to vs series commodores but most of the time i really dont turn too much profit its mainly a hobby i can do in my own time when my back allows, i have been struggling to do this project for triss so any help here would be appreciated more than i can say. What im needing to finish this for triston is Brake / gear levers (i cant get the old type levers to fit over the headset) Brakes Cranks & sprocket Handle bars 1 1/4" diameter seat pole Seat Carbon front wheel & derailers When this bike is finished im going to pay up tristons racing registration it expired just before xmas to allow him to get back into it. Triston is a good kid who is always there to help people out when needed, he thinks of others first, always looking at whats good in a person an never holding a grudge, he has always been polite an thoughtful, in my eyes he deserves to have a great bike to be able succeed in racing an feel proud of what he has, he has never wanted or tried to do wrong by anyone, he dont fight, bully others or drink like so many other 13 year olds, he is my idol, i just wish i had more i could spend on this for him, if only carbon parts were cheaper lol. Just please if u can help him out in anyway with some good parts for cheap that u no longer want / need call me on 0411 428 388 or text me an ill call u to save u on ur phone bill, we live in the bendigo area in victoria but can arrange a courier pick up if needed so distance is no problem. id truly be so thankful to anyone for any help at all in getting a light bike going for him...
