Local bike builder, Trailcraft Cycles, launches 26″ kids bike. Trailcraft has been building high end, kid specfic 24″ MTBs since 2014.
Official press release below.
Trailcraft Cycles Timber 26 Bike Launch Press Release
November 22, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ginger Rosenbauer
970-310-3714
Fort Collins, Colorado, USA: Trailcraft Cycles launched in November 2014 to answer the need for a high performance, lightweight, 24-inch XC kids bicycle ready out of the box seizing on an untapped market opportunity.
Trailcraft Cycles launches today its Timber 26 mountain bike – a new school geometry for an old school wheel size for kids coming off a 24″ bike and still too small to jump straight on the small sizes of 27.5″ wheel size. The Timber 26 is aptly named after a popular local trail around Fort Collins, Colorado where Trailcraft was founded.
“The Timber 26 was created as the next logical wheel size need for young kids coming off a 24″ wheel,” said Ginger Rosenbauer, Trailcraft Cycles founder. “While the industry jumped head first and all-in on the 27.5″ wheel size so quickly, young kids and their parents were searching for XS and S sized 26″ frames and bikes that actually fit their kids now. Why should kids be put on a bike too big, tall and long when they can be shredding trails just like they were able to on their 24″ bikes? While 27.5″ wheels are great for some shorter riders in the low 5’2 and up range, the wheelbase is still too long, front end too high, and rotational weight too heavy for kids in the 4’9″ (145cm) and above heights coming right off of 24″ wheels. We prototyped bikes playing with chainstay length, top tube lengths, and component choices in order to create a true 26″ high performance bike starting at just 21.5 pounds dialed out of the box.”
The Timber 26 starts with a 7005 series aluminum frame with a hydroformed down tube and a “new school” geometry featuring 419mm chainstay length, 525mm top tube, and a 69 degree head tube angle. “We designed these frames to be ridden super hard and jumped like many kids in the 9-13 year old range like to do so they are tested to adult mountain bike standards”, said Rosenbauer.
To keep rotational weight and overall bike weight low, careful attention to the build spec detail came next. Stans Podium rims laced to ultralight hubs creates the 1290 gram wheelset. 450 gram Schwalbe Rocket Ron tires and 85 gram Ashima ultralight rotors creates the lightest rotating weight racing package available on a production 26″ XS sized mountain bike. The build-a-bike configurator allows two suspension fork choices, Shimano XT and Deore components, and all bikes feature Trailcraft Cycles own ultralight 152mm direct mount cranks, handlebar and seatpost.
Trailcraft Cycles founder Ginger Rosenbauer is really excited to bring these lightweight 26″ bikes into the marketplace. “It is my hope that children can ride these lightweight Timber 26 bikes building an early positive riding experience, and a lifetime love of riding.” Complete bikes start at $1949.00 with Shimano Deore components and go up from there depending on build level spec. Bikes are available to ship early December, just in time for the holidays. Timber 26 Pro
Nestled on the edge of the Rocky Mountains, Trailcraft Cycles was founded in Fort Collins, Colorado which is known for for its great riding and family friendly atmosphere.
More information on Trailcraft Cycles can be found at www.trailcraftcycles.com, and email at trailcraftcycles@gmail.com. Please like and share on Facebook, and suggest to parents who have kids that would benefit from a high performance lightweight kids bike. https://www.facebook.com/TrailcraftCycles
