Kids these days! With such awesome junior-sized bikes coming out recently, they’ll never understand the experience of clambering onto an oversized frame, stretching out over an integrated stem and fumbling with 21 non-indexed gears (of which only eight or nine actually ran smoothly). At the risk of forever spoiling the future generation, mechanical engineer and avid rider David Stevens founded CarbonXC Cycles and created a super lightweight, pro-spec bike that’s designed to perform for a small child the way our big bikes do for us.
Intended for 4-7 year old riders the size adjustable, carbon framed Mad 6 will turn your kid into a lifelong bike snob with its high end components, titanium trim and featherweight tuned suspension. If you’re already picturing your little tyke shredding on a new level, read on for all the specs and details…
The Mad 6 is made primarily of carbon fiber, including some 3D printed components, with some 6061 aluminum parts. The frame is size adjustable to three different positions to grow along with your kid, and CarbonXS will set it up specifically to your child’s measurements before shipping it to you. The complete bike weighs under 15.4lbs with pedals, enabling small kids to ride longer and even climb singletrack trails.
The Mad 6 carries a maximum weight limit of 56lbs and its suspension is specifically designed for riders under this limit, giving young kids the same comfort and performance that we adults enjoy. Suspension duties are handled by a gas-dampened rear shock that boasts 50mm of travel with an adjustable titanium coil, and a pair of custom 65mm travel full carbon forks up front.
Wheelbase: (A) 608mm / 23.93”
Chainstay Length: (B) – 353mm / 13.89”
Fork Off Set: (C) 40mm / 1.57”
Seat Tube Length: (E) 215mm / 8.46”
Top Tube Length: (F) 405 – 420mm / 15.94 – 16.53”
Steerer Angle: (D)
Frame Position 1 – 69 degrees
Frame Position 2 – 67 degrees
Frame Position 3 – 65 degrees
Inseam range: 38cm / 15” to 65cm / 25.5” (approx)
The low-standover frame can accommodate riders roughly 31” to 51” tall, and features a 1-1/8” head tube that sits between 69 and 65 degrees depending on the setup. The frame uses a press fit style bottom bracket that spins a kid-sized 150mm CNC aluminum crankset on ceramic bearings.
The components are top shelf by anyone’s standards with the stock build including a carbon handlebar, SRAM XO grip shift and X9 derailleur, 27.2mm carbon seat post holding up the company’s own carbon saddle, a 35 tooth carbon front chain ring, Shimano XT rear brake, chain and 9 speed cassette, Maxxis tubeless compatible tires, and of course magnesium pedals with ti spindles. And there are options for further upgrades!
The Mad 6’s 20” carbon wheelset comes with your choice of 38mm or 50mm deep dish rims on Novatec 291/712 hubs. The bike has no front brake, and while their website simply states the maximum rider weight of 25kg is easily handled by the XT rear brake alone, I can only imagine this would also prevent untold over-the-bars scenarios with young riders.
The Mad 6 is available direct from the company’s website, and comes in black with gold accents. Customers should expect a 2-4 week delay for assembly. With all its proprietary carbon and titanium the price tag isn’t as shocking as you might expect, starting at $2775 USD. Since it’s coming from Australia, I’d anticipate some shipping costs on top of that.
