Bicycles

Mad 6 carbon fiber mountain bike is for kids only

Mad 6 carbon fiber mountain bike is for kids only
The tiny-but-techy Mad 6
The tiny-but-techy Mad 6
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The Mad 6's fork offers 65 mm of travel, with the rear shock managing 50 mm
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The Mad 6's fork offers 65 mm of travel, with the rear shock managing 50 mm
The Mad 6 has magnesium pedals with titanium spindles
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The Mad 6 has magnesium pedals with titanium spindles
The Mad 6 features SRAM 1 x 9 gearing
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The Mad 6 features SRAM 1 x 9 gearing
The Mad 6 tips the scales at a claimed 15.4 lb (6.9 kg)
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The Mad 6 tips the scales at a claimed 15.4 lb (6.9 kg)
As riders grow and get taller, the Mad 6's frame can be readjusted to one of three configurations, allowing a good fit to be maintained
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As riders grow and get taller, the Mad 6's frame can be readjusted to one of three configurations, allowing a good fit to be maintained
Pricing for the Mad 6 starts at US$2,775
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Pricing for the Mad 6 starts at US$2,775
The Mad 6, as compared to an adult-sized mountain bike
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The Mad 6, as compared to an adult-sized mountain bike
The Mad 6 is designed specifically for riders aged 4 to 7 years (weighing under 55 lb/25 kg)
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The Mad 6 is designed specifically for riders aged 4 to 7 years (weighing under 55 lb/25 kg)
The tiny-but-techy Mad 6
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The tiny-but-techy Mad 6
View gallery - 9 images

Children's mountain bikes often end up just being stunted "lesser" versions of their adult-sized counterparts, not necessarily weighing much less. Australia's CarbonXScycles, however, has taken a different approach with its Mad 6. The lightweight carbon fiber bike is designed from the ground up to fit li'l riders, to the point that it even features a custom dual suspension.

Company founder David Stevens was inspired to create the original Mad 1 after getting frustrated trying to find a decent-quality "off-the-rack" mountain bike for his 4 year-old daughter. The materials engineer ended up designing his own, using Solidworks 3D CAD software. Four years and several incarnations later, the further-refined Mad 6 is now being made to order.

Designed specifically for riders aged 4 to 7 years (weighing under 55 lb/25 kg), the bike features a carbon fiber/titanium frame, 20-inch custom carbon rims, a Shimano XT hydraulic rear disc brake, SRAM 1 x 9 gearing, plus a custom suspension fork and rear shock – the fork offers 65 mm of travel, with the shock managing 50 mm. According to Stevens, his purpose-built suspension offers better performance than a regular system that's simply been dialled way down.

The Mad 6 tips the scales at a claimed 15.4 lb (6.9 kg)
The Mad 6 tips the scales at a claimed 15.4 lb (6.9 kg)

As riders grow and get taller, the frame can be readjusted to one of three configurations, allowing a good fit to be maintained. The whole bike tips the scales at a claimed 15.4 lb (6.9 kg).

It's definitely worth keeping in mind, however, that the hand-built Mad 6 is designed for cross-country racing – not just for riding to school and the store. That fact is reflected in its pricing, which starts at a fairly adult-bike-sized US$2,775.

Source: CarbonXScycles

View gallery - 9 images
2 comments
2 comments
sk8dad
Applaud the effort for an actual kid's mountain bike. Unfortunately no real market unless cost is well under $500.
unklmurray
They don't really want to sell any of these bikes.......might as well be vaporware' they are priced way too expensive so why even put them on the market........ I won't pay over $2000.for an adult bike ....so what would make them think I would pay $2500.for a childs bike??.............LOL :-)