This years high school build

#1
We have 22 kids building mini-bikes this year in the metal shop. An after school club, every kid rides away on a mini-bike if he (or she, 2 girls this year) tries. Pic is the prototype that I build to stay a few steps in front of the kids. We are ahead of schedule this year, most of the frames are nearing completion. Yellow bike in the background is the bike I built in last years build. 2018 bike .JPG
 
#4
Your program has really taken off from just some scant beginnings with a build off contest. Glad to see it, and thanks for updating us.

Since I hail from the area, have a friend living literally up the street, lol, I am curious if this is a co-curricular event, or if you're doing it under the auspices of another sponsor outside of the school district. It would be a good model perhaps for others around the country.
 
#5
Glad to see you are still at it. I took mine from the classroom to after school last year, doing it during school proved to be difficult. Are you guys bending a fabricating the frames or are you using kits, etc? Maybe we can get together and collaborate on something between our two programs.
 
#6
Your program has really taken off from just some scant beginnings with a build off contest. Glad to see it, and thanks for updating us.

Since I hail from the area, have a friend living literally up the street, lol, I am curious if this is a co-curricular event, or if you're doing it under the auspices of another sponsor outside of the school district. It would be a good model perhaps for others around the country.
This is something I came up with to have a fun real life project for the kids to build. We built and raced electric go carts for years (look up electrathon America) and the program was going away in our area. We switched to mini bikes and it gets more popular each year. I would love to see other schools step up with something similar.

Glad to see you are still at it. I took mine from the classroom to after school last year, doing it during school proved to be difficult. Are you guys bending a fabricating the frames or are you using kits, etc? Maybe we can get together and collaborate on something between our two programs.
We are building ground up. The frame design is one I came up with looking at pictures of other old mini-bikes online. I built a frame jig and we bend the tubing in the class. Everything on this bike is done as a way to build a bike for minimal money (note the (Harbor Freight $4.00 front tire and wheel). I welcome any other input or conversations on how to make this sort of program grow. minibike 1115.JPG
Last night at the school. Frames are sitting all over the place. Seats being designed. We have many students and a few parents involved this year.
 
#10
Two weeks away from the school for thanksgiving and teachers gone to a conference. I figured I would wrap mine up in the down time. It is all done except for the wiring for the lights. minibike coated1.jpg minibike coated2.jpg
 
#13
Do the Kids pay for their own Parts? And, PLEASE don't take this the wrong way.....it's the Internet ya know but, you should consider a little more Rake on the Front End. Looks a lil unsafe.
The kids all pay for the cost of the materials. It was $225 this year, we may have to increase it a little next year to cover cost increases and passible design upgrades.

I set the rake at 15 degrees. There is 2" of offset built into the triple tree. The bike has a little positive trail, but it is less than an inch. Next year I think I will up the offset to 2 1/2" and tip the rake back to about 22 degrees. This years bike is the largest design yet, I had to enlarge them because some of the bigger kids could not fit their knees under the handlebars before.
 

red baron

Active Member
#18
what a cool program! They'll need something to with those mini bikes, would a trip or group ride be out of the question? We had a canoe build in school and at the end of the year we could go on a canoe trip. It's refreshing to see kids interested in something without a screen
 
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