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Trailcraft Maxwell 27.5 - any experiences

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chiefsilverback

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I'm starting to think about my 11 year old's next bike. He's currently riding a 26" Cub Scout Race, but he was racing on Sunday and there were some rocky sections on the course where the kids on full suspension bikes were able to charge through and pass him whilst he was hanging on for dear life getting bounced around all over the place.

He's just getting to the height where he could squeeze onto an XS or S adult 27.5 bike and then I saw the Maxwell 27.5. Complete bike comes in under 28lbs and that's before you upgrade to the 34 Step Cast.

Any one got any experiences with this bike?

Another option would be a Trek Top Fuel 9.7. He gets a 25% discount on Trek through the league he races in which brings the price down to ~$3400, right in line with the Trailcraft with the Step Cast upgrade....
 
#2 ·
Not on the Maxwell, but on the 24" Pineridge. Absurdly well built for a kid's bike and very light. The fork was damaged in shipping and the owner of the company worked directly with me on getting a quick replacement (over the holidays) and answering some technical questions on swapping the part out.
 
#3 ·
Not the 27.5 but we built up a 26 Maxwell recently for my 11 year old using one of the blemished frames that Trailcraft has on sale. Worked out great as we had a bunch of components we moved up from the Ripcord. Been great so far - slight increase in weight from the Ripcord (25 to 27 lbs) means it's mostly just been adjusting to the bigger wheels and frame.

Here's the Pinkbike listing for the blemished frames: https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/3282352/

The blemish was barely noticeable.
 
#4 ·
My little girl has really enjoyed her 26" Maxwell but at just over 5' tall (at only 10) she is getting quite close to having outgrown it.

Will be selling it soon. I do very much recommend the bikes however.
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
stevelim said:
Not the 27.5 but we built up a 26 Maxwell recently for my 11 year old using one of the blemished frames that Trailcraft has on sale. Worked out great as we had a bunch of components we moved up from the Ripcord. Been great so far - slight increase in weight from the Ripcord (25 to 27 lbs) means it's mostly just been adjusting to the bigger wheels and frame.

Here's the Pinkbike listing for the blemished frames: https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/3282352/

The blemish was barely noticeable.
Click to expand...
One of those blemished frames is tempting but I don't think I'd actually save money vs buying a built bike.

If I could strip parts off the current bike and move them over then it would make sense, but the 9 year old will move up to the 26" from his 24" Nukeproof, and the 6 year old will move from his 24" Pello Reyes to the 24" Nukeproof.
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
I'm getting ready to order a Maxwell 275 frame and then move parts over from his current bike and run it with 26" wheels until he grows another inch or so and then move him to 27.5". I actually have a brand new Nukeproof 27.5" front wheel in it's box in the basement which I got for free when one of our Cub Scouts turned up missing an end cap on the front wheel and Chain Reaction just sent a 27.5" wheel so I we could take the end cap off, but I was able to source a pair of end caps...
 
Discussion starter · #8 ·
chiefsilverback said:
I'm getting ready to order a Maxwell 275 frame
Click to expand...
Frame and cranks ordered. I also decided to get him a 120mm Manitou Machete and I plan to do the ABS+ upgrade. I'm going to take the 11 speed XT drivetrain off my 'pub bike' and put that on for him and he's got Magura Trail Sports to move over along with his 26" wheels for the rest of this season and keep an eye out for a deal on 27.5" rear through the winter.
 
#12 ·
stevelim said:
Not the 27.5 but we built up a 26 Maxwell recently for my 11 year old using one of the blemished frames that Trailcraft has on sale. Worked out great as we had a bunch of components we moved up from the Ripcord. Been great so far - slight increase in weight from the Ripcord (25 to 27 lbs) means it's mostly just been adjusting to the bigger wheels and frame.
Click to expand...
Trailcraft has a black friday sale on these right now for anyone looking to build up a bike and add a Rock Shox for a great price too. Also a sale on the smaller Maxwell 26 and 24 frames.

www.trailcraftcycles.com

Maxwell 275 Frame | Full-Suspension Mountain Bike Frame

We're offering our frames at a killer price for those who truly want the customization experience. With this set-up you're free to build with our components or components of your preference. Be sure to check out all the goodies we offer to make this build the riding machine of your dreams!
www.trailcraftcycles.com www.trailcraftcycles.com

www.trailcraftcycles.com

Maxwell 26 Frame | 26 Inch Bike Frame | Trailcraft Cycles

SOLD OUT - Sorry, the few frames we have left are reserved for complete bike builds!
www.trailcraftcycles.com www.trailcraftcycles.com

www.trailcraftcycles.com

Maxwell 24 Frame | 24 Inch Bike Frame | Trailcraft Cycles

Red (lava) color on flash sale! We have also added a special deal for a suspension fork add-on – this […]
www.trailcraftcycles.com www.trailcraftcycles.com

Also 20% off on their components and wheels.

Components | Mountain Bike Wheelsets | Trailcraft Cycles

Browse high-quality bike components from Trailcraft Cycles. Upgrade your child’s ride with premium parts for top-tier performance.
www.trailcraftcycles.com www.trailcraftcycles.com

If you already have a saddle/bar/stem/grips and drivetrain parts (or transfer over like stevelim) you can put together a bike for under $2K I bet, or take advantage of some of the great SRAM SX/NX deals out there too!

Google Search

www.google.com
 
Discussion starter · #13 ·
Update on the Maxwell 275, and similar to the other thread I started about Trailcraft reach numbers, this frame has a reach of 438mm and it is just too big for my 4'11" 12 year old son. Trailcraft have it as good for 4'10" (4'11" on some pages) - 5'6", but given that my size large Orbea Oiz has a 445mm reach, and a size medium Canfield Lithium is 450mm I'd say that TC's suggested height range is a little off!

Some parts are coming off this build and moving onto a YT Jeffsey Primus 26 which I think will be a much better fit for him for at least the next year. Not sure if I'll keep this frame, or strip it down and sell because I can't see him going back to 120mm if he's been riding 140mm?
 
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chiefsilverback
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