Being asked to build someone their very first mountain bike is as daunting as it is flattering. It’s a lot of pressure when you think about it and trust me - I did. The kicker with this one was that we were also dealing with a small size frame, both bike and rider which adds a few extra challenges aesthetically and ergonomically.

One could definitely argue that mountain bike builds are paint by numbers these days and to a degree that’s true however it’s taking into account the nuances of the individual’s circumstances that make a true custom. Kylie had given me a solid idea of what she wanted out of this bike and it also didn’t hurt that I was well acquainted with the trails it’d be spending most of it’s time on.

We went for a lot of simple, reliable, fuss free, low maintenance parts on this build allowing for upgrades as need or tastes developed. Where the real work went in was things like running thicker brake rotors so that the reach could be reduced without impeding feel, maximising dropper length in a tiny seat tube and cutting the bars to a width that works and feels right. The other big consideration was fork choice. This particular Monkey would also see it’s fair share of gravel km’s and day trips which begged for a shorter than factory spec’d suspension fork. After crunching the numbers and taking into account the low rider weight I landed on a 27.5” 100mm Marzocchi Bomber. These forks punch well above their weight and are absolutely fuss free, set and forget aka perfect for a newbie or anyone who doesn’t want to spend their life clicking and fiddling. This size also brought the bike closer to it’s rigid geometry, steepening up the seat tube for pedalling efficiency while keeping the bottom bracket high enough for the more daring sections.

So that’s about it for this Karate Monkey build, the pictures should tell the rest of the story, but basically this was how we got Kylie shredding to scale.