Suspension forks for Minivelo

What if you wanted to build a 20" wheeled bike, and wanted to add some suspension? The problem is that there is a lack of 20" suspension forks in the market. Most forks are designed with 26" mountain bikes in mind. Still, there are some bike designers that shoehorn these large forks with small wheels. It may look strange to some, but it seems fun to ride.

Airnimal Black Rhino

I first saw the idea on the Airnimal Rhino - an obscenely priced, full suspension, offroad folding bike. The rear triangle swings down, so that if you remove both wheels, seat post and stem, you can pack the whole package in a relatively normal sized luggage - such as a regular Samsonite hard suitcase. Good concept, but at $ 3-4000, not really practical.

The main point here is, you can use a readily available 26" mountain bike fork, equip it with disc brakes, and run 20" BMX tires - the frame's geometry just has to be properly designed for it.

There are other examples that you can find on the internet:

Be.Bike Haze

The Be.Bike Haze, a limited production street bike. It was released in japan. About 100,000 Yen - price varies with components. Not as expensive as the Airnimal. It can't fold, bit I think it can be a very compact package if you remove both wheels. The frame is similar in design to several Louis Garneau and Bianchi minivelos sold in Japan. See the LG frame below, with an appropriately sized 20" fork.

Louis Garneau MV5

Kuwahara Gaap Lite

The Kuwahara Gaap, 170,000++ Yen. A similar concept to the Airnimal Rhino. The Gaap comes in road trim as well, sporting slicks and a carbon fork. Looks weird with all those triangles.


The unlikely lovechild of a Cannondale MTB and a BMX. This photo is from a Korean bike forum. The frame could have been a custom job. The frame logo says Cannondale, but I don't think they ever produced this frame.

Design Idea: Dahon Hammerhead & Smooth Hound

Dahon is the world's largest manufacturer of folding bicycles. Their minibikes are awesome! Of course, I'm showing my obvious bias for 20" wheeled minivelos. The frame of the Smooth Hound/ Hammerhead is what I think I'll use as a basis for the bike I'm getting made.

Dahon's '08 models adds break-away capabilities to thier minibikes - that means the frames break apart and can be put inside regular-sized luggage.



These bikes are light and look good. I just wish they were as readily available in the Philippines as they are in other countries. In the UK, these bikes are on sale at Wistanley's bikes. The 06 flat-bar Hammerhead goes for as low as £199 - reduced from £479.

Design Idea: Frame Bags

I need a way to schlep my stuff around. On bicycles, there are several options. You can use a front or rear rack, a basket, a pannier, a sidecar or a trailer. The frame bag is a less common option. If you think about it, a bag that takes the otherwise empty space inside the front triangle makes sense.

Photo: Epic Designs, http://epicdesigns-ak.blogspot.com/

There are design considerations of course. The bag must be custom made to fit the frame. The bag needs to stay a certain width. If it expands too much, it could hit my knees while pedaling. since it uses the front triangle, it's limited by the dimensions of the bike. That obviously means that small front triangles of BMX bikes accomodate smaller bags compared to the larger triangle of a hardtail mountain bike. If I take my existing hardtail mountain bike as an example, I can only fit a 15 liter bag at the most - about the size of an average messenger bag. Big enough for the daily commute, but not enough for multi-day touring.

I think I can use this on Travelo. You can make the front triangle of a minivelo larger because the wheels are smaller.

Design Idea: The Burro Bike

Greg Ruwaka created the Burro Bike to be an eploration bike. In his words, a "hiker, not a runner".

Dirt Rag magazine ran an article about it HERE. They mentioned that the bike climbs well, bit is slow because of its gearing. The small 20" wheels can also be caught up in ruts.

I think it's a brilliant design!

Design Idea: Tony Rentscheler's Scout

I've spent quite some time reading Tony Rentschler's blog. He's a hobbyist frame maker from Brooklyn NY, and he recently built some interesting Minivelo frames. His blog goes into detail on how he designs and builds his bikes, as well as the ride quality of the different builds. He's built four minivelo frames in a short time, and I particularly like his last bike, the one he calls "Scout". Scout, as typical for minivelos, is based on a compact design, with 20" wheels, and a slack head angle.

Scout. Photo by Tony Rentschler http://web.mac.com/w.rentschler/Bicycle_Site/Blog/Entries/2007/12/18_Scout%3A_Tale_of_the_Tape.html

His blog is an outstanding resource on bike building and minivelo geometry.

The only change i would make on the scout is to make the headtube and seat tube longer. This will bring up the top tube and give a bigger front triangle. Other than that, Tony's Scout is perfect.