I know this has been discussed here before, but I couldn't find previous threads.  Any recommendations for powder coating in the Charlotte area?

We have been sending folks to Hot Box. Overall they do a good job at a great price and return times have been quick. Roadie frames and forks have been around $150 for paint removal and powdercoat. 704-398-8224, ask for Sean.

I've got these as well

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SirNotAppearing wrote on 02/23/15 at 8:18pm:

It will take some extra dough, but both my kids got used 16" bikes (from consignment sales), and I put mtb handlebars on them, took the coaster brakes off, bought a new rear wheel and added caliper brakes. You can get small levers for little hands. I also got them each a bigger cog for the back so they didn't struggle so much on the hills on the trail.

Here's a rundown of my kids' bike projects:

16" Specialized Hotrock at consignment: $10
Removed kickstand and coaster brake
New rear wheel
New tires/tubes
New rear freewheel (22T) (!)
New chain
Front and rear brake calipers (came with pads)
Little kid brake levers, adjusted with the closest reach possible
Shorty lock-on grips
MTB handlebars cut down to kid-size
Short stem
Little saddle and short seatpost from T4K because the ones on the bike were too big and the saddle was ripped
various cables and housings and spacers
bell

My daughter's bike went from 19 lbs down to 16 lbs, if I remember correctly.

Both of them love their bikes. They were riding them at ~3.25 (daughter) and 4 (son) years old, but they are average height, I think. My daughter (now 3.5 yo) is still getting used to the idea of brakes, so that's a challenge trying to keep her from running into trees.  My son (now almost 6) is a bit big for his 16", but not comfortable on his 20" yet.

SirNotAppearing wrote on 02/24/15 at 12:20am:


That's a sweet little bike! 

The only place I could find the wheels was Amazon. Hated going that route, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.
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RobP wrote on 02/24/15 at 2:49am:


Never too early to be proactive when it comes to kids' bikes, Rob.

I looked into it, and thought it was the way we would go, but wasn't sold on the geo or the little skinny tires. It was still in the back of my mind as our first option, but I stumbled across the deal on the first Hotrock and couldn't pass it up.

The pitboss was the one I was eyeing, but never found a deal on a used one. I wasn't going to spend the money on a new one, either. If you're going with new, I'd go with that yellow one you posted before.

Yeah, their website shows a lot of different applications.  Seems like they do good work if you can get ahold of them. I have not been successful yet.
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