islabike worth the extra?

theslowone

My son is 4 in March and ready for his first pedal bike. He has mastered a balance bike to the point where I need to ride with him as he goes faster than I can jog around our local park. A bit of research via google seems to point to Islabikes as the next logical step. I am however reluctant to splash out (they seem good value but still a lot of money) until I have concidered other options. Am I right in thinking that there are only 2 choices.
1. Islabike (excellent but cost a lot)
2. BSO from Halfrauds or simular.

There seems to be nothing in the middle ground??

Wooliferkins

Yes. My colleague has bought his son the Beinn 24 and Luath26. Properly built bikes with equipment for small hands. His son loves them and his step daughter is short enough to fit happily on the Luath 26. His son happily keeps up on medium paced 20 mile rides and drops everyone on the hills. If you want some scaffolding poles weighing more than your children get to Halfrauds if you want a properly made small bike Isla take it hands down My colleague bought new as the resale, used was within £50 of the new price and they went within seconds of being listed.

theslowone

Thanks. A good point about resale value I should take this into account.
I wont be buying a BSO but my question was whether there is a compromise brand which would be OK.
If you look at adult bikes we all would like a some Italian carbon exotica but a Boardman is OK. my point being that there are alternatives without buying somthing made from scaffold. I have however not been able to find the same situation with kids bikes.

Wooliferkins

I'm in "the business" we used to sell Puky until they changed their distribution format. Puky's previous UK distributor and I spent a day slogging round Eurobike last Autumn trying to find a childrens brand that we could sell and look customers in the eye. Result 0. It seems to be stack 'em high sell 'em cheap or Islabike until they hit their teens.

theslowone

Cheers. Islabike it is then. I guess actualy not such a bad price after all especially if once he has grown out of it I can recover some of the original outlay.

bartimaeus

Islabikes are great - we have a Beinn 24 and a Beinn 26s. But before we got the Islabikes we had two Ridgeback MX16s which were also very good indeed... so there are some options between BSO and Islabikes - in some sizes at least.

martyn748

Have had Isla Rhowan, beinn 14, now on Ridgeback mx16. The isla's are great and as mentioned you will get a good return once you do sell them. BUT the ridgback we have is much lighter than the isla!!! I was shocked too. They still S/H for good money too.
If not Spesh hotrocks are good, light not a bad return but keep changing there mind on brake set up from year to year. ?!?

The Spiderman

Some good chepaer options if you don`t want to pay for a premium brand but don`t want a BSO include Ridgeback,Dawes,Claud Butler and Carrera.

Also worth hunting down bike shop trade ins and looking on ebay.

I`ve managed to kit my kids out with some good bikes,that way

Tom Butcher

Agree with some of the above - there are plenty of good bikes for kids (as well as plenty of absolute rubbish) - Decathlon are another brand I'd have no problem recommending. Isla's are probably still the pick if you take the resale value into account though as they end up costing you less in the long run.

bompington

martyn748 wrote:

Have had Isla Rhowan, beinn 14, now on Ridgeback mx16. The isla's are great and as mentioned you will get a good return once you do sell them. BUT the ridgback we have is much lighter than the isla!!! I was shocked too. They still S/H for good money too.
If not Spesh hotrocks are good, light not a bad return but keep changing there mind on brake set up from year to year. ?!?

Not sure which one you're comparing to but the MX16 weighs 19.5lbs, Cnoc 16 is 16.5lbs.
I'm certainly an Isla fan, but more importantly Bompette is, and so is Bomp jr, who would often nick his sister's Beinn 24 despite it being much too small for him, in preference to his (perfectly decent) budget Edinburgh Bike model.
Islabikes score on weight, design, and especially on quality components that are suitably proportioned and light & easy to use.

Adam EF

Yes, Islabikes are worth the money. My son has a cnoc 16 and loves it. I love it too as it is such good quality and easy to maintain and it's reliable. I've seen too many kids bikes where manufacturers cut every corner to cut the price as they know that parents really don't like spending much on kids bikes. As a result brakes don't work properly and gears are impossible to tune and maintain. I've serviced a lot of kids bikes too that really are unserviceable. A lot will only ever have one owner and will be scrapped within a few years.

Islabikes however are solid, with quality components and are as serviceable as a really good quality adult bike. Yes, they cost a substantial amount more, but they also get you a lot of money back when you sell them. And they work in the time that your little one uses them.

There are others as mentioned above which are all ok but the resale value is not the same or not possible and many of the components (although they might work) are not designed for kids, specifically brake levers with the right reach etc.

My advice would be to look out for a second hand Islabike on here or CTC forum. They often come up in very good condition.

simon_e

I thought I had replied to this but can't see it now. Oh well.

Islabikes are not 'exotica', they're good quality bikes designed properly for children. Junk-R-Us bikes might be £60 but they're crap, thrown together with the cheapest steel bits they can find.

People seem to confuse what they can justify with what they can afford. I don't get paid much but we went for Islabikes because I knew they were worth the money, Isla is passionate about getting the right size bike, and it's a joy to deal with her and her team. My kids had it drilled into them from the start that this is expensive and special so they really look after their bikes (or they'll get a s/h rusty pile of shite next time!).

At £170 the Cnoc 16 might sound expensive but if you sell it again for £75 after two years (v. conservative figure) it will have cost 75p per week. MX16 or Specialized Hotrock are reasonable alternatives but new they're only about £20-30 cheaper.

If you don't want to spend £170 then try ebay - show all in category Bikes then filter for £0-£100, sort by distance and bid on one you can collect.

simbob3

Just thought i'd add my comments to this as i am in the same situation, been looking at a Beinn 20 small for my son. Been trawling the net for alternatives and from what i can see the Ridgeback and Specialized Hotrock seem to be the obvious contenders (felt 'look' good to - substance? Dawes do cheaper alu framed ones, depends on your snobbery level!). I did come across a bike called Adventure 200 (120 smaller version), which looks like a similar spec to the others mentioned but 30-40 quid cheaper, but i can't find any info about Adventure, other than they seem to be known for the bike trailers and the ZoooooM balance bike. They are sold via some bike shops and the likes of Blacks, John Lewis, Amazon. Anyone know any more or had one? Link below...

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Adventure-200-2 ... _50680.htm

scrumpymonkey

I have just bought a Cnoc 14 for my little lad who is 3 next week mainly on research done on the internet. I did go into the couple of local(ish) bike shops we have near Penzance and wasn't overly impressed with the quality of what I saw. As it's impossible to see the Islabikes unless you know someone who has one or you live a reasonable travelling distance from their workshops, it was a bit of a leap of faith when I bought one. I was so glad I took that leap as it's a fantastic bike. My lad has been on a balance bike for the last year and he's way past ready for a proper bike and Cnoc 14 is the perfect step up. The build quality is great and will definitely last him and the next little terror that's due in June!

I also looked at buying second hand but if you look at the prices they are going for on ebay, I decided I might as well pay the extra £40 and buy a new one. Even after being used by 2 children, with good maintenance I'm sure it will make back at least 50% of it's value.

Final word on it, I ordered the bike on Monday and it was here Tuesday. Great bike, great service.

johnboy183

theslowone wrote:

Cheers. Islabike it is then. I guess actualy not such a bad price after all especially if once he has grown out of it I can recover some of the original outlay.

I bought cnoc14 two years ago new from Islabikes. 18 months later sold it on eBay for more than I paid. I've posted here before about Islabikes and cannot praise the whole team high enough. Their clothing is equally is good. Won't really be looking elsewhere until he's 10ish

thelawnet

Selling my Rothan on fleabay at the moment, I've acquired 51 watchers, I bought it for £100 2 years ago, it's currently at £68 with 3 days to go. You can't go wrong really....

alphacharlie

I bought my 3 (small build) year old daughter a Rothan for christmas and she loves it. So much so that I have just taken delivery of a used CNOC 14 for her to try out, its only arrived today but already looking forward to seeing her out on it at the weekend.
Cheers
AC

Daz555

Very impressed with my sons Cnoc 16. One small complaint is the steering limiter which broke following my sons first fall. Islabike were excellent however and shipped a replacement part the next day.

I think I'll spend a little bit less on the next bike and move down a little bit pricewise to offerings from the likes of Ridgeback.

Jomcgowan

Hello, DD had a Rothan for christmas at 2 and a bit and has just moved up to a CNOC 14 at 4 and a bit.
It took her 3 goes to get the hang of riding two wheels (with a couple of extra goes to get the hang of starting off).

She's small and lightweight so I think the scale and weight of the Isla bike has really helped her be able to get enough downward momentum to get going. It's also light enough to carry if I have to insist on her getting off.

I 've just joined the forum to find out if anyone can recommend a pannier rack for the CNOC.

(This is the third practice run, in our cul-de-sac. We now need to work on 'road' skills.)

Redhog14

I bought one of these for my 7 yo in Dec, been out on a few runs with her and it is as good as the Marin her sister had.

New brand but so far I am impressed. light and well designed, not missing the front suspension either. Good value for money.

http://www.cudabikes.co.uk/products/mountain-bikes.php

Calpol

Just took delivery of a Beinn 20 small for my 5yo daughter. Ordered yesterday lunchtime and it arrived less than 24 hours later . Ok so its £250 for a kids bike but to be honest the resale means that I expect to get 2 years riding for about £100. So trading up to the next size should only be £100. Very impressed by the bike. Components are quality. Brakes operate so easily for little hands - I think that will give my daughter a lot of confidence. Its pretty light also - she can pick it up and turn it round. First ride will be tomorrow and I can't wait!!. Sadly she probably has a better bike than anyone else in the family now!! Oh and it looks great.

gkerr4

i'm not 100% sure any more.

my eldest daughters first bike was a specialized hotrock 12- when she outgrew it I looked at the Islabike cnoc16 and ended up getting her one, but it was a close thing between it and the specialized hotrok16 and also the ridgeback Melody16. At that time, the difference in price was about £10 - £20 between those three. They were all between £120 - £140 (the isla being £139.99 + delivery)

When she outgrew that, we bought her a beinn20 model which she still has and they are great bikes.

Now my youngest has outgrown the specialized 12 model - and stupidly we have sold the cnoc16 (although in fairness, i wanted the young one to have "her own" bike too - feels a bt unfair if the young one only ever gets the older ones hand-me-downs). anyway - the price gap is massive now. - the islabike cnoc 16 is a whopping £169.00 + delivery while the ridgeback is now available for £110 - quite a gap - they both have aluminium frames and V-brakes with kids sized levers. The crank and other running gear is very similar (cranks are identical actually)

anyway - we have went for the ridgeback and I am proud to say that just today she has ridden it for the first time without stabilisers! (she got it on tuesday for her birthday).
I'm glad I went for the ridgeback - it's a very well specced bike - well built and lovely deep paint - i'm very impressed and with the free delivery I got it for a fairly sizeable £75 cheaper than the islabike.

Don't get me wrong, i think that islabikes are great bikes, but they just seem to have gotten a bit carried away with the prices in recent times. I was shocked to see that the beinn20 is now £265 with delivery!! - wow - it was £169 in december 09 when we bought it!

TimIrons

I am another who can wholeheartedly vouch for Islabikes. We have had a Cnoc 16 and a Beinn 20 and last weekend upgraded to two new Islabikes further up the size range. I can echo the comments above about them being perfect for learning bike handling skills and more importantly gaining confidence and having fun! They are light enough to react quickly to inputs from weedy little legs. They also stop as quickly as you want due to the small diameter handlebars and grips, coupled with the specially shaped brake levers meaning little hands can get a good grip to pull the powerful v-brakes onto machined metal rims, rather than painted pink ones from other kids bikes.

We have our previous Islabikes for sale on eBay the the moment, a cnoc 16 and a Beinn 20. Search on eBay under my seller name irons2001 or send me a message on here if you are interested.

apreading

gkerr4 wrote:

Don't get me wrong, i think that islabikes are great bikes, but they just seem to have gotten a bit carried away with the prices in recent times. I was shocked to see that the beinn20 is now £265 with delivery!! - wow - it was £169 in december 09 when we bought it!

Thing is - inflating the new prices keeps the residuals higher on second hand ones too. Its a bit of a two edged sword...

gkerr4

Not that much though.

I'd easily get 50% bck on what I paid, but that's only, what, 30% of the current rrp?

simon_e

gkerr4 wrote:

Don't get me wrong, i think that islabikes are great bikes, but they just seem to have gotten a bit carried away with the prices in recent times. I was shocked to see that the beinn20 is now £265 with delivery!! - wow - it was £169 in december 09 when we bought it!

Most bikes jumped in price between 2009 and 2011 due to currency fluctuations, increase in raw materials prices, transport costs and so on. Isla has less leverage than the likes of Giant and Specialized and even Ridgeback (part of Madison, UK arm of Shimano) and already operates on pretty tight margins. £265 is still less than an equivalent adult bike yet most of the costs involved - R&D, components, shipping etc - are very similar.

When you sell the Ridgeback (RRP £150) it won't fetch as much as the Islabike (RRP £170). Having seen the MX16 it's good value, particularly if you can get hold of one at a good price. The Beinn 20 and 24 are quite a bit better specced than the equivalent MX, which have unnecessary suspension, higher gear ratios and longer crankarms. We have both Beinn 20 and MX20 in our house and the differences are glaringly obvious.

According to the specifications, the MX16 weighs 3lbs more than the Cnoc, as much as the Beinn 20, which is 5lbs less than the MX20. 5lbs is a lot at that age.

If you look at drop bar bikes the Moda Minor is more expensive and can't do 'cross or take mudguards / rack while the Dawes Espoir is heavier and less well designed or specified. Yes, I'm an unashamed fan of Islabikes and their creator, but with good reason: she is passionate, she cares and she makes the best bikes 8)

gkerr4

you make some valid points and on the 20" wheel models the difference is pretty clear - you get a better bike (albeit at a price - like most things in life i guess..)

I would imagine when the little one needs a new bike (and assuming we haven't kept the older girls beinn20) then I will almost certainly be back at islabikes for a 20" model.

but getting the ridgeback for £110 - you have to admit - thats a great bike for the money - alloy frame, alloy rims, same brakes and levers as the islabike. I'm not so worried on the resale value, but take your point on that.

eDad

Maybe I'm too eager to post but I think absolutely yes. The Cnoc 16 price has risen to £200 but according to the company they have reduced the weight at the same time. Mine weighs in at 6.1kg.

Just want to share my bike shopping experience. I considered Cnoc16, Blowfish16 and Ridgeback MX16, Saracen Bolt 16 plus two more from Evans: Pinnacle Koto 16 and Early Rider Belter 16. My kid was riding a Cuda Blox 14 and I'm happy with the overall performance (the brake levers are reachable and works well) except a general puzzling fact that 14 inch bikes are generally chucky and heavy. Both the aluminium Blox 14 and MX 14 weighs over 9kg.

The difference are generally plastic vs alloy brake levers and gearing ratio and tyre widths. Islabikes and Early Rider Belter and Pinnacle score on all front whereas the rest tick one or two boxes. You have to decide if these items are worth it. Islabikes is priced and weighted between the other two but recent eBay auction suggests that cost of ownership of Islabikes is lower than say a Ridgeback as the resale value is >70% vs ~50%.

joelsim

Absolutely worth it.

Brilliant bikes, very easy for little hands to control.

Unbelievable resale values.

No brainer.

86inch

Our two boys have had two Islabikes each and the ones we have sold have really justified the price we paid - although i would have paid it anyway.
The bikes being so well designed means they are more comfortable, easier to handle and more enjoyable to ride as a result. Our eldest, nearly 8 regularly rides 30 miles or more on his, no probs at all.

Finegan

I have recently bought an Islabike for both my children. My 6 year old went from screaming every time her cheep bike wobbled on stabilisers to Riding on her own with no stabilisers in 2 weeks. She spent a week trying to get to grips with peddling with no stabilisers but couldn't get it so we took the pedals off and lowered the seat for a week and then put pedals back on and by that afternoon she was riding.
My son had a balance bike (he's just turned 3) and has no problem with balance, he is just getting to grips with pedalling and going in a straight line but he is still very young so he is doing well.
I can not rate Islabike enough, they are brilliant