Islabike Beinn or Decathalon Racingboy 3?

bold seagull

I realise Islabikes are the market leader, hold their value, lightweight, great geometry etc. etc. (yes I am partially sold on one).

However, it is for my 6 yr old son, and while a Beinn may well hold it's value, I'm not sure what state it will be in once my son has had 2 years cycling on it. In fact, he has a 2 year old younger brother that we would probably keep it for.

Now the other question, is whether the offer from Decathalon at the moment for their 20" offering at £70 is too good to ignore!?

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/20-racingboy-3-2012-id_8221827.html#avantages

It's a classic case of value vs quality, enjoyment of the product etc. I can't find any reviews on the Racingboy anywhere, or how much it weighs, or whether the components are up to lasting.

Any help please!?

£70 well spent, or £70 better saved toward a £300 Beinn!?!? :shock:

mpatts

What has he had before? I basically decided to ignore the cost and get what I thought mine would enjoy the most, as its super important to me she enjoys riding.

In other words, buy the isla.

bold seagull

At the moment he has a small single speed Raleigh that we actually bought off a market trader in Brighton, just in passing for £15 and it's genuinely been a great little bike for him. However, his legs now go round at a cadence of I suspect approaching 200 to get some speed up!

We have some good cycle paths in Brighton along the seafront etc. and I can see the two of us slipstreaming and doing mini time trials if he has a decent bike. I can see him doing well with some simple gears.

So yes, I already know that he will love the cycling, and the more he enjoys it, the more he'll come out.

Just saw the B'Twin and thought crikey, that looks a decent enough bike for £70, which he may well use just as much...

mpatts

I reckon the B'Twin will be fine. After all, didn't we all learn on clunkers?

I'd still get the isla though!

bold seagull

Decathlon got back to me and the Racingboy 3 comes in at 11.5kg.

That is almost 50% heavier than the Isla Beinn which is 7.8kg. That is no doubt what an extra £200 gets you...

Haughjd

12 months ago I got my boy a Beinn 20 for his 5th birthday. Since then his cycling has come on so much. To the point he can average over 10mph and go for 12mile rides. The bike is so well made and light he loves it. You see the feedback from his mates down the park when they borrow it. They all want another go!

He loves it. He respects it too. He knows its special. So he does look after it. More than he did his heavy old bike. So for that 12 months on its still in superb condition.

He's got a young brother who will inherit in a few years.

Expensive yes. Good s/hand on eBay. So looked after they hold their money. But best of all if you want your kid to love cycling as much as you do this is the only bike.

bold seagull

Haughjd wrote:

12 months ago I got my boy a Beinn 20 for his 5th birthday. Since then his cycling has come on so much. To the point he can average over 10mph and go for 12mile rides. The bike is so well made and light he loves it. You see the feedback from his mates down the park when they borrow it. They all want another go!

He loves it. He respects it too. He knows its special. So he does look after it. More than he did his heavy old bike. So for that 12 months on its still in superb condition.

He's got a young brother who will inherit in a few years.

Expensive yes. Good s/hand on eBay. So looked after they hold their money. But best of all if you want your kid to love cycling as much as you do this is the only bike.

Thanks for the post.

I have just purchased a Beinn 20 L for him which I bought 2nd hand from someone up the road so he was able to try it etc. Good condition and he is really chuffed. I feel certain I've made the right call!

fnegroni

The Beinn 20, especially the new MY2013, is superbly put together :-)

My boy loves it.

My initial worry was that having gears the longer gearing might have made the bike too fast. But as I later realised, it is not much longer than the Cnoc 16 he had before, yet allows him to climb steep hills with ease!

The grip shift took him a few tries to 'get it' and he quickly developed enough wrist strength to twist all the way from gear 7 to gear 1 in one go.