IslaBikes Beinn 20 Small vs Large

muscleflex

Need help before I order
My 6.5yr old son needs a bigger bike now (he's currently on his Specialized HotRock 16) and we are looking at the Beinn 20
but according to their size chart, my son is just near the top end of the sizing for the Small.
Isla classes the Beinn Small for 5yr olds and the Large for 6yr olds..

Has anyone on here bought an islabike on the bigger size (based on their size chart) and turned out ok?

From what I can gather, the only differences are handlebars and cranks. (2cm bigger handlebar and 1.3cm longer crank. oh - the frame is 1inch bigger as well)

Last measurement of my son a few weeks back (rough measurement) gave me 50.5cm inside leg and 117cm height
he's turning 7 in january

any help would be appreciated as i really want to order this tonight if i can. sadly we know no one who has a Beinn to try.

gllewellyn

I'd recommend giving Islabikes a call and discussing it with them - they are extremely helpful.
When I got my daughter her first Islabike, I rang about sizing before ordering and they recommended which size, and even said that I'd probably need to move the saddle forward slightly based on her size, and they were absolutely right.

othello

yes, give them a call. The large is a bit longer, and from experience it is that measurement which can make the difference.

muscleflex

Ordered a Beinn 20 Large this morning.

Went to see someone that has an older Beinn 20 (Apparently it was all one size when they bought it) and asked my son to test it - he fitted fine on it so I made a judgement based on that and ordered a Large this morning.

Will update in around 3 weeks' time when it comes...

One thing's for sure - my son will definitely struggle with the grip shifter I think..

joelsim

The right choice. I just got my boy a small, he is 6 next week. Tried him out on it, and it's plenty small enough, almost wish I'd got a large really. Funny thing is I tried him on a Marin, a Trek, a Ridgeback, a Kona in shops and he was just too small for all of them, struggled with the brakes and the seat at the lowest level and got a bit upset. Straight onto the Isla, no problems with anything, confident going fast etc. It's now been put away until his birthday!

joelsim

muscleflex wrote:

Ordered a Beinn 20 Large this morning.

Went to see someone that has an older Beinn 20 (Apparently it was all one size when they bought it) and asked my son to test it - he fitted fine on it so I made a judgement based on that and ordered a Large this morning.

Will update in around 3 weeks' time when it comes...

One thing's for sure - my son will definitely struggle with the grip shifter I think..

I doubt the grip shifter will be a problem, it's very easy to use for small, weak hands.

muscleflex

Thanks. My son keeps asking me when it's gonna come actually. Today is just the first week's wait.. I'm really hoping they'll ship it soon and not the original 3 weeks' waiting period.

baudman

Delayed gratification is a life skill best learned young

muscleflex

Got email last Friday to say it was despatched.
Delivery came this morning at work. Box was smaller than I expected! Made in Vietnam on the box?! Expected it to be made in the UK. Never mind...
Assembled it at work - quality is definitely good. Very light! Small scratch on the left brake lever mount. Should I complain or mention it?

Anyway - my 6yr old definitely loves it! Didn't have much time to practice on it as he had a bike race tonight but he took to it like fish to water! The grip shifter is not as stiff as how I thought it would be and definitely a lot softer than the old islabike I got him to try off a colleague a week or so back so that's a plus!
Hey, he even shed 10seconds off his time! That's a result!

Also made the right choice of ignoring what Islabikes staff recommended me (they said go for a Small) - I went for Large! Phew!

Anyway - here's my son posing!


And during his race tonight!

muscleflex

By the way - ignore the white pad. That's my doing. I told you all I like my bikes pristine! That's hopefully to offer some protection to the top tube's paint.. and hopefully cushion my son's privates if he ever has to drop unexpectedly onto the top tube! heh

I'm gonna be covering the bike with heli tape!

baudman

Love the pix! Thanks for sharing. Certainly doesn't look too big - and yeah, if kids are confident riders, you can get away with erring on slightly bigger.

(Oh, and don't be too hard on the little guy if/when he drops/scratches it)

muscleflex

baudman wrote:

Love the pix! Thanks for sharing. Certainly doesn't look too big - and yeah, if kids are confident riders, you can get away with erring on slightly bigger.

(Oh, and don't be too hard on the little guy if/when he drops/scratches it)

Hehe - thanks! Me and my fiancee were actually laughing about it last night coz I said I don't know what I'll do if he gets his first crash and scratches the bike! :shock:
We are doing the Skyride this Sunday so we're all looking forward to that - at least my kid can now go uphill without struggling!

Oh, did I mention I ripped all of the reflectors and bell straight away yesterday to save weight?
160grams saved! haha!
I'll put the reflectors back if we go riding on roads.