Best bike for our daughters 6th birthday?
Discussion
Hi all,
We would like to buy our daughter a new bike for her 6th birthday. She can already ride her bike well without stabilisers but she has now really outgrown her crappy Apollo.
I've been looking around and it seems Islabikes are well regarded (would be looking at the Beinn 20" large), however the £330 price tag is quite a large pill to swallow:
http://www.islabikes.co.uk/products/bikes/item/bei...
Would anyone know of a good alternative?
I had a look in a local shop and have found a Ridgeback Harmony that looked quite nice, can be had from Evans Cycles for £206: http://www.evanscycles.com/products/ridgeback/harm...
The thing that annoys me is that she doesn't need suspension forks! And it's almost 3.5kg heavier than the Islabike. The Islabikes really hold their value on eBay, as well.
Anyone know of a good alternative or should I just buy the Islabike?
Thanks!
We would like to buy our daughter a new bike for her 6th birthday. She can already ride her bike well without stabilisers but she has now really outgrown her crappy Apollo.
I've been looking around and it seems Islabikes are well regarded (would be looking at the Beinn 20" large), however the £330 price tag is quite a large pill to swallow:
http://www.islabikes.co.uk/products/bikes/item/bei...
Would anyone know of a good alternative?
I had a look in a local shop and have found a Ridgeback Harmony that looked quite nice, can be had from Evans Cycles for £206: http://www.evanscycles.com/products/ridgeback/harm...
The thing that annoys me is that she doesn't need suspension forks! And it's almost 3.5kg heavier than the Islabike. The Islabikes really hold their value on eBay, as well.
Anyone know of a good alternative or should I just buy the Islabike?
Thanks!
Second hand islabike, then sell it when she has outgrown it. If you vaguely look after it, it will end up being much cheaper than a "cheap" bike. Will be the route I'm going to go down when Lufbramatt Jr. is old enough to ride bikes. They seem to be the "Caterham 7" of the bike world in terms of depreciation.
I've done the same thing with big tools such as engine cranes, works well.
I've done the same thing with big tools such as engine cranes, works well.
My son's getting a Frog Bike for his birthday soon, in Team Sky colours.
They only started in 2013 but are now (as far as I can see) the only real direct competitor to Islabikes - the fact that Team Sky have linked with them shows the perceived quality.
Bikes come with 2 sets of tyres (knobbly and smooth), full-size mudguards, touch up paint, and most importantly 8 speed Shimano Alivio thumbshifter - not
Gripshift.
The equivalent to the Beinn 20 large is the Frog 52 - £250, and an almost identical weight to the Islabike.
They only started in 2013 but are now (as far as I can see) the only real direct competitor to Islabikes - the fact that Team Sky have linked with them shows the perceived quality.
Bikes come with 2 sets of tyres (knobbly and smooth), full-size mudguards, touch up paint, and most importantly 8 speed Shimano Alivio thumbshifter - not
Gripshift.The equivalent to the Beinn 20 large is the Frog 52 - £250, and an almost identical weight to the Islabike.
Edited by schmunk on Monday 5th October 12:40
I'm on the look out for a road/CX bike for my 12 year old boy.
The Islabike Luath 700 seems a good bike with 700cc wheels (second hand, obviously). I've just looked at the Frog website and they have a similar (and cheaper) bike but with 26" wheels.
Will the smaller wheels be a better handling bike for my lad or will the better rolling characteristics of the larger wheels be better?
Steve
The Islabike Luath 700 seems a good bike with 700cc wheels (second hand, obviously). I've just looked at the Frog website and they have a similar (and cheaper) bike but with 26" wheels.
Will the smaller wheels be a better handling bike for my lad or will the better rolling characteristics of the larger wheels be better?
Steve
schmunk said:
My son's getting a Frog Bike for his birthday soon, in Team Sky colours.
They only started in 2013 but are now (as far as I can see) the only real direct competitor to Islabikes - the fact that Team Sky have linked with them shows the perceived quality.
Bikes come with 2 sets of tyres (knobbly and smooth), full-size mudguards, touch up paint, and most importantly 8 speed Shimano Alivio thumbshifter - not Gripshift.
The equivalent to the Beinn 20 large is the Frog 52 - £250, and an almost identical weight to the Islabike.
Ahhh... excellent!! Many thanks, they look good They only started in 2013 but are now (as far as I can see) the only real direct competitor to Islabikes - the fact that Team Sky have linked with them shows the perceived quality.
Bikes come with 2 sets of tyres (knobbly and smooth), full-size mudguards, touch up paint, and most importantly 8 speed Shimano Alivio thumbshifter - not
Gripshift.The equivalent to the Beinn 20 large is the Frog 52 - £250, and an almost identical weight to the Islabike.
Edited by schmunk on Monday 5th October 12:40
Another vote for Frog bikes.
My 4yr daughter has been riding her Frog48 for nearly a year and loves it. We changed the tyres to some that are knobbly for off-roading, otherwise its excellent and puts up with a lot of abuse from her.
Isla bikes would have been our other consideration but one of our local bikes shops carry Frog and we were happy to buy from them.
My 4yr daughter has been riding her Frog48 for nearly a year and loves it. We changed the tyres to some that are knobbly for off-roading, otherwise its excellent and puts up with a lot of abuse from her.
Isla bikes would have been our other consideration but one of our local bikes shops carry Frog and we were happy to buy from them.
With regard to Islabikes, they're not as expensive to own as you might think.
I've bought my daughter two - both of which she's outgrown - and her latest one is a Halfords Apollo Elusion.
What I would say is that Islabikes are unbeatable in terms of weight and usability. And while the buy-in price IS high, so are the returns you get on them. And that's what you have to look at to see how much a bike actually 'costs' you.
The first one was a CNOC 16 which retailed (at the time) at £229. When we came to sell it, I'd heard that Islabikes resold well and priced it at something like £150. In hindsight, it was way too low.
The first person to ring bought it for full asking price, but I had people calling me up for days afterwards offering up to £180 unseen (on the strength of the pictures on the ad).
Total cost to own the bike, £79 - but it could have been as low as £49.
The second was a Beinn 20, which retailed at £329. Knowing that it was likely to sell well, I offered that one for £250 and took £240 for it. The woman that came to pick it up had bought another SH Islabike that day, as she had twins, and paid more for the other one, which was in a much, much worse state. So, again, I probably could have got more for it.
Total cost to own the bike - £89, could have been less.
I mention these facts and figures, because her very first bike was Christmas present of a Dora the Explorer Halfords thing with stabilisers. From memory, this was £69 from Halfords and that sold for a fiver. And it was a dangerous pile of poo too. I'm not very mechanically minded, but I know how to set up brakes, and there was nothing I could do to get them working properly.
Total cost to own the bike - £65. Only £14 less than her first Islabike, which was streets ahead in terms of build quality.
I have no doubt that when we come to sell her current Apollo, that I will see very little of the £119 we paid for it (and that was half-price). I'd expect to list for about £30 and maybe get £20.
Expected total cost to own that bike around £100.
What I would say, however, is that the reason we didn't go for an Islabike this time around, is that they do look a little dull in comparison to offerings from other manufacturers (maybe more so for boys). This time I let my daughter choose her own bike and she was made up with that whole process. Partly, I think (in fact I know) because we ended up with a 14" woman's frame and 26" wheels, rather than another 'kids'' bike.
Nothing will compare to getting a cheap, cheap SH bike in terms of cost of ownership, but cheap new bikes are not always as cheap as you think. Plus what she's ended up with is probably heavier than mine, will cost more to own than an Islabike long term and she finds it hard to use the brakes as they're too big for her hands.
However, it may be that she uses it more than an Islabike, because she likes it. And that's my final point - it has to be something they'd be happy to be seen on (for older kids), and something they'd enjoy riding (for younger kids). After all, they get bought to be used, and that's the main thing.
I've bought my daughter two - both of which she's outgrown - and her latest one is a Halfords Apollo Elusion.
What I would say is that Islabikes are unbeatable in terms of weight and usability. And while the buy-in price IS high, so are the returns you get on them. And that's what you have to look at to see how much a bike actually 'costs' you.
The first one was a CNOC 16 which retailed (at the time) at £229. When we came to sell it, I'd heard that Islabikes resold well and priced it at something like £150. In hindsight, it was way too low.
The first person to ring bought it for full asking price, but I had people calling me up for days afterwards offering up to £180 unseen (on the strength of the pictures on the ad).
Total cost to own the bike, £79 - but it could have been as low as £49.
The second was a Beinn 20, which retailed at £329. Knowing that it was likely to sell well, I offered that one for £250 and took £240 for it. The woman that came to pick it up had bought another SH Islabike that day, as she had twins, and paid more for the other one, which was in a much, much worse state. So, again, I probably could have got more for it.
Total cost to own the bike - £89, could have been less.
I mention these facts and figures, because her very first bike was Christmas present of a Dora the Explorer Halfords thing with stabilisers. From memory, this was £69 from Halfords and that sold for a fiver. And it was a dangerous pile of poo too. I'm not very mechanically minded, but I know how to set up brakes, and there was nothing I could do to get them working properly.
Total cost to own the bike - £65. Only £14 less than her first Islabike, which was streets ahead in terms of build quality.
I have no doubt that when we come to sell her current Apollo, that I will see very little of the £119 we paid for it (and that was half-price). I'd expect to list for about £30 and maybe get £20.
Expected total cost to own that bike around £100.
What I would say, however, is that the reason we didn't go for an Islabike this time around, is that they do look a little dull in comparison to offerings from other manufacturers (maybe more so for boys). This time I let my daughter choose her own bike and she was made up with that whole process. Partly, I think (in fact I know) because we ended up with a 14" woman's frame and 26" wheels, rather than another 'kids'' bike.
Nothing will compare to getting a cheap, cheap SH bike in terms of cost of ownership, but cheap new bikes are not always as cheap as you think. Plus what she's ended up with is probably heavier than mine, will cost more to own than an Islabike long term and she finds it hard to use the brakes as they're too big for her hands.
However, it may be that she uses it more than an Islabike, because she likes it. And that's my final point - it has to be something they'd be happy to be seen on (for older kids), and something they'd enjoy riding (for younger kids). After all, they get bought to be used, and that's the main thing.
Edited by Kell on Monday 5th October 13:47
Edited by Kell on Monday 5th October 13:52
Another vote for Islabike here. We've had four and although the initial cost is high (although not a million miles away from other brands) the TCO is incredibly low and the fact they are so light and fun to ride means that kids actually want to go out on them far more often than the pig iron Halfords things that languish unloved in the garage.
Glad to hear all the positive reports on Islabikes here. We've just got the Rothan balance bike for my daughter's second birthday later this month. It seemed a lot to cough up for a kids bike but it sounds like we'll get a fair chunk back when it comes to moving it on. And my daughter's name is Isla so it was a bit of a no-brainer really.
lauda said:
Glad to hear all the positive reports on Islabikes here. We've just got the Rothan balance bike for my daughter's second birthday later this month. It seemed a lot to cough up for a kids bike but it sounds like we'll get a fair chunk back when it comes to moving it on. And my daughter's name is Isla so it was a bit of a no-brainer really.
//Insert totes inappropes joke about 'Isla' 'bike' nickname here.anonymous said:
[redacted]
For a decent Islabike of the variety I'd be after (Beinn 20 large) you're looking at a minimum of £225 on eBay - plus the expense/hassle of collections.The spotty Frog 55 @ £255 is looking very tempting at the moment. I think I'd rather the Islabike but it's another £80.
Another vote for Islabike - We got a7x88 junior a second hand (absolutely mint condition though!) CNOC as his first pedal bike (followed one of Isla's balance bikes). He was riding it without his stabilisers before he was 3. Great quality and what with it being so light it made it so much easier for him to learn on.
Second best purchase we made (aside from the compulsory crash hat) was a little set of Fox's kids MTB gloves. Saves him cutting up his palms when he inevitably falls off and being put off. He tends to jump straight up now shouting about how his gloves saved his hands!
Second best purchase we made (aside from the compulsory crash hat) was a little set of Fox's kids MTB gloves. Saves him cutting up his palms when he inevitably falls off and being put off. He tends to jump straight up now shouting about how his gloves saved his hands!
lauda said:
Glad to hear all the positive reports on Islabikes here. We've just got the Rothan balance bike for my daughter's second birthday later this month. It seemed a lot to cough up for a kids bike but it sounds like we'll get a fair chunk back when it comes to moving it on. And my daughter's name is Isla so it was a bit of a no-brainer really.
Our daughter is also called Isla!Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff