Best bike for our daughters 6th birthday?

[Rosscow]

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!

[Rosscow]

11kg - still pretty weighty compared to the Islabike at 7.8kg.

And those tyres!!!

[Rosscow]

So, Islabike seem to get excellent reviews. Looks like I may have to bite the bullet.

Thanks for all of your replies!

[Rosscow]

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.

Edited by schmunk on Monday 5th October 12:40

Ahhh... excellent!! Many thanks, they look good

[Rosscow]

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.

[Rosscow]

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!

[Rosscow]

Cheers all. The local independent also stocks them so I'll have a look at one!

http://www.handsomebicycles.com

[Rosscow]

TSCfree said:

Found a natty little Co. doing Children's bikes whilst at the NEC bike show. No idea how they compare to Isla Bikes, however they caught my eye as they looked good quality and it was pretty light too.
http://earlyrider.com/

Wow, they look lovely but are even more than the Islabikes!! Out of our budget range I'm afraid.

[Rosscow]

OK, we're going to order a Frog 55 in spotty colours from the local bike shop.

£255, and they're going to assemble it for me. Also comes with 2 sets of tyres (hybrid and off-road) , bell, mudguards and reflectors as standard.

Compared to the Islabike at £329, no spare tyres, no bell and no mudguards it looks great value.

Time will tell on the resale but her little sister will probably inherit it anyway.

Thanks for all of your help, guys! Have a virtual beer on me

[Rosscow]

Looking forward to picking this up now!

Also considering getting a matching Frog 43 for our 3 year old for Christmas.....