Islabikes ceases production
Discussion
Last week I discovered Islabikes, great kids bike, with a great story, based in the UK.
They where out of stock of the Rothen 12 so we bought a 'nearly new' condition used example for our 22month old daughter.
This week I have discovered that they have ceased production. They are going to keep the spares/warrenty side going (for now?) but once the current stock has gone, its gone.
Appears to be a case of rising costs/exchange rates, and a squeezing in spending power, and increased competition in the market place.
https://www.bikeradar.com/news/islabikes-ceases-pr...
They where out of stock of the Rothen 12 so we bought a 'nearly new' condition used example for our 22month old daughter.
This week I have discovered that they have ceased production. They are going to keep the spares/warrenty side going (for now?) but once the current stock has gone, its gone.
Appears to be a case of rising costs/exchange rates, and a squeezing in spending power, and increased competition in the market place.
https://www.bikeradar.com/news/islabikes-ceases-pr...
dirtbiker said:
I'm sure the second-hand market will remain strong but really foresaw us buying a few new as time goes on.
Same. It seems a great shame.Surprised they couldn't find a buyer, but maybe they feel they have done their part in transforming the market and just wanted to wind it down?
As you say, I very much expected to be in the market for their bikes, and happy to buy new, for many years.
When the Rothan 12 was out of stock, and a slightly drab colour, I considered the Frog Tadpole but at 4.2kg against the Isla at 3.1kg its a whopping 25% heavier. Obviously you can go too far with this and I am sure the Frog is fine, but its the equivalent of 6kg scaled up from 15kg toddler to a 85kg adult.
Still, what they have done and left behind is impressive.
dhutch said:
dirtbiker said:
I'm sure the second-hand market will remain strong but really foresaw us buying a few new as time goes on.
Same. It seems a great shame.Surprised they couldn't find a buyer, but maybe they feel they have done their part in transforming the market and just wanted to wind it down?
https://road.cc/content/news/uk-bike-sales-fall-ev...
Lots of bicycle companies have already gone under and while it may be a shame its arguably better for a company to gracefully shut up shop than suddenly go bankrupt leaving many people in the lurch.
Fastdruid said:
I think it's less finding a new buyer and more that the market right now is really really hard for all bicycle manufacturers.
https://road.cc/content/news/uk-bike-sales-fall-ev...
Lots of bicycle companies have already gone under and while it may be a shame its arguably better for a company to gracefully shut up shop than suddenly go bankrupt leaving many people in the lurch.
Absolutely understand that. Might not be a very saleable asset right now!https://road.cc/content/news/uk-bike-sales-fall-ev...
Lots of bicycle companies have already gone under and while it may be a shame its arguably better for a company to gracefully shut up shop than suddenly go bankrupt leaving many people in the lurch.
Maybe they and or the brand will 'weather the storm' without producing new bikes, and then either restart production or set the business in a few years during more buoyant times. It's very clear that the moment they have stopped manufacturing, not wound up the business.
Obviously a large amount of the cycle industry is disposable income on expensive leisure goods. A cost of living crisis after a surge of covid buying, with increased costs, means a perfect storm. When your struggling to make ends meet, upgrading your bike with a shiny new one is about the last thing on the list, particularly if there is good stocks of used examples.
My two boys learned to ride on a Cnoc 14 and my youngest has a Beinn 20 for 10 more days.
Good quality bikes and the light weight and sized components made learning to ride a lot easier.
But they were getting way too expensive.
When my eldest outgrew the 20 the price of the Creig 26 (he wanted a mountain bike) was way too much. £1.1k! Prompted me to start looking round more. Ended up with a Whyte 403 for around half the price. And IMO it's at least as good a bike. It's possibly a kilo heavier, but at this age and with experience under his belt, the 1kg makes no real difference.
Youngest will be getting one for Christmas. I reckon they should see them through to late teens.
Shame they've folded.
Will be cleaning the Beinn up after Christmas and will sell on at some point next year. The Cnoc sold for the same price I bought it for after seeing two kids through 6yrs of service.
Good quality bikes and the light weight and sized components made learning to ride a lot easier.
But they were getting way too expensive.
When my eldest outgrew the 20 the price of the Creig 26 (he wanted a mountain bike) was way too much. £1.1k! Prompted me to start looking round more. Ended up with a Whyte 403 for around half the price. And IMO it's at least as good a bike. It's possibly a kilo heavier, but at this age and with experience under his belt, the 1kg makes no real difference.
Youngest will be getting one for Christmas. I reckon they should see them through to late teens.
Shame they've folded.
Will be cleaning the Beinn up after Christmas and will sell on at some point next year. The Cnoc sold for the same price I bought it for after seeing two kids through 6yrs of service.
It’s a shame that they’ve decided to knock it on the head, they made such a difference to the kids bike market.
Guess part of the issue is that they no longer have the market to themselves with the likes of Early Rider, Frog, Hoy plus the likes of Vitus and Nukeproof making kids bikes.
Our lad started on a Rothan which is still kicking about in the garage.
Guess part of the issue is that they no longer have the market to themselves with the likes of Early Rider, Frog, Hoy plus the likes of Vitus and Nukeproof making kids bikes.
Our lad started on a Rothan which is still kicking about in the garage.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mountain-Biking-Untold-Br...
I'd recommend watching this - there's a section with an interview/piece with the founder.
The loss of Isla bikes is a real loss to future children's entry into the cycling world. My son loved his. Fantastic bikes. Real thought into downscaling a decent rideable and enjoyable bike for little people.
I'd recommend watching this - there's a section with an interview/piece with the founder.
The loss of Isla bikes is a real loss to future children's entry into the cycling world. My son loved his. Fantastic bikes. Real thought into downscaling a decent rideable and enjoyable bike for little people.
I know a lot of people instantly dismiss Islabikes either on price or reverse snobbery but they're probably cheaper than buying any equivalent due to their strong resale value. Whether you buy new or used, you lose very little over the ownership period which is generally not that long.
We've had a couple of Islabikes, and a Dawes which I think was the pre-cursor to Squish.
Islabikes have pushed the game on for kids bikes and whilst they'll leave a gap in the market, it's much smaller than what it was when they came to it. They should be proud of their legacy as their bikes will probably still exist in a decade due to their build quality.
We've had a couple of Islabikes, and a Dawes which I think was the pre-cursor to Squish.
Islabikes have pushed the game on for kids bikes and whilst they'll leave a gap in the market, it's much smaller than what it was when they came to it. They should be proud of their legacy as their bikes will probably still exist in a decade due to their build quality.
That is a shame. My son had a Beinn 20 which was a lovely bike. Sold to some friends for their younger children and I think is still in use in our village somewhere.
Isla believed in her conviction that there was a market for proper kids bikes made with good components and lightweight frames.
Isla believed in her conviction that there was a market for proper kids bikes made with good components and lightweight frames.
Chicken Chaser said:
...
Islabikes have pushed the game on for kids bikes and whilst they'll leave a gap in the market, it's much smaller than what it was when they came to it. They should be proud of their legacy as their bikes will probably still exist in a decade due to their build quality.
This.Islabikes have pushed the game on for kids bikes and whilst they'll leave a gap in the market, it's much smaller than what it was when they came to it. They should be proud of their legacy as their bikes will probably still exist in a decade due to their build quality.
There are now alternatives with decent components designed for kids.
Convinced it would have taken my two a lot longer to learn on an older school bike.
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