children's bike recomendation.

[wetny]

Hi. Looking to a reasonable children's bike for an eight year old boy. The one he has got weighs a ton. I am not surprised that he don't like riding it. Weight is defiantly a consideration. Obviously the cheaper the better but up to about two and a half hundred. Cheers.

[Bobley]

Straightforward bike - 2nd hand Islabike Beinn

Proper MTB - 2nd hand Islabike Creig

Road - 2nd hand Islabike Luath 24

I don't work for Islabikes and I've never owned one but if you can find a nice clean one and you look after it you'll hardly loose a penny and they are very nice bikes.

[DrMekon]

We've got a load of islabikes (two boys growing through the range). Buy new, lose virtually no money. Buy s/h, possibly make money.

My eldest is a has cycling coaching with the local club. About 70% of the bikes are islabikes. Among his cohort, all but a couple have Beinns in blue.

If you are nearby, Mildenhall cycle rally is a great chance to check them out, as they have a massive stand, and all teh sizes to try. My eldest first rode a bike when pushed by Isla's partner on a Cnoc several years back.

[jesusbuiltmycar]

might also be worth looking at http://www.frogbikes.com/ similar weigh / quality to islabikes and slightly cheaper.

[With these feet]

Just bought my son a Specialized Hotrock 20. He loves it though it is a bit heavier than the CNOC16 it replaced. Only issue I have and I think the majority of kids bikes have this issue is the gear shift is stiff. Getting first for a 6 yr old almost means twisting with both hands. Still when he saw it had front suspension he was grinning like a cheshire cat. The extra weight is about 3 kgs over the old bike but unsure about the 20" Isla.

Islabikes are a safe, though expensive, bet. Bit of a Dads choice over bright stickers and pogo fork!