Child's first bike - just get islabike Cnoc ?
Discussion
Have a looks at Frog bikes. Similar ethos but you'll find a local bike shop with them in.
https://www.frogbikes.com/
My lad loves his Frog 52
https://www.frogbikes.com/
My lad loves his Frog 52
We got my son a Cnoc16 when he was 4 and my 2 two year old has a Rothan. I my opinion they are excellent bikes, nothing amazing, yet well designed and put together. I've made sure my boys have looked after them, so we can keep them for some time, and even pass on to my daughter in time.
cost of ownership was a key factor when we purchased, some of the eBay values are crazy in my opinion!
cost of ownership was a key factor when we purchased, some of the eBay values are crazy in my opinion!
In contrast to the Islabike militia, I bought my kids a couple of second hand Raleighs in good nick. Collectively both bikes cost me less than £40.
I can't keep the little buggers off their bikes to the point where EVERY outing with the dog, to the shops, to post a letter, etc. is a bike ride/race for my 3 and 6 year old.
As the bikes are grown out of they will be sold - probably for a profit - which will go into buying the next size bike up.
Best £40 I have spent.
Kids bikes just need to be tough, I really dont buy into the isla bike thing as they are mega expensive in comparison to how I have done this and the difference wont bring any more reward.
An Isla bike fundamentalist will be along in a minute to quote the Quran of Isla biking and why we should all sign up to the religion of Isla. Its happened before on here - they were some special cycling group who wore too much lycra and had some kind of Isla grooming circle going on if I remember rightly.
I can't keep the little buggers off their bikes to the point where EVERY outing with the dog, to the shops, to post a letter, etc. is a bike ride/race for my 3 and 6 year old.
As the bikes are grown out of they will be sold - probably for a profit - which will go into buying the next size bike up.
Best £40 I have spent.
Kids bikes just need to be tough, I really dont buy into the isla bike thing as they are mega expensive in comparison to how I have done this and the difference wont bring any more reward.
An Isla bike fundamentalist will be along in a minute to quote the Quran of Isla biking and why we should all sign up to the religion of Isla. Its happened before on here - they were some special cycling group who wore too much lycra and had some kind of Isla grooming circle going on if I remember rightly.
hman said:
An Isla bike fundamentalist will be along in a minute to quote the Quran of Isla biking
They certainly do have a strong following, perhaps even cult like! I could only justify the cost based upon the second hand value!Growing up, I had all kinds of crap bikes and loved everyone of them, even my Raleigh Commando made me smile, despite it's near car like weight. Kids generally don't care, I agree there, my son only caring about the colour, the grips and if the tyres are chunky enough, but I've seen him ride his mates bike which is heavy and has crappy brakes and he wasn't impressed, so perhaps I've made a rod for my own back now.
I like nice things, I know a bit about bikes, and I'm well aware all that extra cost only brings small gains, but they love their bikes, so I'm a happy dad!
They want BMXs now, and again, I'm not buying any old s
t, but I will be heading over to eBay and classifieds to find a bargain this time. I'm in two minds about the whole Islabike thing; we all managed to learn to ride and we did it on hulking great things made of cast iron.
Having said that, after a Ridgeback Scoot balance bike, we got our son a CNOC14 when he was three. He outgrew that at five, at which point it seemed short-sighted to go for the CNOC16 so instead we got a small Beinn 20. The Beinn fits him fine and should last another couple of years. It has the added advantage of gears, so he can tackle inclines without running out of steam half way up.
In terms of durability, both bikes have been very good and haven't needed parts or repairs.
Having said that, after a Ridgeback Scoot balance bike, we got our son a CNOC14 when he was three. He outgrew that at five, at which point it seemed short-sighted to go for the CNOC16 so instead we got a small Beinn 20. The Beinn fits him fine and should last another couple of years. It has the added advantage of gears, so he can tackle inclines without running out of steam half way up.
In terms of durability, both bikes have been very good and haven't needed parts or repairs.
I like Islabikes and we have a few of them. I don't like stabilisers though. They really don't teach the child to ride a bike. Having tried stabilisers, then a handle attached to the bike, I found a balance bike works best. Really quick to get them cycling after several months of balancing.
Got my daughter a Frog bike for her last birthday. She had a second hand Raleigh that was given to us for nothing beforehand. The difference is huge. The speed she gets up to is ridiculous compared to the Raleigh. Maybe it had something to do with it weighing more than my Specialized and the Frog is light enough for her to pick up easily.
We got a Frog instead of an Islabike as we could try it out at a local shop first and it was £50 less expensive and came with mudguards as standard. The only thing we added was a kickstand to stop it getting scratched too much when she parks it.
We got a Frog instead of an Islabike as we could try it out at a local shop first and it was £50 less expensive and came with mudguards as standard. The only thing we added was a kickstand to stop it getting scratched too much when she parks it.
We had an Islabike Cnoc for our kids, we kept it for around 4 years, it was handed down between them and we lost around £60 on it during that time.
Frog bikes weren't around when we bought it so I didn't compare them. The Cnoc was great though and my daughter is now on a Beinn while my son fancied a Specialized.
Expensive they may be but I considered them good value given the money recovered when it was sold.
Frog bikes weren't around when we bought it so I didn't compare them. The Cnoc was great though and my daughter is now on a Beinn while my son fancied a Specialized.
Expensive they may be but I considered them good value given the money recovered when it was sold.
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