Are Islabikes that much better than anything else?

[brogueish]

I need to start thinking about my child's next bike. He's currently on a Frog 55 and I'm looking at the options locally. Frog 61/62s seem in short supply round here at the moment, and there are some Islabike Beinn 24s around but they are so pricey (upwards of £200). I've seen that I can get a brand new Squish 24 for not much more than a second hand Islabike. Are Islabikes really that much better?!

Any others I should be looking at? He's 137cm tall, inside leg is 60.5. I want something really light and easy for him to use because he was quite a late starter on the bike, he loves his Frog 55 if that helps.

We had 2 Isla bikes for our DS. If you’re a cycling family they’re great because very lightweight. Most children’s bikes are incredibly heavy which our DS found very off-putting on a decent bike ride.
We bought from eBay and then sold them on, they definitely hold their value.

My husband is a very keen cyclist and has been all his life, both our kids learnt on Islabikes from the original tag-a-long which sadly they stopped making, the balance bike and through to their teen years. As the PP said, they are incredibly light which works well for kids. Would highly recommend them.

Agree with previous posters.

But second hand and sell on. You won’t lose money.

Sorry that should say ‘buy’ not but 🙄

We have a SEN child with slight physical disability, the ISLA bike made a huge difference, so much so we moved to a normal bike next and it was too heavy. We now have a Frog bike which is similar lightweight to the ISLA bike.

Any well built lightweight modern bike would work IMO.

Early rider bikes are also very good and hold their value.

Thanks all - the Squish 24 is lighter than the Beinn 24. Is the Islabike still better? I get that they'll likely hold their value better though.

I think there's not that much difference weight wise between the Frog and Islabikes. Squish only came out when my kids were older but the one Squish we had was good quality and value and sold on easily.

I think between those it's personal preference really, or what's available second hand if that's the road you're going down. All 3 are good brands and significantly better than what Halfords will sell you

Islabikes brand was sold, stopped making bikes, then repurchased by the original owner and currently mainly makes spare parts to keep existing bikes running.
Good historically and great IF you find one but nothing wrong with other options.

I'm a kids' cycling coach and we see the good, bad and the ugly of bikes at our club every year! Islabikes without doubt revolutionised the children's bike market as they were first company to make a range of light-ish bikes with half decent components really designed for children. But plenty of other companies have caught on now, which is probably at least part of the reason why Islabikes went under. Frog (who also went into administration earlier this year) Squish, and Woom are all very good children's specific brands and some of the more mainstream companies also make some pretty good kids bikes now. Our local bike shop is a Cube stockist so we see lots of those at our club and they're fine. I always advise parents to buy the best bike they can afford and best is more or less synonymous with lightest really, but it doesn't have to be an Islabike. There are other good options these days so it's just a matter of personal preference and availability really.

short answer. yes they are. Isla bikes are the best and iSla rowntree is a legend

DS had a squish 24, previously he had a Beinn 20.

Im actually sold on the squish over islabike

1. The squish 24 is easier for me to lift onto our roof rack than the beinn 20 is, I take them cycling alone so this is a bonus.

1. The beinn has a grip shift (?) Gear changer, DS finds it more difficult to use than the thumb flick one the squish has.

1. There was some sort of recall on beinn 24/26 I think so you have to be careful yours has been fixed when buying second hand.

I will continue to try to get squishes, DD had a frog that she needs to grow a bit to fit so im excited to try that one!

Thanks everyone, really helpful to hear a range of perspectives. He has been very happy learning on his Frog so I'm keen to keep building on what he knows and developing his confidence. I hadn't spotted that the Islas have different gear changers and that would make a difference I think.