I’ve been waiting to pull the trigger on a Cnoc 16 for my youngest for a couple of months now, saving pennies and waiting for the weather to improve. Yesterday I popped onto the site before getting him to come and make a final decision on colour, only to find the price has gone up by 25% (£50). Am I alone in thinking that’s a hell of a hike?

I tried my hardest not to flounce but couldn’t help contacting them to share my disappointment, they did respond very quickly with some justification but nothing that I thought could reasonably explain that large an increase (just my opinion).

So now a Cnoc 16 with mudguards is a whopping £275 which makes the Frog equivalent look very appealing at just £190. I’ve always been a massive fan of Islabikes (we’ve had 4 so far) and have staunchly defended them but now I feel a little used. I still think they’re the best bike on the market for little people but can’t help feeling they’re taking the proverbial now.

Any other Islabike fans think this is a bit unreasonable or should I just stop pouting and move on?

Coincidentally I visited my new LBS for the first time yesterday and it turns out they stock Frog bikes, the 16″ one looks pretty decent so if I can persuade the little’un that he doesn’t really want a green bike we might be getting one of those.

If they’re selling them faster than they can make them, then putting prices up makes sense. See also: Brompton.

My kids were delighted to learn to ride properly on a second hand Ridgeback MX16 off eBay.

Spend the rest on upgrades to your bike so you can keep up with them!

By the time you come to sell it, they will have gone up even more so you’ll sell on eBay for what you paid.

Or buy on eBay…

it turns out they stock Frog bikes, the 16″ one looks pretty decent so if I can persuade the little’un that he doesn’t really want a green bike

“Frog bikes not available on green shocker”

A couple of years ago I’d have agreed with you that Islabikes were head and shoulders above the competition. There are now more and more sensibly-designed lighweight kids bikes out there. Frog go really well and at 2/3 the price I’d have thought that would be a better option.

If I was suggesting someone spend £250+ on a 16″ kids bike the only option I could in good conscience recommend would be an Early Rider – the Belter:
Belter 16 (2019)

It’s great for the resale value! The only trouble with that is you still end up buying a bigger one (though as next one here will be a 24, there is greater choice in decent options). The only thing which confuses me here is how you’ve already had 4 and still need a 16.

It’s not personal – as suggested above, they’re a commercial company and presumably enough people will still buy at that price. You seem to have 3 options
– suck it up and enjoy the increased resale
– get one s/h on ebay
– …well you’ve already identified that, and Frogs seem to have their fans.

The website says £250 or am I missing something?!

OP my son loves his Cnoc16. It reaffirms us to other middle class families that we are part of a tight-knit higher group. You wouldn’t see us in a T4 for instance. T5’s are the tool for the job.

If you work in media/graphic design you really need to buy your son or daughter a Islabikes IMO. Its the Howies for children.

Just sold a 3 or 4 year old 20″ Beinn for £250 (if that helps the justification).

Check out some of the German online bicycle companies for alternative kids bikes.

I’d buy second hand and flog it for almost the money you paid for it in a year or so. I got a Cnoc 16 off here for £100, If I sell it for £50 in 2 years time I’ll be happy. My daughter didn’t have clue whether it was new or not it was just a bike to her!!

I don’t think they are worth their RRP but I don’t think much is. As long as people are buying them they’ll keep selling second hand a decent prices.

Hora – Is £250 without mudguards?

My obvious troll aside- we bought hora jnr a Cnoc16 over a year ago. After ride one it had a puncture and I’m too idle to fix it.

Even so he says he much prefers how the Cnoc rides to the Ridgeback MX14 that he has to put up with in its place.

Must remember to fix it.

Mudguards I think

The only thing which confuses me here is how you’ve already had 4 and still need a 16.

My two are 13 months apart so we can’t always hand them down – 2 Rothans, a 14 and a 16. Would like to get the youngest a 16 (the 14 was handed down) rather than wait longer or stretch him onto a 20 now. My choice and an expensive approach I know, but I’d rather they ride a bike that fits them well.

I know my options, I was just quite surprised at that much of a hike in price. I always thought that Islabikes were less commercially driven than that, naive of me perhaps.

This isn’t really about what I can and can’t afford, I guess I’m just wondering if Islabikes have been taken in by their own hype. The prices only went up last month so I guess time will tell.

The website says £250 or am I missing something?!

Yep, mudguards are £25 extra on the Islabikes but come as standard on the Frog (albeit they’re not as good quality).

Who did you hang with when you had a Decathlon and the middle class parents disowned you?

The Decathlon was bad quality. It went straight back and replaced with an all-conquering Strider.

probably selling a Cnoc 16 soon, no mudguards, not heavily used pink graphic on grey

probably 4 yo,

By the way drovercycles, that belter looks like a little… belter! Have you any experience of them? I don’t really know anything about belt drives other than the thread from GrahamS (I think) ages ago.

We ‘Went to Frog’ after Islabikes wouldn’t post to France. Their response to my e-mail said they were trying to limit growth. So I went and bought elsewhere: their growth was limited. Seriously….if that’s not a company with thier head up their ar£e then I don’t know what is. They’ll be Rapha Isla Bikes next…

Good for Islabikes. It’ll bite them at somepoint

You get Frogs in France then?

probably selling a Cnoc 16 soon, no mudguards, not heavily used pink graphic on grey

How much?

I’ll be going back to Evans for another Pinnacle, s/h bargains notwithstanding.

Had Isla bikes for my kids from the start too, but the competition has caught up, were cheaper already and now Isla put their prices up.

They are still a good investment due to high resale value but we just bought a Hoy Bonaly 24″ as it was a mtb rather than a hybrid. It was also cheaper, lighter and just a really nice bike. You have to buy from Evans, but at least you can try them out and we got a further £30 to spend in the shop.

Worth a look?

http://www.commencal-store.co.uk/PBSCProduct.asp?ItmID=14495051

There is a used Islabikes facebook group. I got a mint condition cnoc16 from someone on there for £140. Doubt you’ll get a green one though.

I love the Commencal for the enduro colourway and the wide bars 🙂

Green Cnoc 16 for £180 on the Facebook Group

edit – scroll down to 25th March

2kg (25%) heavier than a cnoc16 though.

I’m in danger of sounding like an Islabikes fanboi 🙁

The Pinnacle I bought was about a kg heavier than the equivalent Islabike, but it had decent sized fat tyres on it unlike the Islabike.

We bought our a lad a second hand Beinn 24 a few years ago. I put some new grips, brake blocks and tyres on it. He really loved it when he out grew it sold it for what we paid, it still looked immaculate.
Seemed like good VFM

Then I looked at the Creig 26 as his next bike. They were £700 new and I knew that wasn’t going to be bought! I think they have dropped it from the range now.

As a project I bought a used kona 14″ bike the frame was very very similar in style & weight to the isla. The tyres alone must have weighed 2/3 kg!!
I sold all the dross off the bike,
put 152mm cranks with a single 28 tooth ring (from isla £35) running
1 x 9 and everything else very good used but better spec than the Crieg. Its built up into a cracking little kids bike at a fraction of the cost, he loves it.
There is always an alternative!

I’ve always been a massive fan of Islabikes (we’ve had 4 so far) and have staunchly defended them but now I feel a little used.

Drama much?

CNOC 16 is possibly the ugliest premium kids bike I’ve ever seen.

aracer – Member
mugsys_m8 » We ‘Went to Frog’ after Islabikes wouldn’t post to France.
You get Frogs in France then?

Frog posted the Frog to France at a very reasonable cost like coal to Newcastle.
Even with the postage it was cheaper than buying the Islabike. And I dealt with a company that wanted to sell me something.

£200 for a 16″ wheel bike means it’s time to look for alternatives. We used a perfectly reasonable Raleigh for less than half that price and had many long rides in the country.

There are alternatives to the “mainstream” which provide a perfectly acceptable riding experience. A used Raleigh Kobo 16 will have rigid forks, alloy rims, adjustable brake levers and decent brakes. You can always upgrade to Brompton tyres if you want light and fast.

<whoosh> @ mugsys_m8 😉

like coal to Newcastle.

@aracer…
or still whoosh? ❓

Ridgeback mx16 is £127 at cycle surgery if I recall the post on hotukdeals correctly.

I is confused, which social class do I belong to if I bought a brand new cnoc 16 but put £5 decathlon mudguards on it? 😉

Good news on the price hike for those of us who bought in at £200! 😈

Jnr FD’s 5th birthday today and he got this 😀

A Frog 55. Looks better than the equivalent Isla bike Beinn and £50 cheaper too.

It replaces a Ridgeback mx16 which he only got 1 summers use. Ahem … Shortly for sale

Oh and I haven’t put the in the price, free mudguards on. Did manage to wander some proper off road tyres though!

And 15% off frig bikes this weekend at Edinburgh bike coop