My daughter is four and a half, and pretty confident on her Rothan balance bike.
So Santa was thinking it was about time she moved up to a pedal bike.

She’s fairly tall for her age: 50cm inside leg, 112cm tall.

According to the Islabikes size chart that should put her on a Beinn 20 Small which caters for inside legs of 47 to 58.

But that seems a pretty big jump to go from a small balance bike to proper bike with 20″ wheels, open chain, and gears.

I’m wondering if it might be more sensible and less intimidating to go for the Cnoc 16, which has 16″ wheels, no gears and an encased chain. But the size chart suggests that is for 42 to 52cm inside legs so in theory she’d grow out of it pretty quickly.

My worry is that she is quite wedded to the balance bike and not that keen to go to pedals (after disastrous attempts on a crappy inherited “bike”) so I don’t want to put her off
I want to stick with Islabikes because the “looks like your old bike but with pedals” will hopefully help with this.

Thoughts?

My boys went rothan to Cnoc 14. Stoner Jr Sr then went tobeinn small at age 6 and he turns 8 this month and will be fine on the beinn for at least another year. His brother is 4 and will be fine on the Cnoc for another year yet.

I wouldn’t rush the frame sizes. Esp as s/h prices hold up well enough to cover a lot of the cost of keeping them correctly sized.

Had the same dilemma a few weeks ago. My son is five in a month and has been on his sisters Benin 20 large but was way to big, I opted for the cnoc 16 with a view to changing it in a year. He’s been on a balance bike and happy cruises down hills so he’s ready. Just didn’t won’t to complicate things with the gears. They’re great bikes though always bought secondhand.

Cnoc 16.
We’ve a tall and very able 5 (just) yr old – loads of confidence on the Cnoc, but can’t cope with big sister’s old Beinn 20.

That seems fairly conclusive then. Thanks folks.

Just bought a 16″ belter ((£189) and the code blackfriday still takes 10% off.. last one in stock here…

http://shop.oneplanetadventure.com/early-rider-belter-16-35-to-6-yrs/dp/81685

Have you looked at Frog bikes
The 16″ (48) is slightly bigger than an Islabike 16, not noticeably heavier, slightly cheaper, comes with mudguards already and IMO better colours than the new Isla range
Just got one for my 4 yr old daughter
Resale values seem to be holding up pretty well like Isla do helped by a buy back / upgrade programme

That looks pretty sweet cloudnine, belt drive and 0.5kg lighter than a Cnoc 16 too. The kid in the video looks very comfy on it.

But sadly I think it would be rejected on the grounds that it wasn’t purple. 😕

Pick up the twins frogs tomorrow for their 4th birthday. My girl is getting a 43 and the boy a 48. Both are feet up on balance bike but he is a wee bit taller.

I’d definitely go for the 16. She may not be on it for long, but its an important intermediary step. I couldn’t get daughter number 2 off her Rothan. She loved it! She was very reluctant to get off it onto a ‘proper’ bike. I’d actually got her a 20″ Carrera Luna, but she wasn’t keen. I ended up buying a 16″ Hot Rock off eBay and managed to persuade her on to it. In no time she’d graduated onto 20″ and gears, but despite being used only very briefly, it was a very important step. You may want to consider that before spending too much cash on a 16″. Its only really a temporary stepping stone, in my experience

Cheers binners.

Yeah whatever we get we’ll likely buy second hand and hang onto it for daughter #2 before selling it again. 😀

The 16″ won’t last long. Really it’s usefulness is up to about 5 depending upon height (our 3 1/2 year old moved up to the 16 which he is far better on than the 14)

I’m all for right size bikes and our nearly 5 who finally wanted to start pedaling in March on a 14 and a 16 has been on the small 20 since October and is a great improvement on the 16. She is reasonably competent though.
Considering the weather now until March isn’t exactly condusive to doing a lot on a bike as well I’d go bigger.

The open chain isn’t an issue IMO.
Gears will be left in one gear until they can work out how to use them anyway.

Anybody want a Red 14″ Isla ;0)

Oh and Binners makes a good point.

Graham,
My lad went from Cnoc14 to Beinn 20 (small) when he was 5. If you want to pop up the valley, you’re welcome to have a look/try it for size.

Note: Picture NOT taken “up the valley” in sunny Hexham!

Or look at Frog Bikes, their sizing seems to be in between the Isla sizing (and they’re cheaper). Bike Repair Man (Newcastle Giant Centre) in Prudhoe is stocking them now apparently.

My daughter is a very tall just gone 4 year old and she had a cnoc 16 for her birthday. The saddle is just above its lowest position so she has loads of room to grow into it.
I looked at all the alternatives (frog etc.) but none were as good. Yes the Isla costs a bit more but I think its worth it in the long run especially if you consider the resale value. My daughters is scratched battered and bruised already from a lot of use at the local pump track so ours will be worth about 50p when she is finished but we bought it for her to use and abuse.

3 1/2 (literally first go on the 16 after running the 14) Seat a reasonable amount above the lowest point. (still loves the balance bike though too)

[url=https://flic.kr/p/pxQU6r]Scarborough Autumn 2014[/url] by tomlevell, on Flickr

Put the nearly 5 year old on it again at the weekend to tow her to the shops and needed the seatpost above the sensible max limit (so left it below)

Basically a massive difference in child sizes at these ages.

OP – Can you borrow a 16 or even a 14 off someone to get her going on it before Xmas?

agree try and get a try somewhere as all kids different. Our boys are 12 and 8 with a 3.5 yr age gap and we went Cnoc 16, Beinn 20 Large, Beinn 26 Small, but we had to get the youngest a Beinn 24 for a year, and just sold it last month. The resale values are such that, especially with 2 kids using them, they dont cost much after initial outlay. Eldest is onto a 650B for Christmas though…

Both of ours went from Rothan to Cnoc 14 at aged 3 – 3.5, the eldest went to a 16 when his brother was ready for the 14. Eldest just turned 5, not sure how tall he is, but he is very comfortable on the 16 with plenty of seatpost left. More importantly the bike is the right size for him to handle and he doesn’t have to faff with gears.

The youngest (4 next week) is probably big enough now to go comfortably onto a 16, I’ve been torn and was originally going to wait til he can go on a 20″ wheeled bike, but have pretty much decided to get him a 16 too. Resale on the range is good so cost of ownership won’t be that much, and he’ll enjoy it far more I think.

I’d go for a 16 if I were you, even if you have to upgrade after a year or so she will be a lot more confident and ready to take on a bigger bike. All IMO of course.

I would think your eldest would fit the small 20.
Seems a waste even considering resale to not spend the extra £100 on something you’ll probably need it in 3 months. The speed our 5 year old is growing at the moment is bonkers.

Don’t have a side on with it in use but seat is probably 3-4″ up here.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/pQsCBu]Kids with skills loop[/url] by tomlevell, on Flickr

The lower gearing of the geared bike is a boon for them too.
Plus far more stable offroad.

She found 2nd gear on Sunday and went from spinning out and bouncing around up the hill to stupidly fast up it. I can’t keep up running anymore so don’t bother :0)

Tom

Interested in the 14 cnoc…let me know

There was a thread on here a while back and most people said go for a Beinn 20 Small.

Tis a shame the colours are a bit naff though

Our 5.5 year old is currently on a beinn 20, which he got when he was about 5, he’s fairly tall for his age and the bike has been fine. He went from a rothan to a cnoc16 for his 3rd birthday. He was only just the right size for the 16 but it was a good decision as he rode it straight away ad continued to do so for 2 years.

his 3.5 year old brother went from the rothan to 16 at 3 too and did a 6 mile ride as his second ride on it (ice cream half way of course). We then swapped it for his 5 year old cousins cnoc14 as his cousin had a go on the 16 and it was very good for him. But the 3.5 year old is now really missing the 16 as he is trying to keep up with his brother on the 20. its things that you don’t think of, the cranks are shorter which means his legs spin so much faster and hes spinning the gear out really easily now.

So i’d probably go for the larger bike….

FunkyDunc – Member

There was a thread on here a while back and most people said go for a Beinn 20 Small.

Tis a shame the colours are a bit naff though

The green is lovely. Odd the graphics are unreadable from pictures but the green is lovely.

freeridenick you should have email

they had a special batch of bright orange ones when we went for Jrs.
Ace.

My Daughter is 4.5 but quite petite and is still reluctant to use pedals on her Cnoc 14, to be fair I have not spent as much time with her on it as I need to.
She Loved her Rothan and didn’t want to go on to the bigger bike so I set it up as a balance bike initially.
Once she got the balance on the bigger bike I refitted the pedals and started her on a gentle slope.
She can ride it with pedals but she doesn’t believe she can 🙄

This thread reminds me I need to spend some more time with her on a bike to get it nailed.

Her brother is 2.5 now (And only about an inch shorter than his sister)and really needs to come off his plastic “Bike” and on to the rothan

If she could ride already I would probably say the Beinn, but as it is a bike to learn on I would go for the 16.

As you say she has a younger sister.

Her brother is 2.5 now (And only about an inch shorter than his sister)and really needs to come off his plastic “Bike” and on to the rothan

Stick him on the cnoc (with pedals) he might surprise you!

Great lightweight bikes the cnoc,my 6 yr old rides a beinn on the tracks but loves his cnoc on the jumps.

Graham, I have a purple Beinn 20 Small to sell if you are interested. Email in profile.

beiciwr64

That video is ace,

We have just received a green Cnoc16 for our sons 4th birthday in a few weeks. I think the colour is really nice. He is a bit big for his Rothan now .

[video]http://youtu.be/1LIu1yp8d-c[/video]

OP !I would buy a 16 as the 20 is a bit heavier,makes a big difference offroad.

We have just received a green Cnoc16 for our sons 4th birthday in a few weeks.

Changing to pedals will be fun!
I put on stabilisers for my son on his first pedal bike,he wasn’t too keen on pedaling to begin with.
Just got him to pedal a few meters a day,he soon got the hang of it,especially when he found out he could go faster,took around a week.

GrahamS – Member
That looks pretty sweet cloudnine, belt drive and 0.5kg lighter than a Cnoc 16 too. The kid in the video looks very comfy on it.

But sadly I think it would be rejected on the grounds that it wasn’t purple.

Hi Graham, my daughter is a relatively tall 6yr old and has just outgrown the Cnoc 16. Reckon yours would be just fine for at least a year.

If you’re interested I’m about to put her bike on the classifieds. Its purple and in good nick. the usual light scratching from being used but otherwise ok. I’ll be putting it up for £140 posted or £120 collected (from Manchester). Let me know if you’re interested and I can get some pictures across to you. If you’re in the vicinity happy to let you try it out regardless.

Cheers

Thanks all. Plenty to muse over there.

I’ll discuss it with the missus but my gut feeling is that the Cnoc 16 makes the most sense for now. I just don’t want to put her off with the bigger Beinn frame. And if she grows out of the Cnoc in a year then it sorts out next Xmas too 🙂

Thanks for the offers of try-outs etc, but I’m already going to struggle to explain why Santa is giving her an obviously second-hand present, without the added complication of getting her to test ride it in December! 😀

funkrodent: Yes I’m interested in that. Email in my profile.

So is it recomended to not fit the pedals in the CNOC, and use as a balance bike then fit the pedals?

And if she grows out of the Cnoc in a year then it sorts out next Xmas too

you nasty man! 🙂

I treat bikes for the kids as necessity. When they grow out of one, I get another, rather than make the poor lads wait ’till xmas. You wouldnt buy them a toothbrush just once a year at xmas would you? 😯

My five year old is 112 cm and on a Cnoc 16 (moved up to that from a 12″ hotrock thing when he was 4). Plenty of seatpost left in the frame.

He’s very confident on it – round the flatter trails at leigh woods in Bristol with no problems.

We had exactly the same dilemma with our daughter – just turned 5 and had been enjoying her Rothan for a couple of years. In the end we went for the Earlyrider Belter. Even though it has 16″ wheels, the frame is quite big – I think quite close to the 20″ Islabike. Anyway it fits her well (and she’s quite tall) with plenty of room for growth. It’s going to be fine for the next year at least.

As for riding it, she was pedalling it confidently after 5 mins even though she wasn’t keen to get off the Rothan to start with.

She wasn’t keen on NOT having a pink bike, but we solved that major issue by adding a load of pink flower stickers onto the frame. Job done and it actually looks really cool!

cr500dom – Member

My Daughter is 4.5 but quite petite and is still reluctant to use pedals on her Cnoc 14, to be fair I have not spent as much time with her on it as I need to.

It’ll come soon enough. It suddenly clicks that it’s now easier and faster when they get stronger. Ours could pedal at 3 1/2 but wouldn’t. Took another 8 months to actually want to do it.
Her brother who had someone to aim at is happy pedaling from 3 1/2 but still chooses the balance 50% of the time.

I’ll discuss it with the missus but my gut feeling is that the Cnoc 16 makes the most sense for now. I just don’t want to put her off with the bigger Beinn frame. And if she grows out of the Cnoc in a year then it sorts out next Xmas too

Yeah that’ll work out but I’m with Stoner ;0)
Now when they start asking for multiple bikes they’ll become Xmas/Birthday presents.

Yeah that’ll work out but I’m with Stoner ;0)

Me too. Our daughter had clearly outgrown her Rothan in the summer, so I certainly wasn’t going to make her wait until December to get a more suitable bike.

Mega happy tonight. Picked up the twins birthday bikes today and my daughter who has excellent balance bike skills was riding her Frog Bike unaided within 15 mins. A couple of runs in the garden then up to the park for more room, then she cycled all the way to dancing then back. What a way to remember your 4th birthday.

The little man is little behind compared to her with the balance bike skills but he has been riding feet up for a few weeks now, just needs a bit more practice and he’ll be off too. Balance bikes are awesome for learning to ride. I’m now totally convinced with them. Also the Frog bikes are brilliant too.

Balance bikes are awesome for learning to ride.

Yep, they are brilliant. Much better than the old school stabilisers. It’s a great moment when it all comes together and they pedal their first bike 🙂