Coming up to a year ago I got OrangeSpyderEldest a CNOC14 small. I spoke to the Islabikes people and because he was not yet 3, erred on the side of caution and got a small one because I knew it would fit rather than a large that might have been unwieldy and put him off (he’d been on the balance bike over a year by then and was very comfortable coasting feet up, but he’s average size).

Fast forward to now, and it’s going to be too small for him in the next few months. He can still belt around on it like a madman, but bars are at their highest and saddle is only mm off max.

So, I’ve been looking at what next. He measures about 105cm and inside leg measures up at about 43 (possibly a wee bit more – using the book method and he gets all silly and giggles about it 😆 ) He’ll be 4 in December if that matters.

Islabikes size guide would have him firmly in CNOC 16 territory, but I read somewhere that they’re fairly conservative and if he’s comfortable on the bike (he is, really, he belts round like a nutter and loves pedalling standing up and is keen to learn to jump. I’ve been stalling him on this for the moment 😕 ) Any experience that anyone can share on a CNOC 20 for someone who is officially too small for one?

And now to the am I bonkers bit – the Beinn 20 small seems to be broadly the same size. And gets him gears, which he probably will struggle with, but will open up all sorts of new horizons once he tweaks (and worse case can leave in one gear, surely?). Am I bonkers even thinking about this (Full disclosure : I’ve had a couple of beers)? 😳

I’m in exactly the same boat.

My eldest is 4 on saturday. He is currently on a frog 43 (cnoc 14 equivalent), and he is now too big for it (seatpost past the min insertion line).

All the measurements say to get a 16″ wheel bike, but I think I might get away with a beinn 20 small.

I reckon if I stretch him out until Christmas, I might get away with it. I’ll take him to a bike shop to give it a try soon.

Jnr#2 is 4 and a half and quite small/wiry. He ran out of size on his cnoc 14 in about June (@4.3) and I tried him on his big bro’s Beinn 20 small. He could fit, and could ride it but only just and he cried. Riding his 14 was pointless – he runs out of gearing quickly and even with bars rocked forward it’s noticeably short.

Ended up getting him a Frog 48 (16″) off the ‘bay, and he flies on it! Isla’s sizing is clever as it persuades you to buy a bike each year. The Frog is less adjustable than the Isla but was v cheap.

I wouldn’t squeeze a just-4 year old onto a Beinn unless they are very tall, very strong and very capable. If you’re around the NW you’re welcome to try him out on ours.

I have a a Beinn 20 small that will be available soon-ish. Just need to get the 24 back from friends and try our youngest on it.
Welcome to try it if for size you’re anywhere near York.

Thanks Rich_s – I’m in France so that’s too far, but you have a compelling argument that I may, yes, be a bit bonkers, so thanks for sharing that 🙂

Think that getting a 16″ bike will mean another one in a year, but if that’s what’s best I’ll happily do it. On the overall budget, I waste spend more on beer per year 🙂

BITD it was 12″ 16″ 20″ 24″ 26″ wheels
The 14″ wheel options really buggers it up IMHO
Bloody islabikes and their new fangled sizing options and lighteweight components 😆

Small 20″ blingvagen?

And a stock version.

My eldest went straight from a 12″ Giant Animator onto a Beinn 20″ at age 4 1/2 (back when they just did one middle size not big / small). Think we just went off inside leg measurement. Isla cranks tend to be sized on the short side compared to other brands, so if it looks like he could fit then will probably be fine. Gears open up many more options (although ratios are more suited to bike paths and we had to modify for proper off road).

He is now 15, on a 29er and off to race xc at inter-regionals this weekend so don’t think it has hindered progress 🙂

We went from a CNOC 14 to a Beinn 20 small with my daughter on her 4th birthday. She is tall for her age but it was a bit bigger than recommended. However she was a very confident rider, having been riding the CNOC since she was 2 and a half. When it arrived and she got on it, it did look too big and was a bit unwieldy but she soon got used to it and she’s still on it now just approaching her 7th Birthday (but the searpost is now maxed and we’ll be looking to change soon).

I don’t regret going straight to the Beinn small at all. She’d very quickly have been too small for the CNOC 16 and having the gears is a big plus. She soon got used to them and it opened up all kinds of riding. She’s done lots of the local trails near us and I doubt she’d have been as far along had we only got the CNOC 16.

105cm tall on a Beinn 20 seems rather keen so you’ll definitely want to try it in the flesh. My girl is 127cm or so and fits a Beinn 20 perfectly now. A year ago she tried the Beinn (it’s a hand-me-down from her elder brother) and she could ride it, but not in a confident way: it was just too long. Straight lines were fine but anything beyond gentle curves and her body wasn’t long enough.

My girl is 127cm or so and fits a Beinn 20 perfectly now

Is that the small or the old single sized one, out of interest? The size guide says 112cm for a Beinn 20 small now, so realise it’ll be a stretch in any case. He’d love having gears like Dad, but I don’t want to make him cry like Rich_s did. Mean, mean person 😈

Similar position – had been considering signing up to bike club thing where u ‘hire’ frog bikes as an easy option……I’ve just not had time to do the sums. It’s an easy way of having a temporary jump from 14 to 20 via a 16 if you get what I’m saying…….

…….and no I don’t work for them! Not worked it all out myself yet. But know that Islabikes don’t lose much value so basically pay for themselves.
I’m sure I would be the exception to the rule with this however ! 😆

My boy went from cnoc 14 to beinn 20 small ok. Was a bit big, but with saddle right down he could ride it ok. Think he was 4 at the time, likely about 4.5. Like yours he was confident when switched. No crying that I can remember…doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. We decided to get him it after he rode 13 miles on the cnoc…legs whizzing round. He mastered gears much more quickly than I expected and no probs with gripshift that others have reported. So, from my experience it was a reasonable step up. He’s about to go to 24″ bike and sister (nearly 5) will move onto the 20.

My daughters experience mimics a couple of the posters above going straight from a Cnoc14 to a Beinn 20 small at 4 ½. It was a bit on the big side to start with but she took to it straight away and was soon bombing about everywhere with the bigger wheels and extra length giving her loads of confidence.

#1 son did the cnoc14 to beinn 20s jump too. But it’s a big jump to make depending on their size and ability. Having seen #2 son on his Frog 16″ it’s a much smoother transition.

We found with both of the miniwithchipses that they managed ok with every second size in the islabikes list. This seems to be the same as what others are saying above.

Tyre choice (yes, I know but really) seems to make a bit of difference to keeping them happy. While the frames fit, I did wonder about too-big wheels making the new size a bit ungainly, but that’s not been a problem in practice.

For context, we don’t exactly shred the gnar, but distance doesn’t seem to be a problem.

Islabikes sizing is a touch conservative. If you can squeeze him onto a Beinn 20, then I would absolutely do this as it’s a much more capable bike than the Cnocs. Once my kids got theirs, our cycling range increased from a couple of miles to 20+ almost overnight, which opened up a whole load of new riding and experiences. The difference between gears and single speed is absolutely huge for kids, even if at first you’ll find yourself very adept at changing gear for him while riding 🙂

Even if the bike is slightly too big, you’ll blink and it will be time to sell it again!

I just had a quick check through my email and my (average height) son had his Beinn 20 Small when he was 4.5 years old and he was definitely below the minimum height. We christened it by riding around Kielder, so it must have been OK 🙂

We went from Cnoc14 to Beinn20 Small when ours were just over 4. To get the saddle low enough for the first month or so, I took off the rear reflector (as the plastic band around the seatpost was stopping it dropping all the way down). Don’t bother with the 16, would be my advice.

I seem to be the dissenter! Would strongly recommend try before you buy… or else tears may ensue 😉

I seem to be the dissenter! Would strongly recommend try before you buy… or else tears may ensue

It’s a fair opinion, but I have the longer-view here, which is to buy on the large size and if it’s too big, it goes in the garage until it fits which by the way my kids eat will probably only be a week or two 🙂

Islabikes have very accurate (if conservative) measurements on their website and I would say that if you’re in any doubt, follow these precisely and you simply can’t go wrong. I’ve bought 4 Islabikes over the years and certainly wouldn’t recommend going to Ludlow to try them (unless you are local, of course) as there’s just no need – just use a tape-measure and book as recommended here:
https://www.islabikes.co.uk/sizing-advice

We got a Cnoc 16 for her 4th birhtday, I think she was about 105cm and she’s grown out of it within the year. She’s now on the large / regular Beinn 20. Its a little bit long for her (makes moving the bike around when stationary difficult) and she’s close to the bottom of its size, although saddle is still out of the seat tube by an inch or so.

Islabikes have a good few roadshows, where you can try/ride round a field on any size you like to try them. We saw them at tweedlove.
There is a list on their website here:

Test ride

We went Cnoc 14 to 20 small about 4 1/2 and he stayed on that with the seat getting higher until around 7 when it was small and he got straight on to a 24 inch hardrock it was a bit big but he could ride it and wanted it. After a few months it was perfect anyway and it will last him til he’s on a little adult bike

My daughter’s just turned 6 and is only just OK on a specialized 20in hotrock – I’m a bad dad and put her straight from 14in (which was noticeably too small) to 20in wheels, she didn’t feel too comfortable at first (after trying it in the shop and saying she was fine on it of course) but it does fit her properly and she’s totally steady on it.
I think unless the 14in is grossly too small, I’d definitely get the 16in first.

Seems as though this is a hot topic. We are in a very similar place, miss king (4 3/4)is 106cm tall with an inside leg of 46cm which puts her firmly in the CNOC 16 range but will outgrow that quickly. Her current Ridgeback MX14 has been a great little bike but as we start to do longer and longer distances (upto 10 miles now!) her little legs are a blur so think a larger bike with larger wheels and gears would help greatly. Anyone with either a CNOC 16 or Beinn small around Aberdeen??

I’d definitely recommend going for a cnoc 16 because your priority should be to buy a bike that fits now. My grandson has just gone from a 16 to a Beinn 20 L and finds the reach a bit of a stretch and complained that it made his arms ache initially (he was 125cm at the time) and this put him off a bit. Now he’s grown a bit he loves it, especially with gears, but a 4yo would struggle. If you buy 2nd hand you can recoup your costs, so IMO it’s not worth the risk of getting a bike to grow into

Anyone with either a CNOC 16 or Beinn small around Aberdeen??

There’s a very active FB group for buying and selling Islabikes:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/826309394088435/

12 ‘leggy bikes’ > 16″ pedals > 20″ pedals here on all 3 boys. They need to fit until they are big enough to argue the toss with you (littlest B is on 24″ but could probably stand another few months on 20 .. the forks have seized solid though so he just grabbed the other bike and cracked on).

I’m a member of that group already however Aberdeen seems to have a drought of active users.

Just for anyone searching the forum in the future.  I plumped, a few months later for a Beinn 20 small.  It arrived today.  My son is 4 years and 3 months old, with an inside leg a shade under 45 cm so 2 cm “too short” according to Islabikes.  Reflector off to get the seat right down and he can ride it.

To be fair, it’s a shade big for him, and if he wasn’t a confident rider already, he probably wouldn’t be able to ride it (can touch the ground with toes either side).  Setting off needs him to be comfortable pushing off from one foot only on the ground and getting pedalling quickly (like an adult would) – no chance to scoot along à la balance bike to get going.

Don’t regret it because the CNOC 20 would be more or less the same size and the CNOC 16, which would probably fit better now, wouldn’t last a year I don’t think.

Gears are a plus, but he’s not yet really got the hang (first day, and only 40 mins this evening before he came in for his tea).  He’ll figure them out.

EDIT : Can’t make pictures work.

EDIT : Or can I?