First Ride Review: Islabike Jimi – A Mountain Bike For Those Who Refuse To Grow Old

Islabikes is best known for making good quality children’s bikes. Owner, Isla Rowntree, developed the children’s bike range when she found her friends’ children needed bikes, but that there wasn’t anything out there that met their needs. A similar desire to meet an unmet need has driven the development of the new ‘Icons’ range: as Isla’s parents have grown older, the effects of ageing have left them restricted in their enjoyment of their existing bikes.

The Icons range consists of a ‘Janis’ road bike, ‘Joni’ urban bike, and ‘Jimi’ mountain bike. Check out the article here for details of the range.

We were lucky enough to have a Jimi for a short period of test riding before the launch of the Icons range. As well as riding it ourselves, we got tame member of the target age group to take it out for a spin. But before we get to the ride, let’s check out the design features that make this a mountain bike for the older generation.

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Isla came to visit and talked us through the design features of this bike.

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The Bike

This is a mountain bike designed for those that want to ride off road, but with their wheels on the ground. Aimed at those who ride more cautiously, and with a view to avoiding crashes and falls, features are designed to help offset some of the physical difficulties that ageing can present.

One of the most noticeable features of this bike is the weight. At 9.9kg for a Medium frame, it is noticeably light, belying its appearance perhaps. As the ability to produce power reduces, having a light weight bike becomes more important – just as it does for the lower power outputs of younger children. This low weight is achieved in part by the inclusion of a carbon rather than suspension fork, with Isla thinking that those who need a suspension fork will likely find other bikes in the market to suit their needs. The reduced strength of the target market is also recognised in the low gearing: a 10 speed 11-40T Sunrace cassette is teamed with a 26T chainring, for easier sitting and spinning up inclines balanced against decent speeds on the flat. Isla believes that these design features will suit the rider who has reduced strength but retains aerobic fitness – giving them an alternative option to the often-suggested e-bike.

Another immediately obvious feature is the step through frame, but this is not a women’s mountain bike for fans of full skirts and Victorian bustles. The step through frame is there to make it easier for riders with reduced mobility – particularly in the hips – to get on and off the bike, and should also provide confidence for those with reduced balance. Tackling the impact of reduced mobility can be further mitigated by the addition of a dropper post (which is an optional extra for all the bikes in the Icons range) to allow easier mounting and dismounting. Another nod to reduce mobility comes in the form of the cranks, which are Islabikes’ own shorter direct mount cranks, for a narrow Q-factor and crank lengths which are optimised to each bike size.

Turning to finer motor skills, the bike features a grip shifter – which is also specced on children’s Islabikes as Isla thinks this is easier for weaker hands to manipulate than a thumb shifter. The rims are a special ‘Easy-Tyre-Change’ profile – they’re not tubeless ready – so that it is easier to get tyres off in the event of a puncture. Isla’s experience with her parents is that a fear of being far from anywhere and unable to change a flat has kept them from riding as far and wide as they would like to do. By making it easier for weaker hands to get the tyres on and off Isla hopes that older riders will retain the confidence needed to continue to ride as far as their bodies will allow.

Also taking into account the effect of age – and perhaps arthritis – on hands, the SRAM DB Level TL hydraulic disc brakes are short reach and require only a low force to brake. These are fitted to bars which vary in width across the sizes, from 680mm in the small to 720mm in the large – narrow by modern standards, but Isla says she has designed the bike to feel familiar to those who perhaps started riding in the early days of true ‘mountain bikes’, when today’s long, slack, low and wide ride positions had not yet been conceived.

For those considering ‘touring’ (bike packing is more likely known to this target generation) there are plenty of mounts for racks and panniers of all shapes and sizes. Perhaps even for a seat for a small grandchild?

The Ride

We thought it only right that we should try and find someone of the appropriate age group to test this bike out. Chipps enlisted local Monday Night Pub Rider, Kevin Brennan, to put the Jimi through its paces. However, as Kevin rolled up to the office on a full suspension Cotic Rocket, we realised that age is just a number, and while Kevin fits the age bracket for this bike, he’s not yet in need of the features this bike offers. Undeterred, he set out in mist and snow to put the Jimi through its paces. Here’s how he got on:

“On first looks I thought ‘this is my grandma’s bike’, it was just short of a shopping basket. No wonder I was asked to try it out, I reckon no one at Singletrack dare risk their street cred.

“In for a penny in for a pound then. Pedals (flats) on and off down the canal bank, first thought is ‘this is not too bad, let’s go up London road’ and I was surprised how well it went up there, lots of snow and got to the top without a dab, though a pedal strike going over one of the worst water bars. But to be fair the Rocket occasionally does the same as well.

“Then across the motorway (Kilnshaw Lane) which is pot hole hell at the moment, no dramas, down to Old Chamber into Hebden Bridge (decided to give Ernie’s tunnel of love a miss) not as fast as on the full susser but not a snail’s pace either.

“Now up to Jack Bridge via Colden Clough, by this time I’d forgotten about grandma’s bike and was just enjoying riding a mountain bike. At the New Delight as it was a pea souper I decided to pick up part of the Mary Townley Loop and drop down to Turret Royd, missing out Jumble Hole.

“Now back to the STW office (as it started raining, us oldies don’t like rain) via the canal bank and a few bywash (overflows) tests, straight through, no problems.

“According to Strava, 13+ miles, 1500 feet or so of climbing, average speed 7.3mph, max speed 17.2mph and a second fastest achievement, all in pretty poor conditions. I have to say I didn’t expect these kind figures and route when I set off.

“The bike was light, lighter than it looks, the gears though 10 speed were just right, low enough for the type of hills I would say it was designed for and high enough to zip along the canal bank at speeds – more than enough for the less mobile people it was designed for. I was glad it had decent brakes as I did need them on more than a few occasions. The only thing I didn’t care for was the twist grip gear changer, I do prefer the lever type.

“At no point did I lack any confidence in the bike’s ability to tackle this type of trail, I wouldn’t like to take it down Pecket Well, but that’s not what it was designed for. Get over the ‘I wouldn’t be seen dead in a Micra’ mentality and it does the same job in transporting the older, less mobile of us whilst still remembering what it’s like to drive a sports car.”

Kevin was the first to ride it, and we did notice that after he’d given it a good thrashing (and if you don’t recognise the local trail names, you should know that he covered some rocky bridleways that might well make a red route at a trail centre) the rear wheel needing a little truing, although none of the spokes were obviously loose. We’ve also subjected it to a good caking in mud, and probably other substances besides, on some further off road and canal ventures.

Take it on the road, on the flat, and younger legs found themselves wanting an extra gear, but on the canal this wasn’t an issue. The light weight is very noticeable, and for those of any age seeking a step through bike, this should certainly be on the list of potential do-most-things bikes.

As a bike for the fit but less mobile rider, this is an interesting prospect. Other manufacturers offering a crank forward ride position may offer a more confident ride position for the rider who worries about getting a foot down in the event of an unexpected wobble. The optional dropper post lends itself more to planed dismounts, but should make setting off and stopping easier for some riders.

Overall

Riders like Kevin who are still mobile enough to be wanting suspension will likely look elsewhere for their kicks, but for those whom speed and jumps are in the past, this may well keep their adventuring going a little longer. Sorry kids, your grandparents are still going to be spending your inheritance on travel, bikes, and ‘essential’ bike clothing.

Review Info

Brand:	Islabikes
Product:	Jimi
From:	Islabikes.co.uk
Price:	£1,199.00
Tested:	by Kevin Brennan and Hannah for 1 week

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