Thanks that’s more helpful just couldn’t figure out why these were so different
I’ve checked all the size guides all these are the bikes in his range just wondered why the hoy was stating a bigger frame
The hoy does seems to get good reviews
Will go check out the hoy and frog locally to get a better idea
Thanks for all the help please keep the comments coming if you own one if these 3
Just buy whatever colour is preferred. And whatever shifters you have. Jnr won't care...
lad had a beinn 20s, didnt get on very well with the grip shift.
when it came to moving to a 24" bike, the hoy bike was 25% cheaper than the comparable islabike and has turned out to be a great bike.
i see theres a substantial saving to be made on the 20" hoy bike compared to the islabike, but i would imagine that the islabike may have better resale value.
Rich_s I had thought of the colour theory but he wants red and they’ll all red LOL
I let him seen them online and he likes the all 🙂
Looking online the hoy does look more mountain bike than the rest with the tyres which would suit the cycles he goes on better.
Frog you do get the extra set of tyres not sure how they compare to what’s on the hoy
Isla does look like I may have to invest in another set of tyres as the standard ones on Isla look more like for smoother Paths but might be wrong
i think the ones on the hoy are very similar to whats on the islabike.
I think you'r right looking at the pic a little more closely.
People who put mountain bike tyres on their Isla's did you buy these from islabikes or external site/local shop?
The one think cosmetic that puts me off the Hoy is the handlebar grips (white and look uncomfortable) also the seat in white in a kids bike hmmmmm not sure.
Just little things on the looks
20" Conti explorers £13 at crc, worked out cheaper buying from crc than islabikes when i got my lad his bike.
Thanks Paladin will take a look
The Hoy has 20" 1.75 kenda and the Isla 20" 1.4 all surface tyre tyres
Had another look at the Isla and can honestly say I think if I opted for the beinn 20 this would be the last Isla I would get.
The next stage for me would be to get him a more mountain type bike and with the Isla Creig 24 costing £799, I would have to look elsewhere at that stage.
Just got a pair of schwalbe little joes from CRC for the frog 52. They look like a quality mini-knobbly. Pretty much any 20" bmx tyre would probably do the job too.
yep, i didnt even consider the creig24 when lad was ready to move up.
Got a Hoy24 for £320 (most of that with tesco vouchers), think we were £30 for tyres, then fitted a RST airfork for £150.
joemmo - are the extra tyres you get with the frog not suitable? or did you want bigger than 20" 1.75
paladin - the price of the creig24 is frighting for the age range, I suppose if the child is using it to its full potential and the cost is justified, fair enough, but I couldn't justify that price for my son at 7/8 years old.
Watching the kids at their coaching sessions, they are fine with either shifter until it gets wet and the gripshifters tend to stop changing gear.
The kids are all learning but it looks like when wet they aren't as easy to use.
Both bikes retain a good resale value but the Frog is less initial outlay.
Both bikes are good - well made and light.
Thanks, thats great info. I remember using a grip shifter on a Specialized Rockhopper years ago and that being an issue in the wet.
You automatically think Islabike is the leader in this market and they would know best, hence why i was questions what is actually better.
DickBarton - Any experience with the Hoy's?
I do like the look of the Orbea bikes for his next stage, but struggling to actually find out the weight of these on any websites.
joemmo - are the extra tyres you get with the frog not suitable? or did you want bigger than 20" 1.75
ah no, we bought the frog before they started selling thm with 2 pairs of tyres. It has some kenda slicks on at the moment but the lad is enjoying the local paths through the fields and has had some slippy moments so something with more tread is required.
You automatically think Islabike is the leader in this market and they would know best, hence why i was questions what is actually better.
yes, they have good word of mouth marketing and the resale values help but there's also a lot of pretention about just how high-end a bike kids need to learn to ride and as generations have shown, they get by just fine on all sorts of BSOs. I find Islabikes 'pro' kids models frankly ridiculous but clearly they've got a market.
I've just ordered the Orbea MX 20 Dirt for my boy, though I am worried it may be a bit big. He's moving up from a Ridgeback MX he absolutely flies along on. Anyone have the Orbea?
I am considering adding the Orbea MX20 Team £319 to my list, but struggling to find the weight info on this to compare it against Isla, Hoy, Frog
I will definitely be considering Orbea 24/26 Team for his next upgrade after this 20 bike tho as the look, build and cost is ticket the boxes for me
The orbea website does say they dont state the weight and want you to go see the bike at your local bike dealer.
Cant source a locally dealer tho.
I'm positive I read somewhere the MX20 dirt is around 9.5kg, but cant recall where.
The "Team" selection is meant to be lighter. I have messaged Orbea and some stores that stock them for any weight guides
Will post if i get these!
If anyone is interested, a supplier got back to me on the Orbea MX20 Team
The Weight of the Orbea is 9.2 Kg. But for more of a Mountain Bike than the Frog.
He said both good but would side with the Frog and frog would hold a better resell
Isla 8.1 kg
Frog 8.8 kg
Hoy - 8kg (approx)
Obrea - 9.2 kg
If you're interested in second hand I have my daughter's very lightly used Beinn 20 in the classifieds. Even if you don't want to buy and you're local (Sunderland) you are welcome to just have a look. This is the fifth Islabike we've had in the family and everything that is said about the quality and resale is true (l know, I would say that
I see so much about how people have lost very little value on their islabike, from which I am also benefiting on my lads current cnoc 16; but I think things might normalise a bit more as process have shot up on the new bikes in part door to the significant depreciation of the pound. So if you bought a couple of years ago you are likely quids in. Not convinced this will continue to be the case, especially with more competition.
I just can't justify the cost of a Benin 20, was tempted by the hoy, but it was still too much for me to spend on a bike for a year of use at his rate of growth, the compromise is a Vitus 20 and a large wedge of cash on my pocket now.
Faz71 - thanks for the offer but not local to Sunderland.
The beinn 20 would definitely be the last Isla I would go for prices are just too much after that for the initial outlay and there is also more bikes on offer on the market for the 25/26” range and more mountain bike styles.
I have a Isla balance bike to sell soon and expect that to have only cost me £60 over 2 boys, absolute bargain when you view it like that.
Back to my original post I’m not doing so well at eliminating bikes from my list I seem to be adding to it 🙂
I’m going to rule out the hoy and orbea for these reasons
Hoy - simply cosmetic reasons the white seat and handle grips...just simply why on a kids bike. I seen a photo online of one for sale and the white handle gripe were just a lovely off yellow, browny colour. Plus the look like something in had on a bike when I was young and those massive circles at the end are just waiting to come apart.
Obera - not being able to view on without traveling a good distance, but as said before this will be a definite contender for the next stage 24/26”
So I’m back to frog or Isla 🙂
I bought a frog 62 when my lad outgrew his Isla beinn 20 small. Stand over clearance was plenty but I regretted it soon after because the frame was so long compared to the standover. He blatantly couldn’t ride it as well. It has taken another year or so for the length to fit him better. If the 55 is similar then expect it to be long in the frame. Having learnt my lesson my daughter will be progressing from the beinn 20 small to a second hand Beinn 20 large.
I think the small Beinn is the best bike they sell. I probably wouldnt buy new now because the prices are getting daft and despite what many say the second hand market value seems to be relaxing a bit.
Funny that, I’ve just had exactly the same experience with a frog 62. Bought one second hand for my lad as he outgrew his Raleigh performance 20, but he just can’t ride it. The top tube is incredibly long and he’s lost all confidence after a couple of spills. I’ve just picked up a really cheap kona makena 20 and he’s immediately more comfortable
Ry33, if you are shopping in that price bracket I would say that although I did notice on the handles, I reckon they would clean up fine, or you could get a different set of handles for cheap. I'd be getting the Hoy of I wasn't so tight, or the Raleigh if I wasn't worried about its second hand value (incidentally, been tracking some Hoys on fleabay and reckon their second hand values are slightly better than frogs in my opinion).
daddyzord/dai3015 - thanks for the info. He does have a Frog 48 just now and fit has been fine for him, I'll take him up to the local bike store at the weekend to try him on the Frog 55 and see how it is. I am still considering the Isla Beinn 20 (L) but just the gears that I am debating initially. I know these can be changed to thumb shifters but just extra cost.
mrbigglesworth - I had thought about a new pair of handle grips and seat in black but again just extra cost form the start. I see the Hoy 24" comes with black grips/seat, I just cant believe someone went yip "white" that's great for a kids bike and signed off on it.
They all seem to retain good 2nd hand values, I know looking at my frog 48 i would be able to sell for £150 and it cost me £200, RRP now is £250 and have seen ones for £170/180 so £50-£80 loss is still great for a bike for 12/18 months use
yes, the top tubes are long on the Frogs and their sizing recommendation is off IME - they say 5-6 for the 52 but my lad is an average sized 6 and the 52 is just within his range. I have however fitted a riser to bring the bars closer and just ordered a 40mm stem to knock another 20mm off that.
On the plus size, my daughter was riding the 52 until she was 9-10 , now on a 24" Specialized
Also, don't get too hung up on weight or the MTB-ness of one kids bike over another. There is nothing flimsy about Frog/ Isla / Hoy etc that won't cope with the kind of off-roading an average 6-7 year old will be doing.
I'd also say the sizing of the frog 52 is a bit off, as is the 55.
My son is nearly 7 and the frame size of the 52 is fine now whereas it was too long. However the cranks are now too short for him. The 55 has the same size cranks as the 52, whereas the Beinn 20L has longer cranks
our 52 came with 130mm cranks - which I swapped onto my daughters bike - but they now come with 115mm - so I bought a pair of 115mm Hoy cranks from Evans to replace them! Starting to think a new bike would've been simpler 🙂
You can get the Hoy cranks for £25 in various lengths with a single ring and guard. Triton cycles also sell a 'Dialled' crank which comes with 2 drillings for different lengths however, as I discovered, they are steel and weight a bloody ton (not literally) so I returned them.
My boy in 5 and 3 months, he is 120cm and inside leg of 50/51...so I am considering the 55 form his 48.
Will check it out when I see it, but wouldn't sell his 48 until he was comfortable on the 55
My daughter has a frog 55 which is now too small for her. I have ordered her an Orbea MX 24 team. My sons ridgeback mx16 is now on the small side for him, but he doesn't get on with his sisters frog. I've ordered him the Orbea MX 20 Team.
Both rode rented Treks over the summer in Wales off road and loved being on proper mtb tyres. Hopefully I won't regret getting the Orbeas...
IMO the frog 55 is a hybrid that better on tarmac than XC.
EDIT: Both children were happier when I replaced the pedals their bikes came with for cheapo plastic BMX style pedals from CRC.
BigEaredBiker - when the Obrea MX 20 Team arrives please let me know your initial thoughts compared the the frog 55.
He does ride paths but not tarmac, old railway line paths (no tracks now) these are walking/cycle paths with stones, bumps, mud, etc along by the river and up private bumpy farm roads. Round the local reservoirs cycle paths
The forg 48 as done him fine for all this
@ry33 will do.
The 55 should be fine for all that, my daughter has done some tow paths etc. We discovered the frame was too long for a local pump track and kept grounding on the bumps though.
BigEaredBiker - Great thanks will be really interested to know how the Obrea MX 20 Team compares next to the Frog 55. I really do like the look of the Obrea. Just trouble seeing one locally before xmas, but will make sure I check out the 24 before its time to upgrade to this stage.
Bought the Hoy for my daughter about a month ago, £290 from Evans Ebay page. She's about the same size as your boy and is a good fit with the seat slammed - plenty of growing room. It's a really nice bike, tyres seem good offroad and she got the hang of gear changing quickly.
RichPenny - I am still going to go look at the Hoy at Evens also this weekend, its just soley the white grips and seat, looks nice but would need to change those grips.
I also seen this question was raised on Evans about replacement white grip but they don't stock them, should maybe have some early 2018 not not confirmed. So for now you have to go for a 3rd party brand
What's the measurement on the top tube of the Bienn 20 Large? Goole search brings back 465mm top tub, which is longer than the below
Frog 55
Length of top tube 449mm (horizontal distance from seat post to stem: 474mm)
Hoy 20
Length of top tube 445mm
Cant edit the above
So if Isla is 465mm that compare to the Frogs horizontal distance from seat post to stem 474mm
So what I want to know is what is the Hoy's horizontal distance from seat post to stem?
its got a 60mm stem so by the time you add the spacer stack and headangle into the equation probably about +40mm to the ETT? If you're going at the weekend, may as well take a tape measure with you.
Starting to think I might be jumping ahead just because it's xmas, he's 6 in Sep, 115cm height & 50cm inside leg (remeasured) looking at frog sizing he's going to be another few months till it's suitable, Islabike more suitable now but still too bike, I think I may be better testing more bikes in more time and look to get to get one in 2-3 months into the new year
Starting to think I might be jumping ahead just because it's xmas, he's 6 in Sep, 115cm height & 50cm inside leg (remeasured) looking at frog sizing he's going to be another few months till it's suitable, Islabike more suitable now but still too bike, I think I may be better testing more bikes in more time and look to get to get one in 2-3 months into the new year
