PSA: Islabikes Sale

This on its own is worthy of a comment about the state of the cycling marketplace in the UK.
It's almost made me think about having another child to maximise the benefit of the savings 😁

Crikey, things are bad when Isla bikes have to discount.

The discounted Rothan 12 is only back to around what it was 3 years ish ago.

Per Moore & Large, some bike companies have failed to factor in inventory finance costs until it is making a material difference to their liquidity / cashflow. Not saying this is the case with IslaBikes as there may be many other reasons. As a rule though, inventory turns matter - even for bike companies.

Hopefully the Islabikes discounting is nothing to worry about - I certainly hope that's the case as my kids have had 3 or 4 Islabikes and love them.

This on its own is worthy of a comment about the state of the cycling marketplace in the UK

Exactly what I thought. They are no longer in such a niche position either so the premium they demand over other brands looks on shaky ground. When I looked at islas the main thing going for them was the resale value (3 x frogs and now a vitus in our household)

I also think the bike industry as a whole needs to reign in pricing, they've not come down since the covid pisstake increases.

I really hope this isn't an early warning for Islabikes. They have suffered supply issues, a recall and frankly ambitious pricing over the last few years and that's a lot for a small company to withstand.

We have always bought Islabikes for Solarider Jnr based on size, spec and resale value. Last time however the value proposition was just way off and they were out of stock. We ended up with a Vitus which is a cracking bike at less than half the price of a similar spec Islabike.

Feels like they used to be the only ones doing kids bikes well, but a few other brands have cottoned on to their secret sauce but with better specs at lower prices.

The discounts just feel like right sizing which now makes them competitive rather than cheap. If we hadn't recently bought the Vitus I would definitely be buying, and hopefully the timing ahead of Spring makes it a good shot in the arm of cashflow for the business. Good Luck Isla.

Last time however the value proposition was...

You what now?

Value proposition is the same as value for money. It goes beyond just the retail price. Is the Islabikes spec, service, resell value, quality etc etc etc worth the asking price. Not 'are they expensive', more 'are they worth it'?

Covid pricing has been and gone, but as the cost of everything has increased, bike prices can't really fall (unless suppliers are expected to be making zero money). Until the cost of Living issues are reduced/removed and costs steady at a lower level, we won't see any price reductions.

Great PSA, been looking at getting a Beinn 26 but was erring towards 2nd hand. Colour spot on too.

I really like Isla bikes, the little details set them apart from the competition. Love the light weight simplicity too. Some of the competition do offer more features (discs, suspension, knobblier tyres etc) but so heavy for little legs.

Covid pricing has been and gone, but as the cost of everything has increased, bike prices can’t really fall (unless suppliers are expected to be making zero money). Until the cost of Living issues are reduced/removed and costs steady at a lower level, we won’t see any price reductions.

I dunno, there's a lot of bikes and bike parts currently very heavily discounted which for the start of the popular cycling season is unusual. I think consumer spending being pinched by inflation will have the effect on some items becoming cheaper in order to shift them. It will be interesting to see how it pans out in the long term with post-COVID era pricing, but I think bike and component pricing will on average come down compared with the last couple of years.

I'd be tempted if we didn't already have a Woom2 for our little one.

We got ours through bike club and I'll likely swap it up a size in the summer. They are good if people want to just pay a monthly fee and hire a bike for kid.

Covid pricing has been and gone, but as the cost of everything has increased, bike prices can’t really fall (unless suppliers are expected to be making zero money). Until the cost of Living issues are reduced/removed and costs steady at a lower level, we won’t see any price reductions.

not for bikes already manufactured. Yes costs might be going up for future stock, and probably to cover some of that cost people want to sell units now to create cash.