Our son currently has an Islabike Beinn 26 small with mtb tyres on, which he is growing out of. He’ll be 12 in a couple of weeks and is 5’1″ tall. Had intended to get the next size up Beinn 27″ but not sure if it’ll last more than 6 months (ie may not really be big enough due to his height). Any suggestions for a lightweight mountain bike for his size, or whether the Beinn 27 would be a good option or not? Cheers.

Sounds like you should be looking at small adult bikes.

My 13 year old daughter (also tall) has a 16″ Cube Aim Pro adult MTB for £374. There’s plenty of choice around that price point.

Mrs_oab is 5′.
All three of our lads grew through that height aroumd 12 years old. They all went onto adult Xs/13″ bikes
We’ve juggled so many bikes over the last 6 years – they often grow out of a bike in a year/18mths.
I have given up putting them on bikes that were too big to start with – it hindered their riding. I started stockpiling bikes or frames that were the next size up, using here, pinkbike, retro bike and word of mouth.

I buy second hand and the costs have been reasonably manageable – the bikes cost between £300-600 and I sold most on after they had been handed down through the boys.

We’ve had for that size….
Kona Kialuea with Manitou Mars (13″)
Specialized Hardrock with Fox Talas (13″)
Trek 4300 with ‘zocchi Superfly forks (13″)
Cannondale F900SL (12.5″)
Trek Superfly (xs)
Giant Liv Lust (xs) £700

See
https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/29er-hardtail-for-a-petite-girl/

Beware sizing between manufacturers. My just turned 12 lad is already looking tall on a 16” cube. You are firmly in the realms of adult bikes now- widens choice but increases weight cf islabikes. Throw a leg over some smalls and maybe mediums I would think.

Look at XS and S bikes – but personally I’d also maybe look at some of the compact/womens bikes as these typically come in smaller sizes and with a shock tune for lighter riders.

For example the Whyte 604 compact comes in XS and S with the crossover at 5’1″ while the Whyte 603 starts with an S for riders of 5’2″. Similarly the Vitus Nucleus VRW comes in XS (4’8″-4’11”) and S (4’11”-5’6″) while the men’s VR starts at S (5’3″-5’7″).

Cheers. Yep sounds like it is small adult bike realm then. And as you say it could be outgrown in a year. So no point getting a small adult Islabike Beinn – expensive for a short time and not as saleable as the kids bikes. I did actually look at the Whyte 604 compact (small) but seems to be out of stock everywhere. Actually wondering about a hybrid bike again too – he doesn’t really do mountain biking as such.

Ive got a specialised pitch in small that my lad has grown out of. if youar anywhere around Bolton your more than welcome to a test ride. ( Well your boy is 🙂

Cheers I wondered about that bike – a bit too far away unfortunately. So I just measured him again and he’s grown in the last 3 weeks :-). Height 5’ 1 3/4 (nearly 5’2”). Inside leg 29.25 inches (74.25 Cm). It’s definitely looking like a small adult bike. 16” frame?

My son is 10 and when he outgrew his last bike he moved on to a medium adult Decathlon Rockrider ST 540. Looking at the specs, that’s almost exactly the same weight as the Whyte 604, but a bit cheaper.

My son (Thump) has had my large 27.5 Giant Trance since he was 12 and a bit.

Before that (11) he was on a small second-hand Whyte E120. H (11) has just been given a small 26″ 456,

Kids take a real stretch at 13 so buy what is affordable and dont expect it to fit in 12 months.

Thump is 13 and now 5ft 11 FFS! His feet are bigger than mine!

Ha! No wonder they stop making kids bikes at age 12/13. I don’t mind spending £600 or so because I can sell the Islabike for £300 – but it would need to be something else that would keep value if outgrown in a year. Either that or just get something for £300 to £450. Will have a look at the rock rider.

Can’t seem to find Whyte bikes available anywhere- all seem to be out of stock.

I’m not sure I’d spend £600 on a kids bike they will outgrow in a years time, unless maybe if you had a few siblings to pass it on to.

My logic was to get a bike with hydraulic discs and Suntour XCT forks (not as bad as you might think) for as cheap as possible. My daughter isn’t a keen cyclist so anything better would be a waste.

I’m not sure I’d spend £600 on a kids bike they will outgrow in a years time, unless maybe if you had a few siblings to pass it on to.

Do bear in mind that ours have done either three kids, or sold on for £100 less than we paid a year earlier, or both…

Do bear in mind that ours have done either three kids, or sold on for £100 less than we paid a year earlier, or both…

If my kids enjoyed biking I would go down your route for sure. Sadly they don’t share any of my hobbies. Added to that, if I tried to give my nearly-12 year old a second hand bike as a birthday present she’d screw her nose up. Saying that, at various times they have had second hand bikes, just not as birthday/Christmas presents.

Yep the original idea of forking out for the Islabike was the good resale price and only having to find £100 or so for the next £400 bike. I guess what I was saying was I wouldn’t mind paying £600 for a bike (ie finding the extra £300) if I could sell it for £500 in a year! So not sure which ones hold value after Islabikes.

How about the Vitus Nucleus 27VR in a small size (15″ frame for 5’3″).

All my 3 have had their last complete bikes at 12.5, 12.5 and 14.5 years.  Although they are starting from different places my route to their growth is the same.

My daughter is riding a Cube frame from bike discount and cost less than 100 euros with decent headset.  I built that up with newish parts from my spares for almost zero additional cost.

My boys moved to extra-small adult Canyons at 10. My plan with them is similar – but moving parts from their current bikes to larger frames when they grow out of them.  So, instead of a new bikes at larger cost – a budget Cube or similar frame, will be built up from parts with plenty of life left.

I wish I had those skills. It’s a good plan. So – any thoughts on these? This is expensive – but I have £300 to put towards it from the sale of the Islabike. The sizing is just right – with room to grow. Not sure what resale prices are like.

https://www.thelittlebikecompany.co.uk/product/frog-mtb-72/

Or this – better price. But will the reach be too long for a 12 year old? Small size is 27.5″ and right for height and inside leg.

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Cannondale-Trail-8-29-Mountain-Bike-2020-Hardtail-MTB_216367.htm

I wish I had those skills. It’s a good plan. So – any thoughts on these? This is expensive – but I have £300 to put towards it from the sale of the Islabike. The sizing is just right – with room to grow. Not sure what resale prices are like.

https://www.thelittlebikecompany.co.uk/product/frog-mtb-72/

Or this – better price. But will the reach be too long for a 12 year old? Small size is 27.5″ and right for height and inside leg.

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Cannondale-Trail-8-29-Mountain-Bike-2020-Hardtail-MTB_216367.htm

The Frog looks to be just an overpriced generic small adult bike – rebadged as a Frog. Also, I had a Frog once and the resale value is nowhere near the Islabike.

The fork on the Cannondale is the cheapest one Suntour make…. As I mentioned above, probably best aiming for Suntour XCT or above (it goes M3030 > XCT > XCM > XCR in order of worst to best).

In general I wouldn’t worry about the reach. If it’s designed to fit a person of a specific height (adult or child) then the reach should be proportionate.

The Rockrider mentioned above looks good. As is the Cube I mentioned previously:
https://www.jejamescycles.com/cube-aim-pro-mountain-bike-2020.html

V helpful – thanks. The Cube looks good. I was a bit put off the Rockrider by a lot of the negative reviews about things failing. He just got on his Islabike 26S this morning and definitely needs a larger frame! Saddle and handlebars are fine but depth is a squeeze!

That was the cheapest of the Cannondale Trails – Trail 8. Is this one any good? Trail 5. Which is lighter out of that and the Cube?

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Cannondale-Trail-5-29-Mountain-Bike-2020-Hardtail-MTB_216363.htm

That was the cheapest of the Cannondale Trails – Trail 8. Is this one any good? Trail 5. Which is lighter out of that and the Cube?

The Cannondale Trail 5 is a better bike and probably lighter than the Cube. It has 2x chainset which is a big plus in my books (over 3x). The forks are also one notch up on the Cube. If the extra cost doesn’t put you off then that’s the better choice over the Cube.