Kids Bike Review – Raleigh Performance 20 – Is it better than an Isla Beinn 20?

People like myself, who grew up in the seventies will always have a special place in their heart for Raleigh bikes. They were the bikes to have when we were kids; whether they were good bikes, well that’s a different matter.

Anyway, imagine my delight when I saw that Raleigh were doing a 20″ bike at less than 8Kg, which would be perfect for my daughter.

I bought the bike and have done a review. Should I have bought the Isla Beinn 20 instead? Click the link below…

Raleigh Performance 20″ Review[/url]

Good read and many thanks for pointing out Dawes latest offerings on Kids MTB. We’re looking for the 24″ upgrade from the Beinn 20 for our eldest and Islabikes have stopped doing the Creig 24. The Dawes is pretty much identical spec and weight but £150 cheaper!

I hope Char has many happy miles on her Raleigh 🙂

I would love to see this range from Raleigh in the flesh

Nice write up.

I really wanted one of those Dawes for my lad, but it’s not available til September. A shame that they didn’t sort out ordering such that the bikes were here for the summer.

Thanks for the comments guys.

gerti – Glad I managed to point you in a direction where you may find the next bike for your eldest.

peabrain – I wish that Raleigh would sell their bikes through ‘better’ bike shops. Unfortunately, they sell them through their kids dealers (the stack em high sell em cheap, don’t worry about the weight bike shops) who just don’t seem interested in getting in ‘quality more expensive kids bikes’.
They should sell the Performance range as a separate entity and push them through better bikes shops, who should have some bikes in stock. This is how Frog do things and we actually managed to try one (even though we didn’t like it). If ever you’re in the West Midlands you’re welcome to have a look at Char’s.
I have however seen some Dawes dealers online who appear have the Academy range in, these bikes seem very similar to the Raleigh, just more expensive.

vinnyeh – It does seem odd that Dawes aren’t going to release the bike till September, especially as they currently have nothing like it in their range. Th Academy MTB does look like a very nice bike and I’d love to see one in the flesh (even if I have to wait till September).

Cheers