Cyclocross racing: cycle racing at its simplest, right? A field, a bike, a stopwatch…a second bike, a pit team, a jet wash, tyres for mud, tyres for dust, a spare rear mech, a spare wheel…OK so maybe not so simple. For the experienced and keen cyclocross racer who is happy to fork out for all these options, the price of the new Islabikes Luath Pro Series may not seem particularly outlandish. And indeed, this bike is the drop bar model in the new Islabikes Pro Series range, launched today, that aims to cater for the discerning racing market, where marginal gains go hand in hand with some serious effort and training hours. If your child is putting the same effort into training as you are, perhaps you want them to have a bike as good as yours is?
Luath Pro Series
Price: £1599.99
Islabikes explains:
“Geometry of the Luath Pro Series mimics that of the Luath models in the current range for true cyclocross style geometry. The Luath inspires confidence thanks to a long wheel base and relatively slack head angle which helps keep the bike stable. The bike, with its custom designed Islabikes full carbon fork, has also been designed to eliminate toe overlap with the front wheel – especially important when at lower speeds. Young riders carry their weight differently to adults with their centre of gravity based closer to their hips – adults have greater weight in the torso. To cater for this, the Luath has a relatively steep seat tube angle which helps to keep weight central. This steeper seat tube angle further assists with reach for smaller arms. The Luath features a super low bottom bracket, something which is made possible thanks to the new super low Q-Factor Islabikes cranks. As a result, the bikes offer very low stand over heights. Finally, the bikes have been designed to provide ample tyre clearance for mud shedding capability.”
The Luath Pro Series comes fitted with Islabikes’ proprietary child specific drop handlebars that measure 22.2mm in diameter, helping smaller hands and allowing a tighter bend in the drops.
Recognising that tyres are an extremely important consideration in cyclocross, and finding limited choice available for children, Islabikes decided to invest in their own dedicated cyclocross tyre. Measuring 33c when paired with a 700c Stan’s rim, the Grèim Islabikes Cyclocross tyres meet all UCI regulations for racing. Lightweight, with a folding bead they are tubeless compatible, and all bikes will ship with a tubeless valve. Islabikes claims that the tyres offer excellent grip in the mud and yet roll well on hard pack, while 185tpi kevlar construction ensures a supple ride and cream sidewalls complete a classy finish.
The Luath Pro Series is fitted with Avid BB7 mechanical disc brakes. Islabikes believes that mechanical brakes have levers that are better suited for smaller riders and offer greater reach adjustment than their hydraulic counterparts.
The Luath Pro Series is part of a complete new ‘Pro Series’ range aimed at budding racers – and maybe even future Olympians. For further information on the flat bar offerings, hop on over to Singletrackworld.com, and for full specifications of all the Pro Series bikes, click here. If you think the Luath Pro Series is what your child needs to beat the rest of the pack, or maybe just help you feel better about your own n+1 purchase, the Pro Series range is available to pre order now.
