Islabike Cnoc 16, Beinn 20 and Beinn 24 Review

The first bikes for my eldest was a Cuda 12 which was almost 10kg and the shock of its weight kinda started this obsession with lightweight kids bike. Prior to that both kids learn on their balance bike which was light and easily maneuverable.

Every little helps - Cnoc 16

The Cuda 12 wasn't bad. Both kids used it for hundreds of miles and even rode it in Rotterdam, Amsterdam and central London. I still don't understand why a bike holding a 10-20kg kid needs to be so strong and chunky. Enter Cnoc 16 from Islabike who specialised in proportional bike to fit the little ones.

I bought it new direct from Islabike with free delivery. It weighs 6.0kg so that great for the kids riding up hill as well as for the parents carrying it. Incredible investment if you ask me - the price went up from £199 in 2014 to £289 today (2017).

More importantly the short brakes is powerful and give the kids more confidence and me peace of mind knowing that they have the stopping power as well as the stopping capability.

Beinn 20L

I'm sure some parents have the same headache debating whether their children fit a 20S or a 20L. The small has a 10 inch frame as well as a shorter 114mm crank; the large has a 11 inch frame and a 127mm crank. There's no right or wrong answer. Either way there'll be a big jump from 16 to 20L or from a 20S to a 24.

Unfortunately I was so confident in Islabike that I unknowingly bought an older generation Beinn 20L (notice the double stem bolt, wider silver lined saddle and 24 spoke wheel) that weigh 1 kg more than the one on sale at the time. So I tinkered with it endlessly. First swapping out the seat post and saddle from the Cnoc 16 and then replaced the tires with Continental Contact II with reflective sidewalls required by Dutch law for cycling in the dark. By the time of sale it came in at 8.7kg. Still a wonderful bike without doubt.

The grip shift is wonderful and both kids were so excited about having gears that everything else was accepted.

Beinn 24 

Beinn 24 was a different experience. The bike weigh in at 9kg which is amazing. That's only 100g more than his previous Beinn 20L so the transition was more than welcomed esp now that he's gain an extra gear!

Except that the increase in speed in making the little brother mad pedaling his Cnoc 16! And the Beinn 20L is a bit stretched out for his size.

The little one is confident and likes to cycle fast. So his time on Cnoc 16 lasted barely a year and he's gone to the Beinn 20L for the past month, aged 6+ - surprising both for his build and way below the recommended inside leg of 52cm and min height of 120cm.  Though he goes faster and I feel he struggles a bit uphill and I want to reduce the weight to help him. One thing about the Continental Contact II is that it's probably bomb proof but no lighter than the Kenda Small Block 8 that Islabike use at almost 420g and not very low rolling resistance either. So I got a pair of Schwalbe SV 6A light weight tube and 28-406 Speed Contact.

I have also ordered a short stem with a shim for converting 1-1/8 steerer to the 25.4mm 1 inch used by Islabike.

New Beinn 20 from Stamford Bridge

No not in Chelsea, London as I originally thought but a village in Yorkshire:) After a few unsucccessful attempt at procuring a later-gen-Beinn 20 and noticing that this is still unsold after a few weeks, I made an offer to the owner the night before we were to visit the National Railway Museum in York. Delighted to make a small detour and now in possession of the red Islabike after 3 blue ones.

The bike weigh in at only 7.9kg and the new Kenda tire is really light but doesn't feel very tough or grippy - the owners comment that he has had a few punctures didn't help of course. Replacing the tyres and removing the wheel reflector (as the Speed Contact already has the reflective strip) brings it down to 7.7kg! Of course it looks incredibly skinny and also has the effect of lowering the standover height at the expense of pedal-to-floor clearance.

The tyres difference was only 325g vs 280g and the tube difference was only 105g vs 80g. Total saving per pair (~150g) was not as pronounced - in fact only about half of the weight saving as it would have been with the older bike.

But this one came in very good condition and after some cleaning, it has the bling factor. Even the little one commented on how shiny it is.

Selling Islabikes

Num Islabikes purchased = 4.
Num Islabikes sold = 2.

Shall try to avoid eBay for its 10% (plus 5% Paypal) fees.

The Beinn 20 generated all the interests whereas the Cnoc 16 so far generated none:(

Since I bought the Cnoc 16 and the first Beinn 20, Brexit has crashed the pound and Islabike has appreciated greatly. That helps to minimise any losses.

Time passed: 1.5 weeks and both are now sold for the combined sum exactly as I bought them for. Very pleased with the outcome.