My kiddo is a late bloomer cycling-wise, but she decided that it was time to learn to ride a bike. She got going on an older hand-me-down bike and then switched to the Islabikes Beinn 26, size small. She’s kept the wheels on that bike hot since day one.
Islabikes specializes in kid‘s bikes, so their bikes give little ones the same enjoyment as grownups get from nice bikes. The Islabikes Beinn comes in five sizes with 20, 24, and 26 inch wheels, and it is what I would call a hybrid bike. A size guide is on their website and the recommendation for us was spot on. Our daughter is 53 inches tall with a 26 inch inseam so the Beinn 26 small is the recommended size. With the seat nearly all the way down, the bike fits great and there is plenty of room for growing.
The Beinn has a flat handle bar with a twist gear shifter for the eight speed rear derailleur. For simplicity, there is a single chain ring up front. The bike has a rigid fork and the tires have a small lug pattern that rolls plenty fast on hard surfaces. The tread on the tires gives confidence on and off road. Hand brakes designed for child sized hands control mini V-brakes on the front and rear. A nice and loud bell comes pre-installed on the handlebar and it adds some fun to the bike. Click here to check out the full list of components.
Your Islabikes Beinn ships right to your house and the bike is ready to go with some minor assembly. A set of 3 provided hex wrenches get the bike together. Islabikes created a Youtube video showing how to unpack and set up the bike. Our Beinn assembled in less than 10 minutes, and the factory adjustments are perfect. A spare inner tube is in the box but the tires are puncture resistant.
The Islabikes Beinn has the major features I wanted for my child. The bike feels light, and weighs 20 pounds 12 ounces according to Islabikes. Many kids bikes seem to be so heavy for their size but not the Beinn. I think the 8 speed rear shifter is perfect for kids learning how to use gears. A bike that shifts poorly is annoying for grownups but they can really slow down the learning process for younger riders. The range of gearing is plenty wide and adding shifting in the front just seems to confuse kids and some adults. The kid-size geometry is spot on and the bike’s handling is good without being too twitchy. When asked about the new bike my daughter said “The old one is so hard to pedal”. The more fun the bike is to ride, the more your child is going to want to ride.
The Beinn 26 small has an MSRP of $599.99. That‘s a bit more than you can get a bike for at one of the big box stores, but you really get what you pay for. Check out this video to see what sets an Islabike apart from the pack. Shipping damage made a call necessary and I found Islabikes customer service to be super friendly and they resolved the issue to my total satisfaction. I think you can buy from them with confidence.
Mark
Thanks to Islabikes for sending out the Beinn 26 for testing and review. We at Industry Outsider have limited budgets just like everyone else. Being able to pass along information like this hopefully benefits everyone.