San Fairy Ann Cycle Club

Islabike, Luath 26 for sale (Children’s road bike for 9-12 year olds)in good condition (as seen in action up Hollingbourne Hill on the Wigmore Hill Climb!)
Currently selling for £400 including the cyclo-x tyres and extras. Second hand Islabikes come up rarely and we are asking for £170 if anyone is interested before I put it on Ebay in a couple of weeks where it’s likely to sell for over £200.

Best Child's Road Bike (Islabike Luath)

Road racing, cyclo-cross, touring, triathlon - with kids? Once the idea was a non-starter but not any more. The British firm Islabikes has come up with the Luath, a racer specifically for children which knocks the socks of anything else on market for the price. If your child wants a road bike, then the Luath is the one.

The Luath 26 has been designed and manufactured exclusively for children so that every detail, from the geometry of the frame down to the gear ratios, is right from the start. Parts can be ordered with different tyres and accessories to suit any of the four disciplines mentioned above (this sale includes Cyclocross tyres used only once).

The reviews these bikes have received have (rightly) been gushing. "A major breakthrough in well sorted, good-value kids bikes", said Cycling Plus magazine. "These are not just ordinary small bikes. They're the best-designed small bikes we've ever come across apart from the silly money custom options that pop up from time to time.

Cycle Magazine agreed, describing the bikes as "models of what children’s bikes should be: lightweight, correctly scaled, sensibly spec’d, and versatile . . . the wonder is that someone hadn’t done this before. It’s not rocket science, just uncommonly sensible design. Highly recommended".

Islabikes is run by Isla Rowntree, a successful British racer and frame builder of many years standing. The company remains small but now offers a full range of bikes for children, starting from age two.

All the bikes are good but it's the junior road bikes which really stand out, in a niche that very few other manufacturers cater for. Normally, kids' road bikes are either super expensive or crude versions of adult models with unsuitable components for small hands and legs.
Bespoke Options
The Luath series, in contrast, are anything but crude and offer excellent value for money. The option of being able to order them with different tyres (This one has a pair of Schwalbe CX Pro tyres: Quality cyclo cross tyre. Narrow profile with pimply tread provides exceptional grip on grass and still rolls surprisingly well on tarmac. A very light weight tyre. Costing £35) , pedals(sorry not included as usual – that is so annoying!) and other accessories from the factory is also a major plus as it means you do not have to buy gear you will immediately have to replace. This bespoke element is also a great way of involving your child in the whole process.

Cycling Plus magazine says of the Luath 26: "At 9.7kg it is as light as a bike costing £100 more and like the rest of the range it is beautifully thought out and specced . . . it sets the benchmark in terms of value and performance."

The bike has a lightweight aluminium frame, quick-release wheels, child-friendly drop handlebars, short reach breaks (set perfectly for small hands) and an eight-speed gear cog on the rear wheel. It does not come with extra gears on the front cog (young kids find them difficult to use) but the attachments are there should you want to add them later.

In addition to ordering the bikes with off-road tyres etc, it is possible to have an additional set of cyclo-cross brake levers fixed to the top of the handlebars (this one has). This is great not just for cyclo-cross but for child safety generally. We have also added a bottle cage and there are 5 spare inner tubes, and a bike computer (that needs recalibrating and I’ll leave that to the new owner so as not to spoil the fun!).

Full spec go online here: http://www.islabikes.com/bike_pages/luath26.html
You are welcome to come and have a look and don’t feel obliged to buy – sorry, no offers though as we know we can get more than this and we need the money to make it easier to afford the next model up for Sarah! Just email or pm us, John and Kate

johnbosley wrote:If your child wants a road bike, then the Luath is the one.

CHEESEY

Yeh, ok, but it was copied from a review so not actually my quote!

Sold to a very good home!!