PSA - Islabikes, 37-52% reductions

Blimey

OK, this must really be the end times now.

Gosh. I’m worried for Islabike.

Daughter is currently riding 20”, debating whether she needs to go through 24”, or jump straight to 26”. She is tall!

I'm also worried for Islabike.

Have passed this onto a friend who's looking for his daughter, so thank you.

Their MTBs were always hideously over priced vs the competition.  This reduction brings them into line with others.

Specialized Riprock which has a very similar spec to the Creig20 is £500 at retail.  The Creig is lighter by around a kilo, but not worth £350 more.

Daffy
Full Member
Their MTBs were always hideously over priced vs the competition. This reduction brings them into line with others.

Specialized Riprock which has a very similar spec to the Creig20 is £500 at retail. The Creig is lighter by around a kilo, but not worth £350 more.

I think they've got a bit of an image problem these days unfortunately. Come across as very XC focused compared to the likes or Early Rider, Orbea (Laufeys), Nukeproof and others.

I picked up a second hand Creig 26 for a friend. Looked like a really well thought out bike, but definitely an XC rocketship rather than something to play on

Having said that - I just looks at it's actually a LOT lighter.  Like 2.5kg lighter and it's tubeless ready, which means it could be more like 3kg lighter, which is almost 35-40% lighter than the Cannondale and Specialized equivalents...

Actual weight running tubeless would be 7.2kg whereas the Specialized is just over 10kg.  Hmm.

That weight changes from 8.7kg to 7.7kg (not come across your 7.2 yet) depending on where you look on their site. More inclined to believe the 8.7kg

7.7kg is their description weight, 7.2kg would be about the weight if you took it tubeless.

I figured 7.7kg was the weight tubeless. Still more likely to be 8.2kg, that’s (8.7kg) the number that seems mentioned the most. Not that that’s a bad weight

Those prices look more like a liquidation sale. I hope this isn't the end of Islabikes, they've served my kids well in their younger days.

The Creig 24 was 499 last week, but their website doesn't process payments correctly for my credit card issuer so the transaction alwasy declines and there is nothing the card issuer can do.

So I couldn't buy one, and now the price has gone up (a bit).

Not just the kids bikes, I bought my Dad (called Jim) one of their "senior"  Jimi bikes for his 70th, Its a lovely thing, light, stable and very well thought out, but at £1100 RRP I'm not surprised they had a few left over for a fire sale

The Creig 24 was 499 last week, but their website doesn’t process payments correctly for my credit card issuer so the transaction alwasy declines and there is nothing the card issuer can do.

So I couldn’t buy one, and now the price has gone up (a bit).

Phone them up and have a chat. I can't recall the exact circs, but when we bought the kids' Creig there was some complication/ confusion,* and they ended up selling it to me for the lower price.
* may just have been me being an indecisive baam

Beinn 24 is still a frankly daft £550 quid. I have one for sale for £150 quid [stealth ad, see classifieds] and it is still not selling.

That'll be very sad if they were to depart.

We've had 3x Isla Bikes as my daughter grew (she's still using her 'Cross bike at 20). And have cascaded them to friends kids as they become too small.

Whilst not cheap, I always thought the quality was good, and a lot of detail thought in the design and spelling, like easier reach brakes, narrower cranks, etc. And defo lighter than anything else around at the time.

Other companies did of course join the bandwagon later on once Isla had created the market for quality kids bikes that didn't weigh 2 hundred weight and be made from lead lined gas pipes

That’ll be very sad if they were to depart.

We’ve had 6 Isla Bikes as my boys grew

Their MTBs were always hideously over priced vs the competition. This reduction brings them into line with others.

I'd say this was untrue. It may be is the case just now but back in the day there was no competition. It's only in the last few years that other brands have upped their game

Basically wot Roberts says:

Other companies did of course join the bandwagon later on once Isla had created the market for quality kids bikes that didn’t weigh 2 hundred weight and be made from lead lined gas pipes

There is a lot of models not discounted at all. I think it would be a bit previous to started lamenting their demise.

they been having deals for sometime now, seen several time on hukd.  they are obviously great bikes but I do think they are overpriced and the hype about them holding their value isn't going to be great if punters cotton on to being able to get them at 5o% off in the sales.

but, I think people just aren't spending big money on kids bikes.  I have a frog 48 up for sale on facebay.  had one person interested in 4 weeks.  sold the previous bike for more money in a few days a year ago, had people biting my arm off.

I just checked with the way back machine and they did a similar offer last year - not quite as much discount, but close.

They seem to just be clearing some stock of a colour which hasn't sold well in prep for the next stock arriving.

Thanks for sharing this @a11y. I've just bought one of the Janis road bikes for my partner as her commuter is getting on a bit. It should also be a fair bit lighter as well as far better looking. Cheers!

however they are not shipping until 25/10, so is it not more of a case that they know what's landing and want them out of the door?

I used to buy Islabikes for the kids when they were small as they were light and well put together, they were expensive new but the resale value was so good that the overall cost was less than £100 per bike over the time we had it. In fact when the prices started going up I sold our last one for exactly what we paid for it 18 months previously.

The relatively high second hand resale value must be both a blessing and a curse for them.
It makes them a decent buy if you know you are going to get a decent chunk back when you come to sell on, but there must also be lots of bikes on the second hand market that folk have taken better care of, knowing that they can sell them on. Didn't they used to have a buy back scheme which would presumably help address this?

however they are not shipping until 25/10, so is it not more of a case that they know what’s landing and want them out of the door?

They told me yesterday that if I ordered today, it would be with me by the 11th.