# Frog Kids Bikes?



## Cyclone1 (24 Sep 2014)

Hi Guys,

I've just ordered a Frog 62 for my soon to be 7 year old Son.

They seem to tick all the right boxes and are almost comparable to Islabike offerings but are visually more appealing (up to date). Plus they are priced below Islabikes (which I would have bought had I not been made aware of Frog).

Has anyone else bought a Frog bike and if so what are your thoughts please?

Jules


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## Cyclone1 (24 Sep 2014)

What did you base your opinion on as there is an £80 price difference between the bikes I looked at?


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## Cyclone1 (24 Sep 2014)

Thanks for that.

Totally agree on resale, but only as Frog are still growing their brand stature (doing a good job) and have only been in business for just over a year.

Frog now have Team Sky on board to enhance their own brand strength as well as a sort of validation that their bikes are of a decent quality for the price mark. With this (Team Sky full range) I think their bike sales will rocket and will then be seen as the best alternative to Islabikes, who have had this niche market to themselves as a smaller none mainstream manufacturer.

Will be interesting to see how it all pans out over time.

Jules


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## Cyclone1 (24 Sep 2014)

Agree with the Hoy pricing being too close to Islabikes, plus limited colour options which for kids is a must have. I pretty much ruled them out on that basis. The bikes themselves do appear to be decent though. The Decathlon range is also very good as with the adult bikes they sell.

As a cyclist myself I appreciate that a reasonably lightweight bike is easier to control than a heavy bike for a younger rider. My son has spent the last 2.5 years on a Ridgeback MX16, which has been excellent but weighs a touch over 9kgs, he will be moving up to a Much larger Frog 62 with 24 wheels that is only a touch heavier.

Comparable bikes size wise (and price) from Cube, Ridgeback, Scott etc are all around or more than 12kgs.

Jules


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## summerdays (24 Sep 2014)

Frog bikes are nice, but Islabikes just have the edge in my opinion. I can't say specifically what the difference is, I've not had two side by side to compare directly. My friend is happy with her daughter's frog bike though, and they are reasonably distinctive. I noticed one near my local Tesco's from a distance and was proved correct that it was a Frog bike, and I can usually spot Islabikes at large distances too (due to colour/frame shape etc). We went down the Islabike route as Frog didn't exist. I think a lot of brands are trying to catch up rather than churning out the stuff they did in the past.


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## summerdays (24 Sep 2014)

[QUOTE 3295330, member: 45"]I read a post somewhere online recently from a parent whose child had an Islabike. They tried a Frog for half an hour and didn't appear to manage as well.

One of our boys had a small Decathlon bike to learn to ride on. He managed fine, but used to get tired balancing due to the weight and was fairly slow. We got him and Islabike and there was an instant improvement to his riding. Faster and longer, and he just seemed to find it easier.

Mind you, the OP is talking about a 24" wheeled bike, and at that size the gap between bike options starts to narrow significantly.[/QUOTE]
I'm pretty certain her's is the 24", she rides it about a mile and a half to school a couple of times a week, and she must be about year 5 now.


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## noodle (29 Sep 2014)

aww i thought it was one of these frog bikes


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## ClichéGuevara (30 Sep 2014)

I thought it was about Peugeot's.


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## 400bhp (12 Oct 2014)

summerdays said:


> Frog bikes are nice, but Islabikes just have the edge in my opinion. I can't say specifically what the difference is,



Weight. Islabikes 14" is 1 kg lighter than the frog equivalent (or about 15% lighter looking at it a different way). That's worth paying extra for.


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## summerdays (12 Oct 2014)

400bhp said:


> Weight. Islabikes 14" is 1 kg lighter than the frog equivalent (or about 15% lighter looking at it a different way). That's worth paying extra for.


It is but the Frog Bikes are still worth considering if you can't stretch to the Islabikes. It's now pretty common to see them, if I commute down the Bristol and Bath path in the morning I probably see 3 or 4 regularly, whereas the Frog ones are where Islabikes were about 5 years ago for how often you see them.


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## Cyclist33 (13 Oct 2014)

Cyclone1 said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> I've just ordered a Frog 62 for my soon to be 7 year old Son.
> 
> ...



Ridiculously overpriced. A marketing manager's dream come true!


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## Cyclone1 (14 Oct 2014)

Cyclist33 said:


> Ridiculously overpriced. A marketing manager's dream come true!


Harsh, but entitled to your opinion.

£270 for a 9.8kg kids bike with decent equipment, well made, good dimensions and compared to Islabikes modern aesthetics, is a good buy given the choice available. For me £270 is more than enough to spend on a kids bike. Islabikes have taken good advantage of a niche for lightweight, well built children's bikes, so it's good to have another company with a similar outlook but better pricemark competing for sales. For info the comparable islabike is 0.9kg lighter but £79 more expensive £349.

Compared to a 13kg lump of a bike from Cube / Scott etc for a higher pricemark then for me it's a no brainer. It's the more mainstream brands as mentioned above who rub their hands at taking £300+ off parents for their offerings.

The only other options are Argos type specials, that again are heavy with sub standard components and not well put together, albeit much cheaper. Or the middle ground at Decathlon.....

Have you viewed a Frog bike or for that matter directly compared it to another child's bike?


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## Cyclist33 (14 Oct 2014)

Cyclone1 said:


> Harsh, but entitled to your opinion.
> 
> £270 for a 9.8kg kids bike with decent equipment, well made, good dimensions and compared to Islabikes modern aesthetics, is a good buy given the choice available. For me £270 is more than enough to spend on a kids bike. Islabikes have taken good advantage of a niche for lightweight, well built children's bikes, so it's good to have another company with a similar outlook but better pricemark competing for sales. For info the comparable islabike is 0.9kg lighter but £79 more expensive £349.
> 
> ...



Yes I have, and it was ridiculously overpriced. I got one from Decathlon which was a third the price and equally good, plus it's what he wanted, a police bike, so he rides it willingly instead of "competitive dad" compelling him to.

Put simply, no child needs a bike that expensive. But I suppose if you have the money and are happy to fritter it away in the belief it somehow validates your decision to procreate, good luck!


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## summerdays (14 Oct 2014)

Given the number of children who now have either a phone or an iPad from a very early age, I would rather see that money spent on a bike, and a well built bike can really make a difference. 

I don't have a problem parents buying what they can afford, but if you can give them a tablet or phone then you can give them a decent bike. (Where decent isn't a heavy lump of metal, wrong proportions and poor components).

The other advantage to the more expensive bike is the resale value. When I sold an Islabike I could have made almost what I had paid for it about 3 or 4 years earlier. (Identical one went for that price on eBay whereas I was selling to a relative so didn't ask that amount).


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## Cyclist33 (14 Oct 2014)

Come back on that one when you've had the same number of Decathlon bikes and have resold them so you've some actual and meaningful numbers to report.


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## summerdays (14 Oct 2014)

Cyclist33 said:


> Come back on that one when you've had the same number of Decathlon bikes and have resold them so you've some actual and meaningful numbers to report.


I've also had Giant and Raleigh kids bikes and didn't sell either for over £50.


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## 400bhp (14 Oct 2014)

We are now on our second Islabike.

First one bought for £199. Sold for (IIRC) £150 a year on. 25% depreciation

Second one bought second hand, which is probably about 5 years old. I expect to break even on it.

We bought a new Decathlon balance bike for £30. I looked around on Ebay and it wouldn't have sold, at least for nothing material. So I gave it away. Depreciation, infinity.


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## Cyclist33 (14 Oct 2014)

[QUOTE 3327384, member: 45"]5 Decathlon bikes. Their resale value is way off.

Also Giant, Ridgeback, Scott, Carrera. Nowhere near.[/QUOTE]

So you've had 5 Decathlon kids bikes and 5 Frog kids bikes? Okay. Lot of kids, or lot of wrong choices on bikes??


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## Cyclist33 (14 Oct 2014)

400bhp said:


> We are now on our second Islabike.
> 
> First one bought for £199. Sold for (IIRC) £150 a year on. 25% depreciation
> 
> ...



Fair enough but on the subject of Frog Bikes, if their balance bike is £100 new and you could re-sell it for more than £70 then you've got a better deal than Decathlon, otherwise you would have spent less on the Decathlon bike than you did on a Frog.

It does seem head-scratchingly baffling that anyone could be so gulled by the marketing. I mean it must be a dream. It's already ****-easy to get blokes to buy a new bike for themselves each year, imagine how easy it is to sell a kids bike on the grounds of upsizing and by playing on the parents' (erroneous) sense of the need to provide for and keep their child(ren) safe.

It's not my money I'm chucking down the drain anyway so enjoy.


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## Cyclone1 (14 Oct 2014)

Cyclist33 said:


> Yes I have, and it was ridiculously overpriced. I got one from Decathlon which was a third the price and equally good, plus it's what he wanted, a police bike, so he rides it willingly instead of "competitive dad" compelling him to.
> 
> Put simply, no child needs a bike that expensive. But I suppose if you have the money and are happy to fritter it away in the belief it somehow validates your decision to procreate, good luck!


I was quite placid in my first reply to your comments and will continue that way.

You point out some good areas that I'd not considered;

Firstly that my seven year old may actually want a Police bike so he can pretend to be a policeman on his police bike in front of all his friends. They would probably want to join him on his undersized Police bike with its 16" wheels, sounding his siren, ring his bell and then arresting them all for having a more expensive bike. However, they are more likely to be tearing up a trail, splashing through some puddles, jumping small ramps and racing down the lane on their "expensive" but normal bike, while my boy goes over to his 4 year old brother and passes him his new Police bike.......

Secondly I agree that Decathlon is great value for money, but you have to compare like for like....

Thirdly, I don't think that your comparison is valid. The only bike at Decathlon of a comparable size to the Frog 62 I referred to is around £150. I am sure it is a fine bike as most products from Decathlon are. However, it has inferior parts fitted and is some 4kgs heavier, so whilst it's 45% cheaper, it's over 40% heavier. When you consider that a 7 year old weighs around 4 stone then a 14kg bike takes some riding, especially if they want to take it on trails, mud or road.

If I get 3 years good use out of this bike then the £270 will be worth it as I may even get 50% back at resale (may be less or it may be close to Islabike resales, who knows?). That's just £45 a year cost to me. The decathlon bike might be worth £50 if that after 3 years so only costs me £33 a year, but it's a tank in comparison!

It's all relative, you only have to read the "which wheels shall I buy?" threads, where people ask for opinion on which wheel to buy and more often than not buy wheels where they could have bought some similar for a lot less. I mean £200 for a set of wheels when you can get a cracking set of Miche or Shimano for £90???? You wouldn't do that would you??? They probably do it because they can. Can afford it, can understand the technical differences, can appreciate aesthetic differences, can just want to have a bit of something different. Or simply they can choose not to......

Have you ever been in that predicament? Lol

Jules.


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## Cyclist33 (14 Oct 2014)

Cyclone1 said:


> I was quite placid in my first reply to your comments and will continue that way.
> 
> You point out some good areas that I'd not considered;
> 
> ...



Sadly not - but as a grown human I reserve the right to make such decisions; but as a parent I will not go around blowing money unnecessarily.

Some people I suppose, have tried Shimano wheels as an upgrade and didn't like them, so when / if their boss gave them a £200 voucher as a reward for working hard, they might have, I guess, decided to splash out in the knowledge that they wouldn't be able to do so again, and that each time they rode those wheels they felt a pride in having done their job well. Maybe.

Maybe, also, my kid's not as grown up as quickly as yours... I prefer it that way, lord knows there's enough time to be grown up when you actually are. Shame his role model is the police and not some hoodlums jumping kerbs and "racing down the lanes". I guess he'll get fitter on a heavier bike too. When and if he wants to try his hand at "hardcore" riding I will seek out something that doesn't cost 250 quid, that's for sure.

I think these things often begin at birth, people go out and spend close to a thousand quid on a "travel system" (we called ours a pram) whilst for instance we bought one for £180 that lasted faultlessly till beyond the day he outgrew it, and bought another alongside for 50 quid from Tesco which lasted a good couple of years and survived a trip to Hong Kong with all that city's attendant madness. The phrase "nothing is too good for my little Henry" springs to mind... I just feel that £Ridiculous is spent on kids who don't need or appreciate that level of spending, when they would be happier getting proper love, friendship and attention from their parents, and who can so easily come to expect/demand such monetary/material perks later in life - objectionably so.

So there!


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## summerdays (14 Oct 2014)

Mine very rarely got to go to the cinema or out for meals or McDonalds, so they haven't come to expect that we will fork out for anything and every thing. They now have iPhones - all bought second hand, and one of the Islabikes was bought secondhand too. And they bought those phones themselves with pocket money and from their Saturday jobs. 

I don't see why someone asking for an opinion on a bike should be having to justify spending money on a product. They are happy to spend a little extra to get a lighter bike. Not only are Islabikes lighter the frame sizing is different, so that my child was able to move up a size earlier than they would have previously which meant they were able to keep up with the rest of the family a little easier.


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## 400bhp (14 Oct 2014)

[QUOTE 3328462, member: 45"]As I've already said, your argument is anulled once the resale value of Islabikes is considered. And that's before taking into account the number of streets ahead Islabikes are from Decathlon.[/QUOTE]

Exactly. It's essentially bike rental with Islabikes. I know of no other children's bike that you could be confident of resale value and simply re-selling it.


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## Cyclist33 (14 Oct 2014)

[QUOTE 3328462, member: 45"]As I've already said, your argument is anulled once the resale value of Islabikes is considered. And that's before taking into account the number of streets ahead Islabikes are from Decathlon.[/QUOTE]

er, no it isnt unless you have actual comparisons based on actual buy n resale history. which, you dont.

anyway as ive indicated its not me you need to convince.


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## Cyclist33 (14 Oct 2014)

[QUOTE 3328663, member: 45"]I do. ;-)

You've rejected that because I can't list resale values of 5 Frog bikes. I've never bought or sold a Frog bile.[/QUOTE]

frog bile? are we onto witches potions now??

hmm im going to go and scratch my head some more!


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## Cycleops (17 Oct 2014)

£270 seems a lot of money to spend on a seven year old's bike especially when he will soon outgrow it. It seems like a good bike. But why are you asking for advice when you have already ordered it? It would seem you will be answering your own question pretty soon.


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## Cyclone1 (17 Oct 2014)

Cycleops said:


> £270 seems a lot of money to spend on a seven year old's bike especially when he will soon outgrow it. It seems like a good bike. But why are you asking for advice when you have already ordered it? It would seem you will be answering your own question pretty soon.



I'm not asking for advice I am asking for people's thoughts on ownership and experience of the bike. However, most of the answers are from people with no experience of the bike but opinion on what they feel people should or shouldn't pay.

For the record I've seen the bike in a shop, it looks great etc, however I've no experience of ownership and as the bikes are only 12-18 months old, then most current owners will only have limited experience, all I was hoping to read from current owners was how the bikes have performed in this amount of time.

The bike will be well used and looked after. My 7 year may get two years from the bike, but as he has a younger brother the bike will get at least another couple of years use.....

It's up to me what I pay for a bike, no one else, it was not a question asked in the original post. Like I've already said £270 is not too much when you consider what you "may" recoup on resale, not that that is the key motivator for the purchase, I would also challenge anyone to find a comparative new bike with like for like specification, weight and size for the same price or less.......


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## MartinQ (18 Oct 2014)

I'm sure your kid will love his Frog & my opinion (not fact / experience) on the price is that its OK and you should get a reasonable resale value. Passing down isn't an option with our twins so they're getting 2nd hand (good condition) MTB speshs for Christmas this year. Like most things, whether or not its good value depends on the use / enjoyment you and your son(s) get out of it, and I'm sure you'll all have some good times. We'll probably pass old bikes onto friends or a charity for kids who don't have bikes.


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## Stephenite (10 Jan 2015)

So... Frog bikes - any good?

Considering buying a Frog 48" as the Islabikes people are knobs and don't send overseas.


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## Cyclone1 (11 Jan 2015)

Stephenite said:


> So... Frog bikes - any good?
> 
> Considering buying a Frog 48" as the Islabikes people are knobs and don't send overseas.


Hi,

The bike is excellent! Stunning looks, good quality, well put together and light.

My son has already had a chance to test it out at Sherwood Pines and found it a different league to his previous bike. He finds it much easier to manoeuvre and control. I was genuinely shocked at how much quicker he can now ride and with confidence.

As a bonus the bike drew quite a few comments and glances!!

Frog and my LBS were great to deal with.


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## Booyaa (11 Jan 2015)

Got one for my daughter, the spotty paint job, she loves it. Cracking bike.


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## DCLane (11 Jan 2015)

I looked at a Frog 70 for my youngest as his 'cross bike. It looked good but was over our budget. I also looked at the Forme Formeula (basic for the price), Dawes Espoir 26" (very heavy), Scatto JCross (wierd sizing), Hoy (agree very pricey), Genesis Col du Glandon (very nice but out of our budget) and the Worx 26" (ditto).

Carrera's TDF Junior, which I bought, ended up being re-sold on here as it wouldn't take 'cross tyres.

Finally we went for a second-hand Islabike Luath 26 with upgraded 18-speed Sora gears which I got for £230 plus delivery. It's fine for what it is and works well. We also know that we should get about what we paid for it when resale time comes.







It's worth looking at this test for kid's bikes.


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## Stephenite (13 Jan 2015)

Just bought and picked up a Frog 48. It certainly looks nice and tidy. Light and easy to pedal. The only thing is that it's a bit of a stretch for him at the moment, but will probably be fine come summer. When both of his toes touch the ground, he has to sit at the forward edge of the seat to properly reach the handlebars. I think my child is normally proportioned, so, the geometry of the bike is possibly a bit too sporty to be perfect. But we will see when he grows into it.


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## Puddles (27 Jan 2015)

We have a frog... lots of children at school have frogs too... some have Isla's... the Bikeability Instructors liked both equally.. my bike mechanic was impressed when he saw the Frog too...


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## yerteasoot (12 Apr 2015)

Im really thinking of getting my daughter a frog bike which can then be passed down to my son, my lbs will chuck in a 20% discount which makes it excellent value for money, did think about the Isla bikes but wjth the price in mind and the discount on the frog(he cant do it on the isla bike) im def swayed towards the frog.


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## derrick (13 Apr 2015)

One of our LBSs stock frog bikes, they do look well made and a reasonable weight. And the colours look good.got a lot going for them.


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## benb (13 Apr 2015)

I'd much rather spend a bit more on a bike that's well built, light, with decent components that my children will actually enjoy riding, than buy one that's cheaper, but heavy and crap, which they'll ride a handful of times and then give up because it's too heavy for them to be enjoyable.

I made the mistake of buying a "big name" bike for my son, and whilst he is fine riding to school and back, it's simply too heavy for him to do much distance on it. It weighs as much as my road bike! So when he is big enough, I will get him a Frog or Isla I think. They are expensive, but as with many things, you get what you pay for.


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## e-rider (14 Apr 2015)

I see that Islabikes have increased their prices by £50. I bought a Beinn 24 for £350 for my Son. That was a lot of cash but we do plenty of 15 mile rides together and hope to tour Holland soon on it. However, at £400 (new price) it would have just been too much and I would probably have bought a Frog bike instead.


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## Cyclist33 (15 Apr 2015)

benb said:


> I'd much rather spend a bit more on a bike that's well built, light, with decent components that my children will actually enjoy riding, than buy one that's cheaper, but heavy and crap, which they'll ride a handful of times and then give up because it's too heavy for them to be enjoyable.
> 
> I made the mistake of buying a "big name" bike for my son, and whilst he is fine riding to school and back, it's simply too heavy for him to do much distance on it. It weighs as much as my road bike! So when he is big enough, I will get him a Frog or Isla I think. They are expensive, but as with many things, you get what you pay for.



With just as many things, you don't get what you pay for. I don't share your opinion but vive la difference. I spent about half as much by going to Decathlon, the bikes are built fine and the service is fine too.

So many parents seem to think (mistakenly in my view) that children will go off something if it isn't shiny, new and expensive. If you've brought your kids up well they are just as happy riding a heavy bike as a light one, indeed they have the energy for it and tend to enjoy the riding more than the object itself.

But if you want to carry on wasting your ££s and it makes you feel better.


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## summerdays (15 Apr 2015)

Cyclist33 said:


> With just as many things, you don't get what you pay for. I don't share your opinion but vive la difference. I spent about half as much by going to Decathlon, the bikes are built fine and the service is fine too.
> 
> So many parents seem to think (mistakenly in my view) that children will go off something if it isn't shiny, new and expensive. If you've brought your kids up well they are just as happy riding a heavy bike as a light one, indeed they have the energy for it and tend to enjoy the riding more than the object itself.
> 
> But if you want to carry on wasting your ££s and it makes you feel better.


Do you apply that philosophy to buying your bikes too?

I bought both new and second hand Islabikes, and my child was equally happy with both of them. The difference over the previous bikes was that it was easier to keep up with the rest of the family. When I sold them I ended up with a much greater percentage of the purchase price with the Islabikes than the bikes prior to them so in terms of wasting money the previous bikes wasted much more money.


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## benb (15 Apr 2015)

Cyclist33 said:


> With just as many things, you don't get what you pay for. I don't share your opinion but vive la difference. I spent about half as much by going to Decathlon, the bikes are built fine and the service is fine too.
> 
> So many parents seem to think (mistakenly in my view) that children will go off something if it isn't shiny, new and expensive. If you've brought your kids up well they are just as happy riding a heavy bike as a light one, indeed they have the energy for it and tend to enjoy the riding more than the object itself.
> 
> But if you want to carry on wasting your ££s and it makes you feel better.



Decathlon are probably a good balance between quality and price.
But I don't think there is any dispute that Islabikes are better. They are lighter and have better components.
Add in the good resale value, and I don't really understand your position that it's an expensive frippery to buy one.

FWIW, I bought my son a quite heavy Raleigh something. It weighs more than my road bike, and he has trouble doing distances as long as he would like on it, and finds some hills a struggle. A couple of kilos makes a big difference when you're 7. So I'm going to trade it in this year for a Frog or Isla. I don't expect to get more than 20% of what I paid for it 14 months ago. In retrospect and Isla would have been an all round better choice.


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## Cyclist33 (15 Apr 2015)

I don't wish to sound unduly aged and grumpy, but "when we were young" we just had whatever old bangers we could get our hands on and I don't ever really remember running out of steam.

I suppose it depends what you want out of the bike over its life cycle. In the unlikely event that everyone realises they don't need a posh bike for their kids, the bottom would fall out of the market and the re-sale value would plummet. We live in hope!


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## Cyclist33 (15 Apr 2015)

summerdays said:


> Do you apply that philosophy to buying your bikes too?
> 
> .



Pretty much. I like to have new and shiny things but then I do work for them. I also use my cyclescheme-d bikes for commuting. And I don't spend more than I need to just because I can. Last bike was a £400 mountain bike on a discount. Could have spend 50% as much again but didn't. It wasn't necessary.


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## dellzeqq (24 Aug 2016)

just picked up a Frog 43 for my grandson @FrogBikes . No Allen keys, no printed manual, just an on-line manual that covers the entire range and is therefore nigh-on unintelligible. This is fine if you have lots of Allen keys and you halfway know what you're doing with a bike, but not so fine if you don't have the keys or the experience. I've no idea what arrangements have with the bike shop, but the chain and brake cables needed a bit of lubricant.

And the rear hub doesn't turn nearly as freely as a Brompton rear hub - which is not asking much. It's designed to catch dirt, and I can foresee having to take the thing apart. The saddle is overdone and I'll look for a lighter job.

That said - the paint job is good and the brakes are well suited to small hands. I just think it's not quite worth £195. Had it not been for the coaster brakes I'd have spent £135 on a Specialized Hotrocks.


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## ianrauk (24 Aug 2016)

dellzeqq said:


> I'd have spent £135 on a Specialized Hotrocks.



Didn't take Little H long to get used to the coaster brake on his Spesh. In fact he became a little master at the rear wheel skid. It took him even less time to get used to normal handlebar brakes on his 'next step up' Raleigh.


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## atbman (5 Nov 2016)

Off subject, but, "How a Frog bikes made?"
Rivet, rivet, rivet.


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## shouldbeinbed (6 Nov 2016)

Replace Islabike with Brompton and any other mass appeal folder (Dahon, Tern, B'Twin) with,any other children's bike and you get exactly the same entrenchment and circular opinions.

Shall we all take it as point made and not needing repeated labouring that Islabikes have a secure place at the top of the tree but some people are willing / required by cost outlay *today* / have their own valid motivations to consider alternatives.


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## MichaelW2 (6 Nov 2016)

When I were a nipper I had a small steel-framed bike but it wasn't excessively heavy like modern child bikes, and all the components were child-sized. I see children riding bikes that are styled to look like full sus mtb but aren't, and have hi ten steel tubes that mimick the fat diameter of aluminium tubes of adult bikes. The weight of these bso is monstrous.


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## Triple3 (5 Dec 2016)

I was recently informed that Frog and Isla were the same, the owners fell out and one took the online business and frog took shop retail etc. The frames are very very similar with just a slight weight difference and the islas have maybe better components but grip shift gears which i dont think are as good as thumb shift for children 5/6 year old. 
No idea yet if this is true about the isla/frog stuff


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## summerdays (5 Dec 2016)

Triple3 said:


> I was recently informed that Frog and Isla were the same, the owners fell out and one took the online business and frog took shop retail etc. The frames are very very similar with just a slight weight difference and the islas have maybe better components but grip shift gears which i dont think are as good as thumb shift for children 5/6 year old.
> No idea yet if this is true about the isla/frog stuff


That doesn't match what I've heard. As far as I know Isla came from a racing background. No idea of the history of Frog bikes. Islabikes have always sold directly from them rather than through shops. Having played with both, the Islabikes have the edge for me, whether it's worth the extra money is up to each person to decide but if it was me buying again I'd still go down the Islabike route. However the Frog bikes are still good. And anything is better than the junk from Toys r us.


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## Triple3 (6 Dec 2016)

summerdays said:


> That doesn't match what I've heard. As far as I know Isla came from a racing background. No idea of the history of Frog bikes. Islabikes have always sold directly from them rather than through shops. Having played with both, the Islabikes have the edge for me, whether it's worth the extra money is up to each person to decide but if it was me buying again I'd still go down the Islabike route. However the Frog bikes are still good. And anything is better than the junk from Toys r us.



Yes Isla Rowntree, I was told the story they were partners and fell out so frog bikes was born but like I said no idea if its true. 
I have an Isla Cnoc 16 which I'm replacing with a frog 52 or 55 for christmas and although the Isla is a fantastic bike it comes down to cost and the comparable isla is £100 more for a bike that will be grown out of quickly. I will not hesitate to buy Isla again once my child is older and the bike will be kept for a few years plus


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## summerdays (6 Dec 2016)

Triple3 said:


> Yes Isla Rowntree, I was told the story they were partners and fell out so frog bikes was born but like I said no idea if its true.
> I have an Isla Cnoc 16 which I'm replacing with a frog 52 or 55 for christmas and although the Isla is a fantastic bike it comes down to cost and the comparable isla is £100 more for a bike that will be grown out of quickly. I will not hesitate to buy Isla again once my child is older and the bike will be kept for a few years plus


Yes that's what I mean, that it may not be worth the extra.


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## 400bhp (6 Dec 2016)

Triple3 said:


> I was recently informed that Frog and Isla were the same, the owners fell out and one took the online business and frog took shop retail etc. The frames are very very similar with just a slight weight difference and the islas have maybe better components but grip shift gears which i dont think are as good as thumb shift for children 5/6 year old.
> No idea yet if this is true about the isla/frog stuff



That doesn't sound true

https://www.frogbikes.com/press/founder-biographies.aspx


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## e-rider (13 Jan 2017)

I bought a Frog bike today for my son - as I was leaving the shop I noticed that the bottle cage bosses were wonky - the guy said it would be fine once the cage was on so I took the bike. Put the cage on at home and in fact it was worse - the cage was 1-2mm from hitting the LH crank (the cage was not bent) - anyway, I phoned the shop and they said bring it back and they would order another - so another trip back to the shop (25 mile round trip). New bike on order. Whilst there I checked all their Frog bikes on display - 2 of 8 on display had a simialr problem (although not quite as bad) - looks like Frogs are not built to very high standards!


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