# Frog kids bikes.



## middleagecyclist (21 Feb 2013)

I'm looking at getting a light frame, geared kids bike for my little one. I've been told Frog Bikes are good and cheaper than Islabikes. Anyone got any personal experience?

Cheers


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## ianrauk (21 Feb 2013)

The tadpole looks like a rebranded ridgeback and Zooom. Which would tell me that the others may be also.


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## summerdays (21 Feb 2013)

Never heard of them - but nice looking bikes.


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## Hacienda71 (21 Feb 2013)

I think 400bhp was going to look at those at the Bike Show thing.


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## 400bhp (21 Feb 2013)

Hacienda71 said:


> I think 400bhp was going to look at those at the Bike Show thing.


 
I did have a look at their website and was going to go and see them at the bike show. I won't be buying one because (a) they are 1kg heavier than their Islabike counterpart (at least the one I was looking at), (b) they are just £15 cheaper than the Islabike equivalent, (c) their website is possibly a little misleading when it says they deliver to a LBS for free (this implies it is ANY lbs but clearly that can't be correct) and (d) after emailing them and inquiring about the bike show then weren't going to turn up with any bikes you could buy and take away there and then, and they weren't offfering any discounts at the show.

They are nice looking bikes and have clearly copied the Islabike model and mantra.


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## FrogBikes (22 Feb 2013)

Hi - this is Frog Bikes here. 
In answer to one of your specific questions, we do aim to deliver bikes to any local bike shop you choose. We pay the shops a fee for receiving the bike and offering a free 6-week service to the customer. Bike shops are very happy to do this for us, and it's often more convenient for customers than having to wait in for a delivery, and doing a bit of assembly themselves.
It's all about choice really.
Hope that helps.
Frog


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## Crackle (22 Feb 2013)

400bhp said:


> I did have a look at their website and was going to go and see them at the bike show. I won't be buying one because (a) they are 1kg heavier than their Islabike counterpart (at least the one I was looking at), (b) they are just £15 cheaper than the Islabike equivalent, (c) their website is possibly a little misleading when it says they deliver to a LBS for free (this implies it is ANY lbs but clearly that can't be correct) and (d) after emailing them and inquiring about the bike show then weren't going to turn up with any bikes you could buy and take away there and then, and they weren't offfering any discounts at the show.
> 
> They are nice looking bikes and have clearly copied the Islabike model and mantra.


 
But to be fair, when Islabikes are at shows I've been to, they just have a demo range and weren't offering sales or a discount, just a look and try. And a kg isn't much, that still makes them lighter than Kona and Trek in something like a 20"


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## middleagecyclist (22 Feb 2013)

FrogBikes said:


> Hi - this is Frog Bikes here.
> In answer to one of your specific questions, we do aim to deliver bikes to any local bike shop you choose. We pay the shops a fee for receiving the bike and offering a free 6-week service to the customer. Bike shops are very happy to do this for us, and it's often more convenient for customers than having to wait in for a delivery, and doing a bit of assembly themselves.
> It's all about choice really.
> Hope that helps.
> Frog


This is good to know. Will be deciding on kiddie bike purchase this weekend. Any chance of tyre choice option? Cheers.


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## FrogBikes (24 Feb 2013)

middleagecyclist said:


> This is good to know. Will be deciding on kiddie bike purchase this weekend. Any chance of tyre choice option? Cheers.


Hello MAC - sorry, this isn't something we offer at the moment. We'd just recommend taking the bike to your local store (or you can have it delivered to your store of course), and they would discuss switching the tyres for you. What size bike are you thinking of, and what tyres would you want ideally??
Frog


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## 400bhp (24 Feb 2013)

Crackle said:


> But to be fair, when Islabikes are at shows I've been to, they just have a demo range and weren't offering sales or a discount, just a look and try. And a kg isn't much, that still makes them lighter than Kona and Trek in something like a 20"


 
Fair point yes, but they are established. Frog Bikes aren't.

Thing is, for an extra £15 I can be pretty sure I can flog an Islabkie on Fleabay for 70% ish of its RRP after 2 years use. It's much more unknown with Frog.

But, as an aside, it's great to have some additional choice for children's bikes. and good luck to them


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## 400bhp (24 Feb 2013)

Bast, Paul - gah. Need a 16 for a 4 y.o. or at a stretch a 14.

I am astonished how much they go for on Fleabay


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## FrogBikes (24 Feb 2013)

[QUOTE 2331734, member: 45"]Interesting website, I've never heard of you before (and I think we've been through 6 Islabikes).

Are the frames built to your own design or are they off-the-shelf?[/quote]
Hi - we are very new, hence you won't have heard of us before! Just launched earlier this month. Our frames are our own, and all aluminium. We're using branded componentry (Tektro brakes, Shimano gears).
Have a look at this independent reviewer who tested our bikes last weekend: 
http://www.cyclesprog.co.uk/news/frog-bikes-quality-kids-bike/


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## 400bhp (24 Feb 2013)

Yeah, might be worth loaning some to a few forum members for their little uns to try out


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## middleagecyclist (27 Feb 2013)

Just ordered a Frog bike for delivery to my LBS and and then on to my 7yr old daughter. Will report on the bike in due course but the order process was smooth as you like and the LBS had no problem making the required arrangements.


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## hardgrit82 (2 Jun 2014)

middleagecyclist said:


> Just ordered a Frog bike for delivery to my LBS and and then on to my 7yr old daughter. Will report on the bike in due course but the order process was smooth as you like and the LBS had no problem making the required arrangements.


 
@middleagedcyclist

Hw did you get on with your Frog bike?

I am possibly looking to purchase one for my 7 year old daughter

thanks


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## Kestevan (2 Jun 2014)

We checked out Frog bikes when we were in the market last year. 
The bikes look fine, but we decided that the price difference between them and Islabikes wasn't enough to justify taking a punt.

I know that when I put the Islabike on the market when Kes Jnr outgrows it, that we've got a good chance of recovering 70% of the purchase price, and it will be easy to sell. Not sure this holds true with Frog.


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## mustang1 (2 Jun 2014)

Crackle said:


> But to be fair, when Islabikes are at shows I've been to, they just have a demo range and weren't offering sales or a discount, just a look and try. *And a kg isn't much*, that still makes them lighter than Kona and Trek in something like a 20"



For an adult bike, it can be argued that 1kg isn't much. But for a kids bike I think 1kg makes quite a difference. Don't forget quite often the kid needs to carry the bike.

For £15 extra, does the ialabikes get you both a lighter bike and better resale?


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## Pedrosanchezo (19 Aug 2015)

Bit of a thread revival here but considering Isla bikes and Frog bikes for my 3.5 year old boy. 

Any update on how good the Frog bikes are and have held up over time? At his age i expect the bike to last 1-2 years before he grows out of it. Then sell and buy the next one up. I know Isla bikes resale value is very good but not sure on Frogs. 

Any thoughts appreciated.


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## SavageHoutkop (20 Aug 2015)

Following, as my 2.5 year old is dying for a bike 'with pedals' to graduate to following his first balance bike (an Islabike).


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## summerdays (20 Aug 2015)

I can't comment on resale value, but my friend is still pleased with her one for her 10 year old daughter, which gets used for a mile and a half commute to school two days a week, for the past 2 years.


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## Booyaa (20 Aug 2015)

Found the Frog bike to be an excellent buy. Not worried about resale value so not got any comment on that, the bike is there for the kids to enjoy not to get too hung up on not getting it scratched in case it knocks a fiver off the "value".

Us and the kids thought it looked a lot nice than the Islabikes and preferred the colour option so more than happy with it and wouldn't swap it.


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## Puddles (21 Aug 2015)

We have the Frog 62 & 52 and love them love them. The bikey fixey maintenance man from Urge was also very impressed with them too, luckily both our LBS stock them so that is where we tried and bought them from!


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## Simbob (8 Nov 2015)

I came across these in my LBS today, chap in there said the company was set up but two former Islabike employees who believed bikes should be available to see and try in shops. I personally wouldn't buy an Isla as i wouldn't part with that amount of money without at least sitting the little fella on it first - especially as i just found out by visiting the LBS, he may only be 7, but is fitting a bike recommended for a 10yr old! They look well made, and a choice of colours (unlike IB Beinn; red for a girl and a urk! turquoise for a boy), there's even a Team Sky branded one for all the TDF mad dads out there.

I have a tried a friend's Islabike Beinn 26 small and i don't believe it is a kilo lighter than the Frog 69 - they are both very light compared to my sons current Specialized Hotrock 20 which weighs a ton - mainly suspension i would guess, although incidentally he has never has a problem riding up hills or doing the odd 10 miler on, anyway we all know published bike weights are BS!

I am considering getting one of these next time around, i would imagine, judging by the popularity of Islabikes and the secondhand market for them, (these being basically the same thing but cheaper), those in the know will be all over them and it won't take long for the secondhand market to fill up.


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## mustang1 (17 Jan 2016)

Crackle said:


> But to be fair, when Islabikes are at shows I've been to, they just have a demo range and weren't offering sales or a discount, just a look and try. And a kg isn't much, that still makes them lighter than Kona and Trek in something like a 20"



A kilogram is quite a lot even for an adult bike, and these are kids bikes so the weight difference is a lot more substantial.


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## e-rider (16 Jan 2017)

[QUOTE 4110294, member: 45"]Frog bikes aren't as good as Islabikes, but better than most of the other competition. The different is that Isla was successful in design and development before she started her company and this still shows today. Frog seem to be making a decent name for themselves and are pretty successful in families with more than a passing interest in cycling.

I joined the FB page for second hand Islabike sales a couple of weeks ago. I know from our experience that resale values were good, but didn't realise how good they still are. There's little justification for by buying a "disposable" kids' bike as you'll not save yourself any money.

My view is that you should always buy the best you can afford for children. The easier the bike is to ride, the easier it is to get your child into cycling.[/QUOTE]
After owning one Frog and one Isla I agree that the Islabike is a better bike both in terms of design and quality - however, the Frog was significantly cheaper so it's not a fair comparison really, more of a statement


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## keithmac (16 Jan 2017)

Notice theres a stockist in York, might take my 5 year old daughter down to have a look.

She's got some "Frozen" branded contraption at the moment but it's far to heavy and the fixed gear is too high for her to travel any distance on.

May be just the thing to get the stabilisers off .


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## e-rider (17 Jan 2017)

keithmac said:


> Notice theres a stockist in York, might take my 5 year old daughter down to have a look.
> 
> She's got some "Frozen" branded contraption at the moment but it's far to heavy and the fixed gear is too high for her to travel any distance on.
> 
> May be just the thing to get the stabilisers off .


Frog bikes are pretty good and no doubt a big improvement on what your daughter currently has. Islabikes are even better but more expensive. From my experience the younder the child the quicker they grow out of a bike. My 9 year old managed 3 years on his last bike, but I remember when he was 5 years old and he was only getting 1-2 years from a bike. So, I'm not sure for your daughter whether it would be worth getting an Islabike over a Frog as she will move on from it very soon, however, as she gets older, if she likes cycling I'd consider an Islabike, up to age 13, after which she would probably fit a small adult bike anyway


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## Milkfloat (17 Jan 2017)

We used a Frog bike (55) to allow my son to keep up with the rest of the family on rides. He went from hating riding to loving it and it makes the school run infinitely easier. I toyed between the Isla and frog and despite borrowing an Isla for a couple of weeks from a friend, decided that the difference was not enough to justify the extra cost of the Isla. Hopefully Frog resale will be pretty good, there is certainly a lot of growing room, so we aim to keep it for a few years.


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## e-rider (17 Jan 2017)

Milkfloat said:


> We used a Frog bike (55) to allow my son to keep up with the rest of the family on rides. He went from hating riding to loving it and it makes the school run infinitely easier. I toyed between the Isla and frog and despite borrowing an Isla for a couple of weeks from a friend, decided that the difference was not enough to justify the extra cost of the Isla. Hopefully Frog resale will be pretty good, there is certainly a lot of growing room, so we aim to keep it for a few years.


one of the key differences is handlebar height - Islabikes are designed so the handlebar height is correct throughout the entire range of seatpost movement.
Frog bikes on the other hand have lower bars and when the seatpost is extended quite high the bars become too low for the bike to be used safely and the child needs to move onto the next size sooner - this is a design error in my opinion. The quality of frame construction is visibly lower on a Frog and the components are lower grade too. That said, Frog bikes are good bikes for kids and for smaller sized bikes (20" wheels and smaller) there is no need to spend more


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## keithmac (17 Jan 2017)

Yep I bought my son a Merida mountain bike when he was 7 1/2 and he's just about grown out of that now (hoping I can talk my daughter into using it later on!).

Think £200, maybe slightly more for the right bike is where I want to be for my daughter as she's growing fast and may only get a couple of years out of it!.

Saying all that I wouldn't fancy pedalling the bike she has now so do wonder if that putting here off using it (weight and gearing).


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## User10119 (17 Jan 2017)

You don't really buy an islabike (even before they came up with their new business model). The resale values are good enough that you can get 3/4 of the outlay back - or more, if you bought it second hand.

The SmallestCub's is onto at least it's 4th owner - he's the third one since it joined our fleet but I don't know how many it had been through before it came to us.


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## e-rider (18 Jan 2017)

After my experience of Frog bikes and Islabikes I would buy an Islabike over a Frog everytime now - yes it's more money but there are so many benefits that make it definitely worth it


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