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Paul Nuki is one of Britain's leading consumer journalists and is currently head of news features at The Sunday Times. He's also a father of four and long time cycle enthusiast. Here he picks out the five best bikes for kids Click to view Top 5 Childrens Bikes.
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Best Road Bike (Islabike Luath) |
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 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. |
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There are two bikes in the range: the Luath 26 (top) for nine to 11-year-olds and the Luath 700 (bottom) for 11-year-olds and up. Both bikes have 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. Both bikes can also be ordered with different tyres and accessories to suit any of the four disciplines mentioned above.
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Great Reviews |
 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.
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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, pedals 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."
Both the Luath bikes have lightweight aluminium frames, 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. The smaller version 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 is great not just for cyclo-cross but for child safety generally.
For more info go to: Islabikes.com |
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