Frog kids bikes.

[Kestevan]

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.

 

[mustang1]

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?

 

[Pedrosanchezo]

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.

 

[SavageHoutkop]

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

 

[summerdays]

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.

 

[Booyaa]

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.

 

[Puddles]

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!

 

[Simbob]

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.

 

[mustang1]

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.

 

[e-rider]

[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

 

[keithmac]

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 .

 

[e-rider]

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

 

[Milkfloat]

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.

 

[e-rider]

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

 

[keithmac]

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).