Islabikes go all grown up with new adult bike

Islabikes are one of our favourite makers of kids' bikes here at road.cc towers, for their no-nonsense approach to well-specced children's bikes all the way from balance bikes to racers. And now they're aiming to take that same approach to the adult market too, with the launch of the Beinn 29, their first adult bike which is available now.

Islabikes already make a Beinn 20, a Beinn 24 and a Beinn 26 that'll fit kids from five years old up to teenagers, so in a way the Beinn 29 is a logical extension of the range, but it's a big leap into the competitive world of adult bikes. What's brought it on?

"We have lots of parents who have been inspired to get back into cycling by their children and feel baffled by the choice out there when all they want is a well designed bike just like their child’s one“, said Isla Rowntree, Islabikes designer and company owner. To that end the Beinn 29 continues the simplicity and sensible speccing of the youth range.

The bike's a 29er, obviously, with an alloy frame and a Cromoly fork. It's designed to be an all-purpose machine; standard spec is Kenda Kwik Trax all-purpose rubber but Tom at Islabikes told us that the frame will take a 2-inch MTB tyre if you want to press the Beinn 29 into service as an off-roader. Gearing is SRAM X4, an eight-speed cassette and a single chainring at the front, with a twist grip for changing duties.

The frame and fork both have disc mounts, so that's an upgrade option and presumably you'll be able to buy a complete bike with discs in the future; for now you get V-brakes to stop you and there's just the one spec, in three sizes. The rear droupouts are interesting too, with a sliding section secured by two bolts. Should you wish to convert the bike to a singlespeed you can use this arrangement to tension the chain.

The Beinn 29 is rack and mudguard friendly; it has low-rider bosses on the forks too. It's designed to be a simple, useful adult's bike and at £399.99 it's not going to break the bank either. The new Bein 29 is available to buy vis the Islabike website now, but if you want to take a look at one in the flesh you can do so at the Islabikes showroom in Bromfield, Shropshire and also on their stand at the Mildenhall cycling rally, Suffolk, on August 28th and 29th.

www.islabikes.co.uk