Islabikes Reviews 48

There was a recall issue with the bike. I got it fixed as they instructed but they did not register this. And the for years they have harassed me and refuse to take my contact information out of their system. It is offensive that no matter how many times I tell them to leave me alone they refuse. James Harper is the problem. He needs to listen and leave people alone when they ask.

So, having had several Islabikes and thinking they were great, I latterly came to realise that the reason the Beinn 26 model was light is not down to superior tubing and construction but because they are downright flimsy, fit for road use only. I see a number of other reviews here where the bike was deemed 'not fit to ride'. So we had to write off £1000+ for two lightly used bikes. If you have a normal 12 year old boy, do yourself a favour and get something robust, these things are light because they design them without any strength.

Isla bike itself is ok
They sell tyre for Isla Beinn 24 that is too small for actual rim.
Spent 1.5 hour replacing it and destroyed the tube now event not sure I can remove it.

They have no product client reviews on their website so enjoy my review here.

UPD: already broke a tool while removing their “compatible” tyre

What sets Islabikes apart in the realm of customer service is their genuine commitment to customer satisfaction. From the initial inquiry to post-purchase support, their team demonstrates a level of attentiveness and care that is rare in today's market. The staff is not only knowledgeable about their product range but also exhibits a deep understanding of the needs and concerns of their clientele, particularly those of young riders and their parents, such as myself.

The responsiveness of Islabikes' customer service team is commendable. Queries are handled promptly and efficiently, reflecting a well-organized and customer-centric approach. This responsiveness ensures that customers feel valued and supported throughout their purchasing journey and beyond.

They made the most beautiful bicycles that brought the love of cycling to countless children. It is truely sad to hear that they are stopping production. But I respect their integrity.

My daughter's first bike was an Isla and the second one is also Isla. Not only are the bikes perfect for my daughter, I found thier customer support (James) very responsive. I was expecting to be ping-ponged between Courier and Islabike but surprisingly not!! I am really pleased with the swift delivery, robust and comfortable bike and thier world class customer service 😁

We were loyal customers of Islabikes (5 bikes purchased to date) the recent purchase (a 24" road bike) was purchased for my son's birthday. We decided to take it to France, as this is where we were for his birthday. We purposely kept it in the box to protect it. However when we opened the box, 2 spokes were broken. Given the look of disappointment on our son's face, we immediately took it to a local bike shop and waited 2 hours for them to completely fix the wheel. I contacted Isla the next day to explain what had happened, I never asked for a refund or a return, simply that it had needed to be fixed at a cost of 90 euros. I was told that because we took it out of the UK the warranty is not covered. I understand this - but simply suggested that a 'gesture of good will' would have made us feel like a valued customer - (given how much we have spent with Isla bikes before). I have now had 2 emails to say 'nothing we can do'. A real shame and not what I expect from what used to be a brilliant, family owned business.

Quite a few years after we bought the Isla Craig for our son to begin racing MTB’s, we had nothing but praise for the lightweight racer our boy had great success on. We’re years on, the boys still love racing, and the Isla was certainly a contributor to that passion.

Last week, we bumped into the boy’s old junior team, and there she was, handed down for the past six years to kid after kid in the team, it was still going strong. Six or so years of training and racing week after week. What a fantastic bike.

Honestly……….. I’m astonished at some of the reviews on here, so felt I had to share my repeated experiences with Islabike, and our love for their products.

Spin back to 2019 - we had a toddler that I wanted to get cycling, so went to Decathlon and bought a “wee girl’s bike” with pink bits, bells and baskets - but it weighed nearly 10kg……..which was over 50% of my daughter’s body weight!!!!!!!!!

Spoke to some cycling-fanatic mates, who recommended Islabikes, did a bit of research and ordered a Cnoc 14S at 5kg - popped her on it, and she was off like a shot!!!!!!!!

We’re now four bikes in - a Cnoc 14S, Beinn 20S, a Beinn 24 and now a Jimi adult MTB for my wife. All have been absolutely brilliant to own and use, they barely depreciate (we lose about £100 of value in two years of ownership) and we get hours and hours of joy out of them each year.

Most of the poor reviews on here seem to be regarding a safety recall (which NO company want or need to administer) or people damaging a bike and feeling aggrieved that spares can’t be sold for it.

Islabike have a similar care for my family’s safety and enjoyment of cycling as I do, and that works well for me.

After buying bikes over the years for my grandchildren and then last year for myself, I made my first warranty claim for replacement of a plastic chain guard on my Joni. The bike is less than 1 year old, and has been ridden sparingly and carefully. The chain guard, a disappointing cheap plastic component, was discovered to be broken and cracked during routine maintenance. The quibbling, questioning and refusal to replace this £15 part, which they have in stock and would sell to me has left me disappointed and disillusioned.

I placed a telephone order for a Cnoc 16 bike for my granddaughter. The day it arrived I discovered that Islabikes were offering a substantial promotional discount for the same bike. I emailed the company to complain about the lack of disclosure at the time of purchase. Islabikes emailed back immediately and offered to refund the difference, something they were not obliged to do. Thank you, Islabikes.

Extremely poor customer service, I have 5 Islabikes and my little girls one, the back wheel got damaged, they refused to help with the repair/allow us to buy a spare wheel. Absolutely disgusting considering the price of these bikes. Reporting the usual 'safety' as an excuse-an excuse so you have to buy a while new bike. I took my bike to a local bike shop who confirmed the bike is in perfect condition, how Islabikes can confirm by a photos that it is unsafe is beyond me. I will NEVER buy a bike from these guys again. IN this current climate, many families have to stretch out the bikes to last a little longer, I now have a miserable 5 year old with no bike.

After much reviewing, and conversations with customer services regarding stock and delivery I ordered a Cnoc 16 for my Granddaughter. It was expertly delivered in substantial packaging within two days.
This is simply a top top quality bike, from a company that offers first class customer service, my thanks to Mandy for all her help and assistance during my purchase. I highly recommend The Cnoc 16 for 4 to 6 year olds.

Purchased a Jimi earlier this year. Over time a small issue developed with chain / crank interference.
After contacting James at Islabikes, the matter was dealt with very quickly and professionally. A modified chainring was dispatched free of charge, and although I fitted it myself the company offered to cover the cost of fitting this at a local repair shop.
Based on my experience the negative reviews here are unexpected, and I would not hesitate to purchase another bike in future.

Poor customer service.

Edit based on Islabike reply. The customer service review is multifaceted. Firstly, the bike in question has a manufacturer based safety fault. Islabikes wrote to me on 17.6.22 advising that the bike should not be ridden - along the lines of a product recall. Islabikes should have replaced the bike like-for-like (according to the Consumer Rights Act 2015) - poor customer service #1. Islabikes (on 23.6.22) advised me to order a temporary fix (= a retaining bolt) which was completed. However, there has still been no additional communication (after 3 months) regarding the progress of the permanent solution - poor customer service #2. The email on 23.6.22 stated that it would take 5 months to manufacture and replace the front forks. See other one star Trustpilot reviews - which also highlight the poor customer service from Islabikes and James.

Secondly, the bike was involved in a collision (as described by James) causing the rear wheel to be bent. To provide some more context, the collision was very minor (whilst slowly reversing) and the rear wheel became bent and unusable. Islabikes refused to send a replacement wheel because James deemed the whole bicycle frame had been structurally weakened (based on a requested (very brief) 10 word description and distant photographs)?!? James subsequently asked what the bike had collided with - a car park height barrier. James did not ask for any more detailed information (e.g. via telephone call) or offer to examine the bike to gain a more considered opinion regarding the safety of the bike. The assumption based on my initial brief description & photos was that the bike was unsafe and at risk of catastrophic failure!! To me this is poor customer service #3. I have since sought independent advice regarding this statement. Needless to say my daughter’s safety is my only concern. The bike is structurally sound. The rear wheel has been replaced with no other alterations / repairs required.

I do not feel that James’ child’s safety concerns are genuine. I feel the bike was manufactured with a fault. No doubt this will be an expensive issue to rectify. By saying the bike should not be repaired, condemning my daughter’s bike, James and Islabikes are aligning themselves to avoid the trouble and expense of rectifying the initial front fork related issue. If the front forks are not replaced and subsequently fail I will be taking this matter further.

We have purchased 7 Isla bikes in total since the kids started riding with 4 still in our possession (2x Beinn 24 and 2x Luath 26). The kids have been riding Isla bikes from the age of 4 and able to ride them for hours at a time.

We have just received our replacement bike as part of the recent recall and the quality of the bikes just keeps getting better. I ended up buying a load of new spares to bring our older model up to date to stop the kids fighting 🙈. All going well we will be looking to purchase a Luath 700C next year.

Many thanks to Isla bikes for a seamless change over and for the support you have provide to date.

Terrible experience around a product recall notice.

Instructed by Isla bikes that my daughters bike is unfit to ride!

We do not know when we can fix it!
We cannot provide you with a replacement as they are out of stock!
We will not give you a refund!

We have used Islabikes for our twins first three bikes, after being recommended to Islabikes due to their lightweight British design and the fact they were an by an independent company based in Ludlow so we could go and see the bikes and get our children fitted properly and professionally.

We have always been pleased with the care and attention to detail for getting the right bike for our children over the years that Islabikes have given us. It has been important to us to always get the right sized bike for our children as they use them everyday and we understand the importance of having the right sized bike for ease of learning to ride and for our children's safety.

The customer service we have received since being informed of a Product Safety Notice on 17 June 2022 which informed us ‘not to use the bikes’ has been shockingly awful. There has been no care or understanding to the situation we have been left in. We have been told our 6 year old twins can not use their Creig 20 bikes until the issue with the forks has been resolved, which Islabikes say they ‘expect to begin replacing forks within 5 months’.

The safety notice relates to four different types of Islabikes, sold between October 2019 and May 2022 so you only imagine how many bikes this effects and how long it will actually take Islabikes to rectify them all and make them safe to use.

We have been offered to upgrade to the next sized bike, which we would have to pay the extra money for and is for a bike that is for children aged 8 years plus, so our 6 year old twins will have to wait 1.5 years until they could ride their replacement bikes.

The other alternative is for us to wait until Islabikes get round to fixing the problem on our current bikes.

We spent £1,600 on two bikes for our boys Christmas and birthday gift in December 2021, and now we have been told we are not allowed to use them.

To upgrade to the next bike would cost us an extra £400. We thought we were doing the best by our children by spending the £1,600 on the best bikes we could afford for them. We also wanted to continue to use Islabikes because we hoped we would also get the personal care and attention from the company rather than buying a run of the mill bike from Halfords.

We have had numerous conversations with the Customer Service Manager at Islabikes to understand the situation better and to try to resolve the issue so we are not left with two bikes we are unable to use for such a long period of time. We appreciate there are time frames in manufacturing new parts to rectify this fault, but we would have expected much better customer care and solutions to their problem.

Having hit a brick wall with our conversations with James, the Customer Services Manager at Islabikes we contacted Trading Standards. We have been informed that Islabikes are in breach of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 which states they should immediately replace with a like for like bike or an advanced model free of charge. Failing either of these a full refund should be offered. We have also been informed you can do a charge back through your bank and if successful your bank will reimburse you and your bank look for reimbursement from Islabikes. Trading Standards have also emailed us various template letters to assist us with our fight to obtain a refund for the original purchase.

We are astounded at how Islabikes expect our children to wait such a long period of time for their bikes to put back to a roadworthy safe condition. Having spent £1,600 on the two bikes we are unable to go out and buy replacement bikes ourselves and have been left in this limbo land with two very upset children who rely on their bikes to get to and from school.

They are simply the best children's bikes and I wouldn’t buy anything else. My children were pedalling independently within 10 mins on their 4th birthday (they had had balance bikes since they were 2), we’re now on our 5th and 6th Islabike (Beinn 20 large) and cannot fault them. They rode an 8 mile cycle ride at the age of 4.5 yrs with ease and mastering gears has been a breeze. Resale value is excellent too! Lightweight and designed specifically for children