Islabikes - junior track bikes

Cycling Weakly

I've just created a Facebook page intended to help persuade Islabikes to produce their junior track bikes once again. Isla hasn't made them for a while now, and there's nothing else like them available on the market. As things stand, several clubs in Eastern Region won't have enough track bikes for the 2013 season to satisfy the surge in demand after the Olympics, including CC Ashwell.

Please "like" the page, add a comment if you'd like, and help spread the word. We want to avoid the situation where we have a great grass track facility, a coaching team to help riders develop, but not enough bikes to ride!

See https://www.facebook.com/pages/Please-Islabikes-build-some-more-junior-track-bikes/139092992899855

Mark F

Cycling Weakly

I had an encouraging chat with Islabikes today. They appreciate all the support & goodwill shown through our Facebook page, and they'd certainly like to see even more kids riding on track bikes next year.

They obviously have a commercial judgement to make though, and they're working on the facts & figures.

More info expected soon but, in the meantime, it's vital that we continue to build a community of interest in producing Reis track bikes once again. So if you haven't already done so, PLEASE "like" the Facebook page and spread the word to anyone you know who is involved with youth cycling and who would need a junior track bike in 2013.

Mark F

Jon.c

i have liked and shared the page.

Cycling Weakly

The current status of this project is as follows:-

"The latest figure from Islabikes is that they have received requirements for 52 bikes so far. There are also a few clubs which have contacted Islabikes but haven’t yet given their likely numbers which would add to that total.

In the last few weeks we’ve individually contacted over one hundred Go-Ride clubs and other clubs with a strong interest in youth racing on grass or hard track. If they need junior track bikes in 2013 or beyond we’ve urged them to get behind this initiative and contact Islabikes with their specific requirements. We’ve also asked them to put the word out to their members so that individual club members can give their requirements too.

We expect the total figure to grow steadily as the message gets circulated within the clubs that we’ve contacted. However, if we’re going to make a production run viable, it’s clear that we must reach every club and every individual who wants a junior track bike within the next couple of years."

CC Ashwell has submitted its requirements for a handful of new club bikes. However, there is such demand at our Thursday grass track coaching sessions during Spring & Summer that bikes will probably still need to be shared during the sessions. So if you're hoping to buy your own junior track bike as an individual in 2013 or 2014 it's important that you give your requirements to Islabikes now.

See the Facebook page for full info.

Mark F

tduckett

Thanks for the update Mark, and a good point that club track bikes will have to be shared this year. Let Islabike know if you are thinking of buying one.

Cycling Weakly

Things are looking good

Below is the update I just posted at the project's Facebook page.

If things stay on target we will have a batch of new track bikes in the summer for our Thursday evening grass track sessions.

Even so, there are still likely to be more riders attending on Thursday evenings than there are club bikes available. So if you'll be wanting to buy an Islabikes junior track bike yourself make your requirements known quickly, because there's quite a lot of pent up demand nationally and the production run of such specialist bikes won't be huge.

Mark F

- - - - - -

"I have some very good news: Islabikes called today to confirm that they have made the decision to proceed with the production of new junior track bikes.

They are now in talks with their factory, after which the retail prices can be calculated and published, along with detailed specifications. Availability & delivery are likely to be in June or July, but this can’t be confirmed until arrangements with the factory have been finalised.

The bikes will be available in 24”, 26” and 700c wheel sizes. A 20” wheel version may be available too, but there is less demand for this smallest size than the others.

So, unless the factory gives an unexpectedly negative response in the next couple of weeks, new Islabikes junior track bikes will once again be available for children to use on hard and grass tracks this summer.

In the meantime, if you haven’t already done so, now is a good time to register your individual requirements or your club’s requirements with Tom at Islabikes (see an earlier update below about how to do this).

Thank you to everyone who has publicised & supported this project so far. I’ll share more information as soon as it becomes available.

Mark"

tduckett

Thats great news, thanks Mark.

Cycling Weakly

A quick update after just having spoken to Isla. She has received a response to her track bike specifications from the factory and the project is moving forward.

The work is taking a longer than anticipated because of their larger commercial activities (our project is not-for-profit don't forget) but Isla emphasised their commitment to it.

We'll just need to bear with Islabikes, and I'll post more info here when I have it.

Mark F

Cycling Weakly

A lot of parents have been asking on Thursday evenings how they can buy their own Islabikes junior track bikes in small sizes. This is all discussed in the thread above, and particularly at our Facebook "campaign" to persuade Islabikes to supply the bikes once again.

As we get closer to manufacturing the new bikes, here's a question about frame colours that Islabikes would like our views on. So, which of these options would you prefer?:-

i) all sizes (e.g. 24", 26", 700c) of the new Reis model to share the same frame colour?

or

ii) each size to have a different frame colour?

I'll feed back the opinions to Islabikes. Personally I prefer option ii) because it's easier for kids to identify which size club bike they normally use.

Mark

P.S. Before you ask, the actual colours haven't been decided yet. However, we can expect them to be chosen from the range already used on other Islabikes models: i.e. their red, blue, mango (yellow), titanium (grey). Possibly a green too. Not their purple or pink though.