Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

TECH NEWS

New kids’ bike brand launched

Frog aim to offer high-quality, lightweight kids’ bikes

There’s a brand new kid’s bike brand out there in the shape of Frog Bikes who produce a range of colourful, lightweight models. The brand will launch officially at the Bike & Triathlon Show in Manchester on 16-17 February

The range includes nine bikes with each available in four colours, the most eye-catching of them being the spotty bike which comes covered in coloured polka dots. With aluminium frames and forks, each of the models is designed to be lightweight and robust.

The Tadpole weighs in at just 4kg (8.8lb) and the Frog 73 – the largest model – at 10kg (22lb). The idea is that the bikes are easy to handle for children who want to explore on two wheels. Frog Bikes say that their bikes are made with high-quality, branded and child-specific components. The company will sell predominantly through independent bike stores, although online too.

The nine bikes are aimed at a wide range of ages and sizes, from the Tadpole, which is a first “balance bike”, right through to a 16in frame to suit 12-14 year olds. There’s also a mountain bike with front suspension forks in the range.

High-quality components designed specifically for smaller hands include Tektro slim-grip brakes with adjustable levers and Shimano easy-twist gears.

Each of the bikes is named according to the minimum inside leg length of the child riding it. So, a Frog 52 is for riders with a minimum inside leg of 52cm. Simple!

You get a standard two-year warranty on the frame, forks, components and paintwork of all Frog Bikes – as well as on the lightweight frames for lifting onto roof racks. You can also upgrade to a free five-year warranty on frame and forks.

Frog Bikes have developed an interactive website, www.frogbikes.com, where you can browse the range and check out accessories from brands such as Bell, Knog and Handlebar Heroes.

One of the most interesting features is the Gift List service, where customers can select a bike for a birthday or Christmas present, for example, then ask friends and family to visit the site and make a contribution towards the bike fund.

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

Add new comment

3 comments

Avatar
joemmo | 11 years ago
0 likes

More decent kids bikes are definitely to be welcomed but it is a hard sell when they grow out of them so quickly. I guess with something like an Isla bike you have some certainty that you'll get a good resale price for it and it remains to be seen if frog can build a similar reputation but I wish them well. 120 quid for a balance bike is a bit nuts though...

Avatar
wildoo | 11 years ago
0 likes

"If you provide us with your local bike shop's details we will send your bike to them for free, and they can give you all the help you need with set up, fitting and accessories. They will also give you a free service after 6 weeks, and be able to help with your bike in the coming years"

Interested to see how that works!

Avatar
David Portland | 11 years ago
0 likes

Just been looking at these -- they seem to be strangely large for their wheel sizes. The Frog 43 (for 43cm inside leg) has 14in wheels, compared to the Islabikes Cnoc 14 that's claimed to fit down to 38cm inside leg (and is a kilo lighter). Gearing seems a tad enthusiastic for a 3yr old also. That said, yay for another specialist kids' brand  1 Also, I like the spotty ones.

Latest Comments