Islabikes' reputation for high-quality, thoughtfully made kids' bikes has spread outside of the company's native UK to the US and elsewhere, and now all the company's lightweight starter bikes come with yet another smart design: a completely enclosed chain guard.
The so-called ChainGlider chain cover was made with little ones in mind, to keep fingers, toes, shoes and clothes away from the chain, chainring and rear cogs. Although not so much an issue when the bike is being ridden, Islabikes founder Isla Rowntree knows that young kids' curiosity can lead to wandering fingers when the bike isn't being ridden.
“Children’s safety is the absolute priority and of paramount importance to us. Our company has been founded upon giving the best, safest cycling experience to children and their families,” said Rowntree, a multi-time national champion in cyclocross and cross-country.
BikeRadar editors are big fans of the Islabikes. We have never awarded anything less than a 4.5 stars to any of the many Islabikes we have reviewed over the years.
Related reading: Islabikes Cnoc 16 kids' bike review
Islabikes partnered with German accessory company Hebie to make the ChainGlider that comes on all Islabikes Cnoc bikes now.
“It has taken us two years to design and produce this product and it has been a complex technical exercise, so I’m delighted that together with Hebie we have designed a really effective solution," Rowntree said.
Islabikes claims to be the only children’s bike manufacturer in the world to replace the industry standard chain guards with its own. The ChainGlider comes stock on Cnoc 14 and Cnoc 16 bikes, thus named for their wheel sizes in inches.
The tool-free ChainGlider can be removed for any repairs, and can be retrofit on any Cnoc 14 or Cnoc 16 purchased since July 2012.
