Cycle Sprog readers really are an amazing bunch of people!! Last week I wrote a post about the new range of lightweight kids bikes that had just landed at Go Outdoors. They’re called Wild Bikes and seemed to be priced very cheaply for the specification – (although you do need a £5 discount card to access the deal).
Whilst it’s easy to be impressed with the specification of a kids bike on paper, we’d want to see it in person before recommending to our readers. Only problem is that we live quite a long way from the nearest Go Outdoors store – however what we’d not counted on was just what a truly amazing bunch of readers we have!!
Stephen immediately got in touch and said he was going to check them out as soon as possible, as he’d been looking for a cheaper alternative to Islabikes and Frog Bikes to recommend to parents at his Go Ride Club.
Hours later he reported back that he’d been to his local Go Outdoors Store and had a good chat with the staff. They’d confirmed that Wild Bikes are made and designed by the people at Calibre. If you’ve not heard of them, they make the legendary adult sized Calibre Bossnut Evo, which always gets rave reviews as a brilliant mountain bike, not only for the price but for the specification and ride too. This means we can hope that the Wild Bikes to have been designed and specified with a similar amount of care and attention to detail.
He confirmed for me that the rear cassette on the 20″ and 24″ wheel Wild Bike has a range of 11-32, which was the missing bit of information on the specification.
Plus he took all the photos included in this post – what a superstar!
Stephen’s conclusion was “They do seem really good and I will recommend them as the new budget option. Build quality seems excellent and the staff I spoke to certainly rate them”.
Wild Bike weights
Next up Jim got in touch, to say “Just popped in to have a look at these bikes. Unfortunately they had sold the only 20 inch Wild Bike they had, which is the one that I was most interested in. I weighed the 18 at 6.8kg and the 24 at 9.4kg.”
I’m wondering if he took his own scales, or borrowed a pair from elsewhere in the store!!
The 18″ wheel therefore compares quite closely to the stated weight on the Wild Bike website (6.7kg). However, the 24″ wheel bike is, as I’d suspected, weighing in at 9.4kg which is heavier than the stated weight of 8kg.
Then, yesterday Jennifer got in touch. She’d actually taken her Cycle Sprog into her local Go Outdoors and had a sneaky test ride! She told us:
“I popped into Go Outdoors yesterday with my 6 (nearly 7 year old). I was impressed. They had all the sizes in stock, though not all the colours.
They had a useful height chart (I’ve seen similar in Evans) and she’s just tipping into the 20″ bracket (120cm, I think). We took it for a little spin around the aisles (before we got told off and told to stop!!!! ) and she liked it. She could access the brakes very easily and it stopped quickly and easily.
I’ll probably buy one. I’ve been waiting for a 2nd hand Islabikes Beinn 20 Small on eBay for months now, but these are rarely below £250. I’d rather buy a new Wild bike.
Only gripe, the colours for the 20″ aren’t particularly inspiring, blue and purple which is quite nice and bright pink and silver which is also quite nice, but the 18″ colours are much more interesting.”
Thanks Jennifer – I hope you didn’t get too much of a telling off! It’s a pity that there is nowhere for kids to try these bikes out in-store, as being able to test ride a bike is usually an important benefit of buying in store, rather than online. Perhaps this is something Go Outdoors can think about providing in future.
I feel very privileged that we’ve got such amazing readers who are taking pictures of, weighing and test riding the bikes – although I do wonder what the staff think is going on!!!
How do the Wild Bike’s actually ride?
It’s one thing looking at the bikes in store, and another actually buying one and riding it properly. Cycle Sprog reader Jon did his research, was impressesd and has bought the Wild 14 – his son is 102cm and the bike fits him at the lowest saddle height. His full impressions of the bike can be read in the comments section below. Here’s a brief summary of what he’s found, having been out with it a few times and being generally impressed with the quality of the bike.
– Weight of the Wild 16, including pedals, is 6.2kg. Compared to a listed weight (which will be without pedals) of 5.8kg. This is the same as what his friends Islabike Cnoc 14 weighed, like-for-like
– Tyres weren’t as listed. The Wild 16 came with Meghna, not Kenda, tyres and the store confirmed they’ve never been fitted with Kenda.
– Seat is made by Selle Royal, with Wild Bikes branding, which is not listed in the specification, but is reassuring brand component wise
Thank you so much to Steven, Jim, Jennifer and Jon for their feedback on these bikes. It certainly sounds as if they may well be that elusive thing – a well specified, lightweight kids bike at a cheap price. It will be interesting to see how they perform over the long term. Wild Bikes have a 1 year warranty (Islabikes and Frog have 5 years on Frame and Forks and 2 years on components), but there’s nothing so far to suggest these bikes won’t last well beyond the warranty timeframe.
One last thought. In the initial post I’d already highlighted the similarities between the Wild Bikes and Squish Bikes. However I also thought the logo looked familiar, and it wasn’t until I had both the Wild Bike and Whyte Bikes pages open at the same time that I remembered…..
Where to buy the Wild Bikes Range:
The Wild Bikes Range can be purchased exclusively from Go-Outdoors, who offer an instore Click and Collect service or free home delivery.
Other posts you ought to check out whilst you’re here:
- Cheaper alternatives to Islabikes
- The best kids bikes
- Where to buy the cheapest Frog Bikes
- Where to buy cheap Islabikes
- The best 16″ wheel bikes for 4 and 5 year olds
- 12 things you need to know before buying a kids bike
- Black Friday Deals on Kids Mountain Bikes – discounts available already
- Black Friday deals on kids bikes – our pick of the bargains
- Black Friday deals on kids bikes at Evans Cycles
- Black Friday girls bike deals 2018
- Deals on e-bikes: pick up a cheap electric bike BEFORE Black Friday 2018
- Best girls bikes – as recommended by girls who ride bikes
This post was first published in November 2018 and updated in January 2019 to include additional comments from Jon, who has bought one of these bikes
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Comments
I just took delivery of a wild bikes 20″ and am amazed by the value. Our little ones first bike was an Isla (Cnoc) and my threshold for being impressed is suitably high, but impressed I am. I few pros and cons for those that care:
+ 8.2kg with pedals (measured on my postal scales), only 0.7kg heavier than the equivalent Isla (Beinn).
+ Frame geometry seems very good for the price.
+ Most of the vital components are well spec’ed (Tektro brakes, decent rims, Jagwire cables, Shimano drivetrain… I could get nerdier).
+ Cheaply made brass bell! (The cheapness is to be expected but the fact that it has the classic ding of brass was a pleasant surprise!).
+ Amazingly cheap for the spec and there are regular offers. Price as of May ’23 is ~£250, 50% of the Isla. I got mine at Blacks who had a 20% off everything promotion = £204 inc. delivery!
~ Out of the box factory set-up is not awful. A few bits needed tweaking that you might reasonably expect: brakes, gear indexing, handle bar alignment.
– Crankset doesn’t appear to have a particularly narrow q-factor, ~163mm (rough measure), compared to 135mm quoted for Isla. This is a shame as I think the frame design would allow for a narrower, more child friendly set.
– One of the wheels was a bit out of true, which is not great and beyond what I would call a normal/simple tweak.
– Brake cables cut quite short (may make it hard to adjust)
I honestly don’t think there is a way that they could improve this bike for the cost. For context, I coach at a British Cycling affiliated community cycle club for 4-11 YO. I see a lot of kids bikes and spend half my time adjusting them to help the kids get moving comfortably. My little one has obviously not had much time to test this bike, but my impression from the set-up is that it is probably the best 20″ bike on the market. The only real downside is the q-factor of the cranks, but arguably that makes less critical difference as kids get bigger.
Hi we bought a 26 inch wild for my nearly 12 year old. He’s riding it on the lowest seat setting and we have managed a 45k outing on it. Up to distances we have to seriously think about cycling shorts now as there was chaffage. Not bikes fault though. Very impressed. His previous bikes wer Isla cnoc and frog 55. This compares very well.
Hi James
Thanks for your comment and feedback, great to hear that your son is enjoying his Wild Bike. If he’s completing rides of up to 45k, it definitely sounds like he’s ready for some kit to wear too, he’s quite the cyclist! Kind regards, Penny
I bought the wild 18 bike for my 4 year old two years ago and I can honestly say what a tremendous bike. We have covered some serious miles on this bike, taken it off road and on BMX and pump tracks and it’s been brilliant. This is a solid little bike with plenty of scuffs and scrapes but plenty of life left in it. The only thing I have had to replace is the grips which hollowed out because of being dropped so many times.
Hi, I bought my small 6yr old a Wild bike 18″ in september last year. I’m very impressed!
Having bought a 2nd hand cupcake bike due to very limited budget (before finding this site I hasten to add!), my daughter’s skills, confidence and enjoyment of riding a bike has exponentially increased since getting the wild bike. She LOVES it.
I really cant fault the build quality or the specifications. She can easily reach the child-size brake levers and stopping distance is very good. Gear ratio also seems good as well so it’s not too hard to start, but still giving enough resistance to build up speed when necessary.
We’ve done road and track riding on it and now covid-19 is preventing school and work, we’ve covered well over 100 miles in the last 3 weeks! I’ve not had to do any maintenance on it , save for adjusting the brakes once the cable had stretched from new (go outdoors offer a 6 week maintenance check, but we didnt use it because we bought it right at the end of the season).
10/10 from me for it. I think this is a superb bike and its price tag doesnt match the great quality. Thoroughly impressed
Thanks so much for letting us know this Edward. So glad to know that your daughter is now enjoying riding – and is getting the miles in during her daily exercise (not something that would have been possible on a cupcake bike). Enjoy your riding, Karen
Bought the purple 18“ model for my daughter. Delivery was fast and the bike was extremely well protected inside the box
The bike itself is pretty light, looks really nice and overall extremely satisfied with it (my daughter loves it at least).
One big -1 is that the front wheel was detached inside the package (as expected) but the front v-brake was not set properly at all. It was actually pretty miserable and had to watch several tutorials online and spend a few hours making sure it was perfect. I’m sure a professional would have needed only 10 minutes but no matter what, this is not something you expect when you receive a new bike.
Other than that, great quality/price ratio and would definitely recommend the brand.
Benjamin
Hi Benjamin – thanks for taking the time to let us know about this. It’s disappointing to hear about the brakes – have you provided feedback to Go Outdoors about this? It’s worth getting it checked out by a local bike mechanic if you have any concerns about safety braking. Other than that, glad to hear you’re impressed with the bike, and hope your daughter enjoys riding it. Karen
Tyres differ in quality, and Kenda tyres on all Wild Bikes photoshots are misleading. Latest very lightweight and thinwall Islabikes tyres (which I believe are OEM/licenced Kendas) are 72 TPI with refective strip, which adds to safety. BTW also Woom added reflective tyres (Kenda or Schwalbe) to their latest models.
Saying that I might be for 18” Wild Bike after our 16” Cnoc gets outgrown in one/two years, the price to weight ratio of Wilds is encouraging.
Picked up the Wild 20 for our son last weekend – and I’m very impressed. Good build quality and very light. Gears and brakes running smoothly, and really can’t fault it for the price (we got it whilst there was 10% off).
Saddle drops fairly low too, meaning our son (115cm) fits fine (and that’s with the rear reflector still fitted).
Thanks Tim – that’s useful to know. Great news on the discount too! Hope your son enjoys the bike. Karen
can someone give me the link to their site – can’t find it. can only get different cycling clubs or services with such a name. I am trying to find out the best size for my daughter – she is about 118 cm, but her inner leg is about 46-48 cm – I am afraid 20″ could be too big for her due to inner leg size? What are min/max inner leg size for Wild Bikes 18″ and 20″?
Hi Ruta
Here’s the link to their sizing guide: http://wildkidsbikes.co.uk/size-guide/ Unfortunately they don’t give an inside leg measurement, which is annoying. Karen
After reading the comments on this website, I visited the local Go Outdoors to try out the Wild 14″.
I’d tried out a friends new Islabike Cnoc 14, another friends Frog 43 and another friends Carrera Cosmos, and wanted to reassure myself I’d looked at all options for a decent quality, lightweight first pedal bike.
When we went to the store I ended up being impressed by the quality and value of the Wild 14″, that we bought one and have now been out on a few rides on it in the last couple of weeks.
Things to comment would be:
– Weight, including pedals, is 6.2kg. Compared to a listed weight (not sure if with pedals etc) of 5.8kg, so the same as what my friends Islabike weighed, like-for-like
– Tyres weren’t as listed. It came with Meghna tires, not Kenda tires as listed on the website. The bike guy in store said he hadn’t seen them with Kenda tyres since the launch, so wasn’t sure why they’re on the website with them. I do feel the website is misleading in this regard, with Kenda tyres being THE named brand, component wise. I doubt it will make much difference in reality
– Seat is made by Selle Royal, with Wild Bikes branding also, not listed in the website, but reassuring brand component wise
My son is 102cm and the bike fits him at the lowest saddle height, for those interested in the sizing.
This means that these bikes in reality are a bit bigger than listed? In their size guide 100-110 cm stands for 16″, but you found out that 14″ lowest position only suited for 102cm? That means 16″ lowest position can’t be suitable for a child of 100cm as it is listed?
Thanks so much Jon for this feedback – really useful to know. It’s disappointing about the tyres not being as specced. I’ll update our post to include your points so other readers are away. Hope the bike continues to impress over the long term – happy cycling! Karen
I wish to respond to the comment about being told off for riding in store. As a bike tech working for GoOutdoors I find it frustrating that people, not only children, feel it is appropriate to ride a bike around the store. Given the other customers in the store I feel this is an accident waiting to happen and so this would be my reason for discouraging it.
However, at my store, Penrith, we allow any customers that are interested in a test ride to take a bike out for a lap or two of our car park at the rear of the store, which is usually quiet. With the obvious warning about looking out for any cars coming or going.
Maybe all GoOutdoors stores aren’t lucky enough to have the option of offering this. I am sure they would if they could. As bike techs we know how important it is to get a bike that feels right.
Hi Andrew – thanks for taking the time to respond. The thought of having children (or adults) riding around the store is obviously a big H&S risk. It’s good to know you have a facility at your store for test riding, as this is so important when trying to choose a bike. Perhaps it’s something that stores without a facility could consider providing – a small (and safely enclosed) area at each store for test riding may be an attraction for customers? I’m sure all Cycle Sprog readers seeing this will now ask for assistance rather than letting their child ride around the aisles. Kind regards Karen