# Spawn 14" Furi vs Islabikes Cnoc 14" vs Hotrock 12"?



## Raivyn (Oct 10, 2012)

Most of the threads talk about the 16" and 20" bikes. My little dude is ready for a pedal bike - does really well on his Hotwalk. I have a Hotrock 16" ready for him, but he is still actually too short for it - he has a 14.5" inseam, and is 4YO - he's a Mighty Mite! I've been trying to score a used 12" Hotrock on CL but no luck so far.

I've also decided I don't want to spend much time searching for parts and upgrading, though I do have an Origin8 bar and Avid v-brakes in the parts bin if needed.

Given my son's stature and age, do you think he would be better served with a 14" Spawn or Islabike, or a 12" Hotrock? I don't want to revisit this bike thing next year, but given how small he is, I am concerned he is at the top end of the 12" and is in a sweet spot where the 14" will make sense. At the same time, a good 14" bike is at the top of the price range and given the scarcity, will likely be a new bike.

Thanks for your comments!


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## airwreck (Dec 31, 2003)

Our boy is on the short side, 10%er, and at 4 y.o. is just hitting 38". He went from run bike to 12" hotrock, then 14" Isla, and now 16" Hotrock. He started riding the 14" a few months after turning 3 and then quit riding it when he got the 16 even though the 16 was on the big side. Even though the 16 HR is heavier he is faster on it and that's all that matters to him. He did get to test ride the Furi this summer in Canada and said he liked the Isla better. Could have been the color, or the coaster brake skidability. Now we are wondering if we get him an upgraded 16 if it will serve him in the long run.

I'll get you some real numbers from the 12, 14 and 16 so you can judge for yourself the standover. Big thing is being able to put his feet on the ground when he's on the saddle.


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## ProjectMayhem (Aug 23, 2013)

My son is 3 (4 next month) and I think his inseam is about the same and he is about 38.5 inches tall.

He got the Hotrock 12 for his second birthday and it would seem tiny now. He has a friend the same height who is still riding hers and she looks cramped.

He has been riding a small framed 16" bike since before his 3rd birthday, but he was already a very confident cyclist by that time so being able to get one foot down when on the saddle was fine.

If I was in your situation I would go for a 14" bike. The http://www.islabikes.co.uk/usercontent/doc/286/size_chart12aw_web-c2.pdfIslabike sizechart is very good.

Most kids who ride the Cnoc 14 go straight to the Beinn 20 and skip the 16" I've even heard of kids going straight to the 24" Islabike form the 14" Cnoc!


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## taletotell (Mar 3, 2009)

Gecko - Moss - 12" Singlespeed Bike | Cleary Bikes


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## Raivyn (Oct 10, 2012)

Thanks for the comments - on the 16" Hotrock, my son can't put his feet on the ground even with the seat at the lowest position. He is consistently in the 10% - 15% for height. I picked up the 12" Hotwalk when he was 2YO thinking he would outgrow it quickly, but I was very wrong. Even at 4YO he can still wear 2T clothing and is just now growing into some 3T items.

I would love to spend less $$$ and get the Cnoc 14", but it only comes in red and my son is VERY picky about color (his faves are green and purple). So it is looking like a green Furi for us at this point.

Time to hit up the grandparents for early Christmas presents.  Thanks again for the comments!


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## ProjectMayhem (Aug 23, 2013)

Maybe check with Islabike as they have just brought out new colours in the Uk.


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## Dave88LX (Aug 29, 2007)

Raivyn said:


> I would love to spend less $$$ and get the Cnoc 14", but it only comes in red and my son is VERY picky about color (his faves are green and purple). So it is looking like a green Furi for us at this point.


Look at the bright side, here's a good opportunity to teach him that you can't always get everything you want! 

I ran into a similar situation with my then-3 daughter. We had a Hotrock 16 for her, but it was a bit big. Since I have a son too who will eventually need a bike, I didn't mind buying a Hotrock 12 for her to start off with until she outgrew it. BUT, I did not want to buy the purple one, as she would only be on it a short amount of time, and then my son would get it.

She got fussy about it at the bike store (bought new, couldn't find used, tired of waiting, and had another kid to use it, so I didn't mind). She sat there with her arms crossed and didn't want a blue bike. In my mind I'm thinking "you little snot", but, had to keep in mind she was only 3, they don't understand things like we do.

What I was able to do was negotiate with her that we would put purple things on her bike like grips and a couple other things. She was super excited about that, and loved it after.

I will say as far as color goes, the Cleary bike colors are gross. They look like organic vegan bikes or something...LOL


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## cakemonster (Sep 30, 2012)

Commencal Ramones 14 2015

Listed by them at 12 lbs, but doubt truly accurate. Supposedly if call can get deals on shipping. Aluminum frame. Highly upgradeable with euro BB, 1 1 1/8 threadless steerer, rear V brake, no coaster. Downsides crank is steel (but 3 piece), could replace with Sinz or Spawn if really wanted lighter, fork is steel. Overall a pretty good package. Not sure of standover relative to 12 hotrock.


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## Raivyn (Oct 10, 2012)

Thanks again for the comments. From what I can see on the Islabikes site, they added pink for the US color and increased the price by $40 - which further makes the Spawn the better choice for me.

I was planning on just painting the 16" Hotrock black and adding purple and green accents, but again, since it doesn't fit, I think I'll just sell it as is and use the money towards the Spawn.

The Commencal looks great and the price is right with the internet presale at $239 - I actually like the bright yellow color because it will be easier for drivers see. Good to see some folks entering into the 14" kid bike market!


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## Raivyn (Oct 10, 2012)

*Looks like I'm going with the Commencal*

After further research I think I"m going with the Commencal. The price point for the bike plus the styling and upgrade options were too good (it's almost $200 less than the Spawn). I'll follow Dave's example and add purple accents. Since it's a bright yellow, it will hopefully look like the one below. Thanks again for all the posts!

Banshee Legend MkII 2013 Fluo/Purple - marci0's Bike Check - Vital MTB

Incidentally, the 12" balance bike w/disc option is pretty awesome....


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## cakemonster (Sep 30, 2012)

Biggest difference Commencal to Spawn is cranks (14 and 16 have steel crank arms, steel chainring, but I believe 3 piece). So you could put Spawn cranks on it (14inch, 102 mm) or Sinz (115mm, 16 inch) and convert that. Other parts might not be quite as nice either, but it is upgradeable. Maybe they will force Specialized and others to put removable V bosses on the rear of their bikes as that is all folks really want, non coaster, aluminum frame etc. More of them around means more used, and eventually more reasonable for everyone in with kids who are accellerated in learning due to the prevalence of balance bikes. Spawn, Lil Shredder, etc, are in some ways the sequelae of balance bikes, and the big manufacturers are not keeping up.


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## Raivyn (Oct 10, 2012)

The Spawn 14" comes with 89mm cranks...too short? I read somewhere that shorter cranks were better for little kids, but don't recall where I saw that.


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## ProjectMayhem (Aug 23, 2013)

My son has the 89mm cranks on his bike. I think a general rule of thumb is 10% of height.


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## Dave88LX (Aug 29, 2007)

During my over-research of crank length, I found 3 different ways to figure it out. Which is the best? I don't know.

These were the calcs for my daughter:

1. 10% of height
10% of 40.5" = 103mm crank

2. 20-22% of effective leg length (bottom of foot to top of femur)
40.5" tall standing - 22" tall sitting = 18.5" leg...=108mm crank

3. Inseam (inches) x 5.48
17" inseam = 93mm crank


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## Raivyn (Oct 10, 2012)

From what I can tell, the Commencal seems to be slightly taller bike than the Spawn (longer top tube and seat tube). I can't figure out how high the BB is. I am inclined to leave the crank as is, or at least the chain wheel since I don't want to also switch out the cassette.


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