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Islabikes has returned by launching a new spare parts website, with original founder Isla Rowntree back at the helm of the business as she looks forward with a renewed excitement for a sustainable future.
The new website has been designed to make selecting spare parts easy.
A selector tool shows images of every Islabike ever made to help customers select exactly the part they need, together with guidance on whether it is a simple home repair job or one to consult a local bike shop for.
After a difficult period, and taking the “tough” decision to stop making and selling new bikes, Rowntree is now the 100% owner of Islabikes once again.
Along with just one colleague, she is running a small operation selling original spare parts.
Following the announcement, Rowntree said: “I’m motivated by the idea of keeping all the Islabikes we sold over 18 years in circulation. Every time I pack a part and send it out I enjoy the thought that it is keeping a bike in use.
“The overall performance of an Islabike was the result of my meticulous attention to the design detail of the individual components.
“They all worked together to create something special. Replacing worn or broken parts with Islabikes Original Components will ensure that every bike continues to deliver on its design promise.”
Innovative frame design and Islabikes Original Components are what made Islabikes a market leader in children’s cycling for so many years.
Each Islabikes component was holistically designed as part of a system that worked together to deliver the famed Islabikes riding experience.
Rowntree’s own deep knowledge of the interacting aspects of cycle design are what hundreds of thousands of parents valued when they chose an Islabike.
The brand continually iterated and improved on component designs over nearly two decades of production.
Newer bikes have more unique features than older models. However, an important characteristic of the brand’s design updates is that, whenever possible, the newer components were designed to be “backwards compatible” – a more recent and up-to-date part can be fitted to an old model of bike, so every time a replacement part is fitted, the bike gets better than before.
Rowntree added: “We sold nearly 250,000 Islabikes – some may need a little love and care by now, but most can be rejuvenated with a few parts, ready to be enjoyed by another generation of children. Keeping older Islabikes going for as long as possible is the best use of scarce materials and energy.
“Although there will not be any more new Islabikes, this sustainability message is more important now than it has ever been.”
For more information, visit: www.islabikes.co.uk
