Choosing the best bicycle for your child will build their confidence, keep them safer and increase their enjoyment of cycling. But how do you choose the best kids bike? We look to answer this question by exploring what makes the best frame size, wheel size, weight of the bike, the components used and many other factors that add up to the best bicycle for kids.
Contents and Quick links
- Pedal bike or balance bike
- Should we fit training wheels?
- Frame size and wheel size
- Kids bike Weight
- Kids Bike Price
- Intended Use
- Should we go for a kid's mountain bike?
- Longevity, what to expect
- On the cusp of smaller adult bikes?
- Final thoughts
Pedal bike or balance bike?
When buying the first bike for your child, a question that commonly comes up is 'do we opt for balance bikes or small pedal bikes? The answer to this really comes down to the child's height and age. Most balance bikes are for the 18 month to 3 years age range whereas pedal bikes will generally start from 3 years old and up. If you have a child that is over three years old and would be ready for a pedal bike, an option here is to consider stabilisers (training wheels).
Stabilisers or not?
When we are asked the questions of whether stabilisers are a good option, especially on a first children's bike, our advice usually depends on whether the child has had balance bikes before as this would have taught the balance skill and then, when they jump onto a bike with pedals, they will only have to contend with the pedalling motion.
From this, our advice is that if the child has had a balance bike, stabilisers are not necessarily required but if they have not had use of a balance bike, it can be quite advantageous to have stabilisers as it can be quite tricky for some children to master all the skills of balance, pedalling motion and cornering all together. Stabilisers will also save the parents backs as less bending down will be required to secure the child.
Useful tip: Choose removable stabilisers and pick some that can be moved upwards so you can reduce the reliance on the stabilisers gradually.
Frame size & wheel size
Kids bikes will generally be measured by their wheel size - these can start as small as 10" wheels on some balance bikes up to 26" size wheels on the larger junior bikes. As the wheels get bigger, so too do the frames.
You very rarely see a distinction between boys and girls bikes any more as most kids bikes are unisex as the proportions of younger people tend to be very similar. Any advice in this article can be taken for both boys and girls.
Choosing the right bike size is one of the most important factors when choosing a kids bike - too small and the bike will not last as long as it could mean that your money will not go as far and if the bike is too big, this has the potential to put the child off cycling. Not to mention that too large a frame size will likely be less safe as standover height will be higher and the reach for the brake levers will be a stretch.
The trick to getting the perfect fit on junior bikes is getting in the sweet spot of maximum longevity, comfort and ease of handling for the young rider. Our advice is that, when seated on the new bike with the saddle height at it's lowest position, the child has the balls of their feet touching the ground (feet flat on the ground indicates a bike that is too small) and another safety check is to get your child to stand over the top tube to check standover height as there should be clearance between them and the frame.
Below is a handy chart that shows suggested wheel size by age ranges and some of the bikes suitable for these ages.
Approx. Age | Wheel Size | Suitable Bikes |
---|---|---|
18 Months – 3 years | Balance Bike | Specialized Hotwalk |
3 – 5 years | 14" - 16" | Ridgeback Dimension 14, Ridgeback Dimension 16, Giant ARX 16, Frog 40, Frog 44 |
4 – 6 years | 18" - 20" | Ridgeback Dimension 20, Frog 47 (18"), Frog 53, Giant ARX 20, Merida Matts J. 20 |
6 – 9 years | 24" | Frog 61, Giant ARX 24, Merida Matts J. 24 |
10 – 14 years | 26" | Frog 67, Giant ARX 26, Merida Matts J. Champion |
Weight
This is a huge one. We have heard countless stories of parents buying their children a cheap and heavy bike that has lasted only one or two rides before the child gets sick of it and throws in the towel.
Bike manufacturers such as Frog bikes or Ridgeback Dimension bikes have been responsible for a shift in the way kids bikes are manufactured - they make a lightweight bike with specifically selected componentry for small hands to make cycling an enjoyable experience for the wee ones. Bike brands like Specialized and Ridgeback also make quality, lightweight children's bikes now as most manufacturers realise that there are a great number of benefits in designing bikes that make riding a bike safer and more fun.
With a lighter bike, you will generally pay a bit more but we will cover this in the next section and some mitigating factors involved and why investing in a better bike might save you (and the environment) in the long term.
Price
We know, as parents, it can be tough to spend a lot of money on something that only lasts a relatively short space of time. We also realise the temptation in buying cheaper kids bikes but there is an argument that spending more initially might save you in the long run. A more expensive and better quality bike will easily last through two or sometimes three children and still can be sold on to claim some of your costs back. You also get a significantly lighter frame when you spend a bit more.
You can always have a look at our kids discount page with all discounted kids bikes for sale.
Intended use
Intended use of the kids bike is not as big a decision as when choosing an adult bike. 9 times out of 10 the best bike is a lightweight all-rounder that is as happy on tarmac as it is on light gravel and forest paths. The exception to this is for children's mountain bikes - these are designed for children that ride on technical off-road trails and require good suspension for jumps, tree roots and uneven terrain.
The funny thing is - a lot of children will insist that they need a mountain bike when what would benefit them would be a hybrid with versatile tyres. There are pros and cons to children's mountain bikes that we will discuss in the next section but essentially, a lightweight hybrid will suit most children.
A note on suspension mountain bikes
If you ask children what bike they would like, the answer is more often than not 'mountain bike'. In our experience, the best bike is not normally a mountain bike with suspension forks as cheaper bikes with suspension come with heavy coil sprung suspension that add significant weight to the bike and do not give any major benefits (as these forks are designed to compress under an adult's weight). We normally find that a lightweight hybrid with rugged, knobbly tyres does the trick for most children.
For those occasions where a child needs a mountain bike for trail or downhill riding, you can opt for a bike with air suspension but these bikes will be more expensive but will provide a relatively lightweight and functional forks even for lighter riders.
Longevity, what to expect
A frequently asked question about children's bikes is 'how long will the bike last?' and the answer to this, of course, depends on a number of factors but to give a rough guideline, a balance bike will last approximately a year to a year and a half. This will likely be the same for other smaller bikes such as the 14 inch and 16 inch frames. As the child grows, and they become a more confident rider, is is possible to get onto a slightly bigger bike and to get approximately 2 years out of the bike.
On the cusp of kids or adult bikes
There gets to a point when we no longer need a child's bike and we can consider small adult bikes. In our experience, this is usually at the 11-13 age bracket where a small or extra small adult bike will be the better option as this can last longer. Of course, we would always still look for the fit to be that of when sizing on a children's bike - make sure there is clearance between the rider and the top tube of the frame and that the reach is so that the rider can steer the bike comfortably, reach the brake levers and change the gears without having to strain.
Once we get to the early teen age group, bikes will start to last a bit longer as the growing is not as fast (usually) but if you stick to the sizing tips (standover height, reach, steering and brake control) then you can be confident that the bike will be a good size, safe and will last a good amount of time.
Final Thoughts
We are always on hand to help with any sizing queries and to help in store with sizing younger riders on the perfect size bike and encourage a test ride to make sure to get the right size bike. We will happily talk through the different sizes, styles and, generally, the best bike for your child.
You can contact us online or visit any of our stores in Edinburgh, Newcastle, Leeds and Aberdeen.