When it comes to finding the right bike for your child or grandchild, Kids Bikes Reviews knows that it’s a decision you want to take care with. Because choosing the right bike for your kid is very important.
Picking the wrong bike can be expensive, turn your child off riding a bicycle for life, and even be dangerous. As parents we obviously want the opposite – our kids to be safe, to enjoy riding their bike, and to get a lot of use out of it (and as an added bonus, getting a lot of exercise and fresh air at the same time!)
Kids Bikes Reviews Non-Bike Suggestions
The very first step you need to consider when choosing a bike for your child is what type of bike do they need? If they are very young, you may not even want to get them a bike just yet. There are two other options you can consider – a trike and a running bike.
Buying them a trike (so they can learn how to pedal and steer without having to balance) is a simple option. Kids can even start to ride a trike before they are able to walk. With a trike your child can be up and riding in no time. And trikes aren’t just for the very young these days – even big kids can have fun on the semi-recumbent trikes that are low to the ground, and much more stable than the standard trike.
If you don’t want to buy a trike, another great option for young kids is a running bike. A running bike is basically a small bike without pedals. The child can touch the ground comfortably with both feet when they are sitting on the bike, and they simply push themselves along with their feet when they want to move. A running bike is a great first kids bike, since it allows them to learn how to balance and steer a bike without needing to worry about pedaling (it also means they avoid the training wheels stage).
Kids Bikes Reviews Tips On Finding The Right Bike
Once your child starts to get a little older, it’s time to consider getting them a regular bike. Unlike adult bikes (where the size of the bike is determined by the size of the frame), kids bikes are sized by their wheels. For example, a 16″ bike has tires with a wheel diameter of 16″. As a rough guide for the size of tires you should be considering based on the age of your child:
12″ Wheel Cycles – Suitable for ages 3 to 5
16″ Wheel Cycles – Suitable for ages 5 to 8
20″ Wheel Cycles – Suitable for ages 7 to 10
24″ Wheel Cycles – Suitable for ages 9 to 12
26″ Wheel Cycles – Suitable for ages 12+
Don’t get too hung up on the ages listed for each bike size. This is just a guideline, and you should keep in mind you may have to get a bigger (or smaller) bike if your child is taller (or shorter) than average. Even if you’re going to buy your bike online, it’s probably a good idea to find a shop selling kids bicycles so your child can try sitting on a couple of bikes. Kids Bikes Reviews simple checklist for determining if the bike is the right size for your child is:
- Your child should be able to comfortably straddle the bike (ie: standing over the top bar of the frame) with both feet flat on the ground.
- They shouldn’t be scrunched up when sitting on the seat with their feet on the pedals (knees hitting the handlebars is a dead giveaway that the bike is too small!)
- They should be able to comfortably reach and turn the handlebars (if they can’t, the bike is too big and unsafe).
- If the bike uses hand brakes, they should be able to reach the brake leavers easily.
Brakes are a very important feature of a bike – you want your child to be able to stop if they need to! The two common types of brake on kids bikes are the coaster brake (the brake is in the back wheel, and the child activates it by pedaling backwards) and hand brakes (leavers on the handlebar are pulled, which cause the brake on either the front or back wheel to engage). Young kids bikes should always have coaster brakes (since their hands aren’t big or strong enough to use hand brakes). As they get older, the option for hand brakes becomes available.
(As a side note, if the bike has hand brakes where the brake pads press directly on the rims of the tire, ensure that the tire rims are made of alloy. Steel rims can be dangerous when they get wet, as the braking ability of the bike is significantly reduced with this brake/rim combination.)
Kids Bikes Reviews Notes About Training Wheels
Most 12″ (and many 16″) kids bikes come with training wheels already attached. Training wheels can also be added to the bigger bikes, and then removed as the child gains in skill. Training wheels can be the least painful way for a child to learn how to ride a bike, but they can also be the slowest way. Make sure that whatever training wheels you get with the bike are sturdily made (you don’t want them breaking and causing your child to have a fall), and ensure that the bike is only ridden on fairly level ground as the danger of tipping is large.
Kids Bikes Reviews Goal
The aim of this site is to provide parents, grandparents and anyone else buying a kids bike with the information they need to make an informed choice. While it’s not possible to provide details on every single bike available, Kids Bikes Reviews has attempted to bring together information from various online sources on each of the bikes we list here on the site. Armed with this information, Kids Bikes Reviews hopes you will be able to find the right bike for your child.