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Finding your Kid's Next Bike
On the hunt for your little one’s next bike? You may find this article helpful.
Buying your child a bike can be an exciting time for both you and them as this is their first chance to experience the enjoyment of cycling. Everyone remembers their excitement when they first swung a leg over a bike and felt the wind through their hair. The realisation that you can explore further, easier and faster than ever before is mind blowing. Choosing the right child bike is vital to ensuring they have positive and reassuring first impressions.
There are so many different styles to choose from, how do you know which one is the best? Well, it's all about where your child wants to ride, how they will use the bike and what terrain they will be riding on.
Some children might prefer a mountain bike because they like to go off-road, or maybe someone has always wanted to ride their bike down the street on the pavement. You might notice that some bikes come with training wheels and others don't. This is so your child can learn to pedal with confidence they won’t fall over.
This article will help you understand what kind of bike would work best for your child by considering their age, height, weight, skill level and other factors, including price range.
SIZING
Buying the right size bike is integral to ensuring your child has the most enjoyable experience possible. While we all understand that kids grow extremely fast and parents don’t want to purchase a new bike every year, a bike that’s too big may have some serious negative effects. It is about promoting the healthy lifestyle of cycling to your child and showing them how bikes can change their lives.
If a bike is too big, hopping on and off the bike will become a difficult and scary experience for your child. A bigger bike will become intimidating as it is harder to control and less stable for the rider. These negative effects will reduce confidence and enjoyment, which will deter them from riding the bike.
We recommend buying a bike that fits your child at the time. If your child is in between sizes, it is better to look at the bigger size to ride it comfortably. If your child is already a confident and skilled rider, they can often ride a bigger bike than a child who is less comfortable on a bike.
When considering size, we also recommend considering the weight of a bike. The lightest bike you can purchase within your budget is the best bike to get. A more lightweight bicycle is easier to pedal, control and leads to a more enjoyable ride for your children.
Kids Bike Sizes Chart
When selecting a kids bike, a child’s inseam and height should be considered to get the best fitting bike. Click on wheel size to see our top picks for each size bike.
Kids Bike Sizes: Four Steps to Finding the Right Size
Using your child’s inseam in relation to the bike’s seat height is the best and most accurate way to ensure a perfect bike fit. The frame and the wheel size work together to determine the seat height of a bike.
So by selecting a bike based on seat height versus age, wheel, or frame size, you can ensure a great bike fit for your child even if they’ve never had a chance to try out the bike before you buy it! This not only makes riding much easier, but all the experts agree a good bike fit is necessary for safety too!
(1) Measure Your Child’s Inseam
While most bike manufacturers base their sizing on your child’s age or height, we always recommend using the inseam measurement instead. It’s much more accurate!
- With shoes on, have your child stand against the wall, feet slightly apart
- Place a hardbound book between their legs, spine towards the crotch
- Raise the book until the spine of the book firmly hits their crotch
- Level the book with the floor and measure from the ground up to the book's spine – that’s the inseam!
(2) Narrow Down Wheel Size Based on Inseam
Using your child’s inseam, find the one or two bike wheel size categories they fall into. In general, as long as your child’s inseam is appropriate for the bike, it’s better to buy a larger wheel size. Larger wheels have more stability and allow more room for growth.
For example, our 5-year-old shown above has an inseam of 19.5″ inches. Based on the bike size chart below, she could be on THREE different size bikes! The larger wheels of the 16″ and 20″, however, will be much better for her as she grows. The next step will help determine which of these two sizes is best.
Kids Bike Size Chart – Inseam Measurement is Key!
(3) Find the Perfect Seat Height (Using Child’s Inseam and Riding Ability)
Now that you know what size(s) bike is likely best for your child, it’s time to consider your child’s riding ability. Why? The proper fit of a bike is based on the bike’s seat height compared to the child’s inseam. However, the seat height of a bike should be set differently based on if your child is a beginner, is experienced, or is using training wheels.
The seat height is the distance from the ground to the top of the seat and will help you narrow down your options even further and guarantee a great fit from day one! Beginning Riders (1st Bike After a Balance Bike or Training Wheels)
A beginning rider (including balance bike graduates) should be able to sit on the bike’s seat and have their feet flat on the ground. At this stage, a child needs to be able to easily stop their bike using their feet. As a result, their bike’s seat height should be set equal to their child’s inseam.
In the image above, our 5-year-old tester is on a 16-inch bike with the seat height set to 19.5″ to match her inseam. If she were a beginning rider, this bike would be a perfect size bike for her.
SIZING TIP: The seat of a child’s first pedal bike should be set at the same height as the child’s inseam.
4) Buy for Current Fit and Growth
Now that you know the desired seat height for your child’s bike, you can begin shopping for your bike! Ideally, you’ll find a bike with a minimum seat height that’s as close to (but without going over) the seat height you determined in step 3.
This allows the bike to fit perfectly now and offers the most room for growth, so you don’t have to buy another bike too soon!
Here’s an example using the bikes we just saw and our 5-year-old tester. Each of the following bikes is a great fit for a child her size, but the best one depends on the child’s experience and riding ability.
- Pello Revo 16″ (bike shown in the Beginning Riders section) has a minimum seat height of 19.5”
- POLYGON RELIC 20″ has a minimum seat height of 22”.
- Schwinn 16” (bike shown in the training wheels section) with a minimum seat height of 21”.
Suppose our 5-year-old tester is a beginning rider. In that case, the Pello Revo is a perfect fit because its minimum seat height matches her inseam and allows her to sit with her feet flat on the ground.
If she is experienced, the POLYGON RELIC is a much better option. With its minimum seat height set 2.5” inches above her inseam, she can sit on the saddle and reach the ground with her tiptoes. And it offers plenty of room for her to grow!
Lastly, if she is using training wheels, the Schwinn 16 is a great option if she is an average or confident rider. With a minimum seat height set 1.5″ above her inseam, she can comfortably reach the ground with low tiptoes.