Buyers Guide and Overview |
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| There is nothing more likely to make your eyes fill with tears of joy than seeing your offspring take off on two wheels for the first time. Three of mine have all managed it and my two year old, Litzi, is already in training. Here are the key things you need to know when buying bikes for children. |
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| Traditionally children started to learn to ride age 2-3 on trikes. They then moved on to small two-wheelers with training wheels or stabilizers age 3-4. |
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 However, things have changed a bit now with the advent of the new baby two-wheelers pioneered by the German firm Like-a-Bike (right) and others. These peddle-less bikes allow children from as young at two to start on two wheels so you may never need a trike.
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So as far as ages go, think as follows:
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Age 2-3: Traditional tricycle or peddle-less two wheeler (see Like-a-Bike review)
Age 3-4: Peddle bike with training wheels/stabilizers (see Puky review)
Age 4-10: Mini mountain bike with gears (see Specialized Hotrock review)
Age 10+: Larger mountain bikes, junior road bikes, BMXs etc (see Islabike review and Mongoose BMX review)
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Slowly does it |
 Don’t worry if your child does not conform to this grid – not all kids develop the coordination, balance, strength or motivation to ride a two-wheeler at the same time. Many don't the hang of it until they are ten or even older.
The trick, I think, is to offer them the opportunity to learn to ride a bike as soon as possible but not to push them too hard. They all get there in the end.
To get the right size bike for your child, check the wheel diameter rather than the frame size. Because kids grow fast, make sure the bike you buy is fully adjustable. All the bikes covered in our Top5 Review have been chosen with this key characteristic in mind. |
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As a rough guide to sizing, use the following:
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Age 2-3: 12 inch wheels
Age 4-6: 16 inch wheels
Age 6-8: 20 inch wheels
Age 8-10: 24 inch wheels or a 26 inch frame size for a junior road/racing bike. |
Making the right choice |
| There are hundreds of different children’s bikes to choose from but only a relatively small number are carefully thought through design wise. Many are also poorly made and will not last long. Some are just plain dangerous. The key things to look out for are: |
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| Size: |
| Get a bike that fits your child. They should be able to mount and dismount the bike without getting caught on the cross bar and, once on, they should be able to stand in front of the saddle with both feet flat on the floor. They must be able to reach the handle bars without straining forward. Their riding position should be upright. |
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| Brakes: |
 It is essential that your child can get their fingers round the brake levers with ease while properly holding the handle bars. This is a major safety issue with some poorly designed bikes. The best ones not only have breaks specifically made for children’s hands but adjusters that allow you move the levers closer to the handle bars initially. The Puky also has a back peddle or “coaster” brake as well as a front hand brake. This is the ideal combination for a first peddle bike. On mountain bikes hand-pull “V” brakes are best. |
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| Gears: |
Kids equate gears with status which can be a bit of nightmare as they can’t really use them properly at first and they need periodic adjustment. Bikes with a wheel diameter of 16 inches or less are best without any gears. Go for maximum of five gears on a 20 incher (age 6-8). After that they sky’s the limit but try and talk them down rather than up if you can.
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| Wheels: |
| The most important thing here is to make sure that the nuts which hold the wheels in place are tight and made from good quality steel. Check regularly that there is no sideways play in the wheels. Also check the spokes remain taught periodically. |
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| Frame: |
| Most children’s bikes come with a steel frame. These are strong and durable but they can be heavy for some children. If your child is struggling with the weight of a standard steel fame, consider spending a bit more for an aluminum frame or a lighter steel version. On BMXs, go for a lighter “cro-mo” frame from the start. |
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| Adjustability: |
 Check that the seat post has a good bit of upward travel in it so there is plenty of growing room. Also look for brakes that have twistable cable adjusters near the levers or the brakes themselves. These enable you to tighten the brakes and keep them safe as the brake pads wear down. On BMXs and junior racing bikes, go for bikes with a three-part peddle crank so parts can be swapped and replaced. |
Be safe |
Finally, make sure you buy a helmet for your child when they get a bike and make sure they wear it whenever they go out. Three quarters or more of all fatal cycle accidents are caused by head injuries, with boys in the 10 to 14 year old category most likely to suffer a head injury. Broken arms and legs can be fixed. Heads very often cannot.
For more information on helmets go to ibike.org |
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