So, you’re getting ready to dive into the rabbit hole of buying your kid their first bike? As an avid cyclist myself, I have to admit I knew nothing about kids bikes. Nothing. My daughter keeps pushing for a new bike, one that is lighter and more her size. To help you and me, I Am Dadly has put together our Dadly Guide to Choosing Your Kid’s Bike. And, we have a cool graphic from Two Wheeling Tots to help!
1. What Size Bike Does My Kid Need?
An important point to remember, kid’s bikes are measured by their wheel size, not frame size. Most guides claim the best indication of which size is right for your child is how comfortable he or she feels on the bike. Most bike manufacturers use a child’s age and height to lump them into a wheel size category. The taller the child, the larger the wheel size needed. Standard kid’s bike wheel sizes are 12″, 16″, 20″ and 24″. But it’s not that simple, according to Two Wheeling Tots. “Due to differences in frame design, the minimum seat height of two bikes with the same wheel size can vary up to 5″! As a result, it’s your child’s inseam (crotch to floor) that is king when it comes to finding the perfect fit! We’ve included a chart below to help you narrow down the best bike size for your kid. Make sure that your child can stand over the top tube of the bike with both feet planted on the ground. Compare the bike’s seat height to your kid’s inseam. Ideally, the minimum seat height for beginning riders should match your kid’s inseam. For experienced riders, minimum seat height should be 2″-3″ more than their inseam. Remember, your kid should feel comfortable and in control of the bike at all times. Most guides do not recommend being a bike that is too large for your child with the plan to have her grow into it. By doing that, you can impede your kid’s riding skills and confidence. A properly sized bike is easier to handle, less dangerous and more fun to ride. 
2. What Is The Proper Seat Height and Standover Height
Seat Height
As the most accurate indicator of how a bike fits your child, the seat height of a bike is the distance between the ground and the lowest part of the saddle. Because of frame design differences, bikes with equal size tires can fit a child differently. So, what is the proper seat height for your child? Set the seat in relation to your child’s inseam. The seat on your child’s bike should be set in relation to their inseam. Check out the images below, courtesy of Two Wheeling Tots.
First Pedal Bike: For a beginning or first-time pedal bike rider, the seat height should match their inseam. Note that this applies to kids transitioning from a balance bike, tricycle, or bike with training wheels. As your kid becomes adept at starting, stopping and braking, you can raise the seat height an inch or two.
Second Pedal Bike and Beyond: As your kids masters brakes, he or she will not depend on his/her feet for stopping the bike. As such, have your kids stand on his/her tippy toes. Set the seat height at that point. This allows for proper leg extension while pedaling.
Standover Height
An important take note of a bike’s standover height. Standover height is the height required to stand over the bike’s top tube. You want clearance of an inch or two between that top tube and your kid’s crotch.
3. How Much Should My Kid’s Bike Weigh?
Did you know that kid’s bikes usually weigh around 50% of your kid’s weight? That’s crazy. Most adult bikes weigh around 20% of the adult’s weight. My Trek Madone weighs a bit less than 10% of my body weight! Something to think about when choosing your kid’s bike is to look for the lightest bike within your price range. But, don’t consider weight in isolation. To lessen weight, some bike manufacturers will make too small frames and not include components such as hand brakes. Higher-end bike companies display their bike’s weights; bicycle weight is a point of pride for them.
4. What Are Differences in Frame Design?
Wheelbase
Body position on the bike determines how well your kid can ride that bike. For instance, a bike with a high center-of-gravity and short wheelbase are easier to tip over and lose balance. A longer wheelbase bike provides more stability and control –when designed correctly. For your beginning rider, choose a bike with a lower overall center-of-gravity as these tend to be easier to initiate and maintain balance.
Handlebars
Let’s put this into an equation format: Smaller Cockpit = Less Room + Knees Hitting Handlebars. Tall Handlebars = Limit Rider’s Space + Prevent Applying Force on the Handlebars Why are those equations important? Leaning in toward the handlebars helps your kid get in a better position to pedal and leverage the handlebars. Thus, a mid-rise handlebar is ideal for your young kid.
5. Which Brakes Should the Bike Have: Hand Brakes or Coaster Brakes?
As a general rule, high-end bikes generally have easy-to-activate, responsive dual hand brakes; lower-end bike generally have a coaster brake.
Coaster Brakes
Coaster brakes or back-pedal brakes are the standard on most 12″ to 16″ bikes as they are cheaper and essentially maintenance free. However, they can be a pain as kids naturally pedal backward when learning how to pedal, when losing balance or when riding uphill. Freewheel bikes (bikes without a coaster) allow kids to regain their balance and keep riding. Backpedaling causes unexpected stops, leads to fall and delays your kid from mastering pedaling. On a freewheel bike (a bike without a coaster), backpedaling helps kids regain their balance and allows them to keep riding. It’s recommended that experience riders use freewheel bikes. Coaster brakes are required by the CPSC on most 12″ and 14″ kids’ bikes as well as some smaller 16″ bikes.
Hand Brakes
According to Two Wheeling Tots, kids have enough hand-eye coordination to use a properly designed hand brake around the age of 3.5. Generally more efficient and more intuitive than coaster brakes, hand brakes do require maintenance. Moreover, most are poorly designed, hard to reach, hard to activate and not designed for kids’ smaller and weaker hands. So, test a hand brake’s ease of use, pull the brake lever with your pinky finger. If it’s hard to activate, the brake will be challenging for your kid to use. Well-designed brakes are responsive, easily stop a bike with minimal effort by the child, and are easier to activate and pull. It’s also important to note whether the hand brakes activate the front or rear tire. You don’t want your kid’s bike to endo (fly over the handlebars) if they brake only on the front tire. In the U.S., it’s standard for the right-hand brake to activate the rear tire and the left brake the front.
6. What Makes a Bike Easier to Ride (Q-factor)?
The Q-factor of a bike is the distance between the inside edges of the pedals. Bikes with pedals that are far apart cause kids to pedal with their legs splayed out, which is uncomfortable and inefficient. Bikes with pedals close together provide an easier and more efficient pedal stroke–and no splay! Q-factor is more important the smaller or younger your kid is. Unfortunately, a narrow Q-factor is typically only found on higher end bikes due to the required specialty parts.
7. How Much Should I Spend on a Kid’s Bike?
As with most things, price (and your budget) will dictate your decision. Higher end bikes outperform cheaper bikes. As long as the bike is safe, any bike is better than no bike at all. Dadly’s Advice: Buy the best bike you can afford. Remember, a bike’s geometry and design cause more delays in mastering a pedal bike than your child’s effort.
Check out the cool Two Wheeling Tots graphic below to help with finding the perfect size bike for your kid.
