These tips can help you find the right bicycle for your child’s summer biking pleasure. I learned all of these as I looked for a bike for my son, and they all lead me to the Dynacraft 12″ Boys’ Tonka Bike. When shopping around for a bike, Dewey and Song recommended going to a local bike shop rather than a big-box retailer if you can. “Bike shops have better quality bikes that are going to be assembled better, and they have staff that can help with the fit of the bike,” Dewey said. She added that a lot of bike shops will also allow you to trade in a bike and go up a size at a lower cost or at the same price point as the bike, which can be beneficial for kids who are growing quickly. With a rear brake, if your child throws on the brakes too hard, he or she won’t end up flipping head over heels the way they would if they braked using a front brake.
The first thing to remember when looking for a bike for your child is that it’s for a child. Summer energy means maybe riding too fast or trying to do too much too soon. Make sure you opt for a bike constructed of steel, NOT aluminum, so that it can survive the spill as well as your child can. He’s so happy to be riding with the rest of the family, and I love to see that dynacraft klds bike look of pride on his face when he hops on his bike to go for a ride with mom, dad, and his big sister. It took us a while to find a really great bike for him, and since I already did the footwork, I thought I’d share what to look for in a bike with my readers. Of course, since children vary widely in sizes and body types, the numbers above will also likely vary.
Similar to adult bikes, the wheel size will indicate how big the frame is, explained Alison Dewey, education director with bicycling advocacy organization League of American Bicyclists. Typical wheel sizes for kids’ bikes range between 12 and 24 inches, and the bigger (and often older) your child is, the bigger their bike’s wheels should be. Ideally, a bike should weigh less than 40% of a child’s weight. (For reference, most adults ride bikes that are no more than 20% of their weight!). Cheaper bikes traditionally have heavy steel frames which make a 40% threshold very difficult to accomplish. All of the bikes we tested were pretty heavy, although it’s not abnormal for kids’ bikes to be about 50% of a child’s weight.
If you’re looking for a durable mountain bike for your child, this option from Co-op Cycles is designed with extra-wide, all-terrain tires for smooth and stable riding along trails, according to the brand. It has six gears to help customize their pedaling, which can be easily adjusted using a twist shifter, according to the brand. It has a weight limit of 80 pounds and has a 4.5-star average rating from more than 100 reviews at REI.
It’s an excellent way to get the kids active, and it promotes family togetherness. My husband and I have always loved biking, and now that the kids are old enough, we’re getting them involved as well. In fact, it’s become one of our frequent family activities. The kids love to get out and see the world fly by, and they love to be doing big kid activities with mom and dad.
The worst offender here is the Kent Chaos, which is a beast in the weight department. Dynacraft sent us a bike to test out which is perfect timing. It’s an 18″ Next Surge Boys’ BMX Bike in Black and Green. The helmet is not included and some assembly is required. I think my husband assembled it within 30 minutes or so, but he’s usually handy and he makes it look easy. It also comes with training wheels which my son still needs.
The Huffy saddle is longer and more narrow, which bothered our 8-year-old tester. Size is the most important feature to get right when choosing a bike for your child. Unfortunately, one of the primary difficulties with bikes under $100 is that they aren’t built in the right dynacraft bike proportions for a child. The positioning of the handlebars can also make quite a difference. When the handlebars are too high, it limits overall control and maneuverability. Both Huffy and Dynacraft are a little cramped but aren’t the worst offenders we’ve seen by far.
There are so many benefits to riding your bike to work or school. Some people ride for exercise, and it becomes their way of life. I see my neighbor fine-tuning his bike almost every day, and he rides every morning before work. The children in the neighborhood are starting to ride their bikes again which reminds me we need to check the condition of our bikes again. Regretfully, last year we didn’t do a lot of it, and now my boys have outgrown them again. With a longer wheelbase, our testers found the Kent Chaos to be the smoothest ride because they had sufficient room to ride, no crowding of legs!
To help your child have fun and stay safe while on the road, here are a few highly rated and expert-recommended bike options that are in line with guidance we received from our cycling experts. We listed different types of bikes for kids of varying ages and sizes based on our experts’ advice (we go into detail on the types of kids bikes below). We also noted the wheel size, suggested ages and weight of each one based on the bike manufacturers’ recommendations.