Advice About Advancing Your Kid to the Next Level
Let us guide you through the right youth’s bike at the right time for your child. Remember, all children are different and the most important thing is that they are enjoying themselves!
- Limit the worry and fear by sticking with one skill development at a time:
- Balance - Master this first before moving to pedals
- Braking - Introduce hand brakes only after they’ve learned to balance with pedals and coaster brakes
- Gears - ONLY after mastering these first steps can you introduce hand shifting.
- Let your kid feel comfortable on their current bike before moving on. It doesn’t matter what age, as long as they’re having fun.
- Understand your child’s age and size.
- Consider having several sized bikes around so your kid can begin exploring for themselves. Used bikes are a perfect solution for “short” bike years like when they are in-between size.
Recommendations for Kid's Bike Sizes
Starting Out: Approximately 2-4 years old
Recommendation: Balance Bikes
Start without pedals so they can learn the importance of simple balancing and move around. AVOID tricycles at this age unless for a special needs child.
Recommendation: 16 to 20” bike with coaster brakes or training wheels
Get pedalling down pat with a coaster brake. Most younger children lack fine motor skills to sync up their legs with a hand brake. Remove the training wheels when your child lets you know they feel comfortable balancing, pedalling, and braking at the same time.
Grade School Riding: Approximately 6-13 years old
Recommendation: 24” Neighborhood Bike
“How long will this bike last” is a very common question since kids will have significant growth in the next five to six years. Make sure your child is comfortable before putting them on a bike that’s too big and scary. After all, a bike should be something to enjoy especially with friends.
Pre-teen Years: Approximately 14-18 years old
Recommendation: 26” Adult sized
A key question with teens is how tall will they grow as well as what are their interests. The common myth It may not be the “last bike” for a while. Your teen needs to be safe thus too big a bike can feel uncomfortable and they won’t ride it.
Teens can have multiple bikes for commuting to school/job, mountain biking, road biking, and more. Biking is a lifelong activity with so many positive possibilities foundation.