4 Advice to Choose a children's bicycles

The annual University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health found that parents were most worried about the overuse of devices and screen time (healio.com). Some studies have also stated that excessive screen time can slow down children's development in socializing and problem-solving, and also cause several physical health impacts.

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With that in mind, we understand that most parents find it challenging to discover activities that keep kids healthy, entertained, and maintain a balanced screen time. While there are many strategies that parents can try, let's not forget that cycling is one of the easiest and most beneficial activities for kids! Cycling promotes physical health, strengthens muscles, boosts confidence, enhances problem-solving skills, and helps children make friends, thereby improving their social skills.

Ready to pedal into fun and fitness? Choosing the right bike for your little ones is crucial, as it can create lasting memories and support their development. In this article, we'll share comprehensive tips for selecting the perfect bike for kids according to their age.

Get to Know: Bicycle for Kids

Get ready to embark on a cycling journey with your child! Before we delve into age-specific bike recommendations, let's explore the exciting world of children's bikes and find the perfect match for your little rider.

A children's bike is a specially crafted cycling companion, designed to grow with your child's skills and confidence. With smaller frames, lighter weights, and safety features, these bikes are tailored to provide a comfortable and supportive learning experience.

Discover bicycle for kids types:

1. Balance Bikes (Push Bikes): The perfect starting point for developing essential balance skills. Push along and learn to coast effortlessly.

2. Tricycles: A stable introduction to cycling, with three wheels for added security.

3. Bikes with Training Wheels: A helping hand for those just beginning to pedal. Gain confidence and balance with these extra wheels.

4. Two-Wheeled Children's Bikes: The ultimate goal! Once your child is ready, transition to a standard two-wheeled bike for a more authentic riding experience.

Remember, each child is unique. Observe their development and choose the bike that best suits their individual needs and comfort level.

Children's Bicycles Tailored to Age Group

The right bike for your child depends on their age, height, and individual needs. At 18-36 months, kids need plenty of exercise to learn how to balance and gain confidence. A pedal-free bike that allows their feet to stop, steer, and turn provides them with more control and the confidence to keep riding. Children aged 5-8 years will be more comfortable with smaller bikes, possibly with training wheels, while children aged 7-12 years may benefit more from larger bikes without training wheels to enhance their riding skills.

1. Bicycle for Kids Aged 18-36 Months

Have you ever seen little kids riding mini bikes without pedals? If so, you're likely familiar with balance bikes or push bikes. For children aged around 2 years, their feet are their main tools for discovering new things! Giving a balance bike during this crucial period is the best gift parents can offer to help them develop eye-foot coordination, strengthen muscles, and improve stability. With this bike, they will learn faster and find it easier to stay active.

2. Bicycles Suitable for Children Aged 5-8 Years

Between the ages of 5 and 8, children reach a pivotal point in their physical development. Their motor skills progress rapidly, signaling their readiness to transition from smaller bikes to those offering greater stability and control. Standing approximately 120-130 cm tall, bikes equipped with 20-inch wheels are an ideal choice, providing an appropriate challenge without overwhelming the child.

Polygon recommends the XTRADA 20 or RELIC 20 Mountain Bike Junior at this stage. These bikes feature lightweight alloy frames, 20-inch wheels, and suspension forks, allowing children to confidently maneuver around their surroundings comfortably and safely.

3. Bicycle for Kids Aged 7-12 Years with a Taste of Mountain Exploration

It's time for your little one to broaden their horizons! Now, parents can guide their children through rougher terrains like little rocky paths, uneven ground, and root-covered trails'a thrilling introduction to mountainous landscapes. Between ages 7-12, as exploration opportunities widen, bikes with 24-inch wheels become the perfect fit.

Polygon RELIC 24 and Xtrada 24 Mountain Bike Junior are among the top options available. Crafted with sturdy alloy frames by Polygon, these bikes blend strength and durability to conquer diverse terrains. With their larger 24-inch wheels, these bikes offer steady speed and stability, ready to accompany children on exciting adventures.

Tips for Choosing Kids' Bikes

1. Take Your Child's Size into Consideration

Prior to buying, take into account your child's height and inseam measurement (the length of their inner leg, from the upper thigh to the ankle). Choosing a bike that matches these measurements ensures optimal posture and comfort for your little one. Refer to Polygon's height recommendations guide to find the perfect size.

2. Take into Account Riding Preferences and Terrain

Get to know your child's riding preferences. If they enjoy tackling rough terrains with a bit of challenge, a mountain bike with front suspension or even rear suspension might be the better fit. For those who prefer leisurely rides around the neighborhood, a versatile urban bike or hybrid bike could be the ideal choice.

3. Test Ride Options

Allow your child to test out various bike models. This hands-on experience enables them to feel the comfort and ease of controlling the bike, empowering them to make more informed decisions.

4. Check Safety Features

Give priority to safety features such as reflectors, lights, and robust frames. Visibility is critical, particularly in low-light conditions. Bikes equipped with reflective elements enhance safety during morning or evening rides.

5. Weight Matters

Opt for lightweight bikes to enhance children's maneuverability and control. Seek out materials like aluminum or alloy that offer durability without adding unnecessary bulk. Lighter bikes make it easier for children to handle and reduce the risk of accidents.

6. Seek Advice

Seek recommendations from friends, family, or other parents who cycle or previously purchased bikes for their little ones. Their insights can provide valuable insights and help you in making more confident decisions.
Have questions or need assistance? Contact us today and let us help you find the ideal bike for your child's age, size, and interests. Contact us, here.

Conclusion

Selecting the right bike for your child is a significant decision that requires careful consideration of various factors. By prioritizing aspects such as size, riding style, safety features, weight, and seeking recommendations, you can ensure that your child enjoys a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable biking experience.

Remember to involve your child in the decision-making process by allowing them to test ride different bike options, empowering them to choose a bike that suits their preferences and needs. With the right bike in hand, your child can embark on countless adventures, fostering their physical health, confidence, and love for outdoor activities. So, take the time to choose wisely, and watch as your child pedals away into a world of exploration and fun on their new bike.

I have three small kids with ages ranging between 3'9 years old.. and we currently own no fewer than five children's bicycles.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of children's bicycles. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

Bicycling is one of the most basic and fun activities that kids can do for sports and for commuting. Where I live, bicycling liberates kids from about 7 years old to independently pedal to school and sports class, join the rest of the neighbourhood kids to go to the local supermarket, playgrounds, library.

If you start choosing a bicycle for your child, there's quite a choice ' from 12'' wheel size balance bikes to 26'' teenagers bikes with prices from 99EUR supermarket bikes to EUR electric-assist kids mountain bike.

Over the last 7 years, we've bought and used 7 different kids bikes. We've done research and made mistakes. We've also hit the jackpot with a few bikes.

Here's what we've learned..

Start on a balance bike

The best way for small kids to learn how to bicycle is to use a balance bike.

The best age to learn bicycling on a balance bike is as soon as the child is comfortable running and jumping. We've put all our kids on the balance bike when they where about 2 years old.

The best balance bikes are the ones that are light and have a low minimum seat height to allow practicing as early as possible.

Both my daughters were riding the balance bike comfortably and rolling around without their feet touching the ground by the time were 3 years old and my son was rolling around comfortably on the pedal-less bike at just a little over 2 years old and switched to a pedal-bike a few months after turning 3.

Stabiliser wheels on a 'normal' pedal bike make learning slower for kids, since the child is leaning on the stabiliser wheels and is not actively balancing the bike. Also ' starting on a pedal bike means that the newbie bicyclist needs to learn balancing AND pedalling at the same time.

A daughter of a family friend started learning on a pedal bike with stabiliser wheels and while she is taller and more athletic compared to my daughters, it took her longer to learn to comfortably bicycle and she was a less confident bicyclist in the beginning.

Fit beats spec

The most important thing about your child's bicycle is whether they fit well on it. This means being able to easily get on and off the bike, having a comfortable and natural position while riding and having the reach to do tight turns, pull the brakes and switch the gears.

This is especially crucial with smaller kids (3'5 years old), since they are less experienced and clumsier. Young kids also grow the fastest relative to their size, so there's a temptation to buy a bigger bike.

The mistake I made was buying a bike that was just slightly too big for my second child. I bought it, since it was a nice bike. I thought that she'd grow into the bike quickly anyway and skipping one wheel size would mean she can use the fancy bike for longer.

The result was that my daughter developed a fear of her bike ' it was hard to start and stop riding on due to the frame size. This discouraged her from biking and she definitely biked less than she would have done on a well-fitting bike.

At minimum, check the height of the child and their inseam height against the bike's fit specification (most respectable brands have a nice table). If possible, I strongly recommend having the child try riding the bike. That's especially true, if the child is in the lower end of the size that fits the bike.

If the bike you want is even 'just a little' too big .. I recommend buying another smaller bike that fits well. Even if it's used, or less fancy.

Beware of 'supermarket' brands

Low-price 'supermarket' children's bicycles can be incredibly heavy and have sneaky hard to spot problems with fit ' brake levers not meant for small hands, too wide 'q-factor' (width between pedals) for small legs, too short crank length, etc.

When looking for our first kids bike, I saw a cheap starter bike + stabiliser wheels meant for 3-year olds to learn bicycling that weighed about 10 kilograms. We ended up buying a 99EUR balance for our daughter that weighs a smidge under 2kg! That's a weight difference of 5 times. Extra 8kg is a huge difference for a 3-year old to lift and carry. That 99EUR bike has served all our 3 kids very well.

You can find a good bicycle weight reference by looking at bikes from reputable bicycle manufacturers, especially manufacturers that specialise on kids bikes. Don't buy a bike that's significantly heavier than the typical 'good brand' bikes, especially for pre-school kids.

It's harder to evaluate other important parts of the 'bike fit' ' reaching the brake levers comfortably, having a suitable q-factor and crank length, saddle position relative to pedals. Buying from a well-known bicycle brand or from a brand specialising on kids bikes is the most likely way to get a good fit.

Used is totally fine

Kids grow out of their bikes quickly ' usually within 2 years in the pre-school age and 3'4 years later on. This means that there are a lot kids bikes sold on the second-hand market.

Kids bicycles are usually quite simple to maintain and fix, so even if the used bike needs a bit of maintenance or tuning, chances are it's cheap.

We've bought two of our kids bikes second hand. This has allowed us to get a better bike than we would have otherwise bought. In both cases we bough from a private seller on an internet marketplace and it worked out well.

Avoid fancy tech

There are some really exciting fancy tech on kids bikes, such as carbon fiber fork or air suspension forks, oil-actuated disk brakes, tubeless tires. There's even a balance bike with a carbon fiber frame!

I recommend seriously considering if you need this fancy technology. It can be fragile and hard to maintain.

I bought a bike for my 5 year old with an air suspension fork and disk brakes and have now had to fix bent disk rotors twice as well as spending several hours doing maintenance on the air fork.

We've never had issues with rigid aluminium forks and rim brakes. There's absolutely zero noticeable performance difference for my 5 year old kids from having the disk brakes and air spring.

If I could fo back, I would choose a lightweight, simple to maintain and as durable as possible solution for the kids bike.

There is some tech that is worth having, though, in my experience. An internal gear hub and belt drive can be more expensive, but will require much less maintenance than a chain, cassette and derailleur system.

Kid fits the bike vs bike fits the kid

My 6 year old daughter most likely wanted a pink bicycle with a comfy seating position, a wicker basket at the front and ribbons hanging out from the edges of the handlebar. I mean ' she didn't know what she wanted, but in my mind, this bike would have fit her personality.

I, her father, on the other hand wanted a bicycle for her that I myself would have loved as a 6 year old boy ' a cool aggressive mountain bike with suspension and thick tires and aggressive stickers.

So ' we 'agreed' that we will buy her the fancy mountain bike with chunky tires and an aggressive riding position.

Of course it turned out that she was uncomfortable on the aggressive bike and didn't really care about the chunky tires and suspension. We ended up getting her the next size bike sooner than she would have needed it and loaned the mountain bike to his nephew who is a 6 year old boy that loves aggressive chunky bikes with suspension.

My learning from it is that it's not only important that the kid fits on the bike. It's also important that the bike fits the kid :).

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