Buyer's guide to kids' bikes

Thinking of a kid's bike for your Christmas tree this year? (© BikeRadar)

Kids love cycling, but getting them the right bike can be tricky. So we've put this guide together of what to look for and picked out some winning bikes for the junior cyclist.

Most children will have just one bike for everything, so with 20 and 24in wheel bikes in particular it pays to look for versatility. Will it go off-road and be suitable for riding to school or friends' houses? What about its appearance? The colour is a big deal for children of any age - much bigger, for them, than the make of brakes or gears.

The golden rule

If you do nothing else when buying a kid's bike make sure it is the right size. It's better to progress in stages than to fit your child onto the biggest bike they can pedal; you can always hand down or sell on used bikes. Riding a bike that you can't control because your feet don't touch the ground and your hands can't reach the brakes properly is no fun. It's also dangerous: crashing puts people off - even kids eventually.

We've grouped our bikes into four steps: Pre School (sub-16in wheel), Age 4 to 6 (16in wheel), Age 6 to 10 (20in) and Age 9 to 12 (24in). After that, children will be on small adult bikes. But whatever the age of the child you are buying for here are some other things you should always take account of so that your child gets the new bike that they deserve.

Weight

Weight makes a bigger difference to the fun and manoeuvrability of a child's bike than yours, because children are smaller, lighter and weaker. A kilo saved from the bike of a six-year-old weighing 30kg is like 2.5kg saved from an adult's.

Cranks

Children, like adults, need cranks that are about 20 percent their inside leg length. One-tenth of overall height is another oft-quoted rule of thumb, and though it yields a longer measurement (few of us have inside leg measurements that are half our height) it's close enough. Unfortunately the rule of thumb for manufacturers seems to be: stick on whatever ought to be on the next size of bike up. Over-long cranks are as ungainly as they are unergonomic. And they'll ground more easily unless the manufacturer puts the bottom bracket higher, which is the last thing a child needs.

Wheels and brakes

Don't buy big wheels for small riders, they need scaling down to fit the rider too. While a larger wheel will roll over bumps and kerbs better, it will also be heavier (more inertia), and the steering will be less responsive. It's likely that the reach to the bars will be greater too, because the bottom bracket to front axle distance will be greater, and the bottom bracket itself will be higher. All these factors make for a slightly-too-large bike that bit more difficult to control than one that fits.

Brake levers don't necessarily need scaling down, because you can use two-finger adult levers. They must be within easy reach of the bars though (is there an adjustment screw?), and easy to operate. Check that you can operate the brakes with only the little finger of each hand.

Reach

One measurement that doesn't scale down well to children's bikes, particularly those of younger children, is reach (how far away you are from the bars). Most children are happier in a riding position that's more upright than you would adopt, so they need the bars higher and closer. BMX bars are excellent on bikes with 20in or smaller wheels for that reason.

When it comes to sizing kids to bikes it best to go by age range. Here's our guide on what to look for and we've also recommended a good example bike for each age

Pre School

Age 4 to 6

Age 6 to 10

Age 9 to 12

_______________________________________________________________________

Pre School

A child's first set of wheels usually comes in the form of a trike or push-along. These are often breakable plastic, with simple friction bearings. A decent metal trike will last longer and can be handed down. Look for: wide-set rear wheels for stability, and a durable front wheel axle. Proper ball bearings here are a bonus.

Children can learn to ride a two-wheeler at three years old, and almost always by five. It's much easier for them if they can balance and steer already. There are two ways to learn this: on a traditional two-wheeled scooter; or on a hobbyhorse. (Stabilisers give mobility to children who can't balance, but they prevent a child from learning to ride a bicycle.)

You can turn a starter bike into a hobbyhorse by removing the pedals and lowering the seat so your child can put both feet flat on the floor. Find a gentle slope and let them coast down it towards you. When they've got the idea, refit the pedals and get them to ride towards you.

First bikes will have 12 or 14in wheels. The bike should have: a low stand-over; ball bearings in hubs, bottom bracket and headset; 90-100mm cranks; pneumatic tyres; at least one working brake.

Worth a look

12in wheel: Puky Learner

Price: £55

Verdict:

"The best push-along we've seen, an ideal introduction to cycling"

The hobbyhorse is anything but new. Baron Karl von Drais invented it in 1817, beginning the history of the bicycle. It's still useful today as a way of learning to ride.

Compared to its rivals this little Puky (say pucky) is much cheaper than the £130 wooden Like-a-Bike, and not much more expensive than the KettlerSpeedy Push 'n' Go at £39.99. Yet it's a better machine than either.

There are proper ball bearings in the wheels and headset, and those wheels are fitted with pneumatic tyres. These will provide a more comfortable, easy-rolling ride - although we'd prefer conventional Schraeder valves to Woods valves. The twin-tubed steel frame will take hard knocks but isn't heavy. It features a step-through frame, so it's easy to get on and off, and there's a plastic footplate too. This means your child's legs won't be left flailing when s/he's coasting along. It's not that different from putting feet on pedals, so that transition should be easier.

The bulb-ended handlebar grips won't punch into the body badly in the event of a fall, and they stop hands slipping off the end of the bars. The saddle is concave so the child won't slip forward. All the small children who tried it really loved this little bike, it has the excitement of balancing and all they have to do to stop is put their feet down.

Amba Marketing

Puky

_______________________________________________________________________

Age 4 to 6

Bikes with 16in wheels still sometimes come with stabilisers: if so, bin them. All 16in wheel bikes come with a singlespeed gear. The chainstays are too short for derailleur gears, and they'd only confuse anyway. A three-speed hub gear would be nice, but they're pricey so you won't see them. As children of this age won't be riding far, a single gear is okay.

Low overall weight will give a more easily manoeuvred bike. Avoid suspension and fat steel frames; thin steel tubes are fine. A lowish bottom bracket will enable your child to get a foot down from the saddle - which, as they can now ride properly, you'll be gradually raising. Cranks should be 100-120mm; the shorter the better. A chainguard of some sort will keep clothing or inquisitive fingers out of the drivetrain.

By this age, children can hurtle along so easily operable brakes are a must. A light action V-brake or sidepull is fine up front, but less effective at the rear: the longer cable run means more friction so the lever is harder for the child to pull. A back-pedal coaster brake is a good solution.

Worth a look

16in wheel: Raleigh Striker

Price: £85

Verdict:

"A nice light frame with some cheap and cheerful parts. At this price, it's a bargain"

This little Raleigh is similar to the Dawes Blowfish, and the Ridgeback MX16. It's a sub-9kg aluminium singlespeed with a steel fork, V-brakes, proper bearings, alloy rims, and a quill stem.

The Raleigh's steel hubs are a bit cheaper, as are the single-piece crankset and BMX bottom bracket. Everything works okay, and unlike the Dawes and Ridgeback the Raleigh has a power modulator on the front V-brake. It's £15 cheaper too. The bike's dimensions are fine. The frame's top tube is dropped slightly to increase stand-over height, and the rear brake cable doesn't get in the way because it's routed under the top tube. Cranks are a fairly sensible 120mm. The riser bars are very wide (52cm). But wide bars are good for bike control and help teach young riders to err on the side of caution when passing stationary objects. The wheels have just 20 spokes apiece. For a 16in wheel and a light rider, that should be fine.

As with the Dawes, the freewheel is noisy and feels rough; it may improve with time. Plus points for the Raleigh include its partial chainguard, which is better than a chainring guard, and its football motif - the shoe-and-ball ping bell is neat. The very pink Krush 16 is the same bike for girls.

Raleigh UK

_______________________________________________________________________

Age 6 to 10

Gears are the obvious extra with 20in wheel bikes. A 3-speed hub gear would be ideal: it's easy to understand and hard to break. Again, it's more expensive to fit, so 5- and 6-speed derailleurs are what you'll usually find. For knocking around on the street, don't discount singlespeeds: they're lighter, simpler, and rarely develop problems.

Some 20in wheel bikes come with suspension forks. They'll be basic, unadjustable springs that nevertheless score credibility points with children. There are two disadvantages: extra weight; and less money to go round elsewhere. If the bike costs £120 or more, front suspension may be adequate. Rear suspension is poor unless you spend a lot more.

If the bike has a rear derailleur, get a derailleur guard for when the bike is dropped on its side. A kickstand is useful, as kids this age aren't good at propping their bikes up. Look for easy-to-use shifters, like Shimano's RevoShift twistgrip. Cranks will again be too long. You want 120-130mm; 140mm may do.

Worth a look

20in wheel: Trek Jet 20

Price: £140

Verdict:

"Proof that less is more. This rigid singlespeed was our testers' favourite 20in wheel bike"

Although we liked it straight away, we were surprised to find that the Jet 20 was the favourite among the 6-9 year old testers; surprised because conventional wisdom says that kids want gears and a suspension fork.

This has an aluminium main frame and a rigid steel BMX fork. The handlebars are BMX ones as well, so the Jet 20 has an easy, upright riding position. Stand-over height is low as the main frame is Y-shaped instead of triangular.

The wheels look like standard 20in BMX wheels. Nicely machined alloy rims are laced to bolt-on alloy hubs with 36 spokes apiece. Fat dirt-jump style tyres with shallow knobbles complete the picture, and provide good bump absorption. What's different is the rear hub: it features a coaster brake. It works well, doesn't rub, and doesn't cut in until the cranks have back-pedalled about a sixth of a turn. The testers tended to use the familiar brake levers - there are Vs front and rear - but the coaster would be useful for emergency stops.

There's a lot of growing room, thanks to a long seatpost and 4cm of stem adjustment. A 10-year-old happily rode this bike. The crankset is a single-piece BMX unit with 120mm cranks, and there's a partial chainguard as well. The kickstand was used and appreciated.

Trek Bikes

Worth a look

20in wheel: Islabikes Beinn 20in

Price: £149

Verdict:

We are really big fans of the Islabike range of children's bikes and versatility is one of its big themes - there are different tyre options for all the bikes. So the mountain bikes can be fitted with slicks and the road bike can take something knobblier for off-road action. That's not all; you can also get racks and mudguards for the bikes - turning them into all rounders ideal as school run commuters.

The other great advantage of all the Islabikes is their weight. At 9.9kg (21.8lb) this 20in Beinn, is a good kilo lighter than one of our tester's 16in wheeled starter bike. Uphills are now an option (crucial if you live somewhere hilly) and they are made even easier by the excellent spread of six Shimano gears mated to SRAM Gripshifters.

Like the brakes the shifters are suitably sized for small hands. Also the slick tyres make for a faster ride on roads and smooth tracks than knobbly tyred alternatives. The frame and all the finishing kit are well thought out and well put together. The 20in bike is aimed at children of 5 and up, it was spot on for our small seven year old tester. All the bikes have been designed so that their riders can get maximum use from them for the maximum time, so even this little commuter (mudguards £14.99) can easily be turned into a proper, raceable mountain bike, and it has plenty of growing room. Likewise the bigger bikes in the Islabike range make maximum use of sloping top tubes so that smaller children can comfortably get the benefit of smaller wheels.

Islabikes

_______________________________________________________________________

Ages 9 to 12

Spend in the region of £200 and you'll get a light(ish) weight aluminium mini-mountain bike that can be passed on to siblings. We'd like to see a 24in wheel bike with a single chainring and a decent, wide-range 8-speed cassette hub (i.e. 11-30T). But you'll get a 7-speed, screw-on freewheel hub and most likely a triple chainset up front. If it's a double, look for a smaller inner ring (22 or 24) rather than a larger (42) outer.

Bike spec should compare to an adult's bike at the same price. So expect a micro-adjust alloy seatpost, a cartridge bottom bracket, an alloy flat or riser bar, a threadless stem, brand name V-brakes, and a decent set of a wheels. They'll have off-road tyres - kids like these, but a set of semi-slicks would be better for all-round use; the Halo Twin Rail won't offend kids' sense of style.

'Less is more' applies: instead of disc brakes, look for disc mounts for later upgrading. And look for a good suspension fork (pre-load adjustable, adjustable damping) not full suspension.

The cranks will again be too long: you want 140mm, 150mm at a push. You may get 160mm.

Worth a look

24in wheel: Specialized Hotrock A1 FS

Price: £199

Verdict:

"Popular, versatile, lightweight hardtail. Could be cheaper: Scott's Racing Junior is"

It's not quite top of the Hotrock range - there's a full-suspension one for £100 more. The aluminium frame (on both) has an arch at the top of the down tube, but we're not convinced the bike gains anything from this except a shorter head tube.

This makes the main frame triangle marginally less stiff (not an issue here) and the front end 'sit up' a bit less (the opposite of what you want on a child's bike). No matter: it's a nice frame and the braze-ons for a rear rack, mudguards, and a front disc make it upgradeable and adaptable. The RST Capa T5 fork is much better than those on the 20in wheel bikes. It's a coil spring and MCU-elastomer fork with 50mm of travel, and it's adjustable for preload and rebound damping. It compresses plushly, and the spring is light enough for kids. The wheels are okay: machined alloy rims, with a wear-line, on alloy quick-release hubs. It's disappointing that the rear hub is a screw-on freewheel unit rather than a cassette hub. If you'd bought the adult Specialized Hardrock Sport for the same price, you'd have an 8-speed cassette hub.

The Shimano RevoShift shifters work well, and the 42/32/22 chainset gives a good range of low-end gears, despite the 14-28T rear end. The 160mm cranks are too long, especially when 152mm ones are available. Altus and Acera mechs, and alloy finishing kit, are par for this price point.

Worth a look

26in wheel: Islabikes Luath 26in

Price: £299

Verdict:

"Sets the benchmark in terms of value and performance"

Kids road bikes have been on the way back for the last couple of years, and there are some good ones out there from the likes of Giant and Trek, but at £299 the Islabike gives them a real run for their money. Again versatility is to the fore - this bike can be used for road or track, and you can accessorise it for touring too, there are also custom pedal and tyre options.

At 9.7kg (21.3lb) it is as light as bikes costing £100 more and like the rest of the range it is beautifully thought out and specced. From the child-friendly shallow drops, short-reach Sora levers and the supplementary 'cross brake levers on the tops through to the 8spd gears and lightweight wheels.

The bike comes with a single chainring on the front (but the frame comes with the necessary cable guides if you want to add that extra cog) matched to an 11-34t rear cassette - you could climb a wall on this (the low gears are particularly suited to cyclo-cross) and the high gear will give a good turn of speed (Luath is Gaelic for quick) - our testers were certainly impressed with the bike's turn of speed, sharp handling, and climbing ability. The wheels certainly play their part in that and are worth singling out for further mention: built using 28 hole double walled aluminium rims, with stainless steel spokes on aluminium quick release hubs, with a rear freehub - it's not often you see that on a children's bike. In fact we're not sure we've ever seen one on a kids bike before.

There is plenty of growing room in the 26in model, but there is also a 700c version for older children from 11 and up.

Islabikes

_______________________________________________________________________

Big kids bikes

Children aged 12 or 13 - and some lanky younger ones - are ready for a small-framed adult mountain bike. Most manufacturers make frames down to 14 or 15in, and some do 13in. Urban freeriders and serious off-road riders may want the smallest frame for the extra clearance over the top tube, but most teenagers can go straight to 15in.

Don't be tempted to put your 9- or 10-year-old on a 13in adult frame just because they happen to be able to reach the pedals. They'll be much better off on a 24in-wheel bike with a 12 or 13in frame. A 24in-wheel bike may be lighter and it will be easier to control. Imagine what your bike would feel like with 28in wheels instead of 26in. The smaller bike should also have more kid-friendly cranks, etc.

Teenagers are acutely aware of peer pressure and will want a bike that's considered cool. Currently this seems to mean simple paint jobs (such as black, white, matt grey/brown or camo green, silver, or maybe red) and a vaguely dirt-jump style frame. Bikes currently available fit this bill include: Specialized Hardrock Sport; Saracen Xray or Xray Pro; Trek Bruiser and the Giant STP.

• Back to top
• Email to a friend