The Ultimate Buyer's Guide for Purchasing Bicycles for Kids
How to Shop for a Bike for Your Kid
Seatpost: The seatpost is a tube of metal that telescopes up and down in the frame to adjust the saddle to the proper height for pedaling. Proper seat height allows your child&#;s knees to have a slight bend at full extension. If their stroke is too short, they&#;re getting less power out of every revolution. And if they&#;re sitting too low, that can mean their knees will rise higher than is comfortable.
One caveat: Rypkowski says that for newer or less confident riders, your child might not be ready for the proper seat height because sliding off the seat to stand flat-footed could be a big jump for them. Her advice for less-experienced riders is to start with a lower saddle and just adjust it up a little bit at a time as your child gains confidence.
Adjusting the seatpost is easy to do. Take a permanent marker and draw a line on the seatpost for a reference point. Open the quick-release lever (that uses friction to hold the post in place) and slide the seatpost up just a hair; be sure the seat is aligned straight, with the nose of the saddle directly over the top tube of the frame, then close the quick release.Saddle: Burton Avery is Cannondale&#;s senior product manager for their kids&#; products. He says that just like for adults, &#;the No. 1 thing that you should consider changing when anyone buys a bike is the saddle.&#; The best analogy: shoes. You have to try them on to know they fit, no matter if you&#;re a child or an adult. Specialized, Woom, and Cannondale all spec far narrower and shorter saddles for kids than you&#;ll find on adult bikes.
One telltale sign that your kid&#;s seat is too wide is if you see them inching far forward on the seat, riding the nose rather than the paddle portion. That could mean it&#;s too far for your kid to reach the handlebars, or it could mean the seat&#;s too wide, which hurts their bottom and also forces their legs to splay wider while pedaling, potentially causing knee pain.Stem: Your bike will come with a stem (the linkage between the front of the frame and the handlebars) that&#;s replaceable, so you can make it shorter if your child has to reach too far&#;or longer so that the reach isn&#;t cramped as your kid grows. A stem has an adjustable clamp for the handlebars, which are also replaceable because the right width and sweep can further help your kid get comfy.
Brakes: There are two main types of brakes on children&#;s bikes: coaster brakes and hand brakes, although some bikes have both. Part of this is regulatory and beyond the control of manufacturers; they may have to spec a coaster brake because there are legacy laws governing how bikes are sold.
Coaster brakes work by pedaling backward. Lots of bikes for smaller children have them. Hand brakes operate via a lever attached to the handlebar, and most bikes for children only brake the rear wheel. There are two types of hand brakes as well. Disc brakes tend to have more power and are a bit more expensive, and work better in all kinds of weather. Rim brakes clamp against the wheel&#;s rim and may be less potent, though they frequently offer at least the same level of modulation as disc brakes. If your child&#;s bike has lever-actuated brakes, those levers most likely have a reach adjustment. This brings the lever closer to the handlebar, so it&#;s easier for smaller hands to grab, which is critical for safety. If the bike you purchased doesn&#;t have this feature, a bike shop can swap out the levers for adjustable ones.Bike shifters: As with brakes, your child needs to be able to easily operate their bike shifters. Avery at Cannondale says bike makers are increasingly building bikes with low-effort shifters, meaning the mechanism isn&#;t as stiff as in adult bikes. One expert we spoke to says you want to hold a bike statically and watch to see whether your child can easily operate the brake levers and shifters. Again, the local shop should make this evaluation. Know that, like brake reach adjustment, shifters can be repositioned for better leverage for your kid to use.
Tires: Knobby tires might look cool, but they add friction. Cannondale&#;s Avery says that his brand has gone to either a tire with a very low knob pattern, with fewer cuts (called sipes), or to one with no tread pattern at all, because this reduces rolling resistance, so it&#;s easier for a child to keep up with their parents. He says if you buy a used bike for your child that has a tall knob, take it to a bike shop and swap the tires for something that rolls more quickly.
Weight: A general rule for kids&#; bikes is that the bicycle should not tilt the scales at more than a third to about half of your child&#;s weight. The younger your kid is, the harder it will be to find a bike that&#;s light enough.
Regardless of where you purchase your kid&#;s bike, it&#;s critical to adjust it for a proper fit. If you&#;re skilled with wrenches and have a deep understanding of bike parts and human anthropometry, you can try this yourself&#;but for the most comfortable fit and safest results, you&#;re probably better off entrusting the process to a good bike shop.
Goto Seven Running to know more.
As we mentioned above, the bike might fit your child perfectly straight out of the box, but oftentimes bicycles need to be adjusted to fit the rider. Or, if you&#;re buying used, perhaps you want to change a worn-out saddle, or further refine the bike for safety and comfort. Here are the most important adjustments to consider:
Buyer's Guide To Kids' Bicycles!
Is it time to buy your child their first bicycle? Or, is your "little one," not so little anymore and ready for a bigger bike, or one without training wheels?
If it's been a while since you've bike shopped, you're in for a pleasant surprise.
Today, there are more types of children's two-wheelers available than ever before. While this means you have a better selection, it also increases the possibility of purchasing the wrong bike or one that is lesser quality or poorly designed.
To help, here are some fun tips to ensure that you get a bike your tyke, kindergartner, pre-teen and young adult &#; and every juvenile in-between, will love. And remember that we're always happy to help answer questions, show you and your child which bikes fit and how they differ, and handle any other issues that crop up as you get your whole family pedaling together. We can keep a secret, too, in case that new tot rod is a surprise!
Size matters
While adult bicycles are selected according to frame size, kids' bikes are sized (and referred to) according to wheel size (see our photos and chart below).
Also, fitting a bike to children is more than determining their age and height. We also (and you should) evaluate coordination and riding ability. For example, taller children lacking cycling confidence do much better on smaller bikes because they feel more comfortable and in control. And a coordinated 10-year old with long legs who has ridden smaller bicycles growing up might be ready for a full-size bike.
The most important deciding factor is safety. You want a bicycle that lets them ride easily in complete control. All our children's and young-adult bicycles are adjustable to fit as your child grows.
Are you interested in learning more about Bicycles for Kids? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!
So, don't make the common mistake of believing you should get a bike that's a little big in order to have growing room for your child. Oversize bikes like this can be dangerous and can cause crashes. They're also harder to ride. These things can have the opposite effect of what you want, and instead of being fun for them, actually turn your kid off to cycling. And don't worry, once they've outgrown any bicycle, you can easily sell it online, in the newspaper or at a yard sale.
Sizing by age and wheel size
Age: 2 - 4
Wheel size: 12-inch (or smaller) Age: 2 - 4
WS: 12-inch pedal bike (can include training wheels) Age: 3 - 6
WS: 16-inch pedal bike (can include training wheels) Age: 5 - 9
WS: 20-inch Age: 7 - 11
WS: 24-inch Age: 10 - Adult
WS: 26-inch/700c
Proper fit
When you're checking a bike's fit, make sure that the child can sit on the seat and place both feet firmly on the ground, which means they'll be able to hold themself upright and get on and off without difficulty. If the bicycle is equipped with training wheels, it's okay if the child reaches the ground with their toes only, because the training wheels provide the support.
As they develop their balance, gradually raise the training wheels so they get used to leaning the bike to turn. This is easy to do on our quality training wheels.
It's also important that children can comfortably reach the handlebars and steer. If the bars are out of reach, steering will pull them forward causing a loss of control. Plus, if the bicycle has hand brakes, it's crucial that the child can reach and operate the controls. If the child doesn't have the hand strength to operate the levers, it's usually possible to adjust the systems to make it easier for them, which we can help you with.
Running bikes
For children who cannot ride yet, and the youngest and least coordinated kids, are a great way to start. These compact, uncomplicated and totally fun learning machines are also referred to as balance or push bikes. They are very intuitive for most children and inspire confidence because their feet are on the ground so much of the time and the bikes are small, light and easy for them to handle.
These ingenious bikes have a sturdy frame, nice wheels and tires and a seat and handlebars, but they have no pedals, cranks, drivetrain or brakes. They are powered by the child pushing along with their feet, a natural motion they've already mastered. And, as they propel themselves along Fred Flintstone style, they quickly learn how to steer a bicycle and soon also get the feeling of balancing a two-wheeler. Once that happens they're well on their way to a pedal bike.
It's important to note that even new riders can scoot along quite quickly on running bikes. So be ready to keep an eye on your little ones and make sure they only ride where it's safe. Also, these bikes can handle pavement and dirt, so they're great for learning off-road skills, too.
Pedal bikes
Today, kids' pedal bikes vary as much as adult models. For tots, there are tiny brakeless "sidewalk" bikes not intended for street use. Once they turn about eight, many kids want BMX (Bicycle Moto Cross) models, which are ideal for everything from cruising to school and around town to trick riding, racing and dirt jumping. Also popular are cruisers, and even mini mountain bikes with suspension, and full-on performance road bicycles.
If your child is very small, you might be able to pick out a bike for them. Once they get a little older, though, this gets tricky. Remember, that it's their bike and keep in mind that they're more likely to want to ride and to get excited about biking if they've got the two-wheeler they like best.
To find out what they want, just ask them. Or bring home some catalogs or visit us online with them and have them point out models they like. Or, make a day of it and bring them in shopping so they can show you the models they think are cool.
If the new bike is a surprise gift, check what your child's friends ride. That should ensure that you pick a winner. Also, we're happy to exchange new bicycles if it turns out that your child had their heart set on a different type.
Our professional bike shop is the best place to buy
We hope that this basic information on choosing, sizing and buying a children's bicycle is helpful and that you'll come see us when it's time to share your cycling love with that eager little one. We carefully select the kid's models we carry and assemble every one by hand plus stand behind every bicycle with a full guarantee, too, should you ever have a problem. We also properly fit the bike to your child and can show you the adjustments you can make as your child grows.
We've got a full selection of accessories, too. You'll want to get them a helmet and we'll make sure that it fits right. And, if they're old enough to bike to school, you'll want them to have a quality lock and know how to use it. You might want them to have a light and bell or a rack for carrying books and clothing. We've got it all and are happy to show you.
This article was prepared in conjunction with our friends at People For Bikes who are working hard to make America more bicycle friendly.
Thanks for reading!
Want more information on City Bikes? Feel free to contact us.
Comments