About Children's Bikes

Searching for a child's bike? Read this first. There are important factors to take into consideration before purchasing a bike for your children. The size of your child, maturity level, and purpose that the child will be using the bike for, are just a few things to know before going to the store. Here's an overview of what to look for.

Instructions

Time Frame

1. Children as young as 3 years old will be able to master the pedaling and steering of a tricycle or a two-wheeler with training wheels. Between the ages of 4 to 8 they are ready to shed their training wheels. Their physical coordination and balance have developed. In addition they have become very familiar with stopping and starting and can focus more on balancing.

Expert Insight

1. Avoid purchasing a bike with hand brakes for children under 5 years old. Up until this age kids generally don't have the strength or coordination to accomplish this task. Sometimes kids as old as age 10 have a hard time also.

Size

1. 

   Get a bicycle experts opinion on the right size for your child. However, this will give you a brief summary of how to shop according to size. Don't make the mistake of measuring the bike by the height of the seat. Go by the wheel size. A child that's 2 to 4 years old should have a wheel size no bigger than 12 inches. A child 4 to 6 years old should have a 14-inch bike, 5 to 8 years old should have a 16-inch bike, 6 to 9 years old should have a 18-inch bike, 7 to 10 years old should have a 20-inch bike and children 9 years and older should have a 24-inch bike.

Types

1. Pay attention to the types of brakes that are on the bike you're about to choose. There are basically two different types of brakes. One type is Coaster brakes. These activate when you pedal backwards. The other type is Hand brakes, which are activated when squeezing levels attached to the handlebars. Younger children don't have the strength in their hands, nor the coordination, to be able to use the Hand brakes. Therefore, avoid purchasing a bike that has this feature when shopping for children under 6 years old.

Warning

1. 

   Make sure your child wears a helmet while riding a bike. They should wear one even if it's only in your driveway. The high-risk age of head injuries from bike riding is 10 to 14 years old. So get them used to wearing one now. Enforce it for their safety and go over basic safety guidelines.

Considerations

1. 

   In the United States, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) sets guidelines for bike makers to adhere to. Some of the requirements are making sure the front wheel has a safety mechanism so the wheel won't fall off. Making sure the frame is aligned is another important factor. You usually won't find any problem with newer bikes. It's the older ones that may not be up to par.

Resources

• I Bike.org
• Teach Your Child to Ride a Bike