How to Fit a Kid for a Bicycle

Some accidents and injuries can be prevented by fitting a kid for his bicycle.

Learning to ride a bicycle is part of childhood. It's a rite of passage of sorts. Learning to ride a bike comes with a few precautions. Helmets are a must-have for children and adults alike. Children should be properly fitted to the bicycle they will be riding to avoid unnecessary accidents and injuries. These simple steps will show you how.

Things You'll Need

• Bicycle Adjustable wrench Measuring tape or yard stick

Instructions

How to Fit a Kid for a Bicycle

1. Teach your child to ride a bike as early as between the ages of 4 and 5. At this point, most children have achieved the coordination and mental readiness necessary to keep a two-wheeled bicycle upright and maneuver it safely. If your child doesn't appear to be ready, don't push. Some kids are 9 or 10 years old before they express the desire to learn to ride a bike. Before allowing him or her to ride one, however, be certain that the bicycle actually fits the kid.

2. Stand your child next to his prospective bicycle. Using a yard stick or measuring tape, determine the distance between your child's crotch and the crossbar of the bicycle. When your child is standing flat-footed on the ground, there should be 1 to 1.5 inches between the crotch and the crossbar.

3. 

   Set your child on the bicycle seat and ask him to reach for the handlebars. The reach should be far enough so that a bit of a stretch is needed, but not so far that the child's bottom needs to come off or to the front tip of the bicycle seat. Both seats and handlebars are adjustable for this reason.

4. Determine the wheel size of the bike by determining the size and age of the child. Sixteen-inch-wheeled bicycles are typically suitable for average-sized children ages 5 to 7. Twenty-inch-wheeled bicycles are best for average-sized kids ages 7 to 9. Twenty-four-inch-wheeled bicycles work well for average-sized kids ages 9 to 11, and 26-inch-wheeled bicycles are for ages 11 and up.

5. Adjust the bicycle seat and handlebars as determined by your child's comfortable reach and measurements, using an adjustable wrench. Tighten all parts after these adjustments are completed to ensure your child's safety.

Tips & Warnings

• Always insist that your child wear an approved safety helmet when bicycling.

Resources

• Ibike.com