The kid in your life is ready for their first pedal bike! What a happy day for every bike loving caregiver out there. In this guide you will find everything you need to know to make the right decision on the best 14″ bike for the kid in your life.
First, in this guide is an overview of the bikes I highly recommend.
Second, all of the details that you need to pick the right bike for your kid.
Contents
Overview of your best options: 2021
Brand, model name, recommended age (if available), weight in pounds (if available), brake style, and a link to the company's webstore with the recommended MSRP ($USD unless otherwise noted) at the time of writing.| Brand | Model | Recommended Age (years) | Weight (pounds) | Brake Style | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spawn | Yoji 14" | 2.5+ | 13 | v-brake | |
| Woom | 2 | 3-4.5 | 11.24 | v-brake | |
| Prevelo | Alpha One | 3-5 | 13.45 (with freewheel) | v-brake | |
| Prevelo | Zulu One | 3-5 | 15.9 | disc brakes | |
| Norco | Roller | 3.5-5 | n/a | v-brake | |
| Frog | 40 | 3-4 | 14 lb 4 oz | v-brake | |
| Cleary | Gecko 12" | 2.5+ | 15 lb (with freewheel) | v-brake | |
| Islabikes | Cnoc 14 Small | 3+ | 13 lb 5 oz | v-brake | |
| Islabikes | Cnoc 14 Large | 3+ | 13 lb 14 oz | v-brake | |
| Pello | Romper | 3+ | 14 (with freewheel) | v-brake | |
| Guardian | 14" Ethos | (36-42" tall) | 16 | SureStop |
*Please note: Islabikes.com has closed their American office in Portland as of the end of 2018. Islabikes is not going out of business but decided to shift their focus back to their home market of the UK and expand more into Europe.
Extra details on fit
Here are some more specific details on fit that might help to paint a better picture of how these bikes might fit your child. Hopefully you can try one out in person, but if not this should help:| Brand | Model | Recommended Age (years) | Seat Height (inches) | Standover Height (mm) | Effective Top Tube Length (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spawn | Yoji 14" | 2.5+ | 14 -16 | n/a | 335 |
| Woom | 2 | 3-4.5 | 15.94 - 19.09 | n/a | 355 |
| Prevelo | Alpha One | 3-5 | 15.6-17.5 | n/a | 349 |
| Prevelo | Zulu One | 3-5 | 16-25 | n/a | 330 |
| Norco | Roller | 3+ | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Frog | 40 | 3-4 | 16-? | n/a | 340 |
| Cleary | Gecko 12" | 2.5+ | 14-18 | n/a | n/a |
| Islabikes | Cnoc 14 Small | 3+ | 13.4-16.5 | n/a | n/a |
| Islabikes | Cnoc 14 Large | 3+ | 15-18.9 | n/a | n/a |
| Pello | Romper | 3+ | 17.5 - 21.75 | 15" | n/a |
| Guardian | 14" Ethos | (36-42" tall kid) | 15.5-19.25" | n/a | n/a |
Our Family’s Choices
After great success with our lightweight Strider, weight was our main objective when buying our first pedal. There were not many options on the market at the time and we wanted to support local, so we ended up with a Spawn.
Spawn Yoji 14″
We ended up choosing a Spawn Furi (now the Yoji) because they were a local brand (initially based in our hometown of Calgary, Alberta – they are now located in Squamish, BC), were fairly lightweight, and had nice 1.9″ wide mountain bike tires.
Our eldest started on this bike. We took the pedals off (not the cranks), she used it as a balance bike for about a week — getting accustomed to a bigger bike and hand brakes, then we put the pedals back on at her request and she was off!
Our youngest rode this bike from before she could touch the ground (~2.5 years old) until she was about 4. After initially back pedalling, she figured out pedalling and then she was off, too (although we had to stay close for starting and stopping, especially at first, as she could not touch – she eventually figured out how to stop on her own by the end of the summer, tilting the bike enough to touch down on one side). She moved on to our 16″ wheeled Spawn Banshee in the fall.
Other excellent choices
Here are eight more suggestions for high quality 14″ bikes for your little ripper. We have or know people who have happily used every brand listed (except Cleary, which look too rad to not include in this list):
WOOM 2
I am in love with WOOM bikes and the WOOM 2 is no exception. The lightest of them all at a measly 5.1 kg (11.24 lb) and very well built with great attention to detail, like the tiny little 80 mm cranks and gentle beginner gearing with a 25T chainring and 15T cog!
The thing that I like most about WOOM bikes is their upright stance which helps to ground the kids on the bike and give them a positioning similar to their balance bikes. The WOOM 2 has both front and rear brakes and also comes with a coaster brake which I highly recommend switching out for their freewheel kit. Lightweight aluminum frame, good components, and a full chain guard seal the deal for me.
Check out their nice smooth helmets, too! A great helmet should echo the shape of the human head and theirs does.
Prevelo: Alpha One
Spawn and Prevelo are the brands you go to if you are a mountain biking families!
A family-run company, Prevelo has two 14″ bike offerings: the more hybrid style Alpha One and the Zulu One with disc brakes and beefier 2.1″ mountain bike tires. Here is a complete overview comparing the two bikes.
Lightweight, high quality components, a nice two-sided guard on the chain ring, front and rear hand brakes, freewheel kit, plus great build quality make Prevelo bikes a top choice and we love our 20″ model.
The gain ratio for both models is 3.7, using 85 mm cranks, with a 25T chainring and 14T cog.
Norco: Roller 14″ Freewheel
Norco is a popular choice as it is widely available, especially in Canada. While they tend to be decent build quality they are on the heavier side, so look elsewhere if that is important to you – personally, it is my top consideration. That said, price is also important.
The chainring is 30T and the rear sprocket is 16T.
Definitely look for the freewheel version of their 14″ bike or don’t buy it.
Frog 40
Our 20″ Frog 55 has proven to be very durable and well made so I also highly recommend this British brand of well built children’s bikes.
At 14.2 pounds, this is one of the more lightweight 14 inch bike options on the market. I also trust brands that recommend their bikes as being balance bikes for bigger kids, like Frog does with this model.
Frog uses a 89 mm crank on this bike with a 32T chainring and 18T cog.
Cleary Gecko 12″
Cleary decided to go with a 12″ wheel instead of 14″ for their smallest pedal bike offering and I have heard wonderful things about this bikes: little rippers hopping on and peddling right away as they transition instantaneously from balance bike to pedals!
This bike is designed to fit kids with an inseam measurement of 14″ to 18″ and the real beauty of it is that the 15″ inseam kid can have both feet flat on the ground with the seat post provided – a key feature for inspiring confidence in that transition from balance bike to pedals, as described above in the fit section.
The crank is 92 mm with a 25T chainring and 14T cog.
Islabikes 14 inch: Cnoc 14 (small or large)
A long time player on the high quality lightweight kids’ bikes scene, Islabikes is definitely worth a look at. However, in North America you will only be able to find them used now. ‘Cnoc’ is Gaelic for ‘hill’ which your kid will probably fly up on this bike!
These seriously lightweight bikes even offer great add-ons like fenders, perfect if you live in a wet climate and hard to find for this size wheel unless you DIY.
They even have two offerings of their Cnoc 14, acknowledging that kids really do grow at different rates. Their large has a slightly higher top tube and BMX style handlebars, instead of the flat-bar found in the small.
Pello Romper 14″
Pello bikes are newer on the lightweight scene — we were unaware of this aluminium bike four years ago when in the market, at least. They look great!
Nice upright positioning, 2.1″ wide tires, partial chain guard, and high quality components — like a Cane Creek headset -— make this bike a good choice.
The front chainring is 25T and the rear cog is 14T (yielding at 3.7 gain ratio). The cranks are a nice compact 89 mm in length.
A freewheel hub adaptor kit is available to get rid of the rear coaster brake after purchase (recommended) and with it installed the bike weighs 14 lbs.
Guardian 14″ Ethos
An excellent choice for a kid getting brakes for the first time! Guardian’s unique Sure Stop braking system evenly distributes braking power over both wheels, helping to reduce mistakes kids make when learning to combine balance, pedalling, and braking.
This is also the most affordable bike listed here. So, if you are focussed on getting your kid riding on city sidewalks, parks, and pathways, this is a very good option.
How to Buy the Best 14″ Kids’ Bike
Your preschooler is starting to look extremely out of proportion on their balance bike, they are insistent on being ready for pedals, or you are convinced they are! It is time to upsize to a proper kid’s bike, with pedals and brakes.
For what age? A bike for 3 year old & up crowd
Most kids are ready for the transition to pedals around 3 years old if they have been riding a balance bike. Ready physically (i.e. height and fit) as well as developmentally (i.e. coordination, etc.).
Our eldest was almost 3 and our youngest was about 2.5, but she did not fit the bike and needed help starting and stopping because she couldn’t touch down.
If your kid is eager at a younger age or is on the shorter side, your best bet is likely the Islabikes Cnoc Small or the Spawn Yoji 14″, or the 12″ wheeled Cleary Gecko.
While your child may cling to their balance bike for another season or two – our kids both went back and forth between balance and pedal bikes for a while – they are likely ready for pedals when they say they are. Check out the balance bikes for older kids recommended here if they are still really stoked on their run bike. Thankfully, there are several great real kids’ bikes out there that are designed for this age group in mind, with proper hand brakes as well as child sized levers, cranks, and geometry.
The basics
So it’s time to go bike shopping, but where to start?
Ideally, you will have your kid try the bike in person at your rad local bike shop at which time you will check the standover height (see below) and look to see how stretched out they are (reach or cockpit).
Can they reach the brake levers? Check.
Unfortunately, many of the best lightweight, high quality 14 inch kids’ bikes do not have a local dealer and are only available online. Keep it real, do your kid a favour and do not buy a heavy and very likely poorly assembled department store bike.
Lightweight kids’ bike
Please keep the weight in mind, something especially important when starting young children on pedal bikes. The bike’s weight relative to your little ripper’s own weight really makes a big difference in building a love for the sport. A lighter bike is easier for them to maneuver, while getting on or off and is less of a blow if the bike hits them in a crash.
All of the bikes in this particular guide are lightweight and the companies building them recognize that lightweight matters (except for the Norco, the weight is not listed). The lightest bike in this guide is the WOOM 2.
Fit
This is not the time to maximize your dollars and buy the next frame up because it jussssst fits. Believe me, we made that mistake once, almost twice. Too small is far better than too big.
Here are my simple tips on bike fit for kids, including things to consider with respect to the cockpit size, standover height, and seat height:
Brakes
None of the bikes listed in this guide on buying the best 14 inch bike for your kid use coaster brakes. All bikes listed here use hand brakes and it is what I recommend as the best choice out there.
Unfortunately, in the USA coaster brakes are required for this size of bike even if they have hand brakes, so the bikes will likely need to have a freewheel kit added on to get rid of the coaster brake. WOOM handles this nicely with a freewheel kit. These kits are essentially a rear wheel with a freewheel hub (instead of a coaster brake hub), so you will need to change over the tire and put the wheel back on the bike, including hooking the chain on the rear cog. I hope that I haven’t made it sound too complicated, it’s not a tricky job and YouTube can help!
When we were kids, there were no special kid-sized brake levers as there are nowadays. Yes, we successfully grew up on coaster brakes (and may even prefer them for our low-maintenance winter bike), but hand brakes are where it’s at. This is especially important for a kid learning to use a pedal bike for the first time. Both of my kids were back pedal-ers before they figured out forward pedalling; if they had coaster brakes it would have been extremely confusing. In fact, my eldest borrowed a single speed coaster brake bike last year while we were on holiday and it was a disaster for her.
Tip: When you get the new bike, take off the pedals (or even the whole crankset, if you have the tools or a friendly local bike shop). Let your kid get a feel for the new frame size and use it as a run bike. This also gives them a chance to learn about braking if their run bike was brakeless. Put on the pedals when they ask for them. This method will work for most kids who have already mastered balance.
Most 14″ kids’ bikes have Tektro v-brakes and they work just great in our experience. While they might not be the disc brakes that you are now so accustomed to, yourself, v-brakes are more than sufficient for riders in this ability and age group.
Gears
Gears are not yet an option for this sized bike which is good because it keeps things simple and lighter. I have listed the chainring/cog teeth size in the short blurbs on each bike, below, including the gain ratio. The bigger the gain ratio, the further the bicycle travels with each pedal stroke; specifically, the gain ratio reflects how main inches are pedalled for each 1″ of pedal movement.
Training wheels
If your child has successfully been using a balance bike, you will not need training wheels. (See my ‘Tip’, above.) If they are just beginning to ride and haven’t had the chance to learn to balance on a balance bike, I highly recommend it. There are balance bikes aimed at this age group, such as the Woom 1 Plus, or you could buy them a good lightweight pedal bike (as recommended, below) and remove the pedals, cranks, and bottom brackets while they master balancing and braking. When they’re ready, put them back on. Need more info on balance bikes?
14″ Bikes: Styles
The frame styles for little kids’ bikes are in the urban/hybrid category and some times they lean more towards a mountain bike with a slightly more aggressive stance.
14 inch Balance bikes
These balance bikes are typically bigger than your little kid starter balance bike.
There is a 14″ Strider aimed at the 3-7 year old crowd that can be either a balance bike or pedal bike. This seems like a great option for a less confident rider, late starter, or for a kid who still loves their 12″ (or smaller) wheeled balance bike but has grown out of it. When ready, you just add pedals to this model of Strider! The only drawback that I can see is that the brake option is a coaster/back pedal brake.
There is also the balance-bike only Woom 1 Plus that has 14″ wheels and is aimed at the 3+ balance bike loving crew!
That said, any bike can be transformed into a balance bike by either removing the pedals or having your local bike shop removing the entire bottom bracket (plus cranks and pedals along with it). My little brother did this for his kids and when they were transitioning to a pedal bike, they had the same bike in a different colour with the cranks and pedals on. My nephews were super familiar with the geometry and handling of the bike so it worked well.
Check here for more information on balance bikes for all ages.
Hybrid and mountain bikes
Most of the bikes suggested here are hybrids, also suitable for early mountain bikers.
I would caution you against getting a bike with shocks for your young child. Kids this size barely have the body mass to actuate a front shock so this feature really just adds unnecessary weight to their bike.
One aspect of that I really like about the mountain bike options on the market are the wider 14 inch bike tires that they come with, giving the kids a nice wide, confidence-inspiring, and cushioning platform to work with.
One brand listed in the recommendations, below, went with a 12″ wheel.
14 inch BMX bikes
BMX bikes are sweet. They have a great sloping top tube making them easy to get on-and-off of and the racing models are very lightweight in their basic design. There seems to be a decent used market for them, too.
A feature of BMX bikes that I love (many other brands of bikes take advantage of this in their 14″ and 16″ wheeled offerings): an adjustable handlebar that you can lean fore/aft to change the reach of the cockpit.
Whether or not you get a BMX bike, be sure to spend some time at your local pump track for skills development (plus, it’s super fun).
Budget
Let’s face it: these bikes are not cheap. Lightweight kids’ bikes is a niche market that is growing so there is a bit more competition now, but it’s still not budget-friendly. But, you know what you are doing and consider this an investment. You’re just like us: you want to support your kid’s journey into biking because you want to share your passion with them and you know that the right gear helps accelerate their ability. It is more fun to ride a bike that is less than half of your body weight than one that is 3/4 of your weight!
The other benefits of buying a well-designed kids’ bike is attention to detail: crank lengths that pair well with their little legs; small brake levers that they can reach (and are often adjustable); a bottom bracket height that means their knees aren’t hitting their chin when riding; and a Q-factor that is more in line with their hip width. If you ever have the chance to put a serious 14″ bike beside a big box store (or even an older style) bike: do it, the differences will be night and day.
Chances are if you are actually researching which 14 inch bike to buy your kid, you are not heading to the department store because you are looking for something lightweight and good quality. Or, perhaps you’re hoping to support your local bike shop (LBS) instead of a big box store.
Some of these brands can be found at most mainstream LBSs, others at only boutique ones, and most are only available online.
Having sunk a crap tonne of cash into our eldest’s first pedal bike, I have been reassured that the resale value of these beautiful bikes is excellent. So, while it may cramp your cash flow, be confident that (unless the bike gets stolen) you will recoup the majority of your hard earned coin while haven given your kid the best chance at becoming proficient at cycling and loving it. You’ll also be buying a bike that will last for siblings; our Spawn is still in excellent shape even after a few years and two kids’ use.
Updated to add: We sold our 14″ Spawn Furi in the spring of 2020 to a friend for about $50 less than we paid for it after having two kids use it; quite confident we could have got more if listed publicly. Granted the current price of Spawn’s 14″ bike is significantly higher as we bought ours about 6 years ago. But, still. If you have the cash flow, it works out to be about the same price or cheaper than a big box store bike, and definitely less waste as higher quality bikes have real parts and are reparable (unlike many big box store bikes).
Used 14 inch children’s bike
They go like hot cakes! On kijiji or our local kid’s outdoor playgroup Facebook group, any high quality kid’s bike that goes up for sale is gone within days and has multiple offers. Some bikes resell for practically full price.
Set up alerts on an app on your phone. That’s what I did, and I still was usually only second to contact the seller so have yet to succeed in buying second hand but highly recommend it.
Start your hunt months ahead of time and good luck!
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