Work in progress!
I am currently working on finalizing this post, definitely read below but expect it all to be a bit better organized in 2020. I am in the process of removing any potential duplicate content on bike size from my buying guide posts, wanting to host it all in one place for ease of comparison. Please check back soon! Until then if your kid is:
- 12 to 24 months: Balance bike
- 2.5/3 to 4/5: 14″ bike
- 3.5/4 to 5: 16″ bike
- 5/6 to 7: smaller 20″ bike
- 5.5/6 to 8/9: regular 20″ bike
- 7/8 to 10+: 24″ bike
Contents
Balance Bike: Age
The age that you can buy their first bike is much earlier than when we were kids. Now there are balance (or run) bikes that were not around when I was a kid (at least not where I come from) and it was very rare to find a family that removed the bottom bracket and crankset off of a bike so that they could function like a modern run bike.
Your child is ready to start playing with a run bike when they are approximately 18 months old, give or take, depending on if they are walking and how big they are.
We got our eldest a Strider brand run bike when she was about that age and she was pretty happy to finally be like mom and dad, even if she did not figure out gliding for almost another year. She would straddle it and walk around, working on her coordination, practicing getting on and off the bike independently. It provided hours of entertainment.
Our second child had the bike around at an earlier age simply because it was already around, so she started younger. She wanted on that [easyazon_link identifier=”B00IZXBZQW” locale=”US” tag=”ohaw-20″]blue Strider[/easyazon_link] before she could even touch the ground. She would walk around with it, straddling the top tube because she was too short to sit on the seat and touch down with her toes. She was riding by 15 months or so and really started to get proficient between 18-20 months when the glide really kicked in.
It’s a beautiful sight to behold. Run bikes teach kids the hardest thing to learn about riding a bike: balance. They also teach a kid how to steer.
Hopefully you have a great local bike shop (LBS) where you can pop in and ask them questions, otherwise, my intentions are that you find the information below useful in selecting the right balance bike for your child and budget!
14 inch Bike: For what age?
A 14 inch wheel bike age range is roughly 3 to 4.5 years old. Some start as young as 2.5, some may fit it until they are close to 5. Depends on the kid’s height, their growth, and their readiness.
16 inch Bike: For what age?
Which bike accommodates the shorter riders best?
The Spawn Yoji 16″, Prevelo Alpha Two, and Islabikes Cnoc 16 are your best bets for riders that are shorter for their age. Their minimum seat heat, standover height, and/or recommended minimum inseams are the lowest.
16″ bike as a first pedal bike?
Depending on the age and height of your child, it is possible that their first pedal bike will be a 16″ wheeled one, and not a 14″. Truth is, the Spawn Banshee, pictured above, was the first pedal bike we bought our eldest. But read on for our cautionary tale…
According to the sizing information on the Spawn website, it seemed that she could probably pull off either a 14″ or a 16″, and we figured she would grow into it. We went to a Spawn dealer to try both out but they only had a 16″ in stock. It seemed a bit big to me but the sales rep commented on how we all learned on bikes that were often not quite the right size when we were kids and we all turned out fine! (Yes, I was suckered — I totally disagree with this now, especially knowing my kid.)
Anyway, she learned to ride that 16″ bike. In fact, she more or less took off initially — exactly as when you read or hear about that magical transition between balance bike and pedal bike — but once she realized that she couldn’t put down her feet easily, without tipping the bike to one side, she got cold feet and only wanted to ride her Strider again. A few weeks later we sucked it up and ordered a 14″ Spawn Furi and put away the 16″. Unfortunately, she had lost her confidence so we had to take the pedals off the Furi. She used it as a run bike for about a week, learning how to use the brakes and getting a feel for a different sized frame. Then she asked for the pedals to be put back on and we were back in action! All this to say is that it depends on your kid’s size and personality, but for our kids — and I think that this holds true for most kids — a smaller frame instilled confidence.
16 inch bike age
Depending on your child’s inseam and height, the latter of which affects reach, they will be on a 16″ inch bike age 4 to 6 years old. Some will start closer to 3.5 years old, especially if they are very confident; others will switch over to a 20″ bike around 5/5.5, especially some of the smaller frame ones, like the Prevelo Alpha Three.
20 inch bike age
All of a sudden, your 5 or 6 year old looks like a giant monkey riding a tiny circus bike and you wonder (yet again) how they’ve grown so fast. The handlebars won’t tilt forward any more and the seat post is maxed out, yet she still looks like her knees are going to hit her chin with each pedal stroke.
This is when you know it’s time for the next size up. And don’t rush it. 20″ wheels are a big jump up from their 16″ counterparts. In our experience, it’s better to be on a bike that is too small than one that is too big. You will find this true for your family, too, especially if you have any kids who are ‘thinkers’ or a bit tentative when trying new things.
