Alexandra Rico-Lloyd, co-founder of the Bike Club - the UK’s first monthly kids bike subscription service. Here, the expert gives her tips on how to choose the best bike for your child.
We all know that feeling of getting your first ever bike, there’s nothing quite like it. At the Bike Club, we understand the importance of choosing the right one for your child, as having a positive first experience of riding a bike is essential for ensuring that it’s something they’ll enjoy forever. It’s the reason the Bike Club exists; because we believe that children will get the most out of cycling when they have the right bike, and being able to exchange your child’s bike as they grow let’s parent’s give that experience to their children.
Here's our best tips for picking your child's bike...
Quality is really important
You want a bike that they are going to enjoy riding, but also one that will be durable and long-lasting. Unfortunately there are plenty of ‘bicycle shaped objects’ to avoid! Weight plays a massive role here, your child will struggle with a bike that is too heavy for them. They won’t have fun and neither will you when you end up carrying it home.
Getting the right size bike is absolutely vital
If the bike is too large, they may struggle to reach the handlebars comfortably, or the floor with their feet. Too small, and they find the bike uncomfortable and difficult to control. Both could have a negative impact on their progress when learning to ride a bike, particularly on a balance bike.
Children’s bikes tend to be measured by wheel sizes (in inches)
I’d always recommend measuring your child’s inside leg, and choosing the right sized bike based on these measurements. Different brands will have different height guidance based on geometry, frame size and wheel size so it can be difficult to know which bike is the obvious next step. We’ve got a handy chart on our website which is a great guide.
For toddlers and children aged 1-5, we recommend balance bikes as by far the best option
Unlike stabilisers, learning to ride on a balance bike will give your little ones the key skills of balance and coordination, before introducing pedals at a later stage. The Strider 12 Sportis a great choice, being especially designed for beginners, with a low saddle, easily adjustable clamps, and mini-grip handlebars.
Once your child has the hang of balance bikes, the next step is to move to their first pedal bike
These usually have a wheel size of 14 or 16 inches, and are ideally suited for children aged between 3-5. For this size, we recommend the Forme Cubley range. It’s a bike that turns beginners into cyclists with confidence, and has been designed with British weather in mind - featuring all weather tyres.
From age 5 upwards, it’s time to look at an off-road or hybrid bike for two-wheeled adventures
These tend to start with a wheel size of 20 inches, and will be your child’s first experience of using gears. With that in mind, we’d suggest trying the Forme Kinder - it has 8 gears which have been designed to be able to shift easily.
Alexandra Rico-Lloyd is co-founder of the Bike Club - the UK’s first monthly kids bike subscription service. For more information on the Bike Club visit https://thebikeclub.co.uk/