Buying a Children’s Bike

I often get asked what’s the best bike to get for a child.  Buy the lightest bike that you can afford. If this means buying a second-hand bike then that’s usually a better bet than buying a cheaper, but heavier bike.  A good test is to see if your child can easily lift the bike you’re considering buying.

There are a number of websites that provide independent advice as well as the websites from some of the main manufacturers of light-weight children’s bikes.

Independent advice

Cycle Sprog.  Lots of useful information including a free kids bike buying checklist

Cycling UK have put together lots of useful information for buying bikes from balance bikes for young children to children’s bikes for age 12+.

What size bike

Cycle Sprog have put together a guide for how to measure your child for a new bike.

Bike shops

Many of the large chains of bike shops provide information about choosing a bike for a child.  The advice is generally relevant for all bikes, but obviously these companies aren’t completely independent.

Borrow, don’t buy

An alternative to buying a bike is to borrow one from the Bike Club which is a kids bike subscription service that allows you to exchange as your child grows. Making sure they’ll always be on the perfect size. With a Bike Club subscription there are no big upfront costs and your payments are spread out into an affordable monthly subscription.

Second-hand bikes

It’s often possible to get good quality children’s bikes second-hand.