16 thoughts on “7 Best Kids Bikes & How To Choose!”

1. Hey, Check out SPOKES Bike Lounge’s Family Bike Collective. It is the only bike shop in the world with Woom Bikes, Cleary Bikes, Islabikes, Frog Bikes all comparatively in the same shop. They have a membership program were you can Upcycle to the next size bike of any of the brands. If you want a used bike it is $75 to Up-cycle and if you prefer new bikes you get 50% trade in on the current bike credit toward your next bike. Whats cool is you can trade between brands and get a full-service contract and 15-20% off labor for your other family purchases. The Family Bike collective is looking for other community bike shops dedicated to lightweight size appropriate bikes for kids. They also do demos where they teach kids to ride on all the bikes each month.

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2. WOW! $300-$1000 for a bike “won’t break the bank”…. rich people is crazy!
   Nope, I rather go “big box” for a $40 bike. If it breaks, I still can buy 3 more bikes without “breaking the bank”.

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   • What you are describing is not a bicycle but rather a disposable bike shaped object. I am a bicycle mechanic and it is my opinion that department store bikes should be banned. They are heavy, non functional, difficult to ride, and dangerous. Why put a kid who is learning to ride at such a disadvantage? For comparison, new adult bikes are worth roughly 18 times less than a new car. That means a $1,000 bike is equivalent to a new $18,000 car. A $500 bike is the equivalent a brand new $9,000 car. Obviously, the quality level of cars doesn’t go that low. A $179.00 department store bike is the equivalent of a brand new $3,000 car. That would be down right scary to drive and bicycles are no different. Don’t put your kids on these dangerous bike shaped objects. Buy used or something. Spend a little more. Your kids are worth it.

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     • Some of us literally do not have the money for a $400+ bike every year for a growing child — or even ONE year! If we didn’t have big box bikes, millions of kids would probably never ride one. They are inaccessible for so many of us. I’m here looking for a lightweight bike for my special needs son who doesn’t have the strength to pedal a heavy, poorly formed bike and, low and behold, they are far too expensive for us.

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3. I remember when my I started playing soccer at 5yrs old, Dad bought me plastic football boots because they were cheap, as I would outgrow them quickly. They were so uncomfortable and they gave me blisters. I have never forgotten this simple act.

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4. I’m a single mom and by no way – rich people – like John Prez stated. But buying a bike designed specifically for kids made the difference in my son being able to bike with me. I originally purchased a $40 box store bike and in our first outing my son pedaled two streets and walked two streets-then we came home because it was a horrid experience. After checking it out, he was trying to pedal a bike that was the same weight he was. I researched and found Isla Bikes and bought our first Beinn. He hopped on and rode 4 miles his first outing, with only water breaks. That made the difference in us actually being able to cycle together. After two Beinn bikes we were ready to purchase the 3rd when they closed US distribution. I am heartbroken. We will purchase a Woom next month, and I am confident that investment will be as successful an experience as our Isla bikes. So if biking as a family is important to you, invest in a bike made specifically for kids. The investment in a bike designed specifically for a child is well worth it!

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   • Hi Dawn,
     Thank you for sharing your story! Couldn’t agree with you more. It is a HUGE bummer that Islabikes has quite US distribution, but I’m confident you’ll really like Wooom too. 🙂
     Cheers,
     KB

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   • So how afford a $300-600 bike?
     There’s no way we could ever spend that on my child bicycle.
     I grew up on “cheapo bikes” and yeah it was heavy to lift, but I rode it ok.
     I do like the idea of something lighter because my 10yo does not weigh a whole lot. But
     Im almost positive my husband would not be willing to buy a used bike. Where we live youd
     pressed to find an adult bike of that quality never mind a kids bike.

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5. I’m a single mom and in no way-rich people-like John Prez states. But I bought a $40 box store bike for my son and on our first outing he pedaled two streets and walked two streets. We came home, it was a terrible experience and he felt so defeated. I checked and the bike weighed what he did making it impossible for him to pedal comfortably. After researching I found Isla Bikes and purchased our first Beinn. It made all the difference in our being able to cycle together. Our first outing he hopped on and off we went for a 4 mile ride, only stopping for water breaks. After two sizes of Beinns I was ready to purchase another size for him and found out they stopped US distribution and I’d missed the closing sale. I was heartbroken! So researched again and we’ll purchase a Woom next month. Bikes designed specifically for children with lightweight components are an investment. But it is an excellent investment and makes all the difference in kids being able to truly cycle. So if you are looking to cycle with your kid(s) – invest. It is worth it.

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6. Interesting to see dedicated kids bike manufacturers don’t build 18″ bikes. Guess 5-6 yr olds don’t ride, or ride bikes too small/big for them.

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7. I totally agree that getting a good quality bike is a great investment. Kids loves bikes, but they love them more if the bikes loves them back. I bought a Woom 4 for my 5 year old (he was tall) and after the initial apprehension coming from the strider, he just loved it. In our third outing we went to the bike path, and he did 16 miles! I had to get serious to turn back.
   In a month he was using the gears, and now he is able to go steep uphills without dismounting. And he flies around other kids with regular bikes that are double the weight.
   Also, in a good bike components are reliable and easy to adjust and fix, another advantage for the parents.
   For those concerned with the big chunk of money, i would point to the reselling value. I am sure you can get half the price back…

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   • Thanks for sharing your experience Jon. Great to hear other families having the same experience with Woom that we have.

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8. All my kids started on Strider, then rode Cleary and Frog. We just got Frog43 for my 3y.o. and it has been used daily. For 20″ and 24″ it is ok to go to adult bike manufactures.

   $40 bike won’t brake, as kid won’t want to ride it, and it just going to clutter your garage.

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9. Wow! These are all so expensive! Can’t i get a decent quality bike for around $150 for a kid? looking for 20” wheels for 53” tall boy.

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   • David,

     If you read some of the comments above you will see there are other parents of a similar mind set, but also parents that are open to providing their children with a quality bike. Stampede had more affordable bikes, but discontinued production in 2018. I would honestly search the used markets for a bike fitting your specifications. There are several Facebook sale groups solely dedicated to specific brands if that is something you are wanting to search for. Good luck with the search.

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10. A very good article; thank you! I feel for people who say that $400 for a bike is too expensive, particularly for a child. As someone who works on his (used) bikes I have also learned the dangers of cheap bikes and reiterate the need for a good bike. If you live in a major city there is likely a bike donation center and/or a co-op(s) which have bikes for little or no money. Some of these will also have free classes on basic maintenance, which I would strongly recommend (paying almost $200 for a tune-up on a free bike spurred my learning: you will be amazed when you see how easy it is to tune a bike!)

    As above I would suggest finding a used bike. Bicycles are fairly simple machines and with minimal care last for ages. I have rour bikes from the 1970’s and two from the 1980’s, all picked up used and all but two for less than $50. These are adult bikes, but kid bikes can be found.

    You also might do a “bike pool”: go in on a bike with family members or close friends hove have a child a year or two younger — and smaller! — than yours. When your child outgrows the bike or on a predetermined date you tune up the bike and hand it over. You might prorate the second or third buyer; you can work out the details.

    For preteens I suggest a different strategy: a folding bike. These have become popular so are not given away like they were three or so years ago but you can still find deals. Again, as the child is still growing you don’t want to shell out a lot, but the advantage of a folding bike is it accommodates a wide range of people sizes. As they grow you just flip a lever and raise the seat and bars. When they stop growing you/they can decide whether a full-size conventional adult bike is worth it. The bonus here is that such bikes are easily transported to vacation, school or college. And if they go on to bigger bikes, the parents still have a folder they can take on vacation, or pass along to a niece or nephew.

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