How We Test Kids Bikes and Family Biking Gear

Every bike we recommend has been ridden by real kids for at least 30 days, weighed and measured by us, and compared against other bikes we’ve tested.

We’ve been testing this way since 2014, and our team of parent testers has reviewed more than 100 kids bikes, as well as trailers, bike seats, helmets, cargo bikes and e-bikes.

We started Rascal Rides because we couldn’t find good information on biking with our own son. Our goal hasn’t changed since then: help you pick the right bike the first time, so that your family has more fun and your child develops a life-long love of biking early on.

Who Tests Our Bikes?

Our bikes are tested by real families: parents who ride and the kids who ride with them.

Every reviewer is a parent, and the kid testers are our own children plus neighbor kids, cousins, and friends. That gives us riders of every size, from babies in bike trailers to teens on e-bikes. When possible, we like more than one family or one child to test a bike before we review it.

You’ll find reviews here from:

• Kristen Bonkoski, founder (Boise, Idaho). USA Cycling and NICA coach, mountain bike racer, and bikepacker. Kristen started testing kids bikes in 2014 and stays involved in every review we publish.
• Blair Burton, co-owner and mechanic (Boise, Idaho). Experienced bike mechanic who rides about 300 days a year on dirt and snow.
• Kelley Asbury (Minnesota). Mom of three and mountain biker. Kelley tests baby bikes, balance bikes, trailers and bike seats, and shoots many of our photos as a professional photographer.
• Candice Dawson (Idaho). Tests balance bikes, pedal bikes, helmets and bike seats with her son on trails, skate parks and around town.
• Malorie Gage (Colorado). Longtime mountain, road and gravel cyclist and mom of two. Tests baby and toddler bikes and bike seats.
• Therese and Warren Davis (Southern California). Warren grew up riding dirt bikes, then moved into mountain biking and BMX racing. They build lines and dirt tracks for their two boys and test trailers, balance bikes and MTB seats.
• Michael Pero (Midwest). Teacher, XC racer and dad of two junior XC racers. Tested 14″ to 24″ kids bikes and mountain bikes.
• In memory of Chris Del Sole (Vermont). A cyclist for more than 20 years and dad of three, Chris wrote many of our early Woom, balance bike and helmet reviews. We miss him.

Where Do We Test?

We test bikes where families actually ride them. That means:

• Pump tracks and bike parks: Bogus Basin Bike Park and Eagle Bike Park near Boise
• Singletrack: local trails at home, plus destinations like Whistler Bike Park, Kingdom Trails in Vermont, Copper Harbor in Michigan and Bentonville, Arkansas
• Everyday riding: backyards, neighborhood streets and the ride to school

In 2017 our family spent a year on the road riding across the U.S., and today our testers ride all over the country.

How Long Do We Test Each Bike?

We ride every product for at least 30 days before we publish a review, and often much longer. Many bikes stay in our fleet for years. When we learn something new from long-term use, like a part that wears out early or a bike that holds up through three kids, we go back and update the review.

What Do We Measure on Every Bike?

We weigh every bike ourselves, because published specs are often wrong. Brand-listed weights can be off by a pound or more, and for a 35-pound kid, one extra pound makes a real difference on every hill.

• Actual weight: measured on our own scale, fully assembled with pedals
• Minimum seat height: measured at the lowest saddle position, so you can compare it to your child’s inseam

Those two numbers decide whether a bike fits your kid today and how hard it is to ride. Our kids bike size chart shows how to measure your child and match them up.

How Do We Evaluate Each Bike?

Every bike is judged on the same six things:

What we look at	What we’re checking
Weight	How the bike’s weight compares to the rider’s, and whether a kid can pedal it uphill and pick it up after a crash
Kid-friendly geometry	Low standover, reach and handlebar height sized for kids, short cranks and a stable, confidence-inspiring position
Quality of components	Brakes small hands can pull, real tires, sealed bearings and parts a local bike shop can replace
Durability	How the frame, finish and parts hold up after a month or more of crashes, mud and being dropped in the driveway
Value	What you get for the price, including resale value and how well it hands down to a younger sibling
Price-point comparison	How it stacks up against the other bikes we’ve tested at the same price

Trailers, bike seats and helmets get the same treatment with category-specific checks, like harness fit, mounting and how easily a parent can load a squirmy toddler. Where a review includes an overall score, it’s built from these same criteria.

How Do We Choose What to Test?

We only test bikes we think could earn a spot on our lists. Brands contact us all the time about cheaply made kids bikes we already know we couldn’t recommend, and we say no to those. Your time is better spent reading about bikes worth buying.

Some bikes are sent to us by brands. Some we keep, some we send back after testing, and some we buy ourselves. Each review notes when a brand provided the product.

Are Our Reviews Sponsored?

No. We never accept payment for a review, and we don’t publish sponsored reviews. Brands never see a review before it goes live, and they don’t get to approve what we say.

We’ve tested plenty of bikes we decided not to recommend. When a brand asks us to change a review after it’s published, we don’t. The one exception is a factual error, like a wrong spec, which we fix and note in the review.

Our commitment is always to parents, not to brands.

How Does Rascal Rides Make Money?

Most of the links on our site are affiliate links. If you click one and buy something, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We also show display ads. That income pays for our testing, and it never decides which bikes we recommend. We’d rather point you to a bike that earns us nothing than steer you toward one your kid won’t love.

How Do We Keep Reviews Up to Date?

Kids bikes change every year, so our reviews do too. We revisit our guides to add newly tested bikes, update prices and specs, and remove bikes that are discontinued or no longer measure up. Each guide shows the date it was last updated.

See Us Testing

Want to see the bikes in action? Our YouTube channel has ride footage and video reviews, as does our Instagram.

Still Not Sure Which Bike to Get?

Every family is different. Fill out our free bike help form and we’ll hand-pick a bike that fits your child and your budget. You can also contact us with any questions about our testing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Rascal Rides reviews sponsored?

No. Rascal Rides never accepts payment for reviews, and brands never see or approve a review before it’s published. When a brand asks us to change a published review, we only correct factual errors.

Do brands send you free bikes?

Sometimes. Some bikes are sent by brands and returned after testing, some we keep, and some we buy ourselves. Getting a bike for free never guarantees a positive review, and we turn down bikes we already know we can’t recommend.

How long do you test each bike?

We test every product for at least 30 days before publishing a review. Many bikes stay in our fleet for years, and we update reviews as we learn more from long-term use.

Why do you weigh bikes yourselves?

Brand-published weights are often off by a pound or more. We weigh every bike and measure its minimum seat height ourselves so you can trust the numbers when matching a bike to your child.

Who tests Rascal Rides bikes?

Our testers are cycling parents and their kids in Idaho, Minnesota, Colorado, Southern California and the Midwest. The team is led by founder Kristen Bonkoski, a USA Cycling and NICA certified coach, and co-owner Blair Burton, a bike mechanic.

How many kids bikes has Rascal Rides tested?

Since 2014, we’ve reviewed more than 100 kids bikes, along with trailers, bike seats, helmets, cargo bikes and e-bikes.