There are a couple reasons you might be looking for kids bike accessories. Perhaps your child just got their first pedal bike, and you’re looking for some fun add-ons to go along.
Maybe your grandchild is obsessed with riding and you’re looking for a gift. Or, maybe your child is a reluctant biker and you’re hoping a fun new pair of bike gloves or a jersey might motivate them to ride.
Whatever, your reason for landing here, we’ve got a big list of kids bike accessories your child (or grandchild) will love. We’ve tested it ALL the things and hand picked our very favorites.
These accessories include those for your child’s bike (like baskets and grips), accessories for your child’s body (like helmets and gloves), and accessories for the whole family (like tow ropes and bike ramps). Whatever you’re looking for, you’ll find it here!
Accessories For The Bike
These accessories are intended to make your child’s bike a little more fun or a little more functional.
Bike Bags And Baskets
Kids LOVE bike bags and baskets, although each kid has their own reason for loving them. Some want to carry their stuffed animals. Others want to collect rocks. Bigger kids might want to be able to carry their gear to school.
Whatever your child wants to carry along, a bike bag or basket will help. Our favorite bags come from Po Campo*.
More Options: 10 Best Kids Bike Baskets & Bags For Your Child
Bells
Who doesn’t love a good bell?! Kids like them because they sound fun, but a bell can also be a great safety feature. Teach your kids to ring them to pass on crowded bike paths, and you’re giving them a skill for life.
Our favorite bell for really little kids is the Incredibell*. It’s easy to operate, comes in fun colors, and makes a great sound. Bigger kids will like the Woom Bing bell.*
More Options: 9 Bike Bells Your Child Will Love
Saddles
This might not be the first thing that comes to mind when accessorizing your child’s bike, but a new saddle (seat) can make a huge difference in your child’s enjoyment on the bike. Many saddles that come standard on kids bikes are crazy uncomfortable.
Our favorite saddle for both boys and girls is the SDG Fly Jr*.
More Options: 5 Best Kids Bike Saddles (Including Girls Bike Seats)
Pedals
A new pair of pedals is a great way to accessorize your child’s bike. Most stock bike pedals aren’t that great, so this is an easy way to improve on your child’s bike and have fun with it at the same time.
Bike pedals come in all sorts of different colors, so you are likely to find a pair that matches your child’s favorite color.
Options: 5 Best Kids Bike Pedals Tested and Reviewed (MTB, BMX, Recreation)
Grips
Like pedals, grips are a great way to add a little color to your child’s bike. This is a great add when your kiddos existing grips are wearing down. (You never want to have an exposed bar end–that’s super dangerous).
You do want to pay attention to handlebar diameter and grip width when ordering. Make sure to check out our grip guide below for more info on choosing grips.
More Options: 9 Best Kids Bike Grips & How To Choose!
Locks
You spent all that money to get your kiddo a good quality bike. Now you better make sure your investment is protected.
While most bike locks are crazy hard for kids to operate (or carry), there are a few child-friendly locks we recommend. Our favorite of those is the Woom lock*.
More Options: 7 Best Kid-Friendly Bike Locks
Lights
Lights can either be practical (for doing a night mountain bike ride with your kiddo), safe (for riding near traffic at dusk), or just plain silly and fun. Some of our favorites are the Knog Frog lights*. They are small, easy to mount, and come in a variety of colors.
Water Bottle & Cage
A water bottle and cage is one of the first logical accessories to buy to get with a kids bike. Unfortunately, the frame on many kids bikes (especially smaller bikes) is that there may not be room for a water bottle cage. (If there’s not you can try a hydration pack–listed later–or a feed bag like the Po Campo bag listed above).
If your child’s bike has eyelets to accept a water bottle cage, and there’s room for a water bottle cage, we like the Planet Bike cage*–it’s cheap, durable, and comes in multiple colors.. Even then, there may not be enough room for a bigger traditionally-sized water bottle so we like the shorter Camelback bottles*.
Accessories For Your Child
These accessories are ones that go on your child to protect them or make them more comfortable.
Helmet
No child should have a bicycle and not a helmet. In fact, a helmet should be the very first thing you buy.
Unfortunately not all kids bike helmets are created equally. Make sure to buy a good-quality kids bike helmet that offers a good fit.
One of our favoirte helmets is the Giro Tremor with MIPS*.
More Options: 5 Best Kids Bikes Helmets & How To Choose!
Gloves
While not *quite* as important as a helmet, gloves are another critical safety item. They can keep your child’s hands from getting skinned in the event of a crash.
For little kids, we love the ZippyRooz gloves*. For big kids, the options are endless. See all of our top picks below.
More Options: 15 Best Kids Bike Gloves (Toddler, Mountain Bike, BMX)
Jersey Or Shorts
Kids generally don’t NEED bike specific clothing, but it can do a lot to make them feel motivated and excited to get on the bike. Padded bike shorts can also help if your child is doing longer rides and experiencing chafing or discomfort.
Options: Ultimate Guide to Kids Bike Shorts and Jerseys
Hydration Pack or Hip Pack
A hydration pack is a great way for your child to carry their own water (especially if they don’t have room for a bottle cage on their bike). Or, if your kiddo just wants to carry some small items (like snacks), a hip pack can be a lightweight and very hip (pun intended) option.
For a hydration pack, we love the Camelbak Mini MULE*, and for a hip pack, our fave is the Kids Ride Shotgun pack.
More Options: 5 Best Kids Hydration Packs
Shoes
Again, most kids don’t NEED a pair of bike shoes, but they do add additional grip and support. If you’ve ever noticed your child’s feet slipping off their pedals, consider a pair of good grippy bike shoes (or a skate shoe).
We love the FiveTen Freerider Youth* as well as the Ride Concepts Livewire or Vice.
More Options: 5 Best Kids Mountain Bike Shoes
Sunglasses Or Goggles
Depending on the type of riding your child is doing, they need a pair of sunglasses (casual riding) or goggles (BMX, downhill mountain biking). Children’s eyes are extra sensitive to the sun, and also need to be protected from dirt, rocks, and other debris.
Options:
- 7 Best Kids Sport Sunglasses for Your Child
- 5 Best Youth Bike Goggles (Dirt Bike, Mountain Bike, BMX)
Knee & Elbow Pads
Knee and elbow pads can provide additional protection. They are a great option both for crash-prone toddlers and aggressive older kids.
Our favorites are G-Form. They easily fit older kids and can be modified to fit even preschoolers and toddlers by placing a stitch around the arm or leg band.
More Options: Best Knee and Elbow Pads for Kids
Accessories For The Family
These accessories are for your kids–but also for you!
Tow Rope
A tow rope is something I think pretty much every single biking family should have. It makes biking with kids soooo much easier–both for long mountain bike rides and simple rides around town.
We really like the Tow Whee*.
More Options: Best Tow Ropes & Tow Bars
Bike Ramps & Jumps
There are all kinds of accessories you can get to make riding in your driveway or backyard more fun. Little kids might like the Woom cones, for instance, while big kids will love the MTB Hopper.
More Options: Kids Bike Ramps, Manual Machines, & Other Ways To Make Your Backyard Rad
Children’s Books
There’s no better way to get kids stoked on biking than to read books about bikes. These stories also make bedtime a lot less boring for mom and dad.
Options: 11 Children’s Books about Bikes
“Girls” Bike Accessories
I am putting “girls” in quotes here, because clearly these accessories can be used by any kid, and there are plenty of girls that don’t care for girly accessories either. Still, we get lots of questions from parents on how to make a gender-neutral or hand-me-down bike a little bit more girly. For those parents, here ya go.
More Ideas: 7 Best Girls Bikes (Big Girl and Little Girl Bikes)
Ride Along Dolly Doll Bike Seat
Little girls who have seen mommy biking with a baby seat will love having their own seat for their baby doll. This one* fits American Girls dolls–as well as pretty much any dolly or stuffed animal you can throw at it.
WINOMO Bike Streamers
Streamers* are a cheap and easy way to add color to a bike. Little kids also love them, and they make a great stocking stuffer or Easter basket filler.