Ultimate Guide to Kids Bicycle Tires

Pick up any bike mag, and you’ll find at least one article or review of bike tires.  Indeed, adult cyclists are constantly discussing the pros and cons of different tires – their weight, size, and tread.  Kids, on the other hand, generally have to make due with whatever tire came on their bicycle.

At some point as a parent, however, you’re probably going to need to buy your kiddo a set of new tires.  You might be the kind of parent that enjoys upgrading your child’s bike, or maybe your kiddo has simply worn thru the tires that came stock on their bike. 

Whenever that day comes, you’ll discover that it is somewhat tricky to find good replacement tires for kids bikes.  Stop by your local bike shop and ask for 16″ mountain bike tires, and they will probably raise an eyebrow and leave you empty-handed.

To save you lots of time searching, we’ve compiled a list of the best bicycle tires for kids in every size range.  You’ll note that the options are pretty limited in smaller sizes, and improve for bigger wheels.

How to Choose

Brands

A good rule of thumb is to buy tires from the same brands you would buy adult tires from.  If you don’t know what those brands are, don’t worry, we’ve picked good tires for you here.  

You’ll also note that in the smaller sizes, Kenda definitely has a corner on the market which is actually a good thing since they make high-quality tires. Moreover, Vee Tire Co. has been edging in there with their Crown Gem model stocked on a lot of kid’s mountain bikes.

Tread

For young kids, particularly in the 12″ to 14″ size range, you want to look for an all-terrain tire that can be ridden on-road and off.  Young kids love to ride their bikes wherever they may take them – on grass, over gravel, thru the mud, etc.  

For slightly older kids, you may continue to pick an all-terrain tire, or if your child has shown an interest in a specific type of riding — mountain biking, road bike, cyclocross, etc — you’ll want a tire with a tread specific to that discipline

Tires Vs Tubes

Bicycle tires are sold individually, so if you need a set, buy two.  Also, it is important to note, that this list is for the outer bicycle tire.  If you simply have a flat tire, you need to replace only the inner bicycle tube.  (In smaller sizes, these are easiest to find on Amazon.com.  Bigger sizes are more easily found at your local bike shop).

Tire Sizes

If you are unsure which size tire you need, you have three options: (1) Look on the sidewall of the current tire, it should be printed there.  (2) Get out your measuring tape and measure your child’s wheels, or (3) take it to your local bike shop and ask for help. 

For each of the tires below, I’ve listed the wheel size (the first number) and the width/fatness (the second number).  Be more concerned with the first number than the latter. 

As for tire width, the more off-road, trail riding your child is going to be doing, the fatter the tire you want.  If they are biking to school or riding solely on pavement, you want a skinnier tire.

Tubeless-Ready

Tubeless-ready tires are designed to be used without tubes. This cuts down on the number of flats your child will get. (We personally think all tires should be tubeless!).

That said, you have to have tubeless-compatible wheels to run tubeless tires AND you have to be able to find tubeless tires. You’ll notice on the list below, tubeless options are few and are limited to larger tires and are primarily MTB tires.

---

12″ Bicycle Tires

All-Terrain:

• Kenda K50 *– This is a good all-terrain tire that can be used on pavement, dirt, or at the BMX track.  12.5 X 2.25.
• Schwalbe Black Jack* – Plenty of traction and reflective sidewalls make this a good pick for 12″ pedal or balance bikes. 12 x 1.9
• Schwalbe Little Joe – Works well on or off-road. This tire is lightweight and has reflective lettering to help with visitbility. 12 x 1.35

Slick:

• Kenda K125 *– A well-made tire with low-profile tread.  Works best for kids that will be riding predominately on pavement.  12.5 x 2.25
• Kenda Kontact* – Made as a racing BMX tire, this one has minimal tread but maintains traction on dirt and gravel.
• Kenda K124*– This is a decent tire, but I don’t love slicks for kids this little.  12.5 x 2.25.

---

14″ Bicycle Tires

MTB

• Innova 14″* – A good tire for hard-charging kids, has plenty of tread and volume. 14×2.1

All-Terrain:

• Kenda 103* – Small tread, good for riding on pavement and hard pack dirt.  Go for a bigger tread if doing much off-road riding.  14×1.75
• Kenda K50 *– This is a good all-terrain tire that can be used on pavement, dirt, or a the BMX track.  14 X 1.25
• Kenda Small Block Eight (K1047*) – This is one of my favorite tires as an adult.  If you have a child that likes riding fast, both on and off-road, go with this one.
  14 x 1.5
• Schwalbe Little Joe – Works well on or off-road. This tire is lightweight and has reflective lettering to help with visitbility. 14 x 1.4

---

16″ Bicycle Tires

MTB

• Spawn Loamstar 16 – Soft rubber, aggressive tread. Expensive to ship to U.S. 16×1.9
• Innova MTB 16* – A good tire for hard-charging kids, has plenty of tread and volume. 16×2.1

All-Terrain

• Kenda Small Block Eight (K1047)* – This is one of my favorite tires as an adult.  If you have a child that likes riding fast, on-road and off, go with this one. 16 x 1.5
• Schwable Blackjack *– A good budget option if you are looking for something that won’t break the bank. 16x 1.9
• Schwalbe Little Joe – Works well on or off-road. This tire is lightweight and has reflective lettering to help with visitbility. 16 x 1.4

Slick

• Kenda K123 *– Another “street” BMX tire, this one has a bit more tread and is great for commuting around town and even hitting the gravel bike path.  16 x 1.75
• Kenda K-909A* – These are designed for strollers and bike trailers, but work well for bikes in a pinch.  16 x 1.75
• Continental Ride Tour* – A slick tire with some decent tread. 16 x 1.75

---

20″ Bicycle Tires

MTB

• Brood Maxtion – Our favorite 20″ MTB tire. Tubeless compatible. Unfortunately, it’s expensive to ship to the U.S. 20×2.2
• Vee Crown Gem 20* – Tubeless-ready. Huge volume. 20×2.8
• Maxxis Grifter – Maxxis makes some great tires and if you’re looking for BMX tires these are a top pick.  20 x 2.0
• Maxxis Creepy Crawler* – A trials tire but I like them for the mountain bike thanks to the small block pattern and larger volume.  20 x 2.0 or 20 x 2.5
• Kenda Small Block Eight *– This is one of my favorite tires as an adult.  If you have a child that likes to ride fast, on or off-road, go with this one.  20 x 2.1
• Schwalbe Rocket Ron – These are high-volume and tubeless ready, kid-sized mountain bike tires. 20 x 2.25

Slick:

• Schwalbe Marathon *– This tire is lightly treaded and perfect for biking to school and around town.  20 x 1.75
• Maxxis Hookworm* –  Designed for use at the skate park, this tire will work equally well for riding to school.  20 x 1.95
• Continental Ride Tour* – A slick tire with some decent tread. 20 x 1.75

Road

• Schwalbe Durano* – Here’s a hard-to-find 20″ road tire.  Same high quality as the 700cc Durano.  20 x 1.1
• Continental Contact II* – Good fast-rolling tire at a low price.  20 x 1.75.
• Schwalbe Kojak* – A nice lightweight tire with wire bead.  20 x 1.35

All-Terrain

• Maxxis Torch* – The torch is my top pick for kids who are going to ride both paved and dirt paths.  20 x 1.75 or 20 x 1.95
• Kenda K50 –  *This is a good all-terrain tire that can be used on pavement, dirt, or a the BMX track.  20 x 1.75
• Schwable Blackjack* – A good budget option if you are looking for something that won’t break the bank.  20 x 1.9
• Kenda K-Rad* – High-volume, fast-rolling checkerboard design.  20 x 1.95 or 20 x 2.1

---

24″ Bicycle Tires

MTB

• Vee Crown Gem 24* – Tubeless-ready. Huge volume. 24×2.8
• Brood Maxtion 24 – High-quality. Tubeless ready. Unfortunately, it’s expensive to ship to the U.S. 24×2.3
• Maxxis Minion* – An amazing adult-quality tire in a smaller size. Tubeless-ready. I run these on my bike. 24×2.4
• Maxxis Snyper* – A top-notch tire intended for little mountain bikers.  24 x 2.0
• Kenda Small Block Eight* – This is one of my favorite tires as an adult.  Glad they make it in smaller sizes.  24 x 2.1
• Schwalbe Smart Sam Performance*  – Good budget tire with high-volume – 24×2.1 or 24×2.35
• *Schwalbe Rocket Ron – These are high-volume and tubeless ready, kid-sized mountain bike tires. 24 x 2.35

All-Terrain:

• Kenda K-Rad* – High-volume, fast-rolling checkerboard design.  24 x 2.3
• Kenda K52 –* A street BMX tire that works well for its intended purpose, or for all-around riding.  24 x 1.75
• Maxxis Holy Roller – *A BMX tire that works well for biking to school and for light off-road riding.  24 x 1.85
• Kenda K50 *– This is a good all-terrain tire that can be used on pavement, dirt, or a the BMX track.  24 x 2.125
• Schwable Blackjack *– A good budget option if you are looking for something that wont break the bank.  24 x 2.1

Slick:

• Kenda K40- *A great tire if your child is going to be doing a lot of riding around town.  24 x 1.4
• Continental Ride Tour* – A slick tire with some decent tread. 20 x 1.75

Cyclocross

• Donnelly Tires MXP* – Super affordable, 24×1.25
• Kenda Happy Medium – Different treads on the center/sides for fast-rolling and traction in corners. 24×1.125