How to Choose the Best Bike for a Kid and Tips to Help Kids Master Cycling
According to an Expert And a few thoughts on helping new cyclists love biking, too
by Steven John
It’s hard to beat riding a bike, and that’s true at any age. Cycling is enjoyable, it’s great exercise, and it’s an efficient and eco-friendly way to travel. (And that’s not to mention the affordability of a bike vs. other modes of transportation, especially given gas prices of late.)
For kids, learning to ride a bike is a genuine rite of passage. Mastering bike riding means greater independence, a new way to have fun, a new outlet for energy, and it instills a sense of accomplishment that is hard to parallel. All that good stuff noted, it’s no mystery that parents have struggled with the whole “How do I teach my kid to ride a bike” question for years, not to mention all the parents wondering how to choose the best kids bike.
For some expert insight on picking the right bike for a kid and for getting that little rider confident in the saddle, we spoke to a guy who knows a thing or ten about bikes and about being a dad. David Weiner is the founder of New York City-based Priority Bicycles and in addition to his day job working with bikes all day long, he has also taught dozens of kids to ride bikes.
Given Dave’s expertise and experience here, we started with a pretty general question:
“What are some tips for getting new riders interested in biking?”
Dave Weiner replied: “So I think the number one thing when getting a child to ride a two-wheeler is that they're always having fun. Even before we get into the technical tips and tricks, I think that it's fun, fun, fun. Kids are only going to ride a bike if they want to. I've had the most success teaching children who want to ride bikes – I've had a lot more success teaching young children who want to ride a bike than an older child who hasn't.
“So they need to want to do it and it needs to be fun, not forced on them. I've seen my share of parents that want their kid to ride a bike, and that doesn't make their kid want to ride a bike – just because you want them to doesn't mean they want to. So most important is that they're having fun on the bike.
“I also think it's important to talk about what you do as a parent and how that impacts them. And what I mean by that is kids are still young enough to think that whatever their parents do is cool. If you're really into baseball and you watch baseball every weekend and Wednesday nights, you play in a softball league, your kid is probably going to really want to play baseball because you do it and it's cool. If you commute to work every day by bike, your kid's going to think that riding a bike is really cool. [But even] if you rarely ride a bike and now you're trying to teach your kid how to ride a bike, that's awesome, because it’s also really important to teach our kids about things that we can't do or don't do.”
“But if cycling is part of your family culture, your child will probably want to ride a bike sooner and be more motivated than if cycling is not part of your family culture; some of that psychological stuff is really important in terms of making sure the kid's having fun and making cycling part of [everyday] life.”
What are your thoughts on training wheels vs. balance bikes?
“There's a lot of debate out there about training wheels or a balance bike,” Dave said. “You have to decide the path of balance bike versus training wheels or a combination for your own kid, right? But everything you'll read on the internet will tell you that it's better to lead with a balanced bike. And I think that there's enough research out there that's proven that true. I, for the most part, agree with it. But I also don't think that's right for every child. I mean, I have three kids, and my oldest wanted nothing to do with riding a balance bike! But let's just take a step back here.”
“There are two major functions a kid has to know to learn to ride a two-wheeler: one, they need to learn how to balance. And two, they need to learn how to control a bike via steering and braking and pedaling.”
“I'll put steering, braking and pedaling into one category and balance in another category. So when you learn on training wheels, you're going to learn steering, pedaling and braking first, and you're going to learn balance second. When you learn on a balance bike, you're going to learn balance and steering first, and then pedaling and braking second.”
“So it's a matter of which order you learn in. And the research does show that if you learn on a balance bike, with the balance and the steering and bike control first, and then get into pedaling and braking, that you will learn to ride younger. That said, my now nine-year-old, who was riding before he was three? He started on training wheels. Also, the vast majority of kids are still learning how to ride on training wheels, because that's how we learned.”
“I do think balance bikes are better; I do see kids learning to ride younger and I think they have better control when they learn on a balance bike, but that said, if your kid wants to ride [with] training wheels, I think you applaud them, you let them stay on training wheels as long as it's right. There's no right age to take them off; It's the age that they're comfortable. And kids have different tolerances for heights and scariness and comfort. What matters is that they have fun, not what age they shed the training wheels.”
“And for the record, let’s assume that most kids have some exposure to trikes, and I think the earlier, the better on that [because] that’s some exposure to pedaling. So trikes are great – my daughter now even has an indoor balance bike contraption that's a four-wheeled thing. The sooner you get them on wheels, the better. Any form of wheels, whether it's a trike or anything else that they can pedal or push and ride, the sooner, the better. Getting on wheels is good.”
How do you know when your kid is getting the hang of biking?
“If your kid is currently on a balance bike, take the pedal bike and remove the pedals so they can use it like a balance bike and get comfortable on their new bike. Similarly, if they're on a training wheels bike, take the training wheels off and take the pedals off and let them use it as a balance bike.”
“Then, I always say that I want 15 to 20 seconds of feet in the air. So you go to ideally a soft surface, like a grassy hill [and] you get them to the top. They use their bike as a balance bike, and I want their feet not touching the ground for a good 15, 20 seconds.”
“I always start with: ‘Kids, OK, lift your feet up for one second, lift your feet up for two seconds, lift your feet up for five seconds!’ Then: ‘Coast down that hill with your feet in the air, not touching the ground. I want to see how long you can do it.’ And within that, the kid wants to hold their feet in the air and balance on the bike. Once they can hold their feet in the air as you count to 20 or close to that, you can put the pedals on and generally they're going to go.”
“But again, try to separate those two things we talked about, bike control and balance, and figure out where your child is in that, because typically, they're going to have one before the other.”
Photo by Priority Bikes
And when they have both, they have it made. As long as you chose the best kids bike for your new cyclist, which is easier said than done. So we asked Dave about it.
What are things parents need to consider when choosing a good kid's bike?
“I think weight is super important. If you're taking a 30-pound kid and a 30-pound bike, that's a lot for the kid to handle. If you can take a 30-pound kid and a 15-pound bike, that's a lot better. So weight is the number one thing that I would look for.”
“And if you focus on the weight, you don't even need to worry about the gearing much, because you can kind of assume that's taken care of – and that gets pretty technical. I think the gearing is important, but the only bikes that I've seen with poor gearing are the really low-end bikes… They can be geared really tall sometimes and make it hard for the child to pedal. On a first bike, I’d rather have it be easier for the child to get started. They might spin a little at speed, but that's OK, they need to be able to get started. You don't fall at speed; you fall at no speed. You fall when you're going slow.”
“The other thing that's really important to look for is seat height and seating position. And I want to really focus on seat height. When you're buying a bike, a first pedal bike, the kid should be flat-footed on the ground when they're in the saddle learning how to ride.
“We, as cyclists, always look at leg extension, and for an adult, you're always going to be on your tippy-toes on the ground with a slight bend when the pedal's at the bottom rotation. That's proper leg extension. For kids, we're not worried about proper leg extension; we're worried about safety. And outside of safety, we're worried about their happiness and their comfort. And that means they need to be flat-footed in the saddle.”
“And the best way to do that is to look at a child's inseam… So you measure that, and then you measure the saddle to the ground. And those two should be the same number on a kid's first bike. If the kid has got a 15-inch inseam, they should be at a 15-inch saddle height to start. It’s not efficient, but we're not going for efficiency; we're going for safety and comfort.”
“And then the other thing that I would talk about is seating position, whether they're upright or hunched over. As your kid gets more comfortable and aggressive on a bike, they may want to be more aggressively positioned. But to start, you want them really upright. But again, like with gearing, as a parent, you won’t necessarily [need to] worry about that too much, because if you're buying a bike with the proper seat height that's low weight, it's going to have the right seating position. All the companies that are making those bikes know to do that.”
What are some things to watch out for when buying a kid’s bike?
“It's crazy, the bikes that I've seen at a Big Box store where the seating position is totally hunched over and the kid won't be comfortable [or] safe. I really recommend [using] inseam size as a guide because as parents, we all want to just say: ‘What does a four-year-old ride?’ Because that's easy. But it's not correct, because not every four-year-old's built the same and there are big 14-inch bikes and small 16-inch bikes – and I'm talking about wheel size there. When you're a grown-up, you can go more on frame size, which is the measurement from the center of the bottom bracket to the seat collar.”
“This is what we talk about with grown-up bikes. With kids' bikes, we talk about wheel size. And not every 16-inch wheel bike is built the same. And so the seat height for a first bike is the most important measurement. You can assume that as your kid gets comfortable on the bike, that the inseam-to-seat height is going to change, meaning that as they get comfortable and confident, you're going to want to move them from being flat-footed to being on their toes. And so I just add about an inch and a half. So now you're talking if a kid's got a 17-inch inseam, their seat should probably be around 18 and a half inches.”
“Also, focus on quality over quantity. So what I mean by that is don't buy your kid a bike to grow into; make sure it fits them today even if it's not going to fit them tomorrow. If the kid's not having fun, they're not going to enjoy cycling. I think it's really important that you look at what fits your kid today, not tomorrow. And that's what I mean by the quality of the time on the bike, not the quantity of how long they get to keep the bike. If your kid is enjoying cycling, they may outgrow bikes every year to two years. And that can get expensive, so it's helpful if you can buy it used, it's helpful if you can hand it down to someone or you've got a good neighborhood organization to sell it. Also, the resale market on high-quality bikes is really strong.”
“Next, parents should consider color. I think kids really do like seeing a bike in their favorite color. I think that's super important. Stickers are a good way to also handle that.”
“If there's a favorite character that your kid has, put a sticker on their bike. Don't go buy that character's bike! If your kid's really into Superman, yes, you can buy a Superman bike. Don't. Buy a high-quality bike, put a Superman sticker on it.”
“Just make it so that the kid loves the bike; use their colors, use their characters. Don't necessarily buy the licensed bike for their character because typically, that's not a high-quality bike. That's going to be heavy, that's going to have a bad seating position, that's going to have poor gearing. And while they do like having the Superman bike, they don't like riding it. They're not going to enjoy riding it.”
“And beyond that, your kid's never going to learn how to ride a bike and they're certainly never going to shed the training wheels because that bike is a tank. It’s not going to be easy to balance a bike that's heavy when your daughter's as heavy as the bike. So get some streamers, get some stickers, make it fun but don't buy the ‘branded’ bike. I love that one.”
“The other thing? Low maintenance is a big issue. So our whole goal is bikes that you don't need to do anything to, they don't need tune-ups, just put air in the tires and go. So for us, low maintenance is a big issue. And where I live in Manhattan, you get a lot of parents that don't have garages and don't have tools and aren't mechanically inclined.”
“Bikes are not toys. They are vehicles, they are machines, they do need maintenance. And so buying a bike that is either a low maintenance bike or a bike from a bike shop where you know they're going to take great care of it and it's properly assembled. If you buy a bike at a Big Box store, it is not often properly assembled, it doesn't ride correctly, it could be unsafe or it could just not ride well. By buying a bike from a local bike shop, where you're sure of the quality of both the bike and the craftsmanship of assembling it, that's really important. Or buying a bike from a company like [Priority] that specializes in low maintenance bikes is, of course, a good idea!”
Beyond the helmet, which obviously we need, what are some good accessories for kid cyclists?
“Yeah. Look, I think the number one must-have accessory is a helmet. And I think that you should never, ever, ever allow a child on a bicycle without a helmet. My kids, if they're at the playground and there's a friend's bike they want to try, they wouldn't get on it without a helmet. Because the minute you let them once get on it without a helmet, then they think it's always OK. So I think that ingraining that for your child from day one, that they must wear a helmet, is important.”
“And by the way, that starts with you. If you will get on a bike without a helmet in their presence, then it has become OK. I will never do it in front of my kids. And I think that that is super, super important.”
“Bells are interesting. You will find parents that say they're a distraction, but I think where I live, a bell is a must-have accessory because I live in crowded New York. So you can certainly make the argument that it could be a distraction for some kids and it might be. But if you live in New York or any urban area, a bell is a must-have accessory and your kid must learn how to use it.”
“Outside of that, a good air pump. If you're not a cyclist, you may not own a pump, but keeping air in your kids' tires is super important. In the summer, I can do it every two weeks, topping off their tires. If your kids' tires are low, not only do they run the greater risk of a flat, but it won't be fun for them to ride because the bike is inefficient. And so I think as a parent, having a good pump is really important. And once a month, for most people, putting air in the tires is important, but I'll see families that buy a bike and at the end of summer, they haven't put air in the tires and the kid is riding around with flat tires. And that's not fun and it's not efficient. And the kid won't enjoy riding.”
“When your child is learning how to ride a bike, you do not want to weigh it down, and weight on handlebars makes it harder to steer a bike. So keep the basket, keep all that stuff off, make that bike as light as possible. If your child is confident and competent, and they want to put that basket on and put their doll or their stuffy in there, great. But wait until they're confident on the bike.”
Is there a best age to teach a kid to ride a bike, or is it really a case-by-case with each child?
“I think it's super case-by-case. All my kids have been on [a bike] sometime in their twos, but it's case-by-case. In New York, for example, we get a lot of families that don't have bikes, and I've been teaching their six-year-olds how to ride a bike for the first time.”
“There's no wrong age to learn to ride. I do think you can start with a balance bike, certainly, a trike or a training wheels bike, in the twos. But not in the ones! Beyond that, it is very case-by-case on when you do it. But starting in the twos is good, starting with a small, lightweight, balance bike is a great idea.”
“Look, I think that a bike is a child's first foray into independence. And that's really important for children. As much as we don't want to think about them being independent, it is really important for their independence, And I think that's huge. It's one of the first activities that they can be good at. So it's a good, well-rounded activity for a child.”
“It's one of the first things that they enjoy that's not a toy. It's not a toy, it's a vehicle. They can learn how it works. You can teach your child not only how to ride a bike, but you can teach your child how a bike works.”
“And that is, I think, just as important: the mechanics of how a bicycle gets you there quicker is important for a child to learn. I think road safety is really important, especially, again, where I live, where the roads are not safe. I think my kids have learned a ton about being safe on the street in terms of vehicular traffic because of riding a bike.”
What are a few of the other benefits kids get from riding bikes?
“Think about when you ride a bike in the morning: it gets your endorphins moving, it gets all pistons firing, it gets your brain awake. You arrive at school or work, if you're our age, and your brain's functioning. When you sit in a car, that's not happening. So I think that the physical aspects of riding a bike are certainly the most obvious, but I think in some ways, the mental aspects are even better in that you get to where you're going awake and alert and it gets your endorphins going,. it gets everything firing.”
“I also think that in an age where our kids are learning about fossil fuels and cars and what's happening, we can be teaching them that bikes are both fun and they're clean transportation. Most of us as adults would be really happy if we rode our bikes to work every day, from a fitness perspective. Teaching our kids that the bike can help them get where they're going is just an awesome gift that will live on with them. Giving them the love of the bike so that they can use that for the physical and mental benefit is, I think, a real gift.”
All photos courtesy of priority bikes