Bikes are a wonderful gift to buy your child, especially as Christmas is just around the corner too. Not only do they provide so much joy, and an immense amount of fun but also in learning to cycle builds confidence and helps to develop a valuable life skill of riding a bike and engaging your child in the benefits to health and fitness. Here are some tips on choosing a children's bike.
Bike Sizing for Children
Adult sizing for bikes is based of the measurement of the frame, but children's bikes are measured according to the size of the wheel. Here's a simple guide of sizes according to age...
- Ages 3 to 5: 10- to 12-inch wheels
- Ages 4 to 7: 16-inch
- Ages 6 to 13: 20-inch
- Ages 9 to 13: 24-inch
- Ages 10 to adult: 26-inch
Use this just as a general guide. One 10 year old for example might be much taller than another, and so they may need a larger sized bike than the smaller 10 year old. Another example is a taller child for their age who has little or no experience of riding, maybe better starting off on a smaller bike to build their confidence and ability. So there are many different factors to take into account, such as height and ability when choosing a bike for your child.
Sitting Safely
In preparing for that first ride on their new bike, make sure your child can sit on the bike safely. Check that when they are sat down their feet firmly touch the ground, they can easily reach the pedals and that they are able to grasp the handlebars and operate the controls with ease.
When beginning to teach your child to ride, training wheels are a crucial aspect to building confidence for your child on their new bike. They help your child develop balance and co-ordination on their bike, whilst keeping them stable as they learn to ride. As your child progresses in their riding ability, these can be adjusted and removed to suit their progression.
The Importance of Safety
Above all, don't go for a bicycle that is too large, on the premise that your child will grow into it. This can be dangerous, daunting and discouraging for your child to ride. Make sure also that you've purchased the appropriate safety equipment for your child too; a helmet, knee and elbow pads and most of all, encourage your child to wear them on every ride.
Further Reading
Teaching a child to Cycle
This article looks into ways to teach your child to learn to ride a bike. Here we look at a few more techniques for teaching a child to cycle and the importance of teaching Road safety.
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