Cycling is a great skill for children to learn; not only is it fun, it’s excellent for staying active and even getting around. When choosing the right bicycle for your child, it is important to make sure that you have the appropriate bike size as this will play a massive part in making sure it’s comfortable and easy to ride.

Choose the right size bike for your child using our helpful charts below:

Size Guide: Child’s Height

Size Guide: Child’s Inseam

Measuring your child’s inseam (inside leg length) is the most effective way to find the correct size bike frame and ensure that your child can touch the floor safely. To get an inseam measurement simply measure from inside the top of your child’s leg down to their foot.

Size Guide: Child’s Age

What to do next?

Once you understand how to ensure you can get the right size frame, there are some other key factors into choosing the right bicycle for your child:

Let your child choose (…to a certain extent)

Although the sizing will need to be correct, there’s no better way to encourage your child to cycle than by letting them choose and be enthusiastic about what style & design they’d like. After all it is them who will be riding it! Once your child has made their decision you can then ensure it is robust and of suitable quality…not to mention cost effective to your budget!

Get the right equipment

Finding the right bike is just the start, there are many other pieces of equipment required to make sure that your child is safe and can go on to enjoy their cycling adventures. It is essential to have  a high quality helmet and reflectors for paramount safety but then you may also want to think about investing in chain guards, panniers and a safety bell plus loads of other cool accessories!

Regular maintenance

A child’s bike should also be serviced on a regular basis in order to maintain safety and overall performance. As children’s bikes are extensively used and often passed down to others in the family, they are naturally subjected to quite a bit of wear and tear. Having the bicycle serviced regularly will ensure that it can be enjoyed for many years to come. 

Best teaching techniques

It is highly recommend that you get your child to practice their balance by using a scooter or a balance bike first. This will give them much more confidence to get into the saddle and often means they won’t require any stabilisers or push offs. Our top tip is that you encourage the rider to sit upright and look forward and just go for it! You can obviously intervene at any time if you think a crash is imminent but from our experience, often if you let the child go off on their own, they’ll be cycling in no time!