How to Choose the Best Bike Size For Your Child

What’s your favourite exercise? They say the best exercise is the one that you enjoy the most fun doing. For people who love the feel of the cool wind on their faces and the warmth of sunshine on their skin, biking is a fantastic way to exercise and burn those extra calories in your body.

Spring is still on in Australia and it’s a great time to bring the family outside and go biking. Yet, before you take the kids for a biking spree, let’s make sure their bicycles are (still) comfortable and safe to ride on, especially since children can grow up very fast.

Today, we share with you a few tips on how to pick out the best bike size for your child!

Standard Bicycle Sizes

Bicycle manufacturers normally classify the sizes of bikes based on the wheels. Below are the different bike measurements based on standard wheel sizes:

• 12 inches (30.48 cm)
• 14 inches (35.56 cm)
• 16 inches (40.64 cm)
• 20 inches (50.8 cm)
• 24 inches (60.96 cm)
• 26 inches (66.04 cm)

However, as you read on, you will learn that wheel size is not the only factor in selecting the correct bike size for your child.

Age and Height, Do They Matter?

Age is certainly not the best indicator of size, since we all know that children of the same age may have varied heights. Some may be taller or shorter than the others.

You may hear some people say that height is a good gauge to determine the right size of your child’s bike, and sometimes advertisements may even promote it such. But in reality, that is not exactly the case!

Measure Your Child’s Inseam

What is inseam? An inseam refers to the distance between the crotch and the ankle. When fitting for pants, it is a very useful measurement to consider aside from the waistline. The thing is – your child’s inseam measurement is also an important consideration when choosing their bike size.

Your child’s inseam in relation to the bike’s wheel size, seat height, and frame size is the best gauge to get the most comfortable fit for their bike.

When Doing the Measurement…

Now that we know what inseam is and its significance, here are a few suggestions on how to best measure your child’s inseam considering that it is our primary basis in choosing your child’s new bike:

• Make your child stand against the wall with his or her shoes on and feet slightly apart.
• Put a hardbound book between their thighs with the spine of the book touching the crotch.
• Then, measure the length from the ground up to the spine of the book.

Bike Size Categories for Kids

Once you’ve done the above steps, then you are all set! Here’s a chart the provides info on bike size categories with their matching inseam measurements plus age range and height.

The Bicycle Seat Height

After finding the bike size that fits your child’s measurements, it’s time to take a look at their biking ability level. While the inseam is the primary consideration, your child’s biking ability will determine the adjustments on the height of the bicycle seat.

Beginner riders and those who are still learning how to ride a bicycle should be able to sit on the bike while having their feet flat on the ground. This is important because it enables the rider to use their feet to stop themselves from falling as they learn how to balance.

Experienced riders can balance their bikes smoothly. That means they can sit on the saddle and have only their toes touching the ground. You can raise the seat to an extent that allows for the most comfortable leg and foot movement when pedalling.

Here is a video by Two Wheeling Tots for more elaborate tricks on how to find the best fit for your child when buying a new bike.

Make sure you check out our awesome assortment of durable and comfortable bikes for kids!