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Kids bikes and Junior bikes
A kid's bike is designed to take account of their smaller dimensions.
Whilst all manufactures have different construction methods for their bikes, everyone uses wheel
sizes for the sizing (normally 12, 16, 20 & 24-inch wheels). Most good bikes of each wheel size
will be adjustable by raising the saddle and handlebars as the child grows.
While the most common sizes for children's bikes are 12, 16, 20 and 24-inch wheel
bikes, some companies also make 14-inch and 18-inch wheel sizes to bridge the gap between
sizes. These two sizes are less common and parts or spares such as tyres and tubes may be harder
to find.
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Ages 2-4
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Around the age of two kids should be able to ride a 12-inch wheel bike.
These bikes typically come with training wheels (stabilisers) and 'direct drives',
allowing the child to stop and go forward or backwards using the pedals, as brake levers would
be too much for tiny hands.
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Ages 4-7
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At about four years of age, most kids will fit on a 16-inch wheel bike.
Again most of these come with stabilisers and almost all have 'real' tyres with inner tubes. Most will have
a coaster brake which works when the child pedals backwards although some are fitted with hand operated brake
levers on the handlebars.
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Ages 7-9
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By the time the child reaches about seven they should have already mastered
the basics of balance and stopping. The 20-inch wheel bike introduces gears on
some models, there may also be features that you would see on an adult bike like front and rear
suspension and even disc brakes.
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Ages 9-12
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Around nine years of age, the majority of children will be stepping
up to 24-inch wheel bikes, known as 'junior bikes'. As
the wheel size gets bigger the bike becomes longer. This is one of the biggest leaps in
bikes as it is a smaller version of nearly all adult mountain bikes. Almost all 24-inch
bikes come with gears, suspension and the other components of a full size cycle.
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Ages 13+
Once a child reaches their early teens, they'll move to small adult cycles
with 13-14 inch frame sizes. The type of bike (e.g. road bike, mountain bike,
BMX etc) then depends on the child's riding preferences, please see the relevant bike guides
for more information.
Please see our kids bike
sizing table as a guide to help you choose the right size bike for your child.
If you feel you'd like further help please contact us and we will do our best to help you make
your choice.
Please note, we always advise the use of a proper
cycling
safety helmet for use when riding.
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