The worst offender here is the Kent Chaos, which is a beast in the weight department. Dynacraft sent us a bike to test out which is perfect timing. It’s an 18″ Next Surge Boys’ BMX Bike in Black and Green. The helmet is not included and some assembly is required. I think my husband assembled it within 30 minutes or so, but he’s usually handy and he makes it look easy. It also comes with training wheels which my son still needs.
It’s available in five colors, including red, blue, green, yellow and purple. While the Huffy Pro Thunder comes in 3rd place, it’s still a decent bike for riding around the neighborhood. We loved how lightweight it was compared to the others. Additionally, its minimum seat height is the smallest of any of the three, so a younger, shorter rider can still touch the ground with his tippy toes. Our 6-year-old tester chose to ride this bike on many occasions and zipped happily up and down the street.
Teaching your child to ride a bike is one thing, but helping them find the right bike can be an entirely other challenge. To help you get started, we spoke to cycling experts about how to find the right bike for your child and what to consider when it comes to identifying the correct size, weight and type of bike. We also compiled a list of highly rated and expert-recommended options that are in line with their shopping guidance. This may sound silly and obvious, but a kid needs room to ride a bike. Too often super value bikes don’t provide enough space between the handlebars and the bike seat (wheelbase measurement), so a child’s body gets crammed together as a result. It’s uncomfortable, and it makes it much more difficult to pedal efficiently and to control the bike.
If you’re looking for a durable mountain bike for your child, this option from Co-op Cycles is designed with extra-wide, all-terrain tires for smooth and stable riding along trails, according to the brand. It has six gears to help customize their pedaling, which can be easily adjusted using a twist shifter, according to the brand. It has a weight limit of 80 pounds and has a 4.5-star average rating from more than 100 reviews at REI.
Similar to adult bikes, the wheel size will indicate how big the frame is, explained Alison Dewey, education director with bicycling advocacy organization League of American Bicyclists. Typical wheel sizes for kids’ bikes range between 12 and 24 inches, and the bigger (and often older) your child is, the bigger their bike’s wheels should be. Ideally, a bike should weigh less than 40% of a child’s weight. (For reference, most adults ride bikes that are no more than 20% of their weight!). Cheaper bikes traditionally have heavy steel frames which make a 40% threshold very difficult to accomplish. All of the bikes we tested were pretty heavy, although it’s not abnormal for kids’ bikes to be about 50% of a child’s weight.
Not only does the Chaos have dual hand brakes and no coaster brake, the hand brakes actually function pretty well and our 8-year-old tester had no problem engaging them! You do need to be cautious, however, with kids with smaller hands. Our 6-year-old tester was able to engage the brakes without a safety issue, but it was a little more of an effort for him to do so. By the time a child is on a 20” bike, they are waaaaay past the point where there should be coaster brakes on their bike. Reality is, coaster brakes are far cheaper than hand brakes and are pretty typical of any kid’s bike under $200.
I hope this year, he will practice enough so he will have the confidence to ride without them. It could be the motivation he needs to try harder this year. I like the sporty look of the bike, and he looks happy riding it. When you get right down to it, almost any small bike with training wheels could be called a child’s bike, but does that make it a good child’s bike?
Road bikes are made with a lightweight frame and aerodynamic seating position. The mountain bikes have sturdy frames and rugged brakes. You can go for hybrid bikes that can be used on roads and on tough terrains. The other dynacraft klds bike models include cruisers, folding and specialty bicycles. If you are looking to upgrade your kiddo’s bike or buying them their first, we have options here too. Choose from tricycles, balance, transitional or pedal bikes.
It’s an excellent way to get the kids active, and it promotes family togetherness. My husband and I have always loved biking, and now that the kids are old enough, we’re getting them involved as well. In fact, it’s become one of our frequent family activities. The kids love to get out and see the world fly by, and they love to be doing big kid activities with mom and dad.
To help your child have fun and stay safe while on the road, here are a few highly rated and expert-recommended bike options that are in line with guidance we received from our cycling experts. We listed different types of bikes for kids of varying ages and sizes based on our experts’ advice (we go into detail on the types of kids bikes below). We also noted the wheel size, suggested ages and weight of each one based on the bike manufacturers’ recommendations.