6 Best Kid Bikes for Every Stage and Size
Buying a bike suited for your child's age and stage can give them the best learning and riding experience.
Reviewed by Lexie SachsExecutive Director, Strategy & Operations
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Learning to ride a bike is such a fun milestone, but it's one I put off with my first child. In conversations with friends and coworkers, I encountered plenty of other people who never got their preschooler a balance bike, never taught their kindergartner how to ride and who subsequently realized their school kid, age 6 or older, needed a bike — and lessons.
I did better with my second. He started on a balance bike at age 3 and was pedaling by age 5. They are both grown now, and all told, I think I purchased three bikes for him and two for my first. So I learned that, just like with strollers, you rarely get through parenthood buying just one bike.
"Bikes need to be replaced as kids grow," says Steve Finkelstein, founder of ProfessorPedals.com, which offers bike tutors in New York state. "You can trade or share bikes with siblings or neighbors. But remember, if your kid loves biking, gets exercise through it and therefore spends time away from screens, then buying a new one feels that much better."
The Good Housekeeping Institute regularly tests and reviews bikes, including ones for kids. Ahead, discover the best kid bikes for young kids learning how to ride a bike to teenagers who need a new set of wheels and kids who want to do wheelies down the street.
Both our Lab experts and parent testers give high marks to the Woom brand, which is entirely devoted to kids bikes. Its Woom 1 balance bike for toddlers won one of our most recent Parenting Awards; two years ago we gave the award to the Woom 4 for kids ages 6 to 8.
Whatever age kid you have, we feel a Woom bike is a good choice. The sizes are precise for different ages, and the bikes are ultra lightweight. This link is for the Woom 2, for kids ages 3 to 4 1/2 who are ready to try their first pedal bike. Age 4 is when most kids are ready to pedal, according to Stanford Children's Health.
“I like how lightweight a Woom bike is for having such high-quality materials,” one parent said. "Also the low frame allows her to step onto the bike herself."
Another kid-friendly feature is the steering limiter, which prevents the handlebars from being able to spin around in a reverse position. The limiter is on the Woom 1, Woom 2 and Woom 3 and helps little ones stay stabilized and ride straight, even if they have a moment of panic.
The nubby tires seem equally good on roads, grass and gravel. As parents, we appreciate the assembly instructions on YouTube. Woom also makes kids bike helmets.
Available sizes: Woom 1, 12-inch wheels, for toddlers; Woom 2, 14-inch wheels, for ages 3 to 4 1/2; Woom 3, 16-inch wheels, for ages 4 to 6; Woom 4, 20-inch wheels, for ages 6 to 8; Woom 5, 24-inch wheels, for ages 7 to 11 | Frame material: Aluminum
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If a beloved character gets your child to ride, I am all for it. Huffy's line of starter bikes feature all the favorite animated stars and are reliably under $200 even brand new.
We appreciate the Huffy Quick Connect assembly. When it arrives you will need to insert the fork and the handlebar, snap pedals in place, then pop the seat in — that's about it.
This Spidey bike is a little more complicated, with its pop-out wings, but those aren't needed to ride, they're just for fun.
And then there are a ton of other characters. A Lightning McQueen bike has the number 95 at the handlebar, a Paw Patrol bike features the pups' crest, a pink Minnie Mouse bike has a big bow in front and a purple Frozen bike can carry two dolls. That's just a few of the options!
This line of Huffy bikes for kids ages 3 to 6 all come with removable training wheels. The frames are steel, not aluminum, so these bikes are heavier and a little tougher to manage than our best overall choice.
Available sizes: 12-inch wheels, for ages 3 to 5; 16-inch wheels, for ages 4 to 6 | Frame material: Steel
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"I was drawn to Guardian because they do a lot of social media marketing and get on everyone’s radar with promises that they make it easier for kids to learn how to ride. After trying many bikes over the years, I totally agree," says Lexie Sachs, Executive Director, Strategy and Operations at the Good Housekeeping Institute and a mom of two. "My kids were really struggling, both with training wheels and without. Since switching to Guardian, my kids now constantly ask to go out and ride their bikes. It really has been a game changer for us."
Like the Woom bikes, the Guardian bikes are low to the ground. But they have a special braking system that requires a squeeze on just one lever to stop both brakes simultaneously and gradually, so your child won't fly forward.
Also a plus: Guardian's quiz to find your child's best size. "It was spot on for our testers!" Sachs says. "My daughter still needed a lesson to get her started on one of these, but it only took one 1-hour lesson and she’s been doing great since."
The frames are built from steel, which is heavier than aluminum. A 20-inch Guardian bike weights 20.7 pounds, while a 20-inch Woom bike weighs 16.9 pounds, a difference of about four pounds. But using steel helps Guardian set the cost a bit lower.
"This bike is built really well," said a tester parent who gave it a five-star review. "You can tell this is a bike you can hold onto."
Available sizes: Balance bike, 12-inch wheels, for ages 1 1/2 to 4; 14-inch wheels, for ages 3 to 5; 16-inch wheels, for ages 4 to 6; 20-inch small, for ages 5 to 8; 20-inch large, for ages 6 to 9; 24-inch wheels, for ages 7 to 11; 26-inch wheels, for ages 10 to 14 | Frame material: Steel
Classic brand Schwinn makes this starter bike with fat tires that appeals to some young kids who love a BMX style. The Koen is marketed toward boys and the same-style, different colored Elm is marketed toward girls. Colors include black, blue and red for the Koen, and pink, purple and teal for the Elm. The Elm comes with a basket and the Koen comes with a number plate at the handlebar.
We gave an earlier iteration of this bike one of our previous Parenting Awards and noted that kids were drawn to the bright colors. "My daughter loves the design, including the colors and little basket in front," one tester told us. "Not only is the style fun, but my daughter's feet reach the ground better with this than with her previous bike, so she can practice balancing and feels more comfortable while learning." The bikes are getting high marks on Amazon, with more than 9,000 five-star reviews.
The sizes with 12-, 14-, 16- and 18-inch wheels come with training wheels. For larger bikes, training wheels are sold separately. All the bikes are steel, so they are heavier than the Woom brand. Schwinn also makes a helmet for kids up to age 5 and another helmet for kids ages 5 to 8.
We have one other BMX-style fave: the Mongoose Legion Kids Freestyle BMX Bike with 20-inch wheels also has fat tires on a steel frame. It looks more high-end and is only slightly more expensive than the Schwinn. "My neighbor’s son has a Mongoose and it looks much more substantial next to our Guardians," Sachs says.
Available sizes: 12-inch wheels, for ages 1 to 4; 14-inch wheels for ages 3 and 4; 16-inch wheels for ages 3 to 7; 18-inch wheels, for ages 5 to 9; 20-inch wheels, for ages 7 to 13 | Frame material: Steel
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This is a different kind of bike, as there are no pedals or brakes. A balance bike is for a toddler or preschooler to operate with foot power only, which is a great way to learn confidence and balance.
Balance bikes get a lot of love from Reddit users, but experts rightly point out that you can turn any bike into a balance bike just by removing the pedals. See our box on balance bikes at the end of this article for more.
Strider has been around for years and gets excellent reviews on Amazon. This is the less expensive steel version; the Strider Pro costs a bit more but is made of lighter aluminum. The difference is about a pound; the Sport weighs 6.7 pounds and the Pro weighs 5.6 pounds.
The foam rubber tires on the Strider are more like the kind of tires you find on some jogging strollers — they're not filled with air and can never go flat. You can buy this bike in a bunch of colors: red, black, blue, green, gray, orange, pink and yellow.
Available sizes: 12-inch wheels, for ages 1 to 4 | Frame material: Steel
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All of the starter bikes on this list are single-speed (and the balance bike is toddler-powered). Tweens and teens, though, may be ready for a hybrid bike with multiple speeds like this 7-speed bike built for the road and light trails.
This is the women's version; there's also a men's EVRYjourney. Both have a beach cruiser design, meant for everyday commuting and weekend joy rides but not for racing at top speeds.
The aluminum frame should make it nice and lightweight in case your teen needs to haul it up steps or into a car, but the truth is that this is a lot of bike, so the 26-inch size still weighs about 40 pounds. We like the cargo rack on the back and the bright, fun colors.
Available sizes: 24-inch wheels, 3 speeds, for teens and adults up to 5 feet tall; 26-inch wheels, 7 speeds, for teens and adults taller than 5 feet | Frame material: Aluminum
How we test kids' bikes
The Lab pros at the Good Housekeeping Institute regularly review bikes, often with our own children but also with consumer testers nationwide as part of our annual Parenting Awards and Toy Awards. We've tested more than a dozen bikes in the last five years, and only assess top brands and bikes that meet the necessary industry standards.
Our assessment includes ease of use, starting with how easy it is to assemble since so many parents now buy a bike online. For the comfort of the kids we judge how easy it is to adjust the seat height, how comfortable the seat is, how easy it is to reach and use the handlebars, and how easy it is for kids to brake and stop the bike.
How to choose the best kids bike
"The best bike is one that gets ridden. If a kid tests a bike and it feels good, that’s their bike!" says Finkelstein, who started Professor Pedals in 2013 to teach kids and adults how to ride a two-wheeler.
He's a huge fan of local bike shops. "They offer assistance in selecting bikes, make adjustments on site, offer reliable brands with warranties and usually give free tune-ups within the first year," he says. Plus they'll assemble a bike for you.
Be that as it may, many of us buy online. In that case, you'll especially want to consider these other points:
✔️ Cost: “While any bike is better than no bike, when possible parents should consider increasing their budget," says Natalie Martins, founder of the bike-centric blog Two Wheeling Tots. "Lower-end budget bikes are often heavy and designed to be ‘throw away bikes,’ so replacement parts are not available."
Brian Hackford, former owner of the bike shop Keswick Cycle, in Pennsylvania, agrees that you generally get what you pay for. He also points out that, “As the bike gets larger, the price generally increases."
Parents have some secrets for saving. "I recommend finding a nonprofit used bicycle repair and sales situation," one dad says. "You can donate old bikes your kids outgrow and get a 'new' used bike for less. Where I am, in Birmingham, we have a place called Redemptive Cycles. In New York City there’s Recycle-a-Bicycle."
✔️ Size: Choose carefully, for both comfort and safety. "If a bike is too big or too heavy, it's hard to control,” says Hackford. He likens it to running in sneakers five sizes too large. “It's just not fun,” he says.
On the flip side, if the bike is too small, a child's weight is pushed over the front end, increasing the risk of flipping. Plus there are maximum height settings on the seat. “Too often we see the seat post on bikes raised past the minimum insertion line," Hackford says. "We've seen seat posts break, and that can cause serious injuries.”
See our guide to finding the right bike size in the box below.
✔️ Material: Our experts, including Hackford, vote for aluminum for its light weight, rather than steel or "chromoly" (bike jargon for steel alloy). That said, many steel bikes are less expensive, so you'll find those on our list, too.
✔️ Tires: We noticed that most kids bike tires are somewhat nubby and are about 2- to 2.4-inches wide, so it's probably not something you need to go searching for. Your kid might want a bike with a mountain bike or BMX look. But super fat, nubby tires are not necessary and might make it harder to ride.
"Fat tires are not the most efficient on pavement, they're more for sand. Big tires are slower and harder to turn," says Finkelstein. "That said, if kids like a bike and will ride it because of the tires, then that is great and don’t worry about it! But I do suggest standard tires for more efficient riding, especially for those who struggle with endurance or strength. Also, the thicker, fatter tires tend to more be costly to replace.”
✔️ "Boy bike" or "girl bike?": "It’s nice to buy a neutral color so a bike can be passed down, but it may be hard to convince your kids of this idea,"says Finkelstein. "If possible, I'd suggest using accessories like bells, hand grips and other items to colorize a neutral bike to make it their own."
How to find the right size bike
Each brand assigns ages to its wheel sizes. Hackford had his own guidelines he used at his bike shop. “Fit will obviously vary based on the growth of the child and there will be exceptions to the rules, but the shop has been in business since 1933 and has used these guidelines for a long time,” he says. They are:
12" wheels — ages 2 to 4
16" wheels — ages 4 to 6
20" wheels — ages 6 to 8
24" wheels — ages 8 to 12
26" wheels and above — teens and adults
Martins adds that inseam should also be taken into consideration. (Here is how Guardian bikes suggest you measure you child's inseam.) “For beginning riders, the saddle of a bike should be set to match the child's inseam. This allows them to easily start the bike with a push as well as use their feet to stop while they are still learning the mechanics of riding,” she says.
For experienced riders, the saddle should be set two to three inches above a child's inseam. “This allows the child to have proper leg extension on the pedals to allow for the most efficient pedal stroke," Martins says.
Learning to balance
I saw firsthand the difference between my eldest learning to ride a pedal bike at age 5 and 6, using training wheels as a beloved crutch, versus my baby, shown, who got a balance bike at age 3. My kid with a balance bike graduated to pedaling without any help!
USA Cycling recommends either a balance bike or training wheels and lists pros for both. But bicycling.com suggests skipping training wheels and teaching an older child to glide on a pedal bike as if it is a balance bike. ("The glide method.") That's also what Finkelstein does for lessons.
"Balance bikes are great for building skills in balance and movement," Finkelstein says. "But they come at a price. A cost-effective option is to take the pedals off of a bicycle and basically create a balance bike without additional cost." That's what I should have done with my oldest kid!
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
For more than one hundred years the Good Housekeeping Institute has tested and reviewed consumer goods to help families make sound purchases. Our Lab pros often evaluate products for children, including modern favorites like kitchen learning towers, stroller wagons and kids tablets.
Testing strategies are overseen by Executive Director Lexie Sachs. As a mom of two, Sachs also tests many products herself, including kids bikes. She helms award programs like the annual Family Travel Awards and Parenting Awards.
This article was written by Contributing Writer Jessica Hartshorn, a journalist and mother of two who has specialized in writing about kids products for several decades. Additional reporting came from Contributor Leah Groth, also a mom of two.
Jessica (she/her) is a freelance writer with several decades of experience writing lifestyle content and evaluating home and parenting products. A mom of two teens and two cats, her previous work can be seen in American Baby and Parents.
Lexie Sachs (she/her) is the executive director of strategy and operations at the Good Housekeeping Institute and a lead reviewer of products in the bedding, travel, lifestyle, home furnishings and apparel spaces. She has over 15 years of experience in the consumer products industry and a degree in fiber science from Cornell University. Lexie serves as an expert source both within Good Housekeeping and other media outlets, regularly appearing on national broadcast TV segments. Prior to joining GH in 2013, Lexie worked in merchandising and product development in the fashion and home industries.
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