In this always-connected, online-gaming, TikTok-centric world, it’s no longer a given that kids are excited about bicycles. Luckily, parents have plenty of reasons to get excited on their behalf. According to a study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2022), cycling has several health and social benefits for children. Get a kid on two wheels at a young age, and they’ll see better cardiorespiratory fitness, as well as improved balance, strength, and eye-hand coordination, that will last a lifetime. Cycling also teaches kids to interact with other people and make new friendships and allows for greater mobility, enabling them to become more independent and active. It’s a great way to get a child away from the tyranny of the screen and into the wild outdoors, where all the experiences are real.
The Expert
Jack Baruth is a former professional BMX racer, bike store owner, and cycling coach. He’s worked with young riders since 1991 and counts national and world champions among his former students. He currently spends most of his riding time with his son, John, a 13-year-old downhill mountain biker and BMX rider with multiple wins in different categories and a few Strava times that rival the very top rank of adults at Snowshoe Bike Park in Snowshoe, West Virginia, and Trestle Bike Park in Winter Park, Colorado, among others.
To set your child up for success, you must first choose the right bike. A bike that’s uncomfortable, too heavy, or not the right size has a better chance of collecting dust in the garage than kicking it up on the trail. Thankfully, the days of one-size-fits-all BMX-style bikes are all but over. Companies like Woom, Trailcraft, Cleary, and others are committed to building bicycles that are optimized for children. “In order to create the best riding experience for kids, it is crucial to offer a bike that is specifically built for them and their needs and not just a shrunken version of an adult bike,” Woom CEO Mathias Ihlenfeld says. The mainline manufacturers, too, are taking their cues from their specialist competition, making their products better than ever for the kids who ride them.
What’s great about the new generation of children’s bicycles? To begin with, overall weights are way down—and that really matters. While most of us adults have reluctantly accepted that shaving a pound or two off our bikes won’t guarantee us a spot on the podium, children can and do benefit tremendously from a similar savings. So don’t be afraid to spend extra for a lighter bike.
Just as important, if not more so, is sizing. Choosing a massive and ponderous off-brand bike with the expectation of a child “growing into it” is a surefire way to make a young rider miserable. The better brands provide a clear roadmap for a child to grow through a few sizes of bike, while the best go even further to make sure brake levers, handlebars, and shifters are appropriately sized for a child’s modest strength and hand size. “Kids’ bodies are completely different from adults’ [bodies],” Ihlenfeld says. “This is why all of the testing, design, and development we do at Woom is totally specific to kids, from the angles of the bike to the length of the cranks, right down to the grips and the brake levers,” he says.
If you plan to ride with your child, consider a multispeed bike with an intuitive shifter to help them keep up. When it comes to stopping, younger children will be happiest with a coaster brake, but many kids do quite well with hand-operated brakes well before their eighth birthday—plus, the earlier they learn to use a hand brake, the sooner they understand the mechanics of it. If you can afford it, choose a bike with a disc brake rather than a rim brake; most children aren’t strong enough to stop a rim-brake bike in a hurry. A high-quality suspension fork can help smooth a rough trail, but the additional weight, cost, and maintenance of dual-suspension bikes makes them more of a specialty item for kids who want serious air or big drops.
You’ll be amazed at what your child can do on the right bike. Toward that end, we’ve selected a range of age- and size-specific options for a variety of purposes from driveway patrol to downhill MTB. Our focus was on finding high-value bikes that have a proven record of helping young riders achieve success. We looked for child-specific controls, light weight, and ease of use. Chances are, one or more of the bikes below will be just right for your young rider. Be thoughtful in your selection and generous with your budget; the best time to get your kid started on the right bike is now.
Editors’ Note: As with adult bikes, some kids’ bikes are hard to find due to the industry-wide bike shortage. We have included as many in-stock links as possible below.
Front Suspension For Trails And More
CLEARY SCOUT
Wheel Size: 20, 24, 26 in. | Recommended Age: 6–14 | Weight: 24 lb. (20 in.)
Key Features
| Wheel Size | 20, 24, 26 in. |
|---|---|
| Recommended Age | 6–14 |
| Weight | 24 lb. (20 in.) |
If your child would rather ride singletrack than make a bodega run, the Scout is just the ticket. Perhaps no other manufacturer offers a bike this capable at this price; it can handle 6-foot drops to concrete as well as it can race around a cul-de-sac on a summer night. A 10-speed drivetrain with individually sized controls makes shifting easy for all ages. It’s a serious ride, and it looks the part. Cleary encourages parents to test-ride the Scout after assembly, primarily to demonstrate its durability. But remember: You have to give it back.
Buy 20-Inch | Buy 24-Inch | Buy 26-Inch
The Micro Pedal Bike
SPECIALIZED RIPROCK COASTER 12
Wheel Size: 12 in. | Recommended Age: 3–5 | Weight: 16.7 lb.
Available almost everywhere, the Riprock Coaster 12 is an easy transition from balance bikes into the pedal-pushing world. The 2.3-inch Rhythm Lite tires assist in stability, and there’s a wide range of adjustability in the seat, stem, and handlebar to help kids feel secure on the go. A simple coaster brake brings the proceedings to a halt. This lightweight aluminum frame is available in four great color schemes, and a thoughtful chain enclosure prevents painful pinching. It’s a great way to start.
Adventure Beyond The Driveway
PREVELO ALPHATWO
Wheel Size: 16 in. | Recommended Age: 4–6 | Weight: 14.5 lb.
Prevelo’s AlphaTwo hits a lot of desirability notes that will be familiar to adult riders, from the radial-spoked front wheel to the option to have a rider-name decal added at the factory level. Neither a BMX bike nor a mountain bike, the AlphaTwo blends elements of both into a ruthlessly optimized approach to getting kids up to a higher speed. A low bottom bracket and forgiving geometry reduce the chance of “speed wobble,” while special narrow-track cranks help children put the power down.
Rule The Ride To School
WOOM NOW
Wheel Size: 16/20, 20/24, 20/26 in. | Recommended Age: 6–14 | Weight: 26.5 lb. (20/24 in.)
Riding to school beats being driven to school any day of the week, and Woom’s Now represents a thorough rethinking of the task. An aluminum frame in three sizes accommodates a load rack up front, matched with a smaller front wheel to help balance the center of gravity. There’s on-board power for lights courtesy of a dynamo front hub and a MicroShift eight-speed drivetrain to make longer rides palatable. All sizes feature disc brakes for sure stops. It’s a Bushwick commuter’s dream, resized for the Fortnite set.
Buy Now 4 | Buy Now 5 | Buy Now 6
The BMX Option
REDLINE MX SERIES
Wheel Size: 20, 24 in. | Recommended Age: 5 and up | Weight: 18–22.9 lb.
BMX racing isn’t just an Olympic sport; it’s also still the preferred competitive activity for tens of thousands of riders across the country. The MX Series from Redline starts with the Mini for 5-year-old riders and continues through five more models all the way to a 24-inch cruiser-class racer. A lot of competitions are won on these bikes in dead-stock form, but just as important, the MX Series is a good way to provide a child with a light and strong bike for neighborhood bash-around duties.
Low-Earth Orbit, If You’re Ready
NORCO RAMPAGE 4.1
Wheel Size: 20, 24 in. | Recommended Age: 8–14 | Weight: N/A
“Dirt Jumpers” are the newest thing in big-air tricks, and Norco’s Rampage Youth series brings the format to young riders. Light enough for a 12-year-old to bunny-hop a foot in the air and sturdy enough to handle a 30-foot jump to asphalt, the Rampage is virtually mandatory everywhere kids are trying pro-level features. It’s overkill for a ride to school, unless there’s a six-pack of Red Bull–ready trail gaps between your house and there. On the other hand, it’s just the thing for the growing number of indoor MTB parks.
The Serious Choice For Enduros
TRAILCRAFT MAXWELL
Wheel Size: 24, 26, 27.5 in. | Recommended Age: 10–15 | Weight: 25.8 lb. (24 in.)
In the hands of the right child, the Trailcraft Maxwell can handle the world’s most difficult downhill and enduro trails. Specified with the best of everything and optimized for the size and weight of your child, the Maxwell offers the same capability as the best adult enduros. What your child loses on the straights from the smaller wheels just might come back in the corners. Trailcraft is obsessed with weight savings, so you can ride the Maxwell up the same hill you’ll be riding it down.
Buy 24-Inch | Buy 26-Inch | Buy 27.5-Inch
Bell Sanction Helmet
Bell’s Sanction is one of the lightest full-face helmets ever made. That’s a big part of its appeal, because kids are more likely to wear helmets that don’t weigh them down. It offers a wide field of vision, a sturdy chin bar to protect the face from impacts, and a visor that will pop off in a crash to prevent further injury. It’s not enough padding for downhill MTB, but for BMX racing or skatepark riding, it should be just the ticket.
Kali helmets are everywhere nowadays, from lift lines to backyard trails. The Chakra Youth is lightweight, offers a lot of ventilation, and features a break away visor to reduce injuries during a crash. There’s a wide variety of graphic options, including the Artist Series (shown), which is important because kids are more likely to wear a helmet that speaks to their own sense of style. Antimicrobial pads mean less cleaning and less stink.
Fox has jumped on the light-helmet bandwagon with this technologically innovative, featherweight, and truly cool (in at least two senses of the word) open-face lid. The built-in MIPS system reduces rotational energy that can cause brain injury, while a smart-looking visor keeps the sun off. The Mainframe has a remarkable amount of protection for the back and base of the skull, and that’s important on today’s technical trails.
Choosing a helmet for kids who are riding full-speed, lift-service downhill is a balancing act. You want the most protection possible, because head trauma is the worst outcome of any crash. But you also need the helmet to be light because children lack strength in their neck muscles, and the bobbing caused by a heavy helmet can lead to an incident. The Full-9 series by Bell is perhaps the best balancing act. Visibility is excellent, comfort is reasonable, and the increased weight compared to lighter-duty options is put to good use. Choose from the carbon-fiber Full-9 or the slightly heavier composite Full-9 Fusion; in either case, your kid will be ready to hit the big stuff.
Jack Baruth is a writer and competitor who has earned podiums in more than fifteen different classes and sanctions of automotive and cycling competition, in both amateur and professional capacities, as well as an enthusiastic hobbyist musician and audiophile who owns hundreds of musical instruments and audio systems. His work has appeared in Bicycling, Cycle World, Road & Track, WIRED, Wheels Weekly, EVO Malaysia, Esquire, and many other publications. His original design for a guitar, the Melody Burner, has been played by Billy Gibbons, Sheryl Crow, and others.
