Welcome to the Topic “Things you need to know before buying a kid’s bike”
Kids love bikes. There is no denying the fact that it is the cornerstone of many fond childhood memories, and a good number of parents eagerly anticipate the day they are able to present their children with their very first bicycle. Nevertheless, picking out the ideal bicycle for a child might be challenging. You are aware of the process that you would go through in order to purchase a new bike for yourself. You would consider whether or not you can comfortably sit on the bike and touch the ground with your feet. You would also think about whether or not you can comfortably rotate the pedals, and your legs don’t hit anything. Finally, you would want to reach the handlebars with the optimal bend in your arm so that it feels so comfortable and that there is no strain anywhere.
And, of course, the color and accessories that come with it or that you can add to it need to be something that appeals to you. Your child may have never ridden a bike before, which means that you will need to prepare them for an entirely new experience by managing their expectations, anxieties, and fears, their ability, and confidence, as well as your concerns over the bike’s safety and how easy it is to use. Choosing a bike for your child does not differ all that much from choosing a bike for yourself, except for the fact that your child may have never ridden a bike before.
Age and Height
It is far too simplistic to rely on height alone as the sole criterion for determining the appropriate size of a bicycle. Caution is needed because it has the potential to give erroneous indications. You’ll notice that on the page dedicated to our kid’s bike range, we display our bikes according to age and then height; this is because it’s the most natural place to begin. However, in contrast to many other brands, the age range and height range for each of the bike ranges overlap significantly with one another. Because most children’s balance develops at nearly the same rate, it is far more useful to consider age and height in conjunction with ability. You, as parents, are fully aware of the disparities in height that exist among your children’s friends and peers. Furthermore, height is in no way correlated with either ability or self-assurance.
Ability and Confidence
When children are in charge of their own space, they can learn to ride a bike more quickly, have a better sense of control while riding, and have a lot more fun overall. The concept of purchasing a bike for their children that can accommodate future growth is appealing to the vast majority of the parents we’ve spoken to. The additional size, height, and weight are rather intimidating, and the majority of the time, a child is unable to actually ride the bike effectively or safely control it. Despite the fact that this makes perfect financial sense, there are drawbacks. Where is the enjoyment in that?! You are aware that not all children of the same age have the same level of physical ability; all you have to do is observe them playing on the playground to notice this for yourself. Therefore, the same is true for riding a bicycle.
Some people will have an innate ability to control the steering, pedaling or push (on a balance bike), and braking, while others will have to work much harder to become proficient in each skill on its own before moving on to the next. As a parent, you need to form your own opinion about the capabilities of your child, as this will play a role in guiding your choice regarding the size of the bicycle that should be purchased for them. Because a child’s ability to ride a bike with pedals is affected by their previous experience on a balancing bike or scooter, this is another issue that should be taken into consideration before making a decision.
Marion Turner, who works at Essential Kids, offers some helpful advice about purchasing the E-450x3i for her son, who is five years old. She was able to stretch him out to the next size bike since she accurately assessed his ability and confidence levels. The bike appears to be enormous in comparison to his small physique. Anyone who is still unsure about the appropriate bicycle size for their child should give this article a read.
Physical Fit
When your child can do the following on a bike, it is the proper size for them:
- Take a seat on the saddle, and with both feet, place the balls of your feet on the ground.
- Maintain a comfortable clearance under the top bar while straddling it with both feet planted firmly on the ground.
- When seated on the seat, reach the handlebars by bending your arms slightly and reaching forward. Your youngster should be able to grab the handbrakes, and if there is sufficient resistance, they should be able to bring the bike to a halt.
You can adjust the height of the seat post and the handlebar stem in accordance with the guidelines provided in the owner’s manual as your child gets older. Setting the handlebars further back and adjusting the seat so that it is at its lowest level is another helpful piece of advice. Doing so shortens the reach even further and gives you more room to expand as you get taller.
Bike Weight
Would you ride a bike that weighs more than fifty percent of what you normally do? Could you even begin to fathom how challenging it would be to not only move the bike forward from a stationary position but also to navigate it around turns and up and down steps? Then why would you expect the same of your child, especially when they are still in the learning stages of riding a bike? When we first began developing the ByK Bikes brand, one of the most important considerations for the design was weight. Simply said, there was no place on the planet that had a variety of lightweight children’s bikes.
Girls/Boys Specific Design
Girl/Boy Children Bike Design – does it matter? The variation in the way the girls’ and boys’ shapes are designed definitely has no bearing on the operation of the board from a riding perspective. In point of fact, most young riders would benefit from having a lower step through, which is what the girls’ design has because it makes it simpler to get on and off the bike. Accordingly, this has more to do with the social component; the market has an expectation that there will be two alternative designs. In order to provide a sufficient number of options for both males and females, we strive to stock our assortment with as many gender-neutral colors as we possibly can.
Longevity
How much longer will my child be able to ride the bicycle before they are too tall for it? As a parent, you need to be certain that the bicycle will also last for a considerable amount of time. In relation to this topic, the most typical reason that children need to upgrade to a larger size on a standard bike is that there is insufficient space for their knees between the seat and the handlebars. Because of this, you are forced to raise the seat, and as a result, your child may lose interest in riding or trust in their ability to do so. This is because the center of gravity is raised so high, making the bike even more difficult to ride. It is more ergonomically right for a child’s growing body, and as a result, it is nearly like having the next size bike up for this knee room because of the longer wheelbase, which is one of the distinctive design features of the ByK Bikes.
Hand-me-down / Re-sale ability
A lot of parents purchase bicycles with the knowledge that they can be passed on to younger siblings, relatives, friends, and so on. Because of the proliferation of online marketplaces like eBay and Gumtree, as well as many new websites that are dedicated only to the buying and selling of bicycles in Australia, many parents now consider the resale value of things to be an essential factor when making purchases.
Why shouldn’t they? If you buy a cheap bike for $100 with no resale value, but instead, you can buy a bike for $300 knowing you can resell it for $150, then your kid will be better off with a higher quality bike, and you will get a return on your investment. However, if you buy a bike for $300, knowing you can resell it for $100, then you will not get a return on your investment.
Buying from a bike store vs. a department store
You can conduct your research online and read every bit of information on even our website, but the specialists at your neighborhood bike shop will be able to give you advice that is tailored specifically to your child’s needs. This is not something that can be purchased in a department shop at any time. If you buy a bike from a department store, there is a possibility that it may not be fully assembled; however, if you buy it from a bike shop, an experienced mechanic will build it for you, ensuring that it is safe and well adjusted for the rider who will be using it.
After making a purchase from a neighborhood shop, you will have somewhere to return to for assistance, advice, maintenance, and safety inspections. These services may include readjusting gears, repairing damage, addressing a puncture, and a variety of other services. Create a relationship of trust with the local store, and they will look out for your best interests.
Training Wheels, Bike Stands and Accessories
Does it already have a kickstand attached to it? This is a question that is frequently asked by parents; they are under the impression that every bicycle comes equipped with a kickstand; nevertheless, you can’t have both of these things since it would be too untidy to use them both at the same time. The E-250 and E-350 lines of bicycles do not include a kickstand as standard equipment because they come equipped with training wheels.
If your child decides to remove the training wheels from their bike (or decides not to use them at all if they learned to ride on a balance bike), you may purchase kickstands designed specifically for that purpose. Bells, baskets, spokey dokeys, lights, water bottles (and holders), bike racks (for luggage or dolls!), knobby tires, and bike stands. We have no doubt that this list is missing certain items. None of these should be considered deal breakers, but they may be on the must-have list for some children.
WudeBikes
specializing in balance bikes, kid bikes, BMX bikes, and a few other types of bikes, in addition to providing certain bike parts. WudeBike is the finest OEM bike supplier. Reach us right away and place an order for a bike from us that your child will never forget.
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Also Read: Why should a child have a bicycle in 2022?