After watching her toddler spend hours playing with his cousin’s tricycle at their family reunion, Susan Hall decided that a bike would be the perfect gift for her son’s second birthday coming up in just a few months. She spent several weeks looking at kids bikes and finally decided on a sturdy looking metal tricycle. However, when she got it home, she realized with dismay that her son really couldn’t reach the pedals and it was a bit high off the ground for him to scoot with his feet. She kept the bike because she knew that he would grow into it soon, but was quite disappointed that it didn’t work out like she’d expected. Like most people, Mrs. Hall neglected to really take the time to figure out what she really needed.
The first thing that anyone shopping for a bike should keep in mind is the size of their child. Unfortunately, Mrs. Hall just figured that a tricycle would accommodate her toddler only to be disappointed. While it’s easy to make that mistake, you should always take into account your child’s size and height. Kids bikes are sized according to the wheel diameter. The size your child needs depends on their inseam measurement, or the measurement taken on the inside of your child’s leg. When looking at a bicycle schwinn, you will see bikes with wheels ranging from 12″ all the way up to 24″. A 12″ bike wheel should accommodate kids that are between 2 and 4 with an inseam of about 14-17″. The 24″ wheel is for kids 9 years or older with an inseam of 24-28″. You should be able to find a chart with the exact criteria for each size by searching online.
After size, you really need to take into account the tastes of your particular child. Luckily, two year olds are easy to please. However, if your child is 8, he may be particularly fond of Sesame Street characters, for example. Of course, you want your kids bikes to reflect their interests. Keep in mind, though, that what interests your son at eight, may be completely out the door by the time he turns ten. He’ll be stuck with a perfectly good bike with characters that are embarrassing to him. You may want to instead choose accessories bicycle that reflect their current interests. These can be easily removed and changed to match the current trends on your child’s age.
When choosing bicycle bikes for your children, you can make sure that your kids are not only immediately thrilled with their bike, but that it will grow with them for years to comes. Choose kids bikes based upon an appropriate size range. Also, make sure that you don’t pick a bicycle that will become out of date or inappropriate as your child grows. By keeping these things in mind, you can avoid disappointment or buyer’s remorse.