Buying your child a new bike this Christmas? Finding the process a little tricksy? Be at ease – we've put together a complete guide to help you choose wisely…
The first thing to keep in mind is that their needs vary wildly depending on their age and ability. Balance bikes are where it's at for the preschool crowd, then by the time they progress to 16in wheels they'll (hopefully) be pedalling away without stabilisers.
Move up a notch to 20in wheels and gears start to make an appearance, then by the time they're nine and riding 24in wheels, they'll basically be riding smaller versions of adult bikes – disc brakes, suspension and all.
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In order to make sure Santa knows the right model for your child, let's look more closely at the different age groups you might be buying for, what wheel sizes to expect, and check out examples of the best bikes we've seen…
Preschool
They're up and running – okay, toddling – so you're keen to buy them a set of wheels. Great! You've basically got two options – a balance bike (AKA strider, push-along) or a trike.
We know trikes seem like the attractive option, as they let your child propel themselves happily along from the word go, but here's why you should buy them a balance bike instead: they'll help your child develop the skills needed to balance by steering first. This means that they'll quickly master the transition to two-wheeled pedal-powered bike without ever needing stabilisers.
Ridgeback Scoot
- UK: Buy now from Tweeks Cycles for £100
- USA: Buy now from WeeBikeShop for $179
- AUS: Buy now from Evans Cycles for AU$148
Strider 12
- UK: Buy now from Sourcebmx for £79
- USA: Buy now from Jenson USA for $119
- AUS: Buy from Strider Sports for AU$129
FirstBike
- UK: Buy now from Amazon for £94
- USA: Buy now from WeeBikeShop for $159
- AUS: Buy now from FirstBike for AU$199
Ages four to six
Islabikes Cnoc 16
Giant Animator
- UK: Buy now from Rutland Cycling for £134
- USA: Buy now from Giant Bicycles for $185
- AUS: Find an Australia dealer and expect to pay AU$229
Frog 48
- UK: Buy now from Rutland Cycling for £189
- USA: Ship internationally for $290 plus $115 shipping
- AUS: For Australia, consider the Byk E-350 instead
Ages six to nine
Islabikes Beinn 20
Specialized Hotrock 20
- UK: Buy from Hargroves Cycles for £249
- USA: Buy from Specialized for $360
- AUS: Buy from Specialized for AU$399
Ages nine to 12
Scott Voltage JR
- UK: Buy now from Tweeks Cycles for £339
- USA: Buy now from Scott Sports for $520
- AUS: Buy now in Australia for AU$629
Frog Road 67
- UK: Buy now from Frog Bikes for £425
- USA: Ship internationally for $654 plus $115 shipping
- AUS: For Australia, consider the Byk E540R
Big kids' bikes (12+)
Giant TCR Espoir 24
- UK: Buy now from Cyclestore for £475
- USA: Buy now from Jenson USA for $525
- AUS: Find an Australian dealer and expect to pay AU$829
We couldn't miss out…
You can read more at BikeRadar.com
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