How To Choose The Right Size Bike

So your kid needs a new cycle. Just yous're wondering… what size bike does my child need? Bike size is the way that bike manufacturers allocate their kids bike sizes, but it'southward NOT the but factor! It's not even the almost of import factor!

Bikes with the same bicycle size can vary drastically in overall size.Equally a effect, your child may fit on a 16-inch bike with one brand, but a twenty-inch bike with another. There are even bike brands that offer modest and large bikes within the same cycle size.

The age of a child is also typically not a good indicator of size. Ane 5-yr-old may fit on a 16-inch bike while a 4-year-onetime may fit on a 20-inch cycle! And then what's the best fashion to determine a kids bike size? With our uncomplicated tricks, finding the perfect size wheel for your child is quick and easy.

kids bike sizes image showing all sizes of kids bikes next to each other, starting at 12 and going to 24

Kids Bicycle Sizes Chart

When selecting a kids bike, a child'due south inseam and their height should both be taken into consideration in club to become the best fitting bike. Click on wheels size to run across our acme picks for each size wheel.

Wheel Size	Age	Inseam	Meridian
12″	2 – 3 years	fifteen″ – 18″	36 – 39″
14″	2 – 4 years	15″ – 20″	37 – 44″
xvi″	4 – half-dozen years	16″ – 22″	41 – 48″
xx″	five – eight years	nineteen″ – 25″	45 – 54″
24″	8 – 11 years	23″ – 28″	49″ – 59″
26″	10 + years	25″ +	56″ +

Visual learner? Here is a video walkthrough of our complete kids bike sizes guide. From measuring your child's inseam to how to properly prepare the seat pinnacle on the wheel, this 6-minute video will quickly respond all your questions.

Kids Bike Sizes: Four Steps to Finding the Correct Size

Using yourchild's inseam in relation to the bicycle'southward seat summit is the best and about accurate way to ensure a perfect bicycle fit. The frame and the wheel size piece of work together to determine the seat height of a bike.

5 year old standing next to her bike. Arrows indicating inseam measurement and bike seat height measurement to help find correct kid bike size

And then by selecting a bike based on seat height, versus historic period, bicycle, or frame size, you can ensure a great bike fit for your child even if they've never had a run a risk to try out the cycle before you buy it! This not only makes riding much easier, but all the experts agree a practiced wheel fit is necessary for safety besides!

Here are the four uncomplicated steps yous'll need to follow to finding a kids wheel that'south the perfect size.

Graphics showing the four steps to finding a bike that's a perfect fit for your kid

(1) Measure Your Child's Inseam

While most wheel manufacturers base their sizing on your child's age or height, nosotros ever recommend using inseam instead. It'south much more accurate!

Graphics showing the steps for measuring a child's inseam for the right bike size

(2) Narrow Down Wheel Size Based on Inseam

Using your child'south inseam, detect the one or two bike wheel size categories they fall into. In full general, equally long as your child's inseam is appropriate for the bike, it's amend to buy a larger wheel size. Larger wheels have more stability and permit more room for growth.

For example, our 5-year-sometime shown above has an inseam nineteen.five″ inches. Based on the bike size chart below, she could fit on THREE unlike size bikes! The larger wheels of the 16″ and xx″ even so, will exist much better for her as she grows. The adjacent step volition help decide which of these two sizes is best.

Kids Bike Sizes Chart showing sizing by wheel size, age, inseam, and height — Kids Bike Size Chart – Inseam Measurement is Fundamental!

(iii) Find the Perfect Seat Height (Using Child's Inseam and Riding Ability)

Now that you know what size(s) bicycle is probable all-time for your child, information technology's time to take your child's riding power into consideration. Why? The proper fit of a bike is based on the seat top of the bike as compared to the kid's inseam. The seat superlative of a bike, however, should be ready differently based on if your child is a beginner, is experienced, or is using training wheels.

The seat height is the distance from the footing to the summit of the seat and will help you narrow down your options even further and guarantee a great fit from day 1!

Beginning Riders (1st Bike Subsequently a Balance Bike or Training Wheels)

5 year old rider with feet flat on ground showing the perfect kids bike size for beginning riders

A commencement rider (including residual bike graduates) should exist able to sit on the bike's seat and take their anxiety flat on the footing. At this stage, information technology's essential for a child to exist able to easily stop their bike using their feet. As a effect, their bike's seat height should exist fix equal to their child's inseam.

In the epitome above, our 5-year-old tester is on a xvi inch bike with the seat height ready to 19.5″ to match her inseam. If she were a beginning rider, this bike would be a perfect size bike for her.

SIZING TIP: The seat of a child's first pedal bike should be set at the same height equally the child's inseam.

Experienced Riders – 2nd Pedal Bike (and Beyond!)

5 year old sitting on her bike with her feet touching the ground on her tip toes showing the correct kid bike size for experienced riders

An experienced rider, who knows how to comfortably kickoff and stop a bike every bit well every bit use either a hand brake or a foot brake, should be able to sit down on the bike's saddle and have their tip toes touch the ground. This ways that the seat should be prepare 2 to 4 inches ABOVE the child's inseam. Raising the seat allows for proper leg extension while pedaling, which maximizes the efficiency of each pedal stroke.

If our v-yr-former tester was an experienced rider, this twenty inch bike with the seat height prepare to 22.v″ (3 inches above her inseam) would exist a perfect fit.

SIZING TIP: The seat of a confident pedaler tin be gear up 2 – iv" above their inseam.

Beginner Cycle with Grooming Wheels

5 year old rider sitting on her bike with her feet touching the ground on her tip toes showing the perfect kids bike size for beginning riders

For those who plan on using training wheels, feet flat or tiptoes both work, depending on the conviction of your child. Because the child doesn't have to rest the bike or worry about falling over equally much, just set the seat according to what is nigh comfortable for them.

This typically ways that the seat should be set 0 to 3 inches above the child's inseam. For timid kids, setting the seat lower so they touching with their anxiety flat is oft preferred.

With more aggressive riders, setting the seat higher allows for greater pedal efficiency so they tin passenger faster, merely he cautious not to set the seat too high, as many kids on training wheels however instinctively stop the bicycle with their feet.

SIZING TIP: The seat of a bike with training wheels should be set 0 – 3" to a higher place the child'southward inseam.

Balance Bike

If you happen to be looking for a balance bike, be sure to check out our residuum cycle sizing guide. For a quick reference though, the seat of a balance bike should be set 0.5″ to 1.5″ below a child's inseam.

While seated on a residuum bike with their feet flat on the ground, a child's knees should exist slightly bent (in an athletic stance). The slight knee bend allows them to efficiently run on the cycle.

SIZING TIP: The seat of a rest wheel should be ready 0.5 – 1.v" below the kid'south inseam.

(4) Purchase for Current Fit and Growth

Now that you know the desired seat height for your child'southward wheel, yous can begin shopping for your bike! Ideally, y'all'll detect a bike that has a minimum seat height that's as shut to (but without going over) the seat peak yous adamant in step iii.

This allows the bicycle to fit perfectly at present, but also offers the about room for growth so yous don't have to buy some other bike too before long!

Hither's an example using the bikes we just saw and our 5-year-former tester. Each of the following bikes are a great fit for a kid her size, but which ane is best depends on the kid'due south experience and riding ability.

Pello Revo sixteen″ (bicycle shown in the Beginning Riders section) has a minimum seat tiptop of 19.5"
woom iv twenty″ (bike shown in the Experienced Riders department) has a minimum seat top of 22".
Schwinn 16" (bike shown in the training wheels section) with a minimum seat height of 21".

If our v-year-erstwhile tester is a start rider, the Pello Revo is a perfect fit because its minimum seat height matches her inseam and allows her to sit with her feet flat on the ground.

If she is experienced, the woom 4 is a much better option. With its minimum seat height set 2.5" inches above her inseam, she tin can sit on the saddle and attain the basis with her tip toes. And information technology offers plenty of room for her to grow!

Lastly, if she is using preparation wheels, the Schwinn xvi is a great option for her if she is an average or confident rider. With a minimum seat pinnacle set 1.5″ above her inseam, she can comfortably reach the ground with depression tip toes.

When selecting your child's bike exist sure to narrow down several options and then that other factors such as price, weight, brake type and even color preference can also be taken into consideration.

Then where practice I discover the best bikes and their seat heights?

Part of the reason that kids bike sizes are disruptive is that at that place are no bike sizing "standards". While the CPSC has rules regarding almost everything else about a wheel, at that place are no rules about kids bikes sizes.

To make matters more disruptive, about bike companies don't publish the seat heights of their bikes! Not to worry, nosotros've got y'all covered! We've measured the seat heights of over 50 dissimilar bikes for you!

Yous can find seat heights on our comparison charts for each size bikes:

12 and 14 inch Bikes Comparison Nautical chart
sixteen inch bikes Comparing Nautical chart
20 inch Bikes Comparing Chart
24 inch Bikes Comparison Nautical chart
26 and 27.5 inch Bikes Comparison Chart

Other Kids Biking Resources

Guardian Bikes RideSizer: Enter in your child age and height and Guardian's proprietary tool will tell you which size bike is best for them.

woom Bikes Size Finder: Accept out all of the gauge piece of work of buying the right size woom bike with their bicycle finder tool.

For boosted information on child bike sizes and what other features you should look for when shopping for a bike, check out our article Best Kids Bikes: The Administrative Buying Guide.

For immature kids that have never ridden a bike, a balance bike is likely a better option for them. Check out Why a Balance Bicycle Should be the Get-go Bike for Your Toddler.