I have 3 daughters and their Grandma has kindly offered to get them bikes for Christmas. They are 10, 7 and 3. They are not very confident bike riders so I want to make sure I do not get them a bike which is too big. I'm pretty sure I need a 12" bike for the 3 year old. Is a 20" too big for my 7 year old? She will be learning to ride for the first time without training wheels. (I know - we're pretty late on the bike-riding thing!) Should I jump up to a 24" for my 10 year old or stick with the 20"? Since it is a Xmas present we want it to be a surprise so I can't have them try out sizes in the store. I'd appreciate any advice - Thanks!
my 10 year old rides a 20 inch. I think when she becomes more conf. I will move her up too at 24 inch. They have to be able to touch the ground well to save themselves I would think and the handle bars are much wider as they may hunch over more then they should. So I was not ready to do the bigger bike. I think you can raise the seat and stuff up to help her grow into it for at least a year or two. Just depends how tall she is.
I would recommend getting a 12" bike for your 3-year-old, a 16" bike for your 7-year-old, and a 20" bike for your 10-year-old. Hope that helps!
You want the child to be able to put their foot flat on the ground to stop and be stable when they are learning. Can you measure the inside leg length for each child and go to the store with that measurement? Maybe check the inseam of a pair of pants that fit well plus several inches for the foot. It might give you a good enough estimate to look at the bikes.
I would call or visit your local bike store and speak to someone. Let them know the ages and heights of your girls and they may be able to recommend the appropriate bike size. The bicycle shops tend to have more knowledgeable people compared to say Walmart.
My almost 7yo son just recently learned how to ride 2 wheels and is comfortable with a 16" wheel where as his (girl)friend just got a 20" bike for her 7th birthday which she's comfortable with.
Measure their inseam. Just take a tape measure, start at the ground inside their foot and measure up to their crotch. Take that measurement to the store and measure the bike from the floor to the seat. Now be sure that the seat is in the lowest position so the child has room to grow and move the seat up as he/she gets taller. The kids should be able to put their foot flat on the floor while sitting on the seat.
Hope this makes sense. Good luck and Merry Christmas!
P.S. My kids were late bike riders too, nothing to even give energy too.
The age of the kids doesn't really determine the size of the bike, it's more their height. Measure their inseam to get a better idea. If the kids ask why, thell them it is for a relative to possibly buy them pants of something. My older daughter is tall for her age, so we had to get a bigger bike for her and my younger daughter is short for her age, so we had to go for a smaller bike for her.
I think I'd just let them try on bikes for size and say you were thinking about saving up for new bikes in the Spring...that way it would still be a surprise but you'd be sure about sizes. Or see if the neighbors would let your girls borrow their bikes for a bike ride in the back yard or something. There has to be a way to actually be sure. the 20" is still too big for our 7 yr. old but the 16" is getting too small. It's iffy.
