What Size of Bike to Get My 5 Year Old

It really depends on his size. My son is small for a 5 year old. We wanted to get him a new bike for his birthday, but the 16" was just too big. We had him try it in the bike store, but he said it was too scary. He could have ridden it with training wheels, but he's been riding without training wheels for so long that we didn't want to go back.

I think your best bet is to just "happen" to be at a toy/bike store before Easter and try some out. We lucked out with a VERY savvy guy in the bike dept at our Toys R Us. You don't want it too big but you don't want it outgrown in a season either. What a nice bunny!

S.,
During this growing time we went to the second hand store to get bikes! It was fast and easy to get a banged up bike that worked and that fit (both our daughter AND our tight budget!) And it didn't bother her a bit!! But since it is for Easter... lucky Easter Bunny can go pick one out on his own! Hooray!! Even better! Good luck. Kids grow SO fast and he'll enjoy his bike whichever size you get!

V.

As a single mom budget it always an issue. My daughter just turned 3 last friday and for her birthday I got her a 16" bike. Mind you she is almost as tall as my 4 yo and I wanted to make sure she was going to grow into a bike and not OUT of a bike in the next few years. Will be upgrading my 4yo to a 16" bike this summer also. He is still using training wheels on the 12" but after riding the 16" his dad and I are going to work with thim this summer at our individual houses. You can try him on the training wheels and see how comfortable he feels. Just doesn't make sense to me to have to spend so much money on several bikes in a short period of time. Best of luck deciding.

We took K to walmart and let her try on bikes. I told her I was thinking about getting her a new one when I could afford it and wanted to see what size she needed. We selected the one she could touch the ground with her tippy toes when the seat was in it's lowest position. That way as she grew the seat would come up and she could still touch her toes for a long time.

You could say your friend wants to get their child a bike and they want you to help figure out what size they need OR you could have a friend take him and say that they are getting their kids bikes for a surprise a need someone to test the size for them. It's still far enough off to Easter they won't associate the bike fitting to the Easter Bunny.

I don't think a bigger bike will be scarier for him. Just make sure he can put his feet on the ground with the seat all the way down and he can reach the handlebars comfortably.

Your best bet is to have him try them out before you buy it. My son was riding his cousins 16" with no problem, so we bought him one. It was so awkward for him, there was a huge difference between the 2.

My daughter is 5 (will be 6 in July) and the little girl 16" bike we bought last weekend was too small for her - we had to take it back. Her brothers 16" bike fits her just perfect. I would go for a 16" for him. If you go to a store with floor models - look for one that the seat can be lowered quite a bit and he should be fine. My daughter is very tall for her age. There wasn't much difference between the 12" she already had and the girl 16" we bought her. The tires were bigger but the frame was basically the same size, which for her was too small because her knees were almost hitting the handlebars! I just learned this the hard way this past weekend - not all bikes of a certain "size" are necessarily the same size!!! My sons 16" bike has a longer frame with more space between the handle bars and seat, so she can ride it. Go figure!!!!

my 5 yr old is getting a 16 inch. And generally a 5 yr old dosen't ride w/o training wheels.
here are a couple of links on information on fitting bikes the right way.
http://www.rei.com/expertadvice/articles/bike+fit.html
http://bicycling.about.com/od/howtoride/a/bike_sizes.htm

My 5 year old road a 16" bike with training wheels while she was 4 and when she was 5 she learned to ride it without training wheels. Now my younger child is 4 years old and has just moved up to the 16" bike. It fits her great! it is not too big. I would definitely go up to the 16". Unless your son is on the small side, it should fit him just fine.