Children’s bike size: How to determine the right size
You can quickly and easily determine the right size for the children’s bike yourself. Here you can find out what role the inner leg length and the size of your child play and what size the children’s bike should be.
Children’s bike size at a glance
The following table gives you an overview of body size and a step length in relation to it. You can also find a recommendation for the appropriate bike size for your child.
| childhood | height | inseam | Children’s bike size |
| 2 to 4 years | 95 to 105 cm | 40 to 43 cm | 12 inches |
| 4 to 6 years | 105 to 115 cm | 43 to 50 cm | 14 inches |
| 5 to 7 years | 110 to 120 cm | 47 to 55 cm | 16 inches |
| 6 to 8 years | 115 to 130 cm | 50 to 60 cm | 18 inches |
| 8 to 10 years | 130 to 140 cm | 55 to 67 cm | 20 inch |
Children’s bike: The size of the child is crucial
The height of your child is the most important guide when choosing the right children’s bike. Your offspring should be able to reach the ground with both feet when sitting on the saddle. Mere contact with the balls of your feet is not enough. This ground contact is particularly important for the first driving exercises, as it gives your offspring the necessary security.
Therefore, the step length, the inner leg length, is a decisive factor when buying a children’s bike. For an average child, there is a certain relationship between height and inseam length – for example, a child who is 95 cm tall usually has an inner leg length of around 40 cm. For this reason, you can usually derive the stride length if your offspring has a certain height. However, you should always measure the inseam again before buying a children’s bike or have an employee determine the correct size for the children’s bike in a specialist shop.
Although the age of your child is also important, it is of secondary importance when buying a children’s bike, since the age reflects little information about the individual requirements for riding. It may make sense for a child just under three to get their first small 12 inch kids bike, while for a child approaching five a balance bike may be a better choice.
In our article ” Children’s bike: Buying tips ” you will get an overview of which criteria you should also pay attention to when buying a children’s bike. In the article ” Children’s bike at Stiftung Warentest ” you can find out how different models performed in the test.
The manufacturers usually state the size of a children’s bike – the frame size or the frame height – in “inches”. This specification actually describes the diameter of the tire, but bicycles usually have a standardized size. This means that a children’s bike with a certain tire diameter also has a fixed size overall. For example, a 16 inch children’s bike has a frame height of 26 cm and a 20 inch bike has a frame height of 30 cm.
In order to determine the right children’s bike size, you need the inseam length of your child. It is the inside leg length of your offspring. To measure the inseam, all you need is a folding rule and a book . Your child, without shoes, stands with their back against the wall so that they touch it with their heels. The legs should be closed. Then you lead the spine of the book horizontally on the wall between your child’s legs from below with slight pressure upwards into his crotch. You can then simply measure the distance between the floor and the top edge of the book and get the step length.
Whether your child can ride a children’s bike of a certain size also depends on the level of development of their motor skills. In addition to a sense of balance, your child should be able to get on and off, turn, brake, steer and corner. Children who rode a balance bike before switching to their first children’s bike often have these skills. All you have to do then is practice starting off, using the brakes and “pedalling”.