It would be very interesting if you can enjoy riding together with your son or daughter. Your children should need bikes that fits them. In a low budget times, cycling parents should consider the prices and ecomonising, bike for child and after that bike after they growth in a few years.
Your Children would grow up fast, now and in feature, you children needs another bikes that fits properly. You should consider your children
Commontly most children will have just one bike for everything. So with 20in and 24in wheel bikes in particular it pays to look for versatility. Will it go off-road and be suitable for riding to school or friends? What about its appearance? The colour is an important things for children of any age.
For prices don’t scale down with size, you can expect to pay the same for a new kid's bike as you would for an entry-level adult bike: £300-plus.
That should get you a reasonable road bike or hardtail mountain bike that won’t weigh a ton – and that last bit is crucial.
Pre-school
A child's first set of wheels usually comes in the form of a trike or push-along. These are often breakable plastic, with simple friction bearings. A decent metal trike will last longer and can be handed down. Look for: wide-set rear wheels for stability, and a durable front wheel axle. Proper ball bearings here are a bonus.
First bikes will have 12in or 14in wheels. The bike should have: a low stand-over height; ball bearings in hubs, bottom bracket and headset; 90-100mm cranks; pneumatic tyres; at least one working brake.
Ages four to six
Bikes with 16in wheels still sometimes come with stabilisers: if so, bin them. All 16in wheel bikes come with a singlespeed gear. The chainstays are too short for derailleur gears, and they'd only confuse anyway. A three-speed hub gear would be nice, but they're pricey so you won't see them. As children of this age won't be riding far, a single gear is okay.
By this age, children can hurtle along so easily operable brakes are a must. A light action V-brake or sidepull is fine up front, but less effective at the rear: the longer cable run means more friction so the lever is harder for the child to pull. A back-pedal coaster brake is a good solution.
Ages six to 10
Gears are the obvious extra with 20in wheel bikes. A three-speed hub gear would be ideal: it's easy to understand and hard to break. Again, it's more expensive to fit, so five- and six-speed derailleurs are what you'll usually find. For knocking around on the street, don't discount singlespeeds: they're lighter, simpler and rarely develop problems.
Some 20in wheel bikes come with suspension forks. They'll be basic, unadjustable springs that nevertheless score credibility points with children. There are two disadvantages: extra weight and less money to go round elsewhere. If the bike costs £120 or more, front suspension may be adequate. Rear suspension is poor unless you spend a lot more.
If the bike has a rear derailleur, get a derailleur guard for when the bike is dropped on its side. A kickstand is useful, as kids this age aren't good at propping their bikes up. Look for easy-to-use shifters. Cranks will again be too long. You want 120-130mm; 140mm may do.
Ages nine to 12
Spend in the region of £200 and you'll get a light(ish) weight aluminium mini-mountain bike that can be passed on to siblings. We'd like to see a 24in wheel bike with a single chainring and a decent, wide-range eight-speed cassette hub (ie. 11-30T). But you'll get a seven-speed, screw-on freewheel hub and most likely a triple chainset up front. If it's a double, look for a smaller inner ring (22 or 24) rather than a larger (42) outer.
Bike spec should compare to an adult's bike at the same price. So expect a micro-adjust alloy seatpost, a cartridge bottom bracket, an alloy flat or riser bar, a threadless stem, brand name V-brakes and a decent set of a wheels. They'll have off-road tyres – kids like these, but a set of semi-slicks would be better for all-round use.
'Less is more' applies: instead of disc brakes, look for disc mounts for later upgrading. And look for a good suspension fork (adjustable preload and damping), not full suspension. The cranks will again be too long: you want 140mm, 150mm at a push. You may get 160mm.
Big kids' bikes
Children aged 12 or 13 – and some lanky younger ones – are ready for a small-framed adult bike. Most manufacturers make frames down to 14in or 15in, and some do 13in. Urban freeriders and serious off-road riders may want the smallest frame for the extra clearance over the top tube, but most teenagers can go straight to 15in.
Don't be tempted to put your nine- or 10-year-old on a 13in adult frame just because they happen to be able to reach the pedals. They'll be much better off on a 24in-wheel bike with a 12in or 13in frame. A 24in-wheel bike may be lighter and it will be easier to control. Imagine what your bike would feel like with 28in wheels instead of 26in. The smaller bike should also have more kid-friendly cranks, etc.
Teenagers are acutely aware of peer pressure and will want a bike that's considered cool. Currently this seems to mean simple paint jobs (such as black, white, matt grey/brown or camo green, silver, or maybe red) and a vaguely dirt-jump style frame.
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