Featured in this article
Best Overall
Woom Explore
Woom (Size 5)
Best Transitional Bike
Prevelo Alpha Two
Prevelo
An Affordable Alternative
Retrospec Dart
Retrospec
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The Best Brake System
Guardian Bikes 20-Inch Small Bike
Guardian
Most people think I got my kids bikes because I exercise, or because I want to combat climate change. Neither is true (or the entire answer, at any rate). It’s just that sitting in pick-up or drop-off lines in a car makes me want to yeet myself straight into the path of an oncoming 18-wheeler. Now that my kids are 8 and 11 and old enough to bike with me, it’s also much more fun to watch them hop curbs and swing their legs and shout, “We live in a jungle!” than it is, again, to wait for traffic lights to change.
The WIRED Reviews team has children, and we enlisted many of them to test so we could pick the best kids’ bikes for rides to school, on the trails, or around the park. Our top pick is the beloved Woom Series ($819), with the close runner-up of the Prevelo Alpha Two ($509). There are no electric bikes, because children do not belong on electric bikes.
If you’re shopping for yourself, don’t forget to check out the rest of our outdoors guides, which also includes our guides to the Best Electric Bikes, Best Bike Helmets, and Best Electric Cargo Bikes for Families guides.
Updated March 18, 2026: We added the Prevelo Alpha Two and the Nüdl bike helmet. We also updated links and prices.
Jump To
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Best Overall
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Photograph: Adrienne So
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Photograph: Adrienne So
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Photograph: Adrienne So
Chevron Chevron to wishlist Woom
Explore
Woom (Size 5)
Woom is my favorite bike brand for children. You can start with a 12-inch Woom balance bike ($249) and upgrade to differentiated and bigger models from there. The sizes go all the way up to to the Woom 6 ($869), which is a 26-inch bike that even I can ride. You get a Woom because they’re incredibly light. Kids are small. It’s hard to learn how to ride on a cheap, heavy bike that weighs 30 pounds when you yourself are only 40 pounds. The build quality out of the box is also excellent—no cracked pedals, no wobbly handlebars, nice high-quality Schwalbe tires.
My kids have been riding in some version of the Woom since they were toddlers. My petite 11-year-old is now riding the Woom 5 Explore. Besides being incredibly light, another standout feature is MicroShift, which is an intuitive twist shifter to cycle between seven gears. She has noted that it’s so much easier to shift than the other bikes that I make her ride, even the very nice Prevelo Zulu Four ($1,399). Something else to note is that Woom’s sizing is a little optimistic; the online bike sizer has consistently slotted them into bikes that are just a little too big for them.
Specs Age range 18 mos to 14 years Weight (24-inch) 20 lbs, 12 oz Frame material Aluminum Shifters MicroShift Trigger Shifter Brakes ProMax hydraulic disc -
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Best Transitional Bike
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Photograph: Michael Mantovani
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Photograph: Michael Mantovani
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Photograph: Michael Mantovani
Chevron Chevron to wishlist Prevelo
Alpha Two
Prevelo
Much the beloved Woom brand, Prevelo makes bikes for kids. Rather than simply taking an adult bike and shrinking it down, Prevelos are designed and built with a focus on smaller bodies. For the Prevelo Alpha Two, I employed my 4-year-old daughter, who has spent the last two years on a Woom 2 ($459). She had little issue adapting from the 14” Woom to the 16” Alpha Two, owing in large part to Prevelo’s thoughtful geometry. At 12.1 pounds, it’s even lighter than the Woom 2, which made my daughter’s day at our local pump track even more enjoyable than usual. The Alpha Two also features Prevelo’s patented Balance Tec system, which allows users to easy convert it from a pedal bike to a balance bike and back with nothing more than a hex key.
The only knock I have here is that the Alpha Two features an internally routed cable for its rear brake. In other words, rather than running along the underside of the top tube, the brake cable is sent into and through the top tube, before coming out the back. Anyone who’s ever wrenched on an internally routed bike knows what a PITA they can be. That said, the frustration is usually due to losing track of your cables inside the bike. The Alpha Two’s internal routing only travels a few inches, so I’d assume it wouldn’t be the same ordeal as my 62 cm road bike. —Michael Venutolo-Mantovani
Specs Age range 4 to 6 years Weight (16-inch) 12.1 lbs Frame material Aluminum alloy Shifters Single speed Brakes Hand brakes with internal cables -
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An Affordable Alternative
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Photograph: Adrienne So
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Photograph: Adrienne So
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Photograph: Adrienne So
Chevron Chevron to wishlist Retrospec
Dart
Retrospec
So you don’t want to spend over $500 on a bike your kid will outgrow in six months. You might want to consider looking at the Retrospec Dart, although this comes with the caveat that the frame is made from steel and not a lighter material. After years of riding a Woom, my 8-year-old found the Dart to be unpleasantly heavy (almost ten pounds heavier than his old bike). The frame also has a longer reach than his old Woom—he has to lean forward much more than he’s used to. With all that said, Shimano shifters and V brakes at this price is excellent. He found it easy enough to ride around the block and to and from school.
Specs Age range 6 to 11 years Weight (24-inch) 28 lbs, 4 oz Frame material Steel Shifters Shimano Revoshift twist Brakes Hand-operated V brakes -
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The Best Brake System
Photograph: Adrienne So
to wishlist Guardian Bikes
20-Inch Small Bike
Guardian
My daughter rode the steel Guardian 20-inch from the time she was 5 to when she was 7. The standout feature is the brake system; there’s no pedal brake. Instead, Guardian has a patented SureStop brake system. There’s only one handbrake, and it always triggers the back brake before the front brake, so it’s impossible to flip the bike. This is a great bike for kids whose underdeveloped prefrontal cortexes haven’t quite caught up to the rest of their bodies—if they’re speeding straight towards a stop sign, they won’t catapult over the handlebars when you scream at them to stop.
The cabling system is a little longer and more complex than on most bikes, and I did sometimes get the front wheel tangled up in the brake cable. But I gave it to a 20-year-old to see if he could flip it and he couldn’t, so there’s that. The Guardian is lighter than a 30-pound Target bike, although it’s a steel frame, so it does weigh 20 pounds. Guardian also has kid-specific geometry, with small grips and a lower center of gravity. It’s compatible with training wheels, which I did put on and take back off again. Of the many bikes I’ve tested, it’s also one of the easiest to put together out of the box. This bike is reliable and durable and has lasted for years. It fits kids who are 43 inches tall, and Guardian also provides an online RideSizer tool to make sure you order the right-sized bike.
Specs Age range 5 to 8 years Weight (20-inch) 20.7 lbs Frame material Steel Shifters Single speed Brakes Guardian SureStop brakes
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The Best Kids Mountain Bike
Courtesy of REI Co-op
to wishlist REI Co-op Cycles
Rev Drt 24 Kids Mountain Bike
REI
REI’s Co-op Cycles Rev Drt 24 is aimed at kids looking to get in some time on singletrack or other off-road adventures. With 24-inch wheels and 2.6-inch tires, the REV 24 is a capable bike for most 8- to 12-year-olds (it should fit children in the 4’2″ to 4’10” height range). The Rev 24 is a surprisingly well-designed, well-built bike for the price, with a nice frame and variety of colors, quality Shimano and Tektro components, and a sleek look.
I was a little skeptical of the value of 2.6 tires on a 24-inch wheel, but my son has loved how he can roll over things he couldn’t on narrower tires, and the Rev Drt has definitely increased his confidence as a rider, especially on rougher terrain. If there’s a downside to this bike (and my son has repeatedly said there is not, he loves it), I would say it’s the shifter, which is a Shimano Tourney Revo 8-speed. It’s fine, but the bulky grip-style shifters do not lend themselves to quick, responsive shifting. Then again, children are ly less bothered by this than I might be, and my son has never complained about it. Overall, this has proved a fantastic MTB to learn on, and it’s a bargain, especially if you can score one during an REI sale event. —Scott Gilbertson
Specs Age range 8 to 12 years Weight (24-inch) 31 lbs Frame material Aluminum Shifters Shimano Tourney Revo Brakes Tektro hydraulic disc -
Best for Older Kids
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Photograph: Michael Venutolo-Mantovani
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Photograph: Michael Venutolo-Mantovani
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Photograph: Michael Venutolo-Mantovani
Chevron Chevron to wishlist Priority
Start 24-Inch
Priority
The Priority Start fills the gap between children’s bikes and adult bikes and has everything you could ask for on a bike for an upper-elementary-age kid. The geometry of the bike promotes effective pedaling, and at roughly 23 pounds, it’s a lot lighter than most competitors. The Priority Start’s best features though are its components, starting with the hassle-free Gates belt drive. Often found on commuter bikes and ebikes, this carbon band takes the place of a chain but won’t rust over, crust up with dirt, or slip off. That belt drive connects to an internal hub gear with three speeds. This also helps avoid maintenance issues, though my 9-year-old daughter complains she’d a few more speeds. (It does seem the lowest gear could stand to go a little lower.)
The Priority Start is great for kids starting to take on longer rides commuting to school, occasions where its worry-free reliability is massively appreciated. My daughter has grown far more confident in her riding in the 8 months since she started on the Priority Start, which is the main thing you want from a bike bridging the gap between a traditional kids’ 20-inch bike and a standard adult 26-incher. —Martin Cizmar
Specs Age range 3 to 13 years Weight (24-inch) 23 lbs Frame material Aluminum Shifters Shimano Nexus 3-speed Brakes Hand-operated V brakes -
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Best Balance Bike
Courtesy of Strider
to wishlist Strider
12 Sport
Amazon
Walmart
Target
As a trained volunteer at my children’s elementary school, I have taught multiple (multiple!) children how to ride bikes, and the first step is simple. First, start with a balance bike, or a bike without pedals. Once they can push themselves off with feet on the ground, encourage them to balance and coast by jumping with two feet off the ground. (I suggest you do this by chasing after them and shouting, “Jump! Jump a bunny! Jump!”)
We have long since given this strider bike away, but this was my daughter’s, and then my son’s, first balance bike. It has a sturdy steel frame and grippy grips for slippery little paws. It can fit an inseam of 12 to 20 inches. The weight capacity as stated is 60 pounds, but a 165-pound dad may or may not have sat on this and wheeled around, and it was fine. We never did get around to doing this, but you can also add a foot brake so your child can stop if you push them down a steep hill.
Specs Age range 1 to 4 years Weight (12-inch) 6.7 lbs Frame material Steel Shifters None Brakes None
Compare Top Kids Bike Brands
| Bike Brand | Age Range | Weight | Frame Material | Shifters | Brakes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woom Explore | 18 mos to 14 years | For 24-inch: 20 lbs, 12 oz | Aluminum | MicroShift Trigger Shifter | ProMax hydraulic disc |
| Prevelo Alpha Two | 4 to 6 years | For the 12-inch: 12.1 lbs | Aluminum alloy | Single speed | Hand brakes with internal cables |
| Retrospec Dart | 6 to 11 years | For the 24-inch: 28 lbs, 4 oz | Steel | Shimano Revoshift twist | Hand-operated V brakes |
| Guardian Small Bike | 5 to 8 years | For the 20-inch: 20.7 lbs | Steel | Single speed | Guardian SureStop brakes |
| REI Co-op Rev Drt 24 | 8 to 12 years | For the 24-inch: 31 lbs | Aluminum | Shimano Tourney Revo | Tektro hydraulic disc |
| Priority Start | 3 to 13 years | For the 24-inch: 23 lbs | Aluminum | Shimano Nexus 3-speed | Hand-operated V brakes |
| Strider 12 Sport | 1 to 4 years | 6.7 lbs | Steel | None | None |
Honorable Mentions
Photograph: Adrienne So
Linus Roadster for $349: We tried the 20-inch Roadster and it’s a little kids’ bike, with coaster brakes and no gears. The reach is also a little far for a 7-year-old. However, it is a beautiful bike, with an aluminum alloy frame and gorgeous, vegan leather handlebar grips and seat. You also get a bell and a kickstand.
ByK E-450 for $191: This first pedal bike has an alloy frame that puts its weight at an insanely light 18 pounds. It’s also cheap for everything you get—a big saddle, a bell, and both coaster brakes and hand brakes.
Best Accessories
Getting the bike is the first step. Here are a few bike accessories my children use every day. For more accessories, check out our roundups to the Best Bike Helmets and Best Bike Lights.
Photograph: Michael Venutolo-Mantovani
Nüdl Unicorn Helmet with Mips for $60: Nüdl helmets come outfitted with Mips, which is an in-helmet system that protects against rotational impact and reduces the risk of concussion. For extra peace of mind, Nüdl helmets also have a new technology called Twiceme, which is a chip embedded in the helmet that can be accessed by simply tapping the helmet with a smartphone. There, friends, passersby, and even first responders can instantly access critical medical information such as emergency contacts, allergies, or essential medical notes in the event of a bike crash. Of course, my kids don’t really care about Mips or Twiceme. What they do care about were Nüdl’s fun and kid-friendly designs. —Michael Venutolo-Mantovani
Giro Fixture II Helmet for $75: We’ve tried pretty much every helmet out there. Style-wise, my kids tend to prefer the skateboard-style helmets, the Lil Linus ($69). But personally, for my own peace of mind, I prefer to put them into the Giro MI helmet, which is more comfortable and versatile for camping and mountain biking. The vents are bigger and it’s a little lighter.
Ottolock Sidekick lock for $36: Kids bikes do get stolen, but for little ones you might want to consider the tradeoffs in weight and cost. The Sidekick has three keys so you can give your child one to teach responsibility, keep one at home, and still have a spare on your own keyring. It also has a nice soft silicone cover which dramatically lessens the chances of your kid needing another tetanus shot.
Thousand Front Traveller Magnetic Bike Light for $35: Again, the considerations when purchasing bike lights for kids are different than when buying adult bike lights; my 8-year-old is not biking 12 miles in the dark at 25 mph without me. I want bike lights that are affordable and easy to take off and stash in a bag or pocket. This is my favorite light for my kids’ bikes, but if the bad reviews scare you, we also these. I also picked up a pack of these lights for your bike wheels from our neighbor, which are fun, if not that durable.
FAQs
How do you size a kids’ bike?
Bikes are expensive. It’s tempting to future-proof your purchase by buying a bike a size or two bigger, so that your kid won’t outgrow it quickly. Do not fall into this trap! Not only is it uncomfortable, it’s unsafe. How would you expect to control a bike that was two sizes too big for you?
Sizing by age range is also risky; for example, my 10-year-old daughter is half the size of some of her peers (sorry, sweetie). To find the correct size, you’ll either have to measure your kid’s height or their minimum inseam length. Children’s bikes are measured by wheel size, so a 12-inch bike refers to a bike with 12-inch wheels, and so forth. When you get the bike, see if your child can stand over the frame with flat feet comfortably on the ground. Make sure your child can get on and off easily and that their hands can reach the brakes and shifters if the bike has them.
What features should I look for?
- Brakes: Most kids start with coaster brakes, also known as pedal brakes. They let you stop by pedaling backward. An older kid might want hand brakes so they can pedal backward Mom or Dad. Rim brakes are cheaper, but a disc brake will help them stop faster.
- Shifters: Once your child is big enough to comprehend basic physics, an intuitive twist shifter will help them keep up with Mom or an older sibling. I can always hear my 8-year-old’s shifter frantically clicking behind me and his sister on our way to school.
- Suspension: Are you planning on dragging your kid mountain biking with you? Then you might be considering a bike with shocks. However, these will add considerable weight and expense to the bike. Kids are also usually light enough so suspension might not work. If you plan on doing a lot of off-road riding as a family, I would suggest prioritizing bigger wheels and better brakes first.
When should my kid get gears?
From personal experience, kids start wanting gears around 6 years old. This is about the age when their hands are big enough to get around the grip and shift. This is especially relevant if you bike in hilly terrain or as a family—they are really going to want to keep up with you. I recommend twist-grip shifters, on the Woom, for littler kids.
How much should a kids’ bike cost?
I think around $400 is a reasonable price for a brand-new kids’ bike. Do not get the cheapest brand-new bike at the big box store; I have done this before and ended up carrying tiny bikes to the nearest shop for replacement parts. There is a healthy secondary market for kids’ bikes that children have outgrown. You might want to check Craigslist, eBay, Facebook Marketplace, or ask your neighbors.
Should I get training wheels?
If you want to teach your little kid to ride a bike—especially one that’s trying desperately to keep up with an older sibling—it’s very tempting to just screw some training wheels on and figure that you’ll teach them later. It’s even more tempting because you don’t want your kid to get turned off riding bikes altogether.
However, if you’re a child that’s learned to bike with training wheels, it’s very frustrating to have them taken off and learn how to balance from scratch. I highly recommend skipping the training wheels entirely and letting your kid figure out that they can coast on two wheels all on their own. This video is a good summary of the process (although they call the bunny hop the “frog hop,” which I disapprove of, as bunnies are much cuter than frogs). A properly fitted bike also goes a long way to ensuring that your child feels comfortable.
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Adrienne So is a senior commerce editor for WIRED, where she reviews health and fitness gear. She graduated from the University of Virginia with bachelor’s degrees in English and Spanish and runs, rock climbs, and sings karaoke in her free time. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, two … Read More
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