Hand to heart: as passionate bikers, sooner or later after the birth of our own children, we must deal with the question: When is my child ready for their first bike? With EARLY RIDER kids bikes, getting started in cycling is easy and fun! We’ll give you tips on how to find the right EARLY RIDERr bike for your child, and what to look for when choosing your first balance bike, and later on, the right bike.
Size Guide
Kid-friendly ergonomics naturally start with the right size of balance bike or traditional bike. The following age and size recommendations provide an initial idea as to which size might fit the child in question. The decisive factor here is the size of the wheels. The younger and smaller the child, the smaller the wheel diameter.
| Size in cm: | 90 | 100 | 110 | 120 | 130 | 140 | 150 | 160 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SuperPly Lite 12" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SuperPly Classic 14"/12" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SuperPly Bonsai 12" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Charger 12" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Big Foot 12" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Belter 14" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Belter 16" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Belter 20" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Belter 24" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seeker 14" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seeker 16" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seeker X 16" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seeker 20" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seeker 24" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hellion 16" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hellion 20" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hellion 24" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hellion X20" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hellion X24" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Age in years: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | |||||||||||
| SuperPly Lite 12" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| SuperPly Classic 14"/12" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| SuperPly Bonsai 12" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Charger 12" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Big Foot 12" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Belter 14" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Belter 16" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Belter 20" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Belter 24" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seeker 14" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seeker 16" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seeker X 16" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seeker 20" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seeker 24" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hellion 16" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hellion 20" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hellion 24" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hellion X20" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hellion X24" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Determine the correct size: Measure inner leg length
To get a more detailed picture, you should measure your child’s inside leg length. It helps to check whether the kids bike you have in mind fits not only in terms of wheel size, but overall. To measure your child’s inside leg length, proceed in the same way as with an adult:
EARLY RIDER Balance Bikes
Opt for an EARLY RIDER balance bike instead of training wheels!
Unlike a few years ago, the process of learning to ride a bike has changed drastically for youngsters. In the past, training wheels were considered to be the ultimate aid for starting out in the world of cycling, but these usually rickety “stabilisers” on the rear wheel have quite rightly fallen into disrepute: training wheels inhibit your child’s motor development process when learning to ride a bike, as they cannot learn to keep their balance.
For the right introduction to the world of cycling, kids balance bikes from EARLY RIDER are ideal. They are suitable almost from the moment that children can walk. They are built like the EARLY RIDER kids bikes - only without pedals. Instead, the child kicks their feet off the ground to move forward. On an EARLY RIDER balance bike, your child learns very quickly to use their feet for propulsion or braking manoeuvres. They learn to keep their balance on the two-wheeled vehicle, which is prone to tipping at first, and to change direction using their arms and hands on the handlebars.
From what age can a child ride a balance bike?
Many children start on a balance bike for the first time at the age of 2. This depends, of course, on how big they are and how developed their motor skills are. Suitable balance bikes for the first contact have small twelve-inch wheels. They offer a good compromise between rolling characteristics and low overall height of the entire balance bike. That’s why size recommendations for starting on a balance bike settle at 32-34 cm inside leg length. Already useful in this phase of development: pneumatic tyres. They dampen vibrations to a certain extent, making it easier for little ones to hold onto the handlebars securely even on uneven surfaces - and they roll well. For this reason, all EARLY RIDER balance bikes only have pneumatic tyres.
EARLY RIDER Bikes
From what age can my child ride an EARLY RIDER bike?
The time your child can start riding a real bike simply depends on their physical ability and motor skills. These are not the same for every child, and certainly not always at the same age: they must be able to keep their balance on the bike, and their upper body and arms must be long enough to be able to steer and brake the bike safely. Also, your child's legs must be long enough to be able to pedal and support themselves. The earliest possible entry into the world of pedals is when switching from a balance bike to a 14-inch bike, as the size difference is then quite small. However, you must be aware that your child may quickly outgrow the 14-inch bicycle, depending on their ability. So it may be a good idea to let your child ride a balance bike for a while until they are big enough to ride a 16-inch bike.
