SKL Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 My daughters are 5yo and currently still using 12-inch bikes (without the training wheels). Eldest is mostly reliable on the bike - she just forgets to use the brake sometimes. Youngest is still mastering balance and steering. Youngest is about average height for a 5yo while Eldest is more like a 4yo. So I'm curious - what size bikes do your kids of a similar age/size ride without training wheels? I was at Wal-Mart yesterday and no-training-wheel bikes seemed ridiculously big compared to my kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoundAbout Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 My son is 5 year and 3 months old and around 47 inches tall. He has consistently been above 95th percentile for height. We never did training wheels and just moved straight from a balance bike. DS is just about to move from a 16in to a 20in bike (we're trying again tomorrow). He could probably last just a tiny bit longer on the 16in but he rides 5+ miles regularly and we are trying to get him into a geared bike ASAP which means moving up a size. We are a pretty intense biking family :) Our bike sizing progression looked like: 2 yo birthday - First balance bike - 12 in 4 yo birthday - 16 in bike 5 yo birthday - 20 in 6 speed bike slightly too big. Again, this is for a very tall bike-adept boy. I would say a 16in bike would probably be ideal if your girls are average sized or less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoundAbout Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 BTW, I would try to avoid Walmart bikes if at all possible - you can often pick up some very nice used bikes of better quality and cheaper price. We picked up DS's 20in Trek for $45 at a used sporting good shop and will be selling his 16in Specialized (premium brand, top of the line kid's bike) on Craig's List for less than a department store bike. Also, I forgot to mention that nearly all 16in bikes will come with training wheels but its just a few wrench turns to take them off so don't let that be a factor on sizing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 V turned 6 in December and has been riding her 16inch without training wheels since last summer so she was solidly 5½. A (will turn 5 next month) learned to ride on the 12inch last fall so almost 4 ½. Hubby tried to help him move up to the 16inch a couple weeks ago and he couldn't do it. Well, he probably could, but between not being able to touch well, confidence, and fear, he *didn't* do it. He has time as no one is needing to move up to his bike at this time. I am hoping to take the training wheels off C's bike once school lets out. He'll be just turned four. We were just waiting on height (well, and hubby hates the work of taking pedals and such off just to put them back on a week or two later). IN the meantime, we slightly bend up the training wheels semi-regularly without him knowing. THat method backfired with my oldest son who had them completely V'd up but wouldn't ride without them; but we don't plan to rely on that method, so I hope it'll be okay. Oh, and all my kids are the shortest in their classes. All the last kid or 2nd to last kid in line for class pictures this Spring. When *I* was a kid, I learned to ride on a 20inch at six. Of course, I was fairly tall also. And did they even MAKE tiny bikes when I was a kid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkygirl Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 We are a biking family. We have a 22 mile ride next month, a 24 hour century (100 miles) at the end of summer and a full century in the early fall. Little One is 15 months, 30 inches tall and yesterday wanted a 12 inch balance bike. She can climb onto it and straddle the bar and walk the bike but is not tall enough to sit on the seat. We're looking into it for Christmas. Older kids bike history 12 inch bikes with training wheels - pedal brakes progressed to 16 inch with training wheels, then no training wheels - pedal brakes progressed to 20 inch, no training wheels, hand brakes progressed to 24 inch, gears and hand brakes 20 inch is the decision factor point...at that stage based on the child's abilities you can get a bike with or without hand brakes. Also, almost all 16 inch bikes come with training wheels which can easily be removed since many parents don't start their kids on two wheel bikes at the 12 inch size. Take little one to a reputable bike shop and have them fit him for a bike. Ours has an entire ruler on the wall with what height of child is, what size bike will work and what options are in that size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 I think the biggest thing is to make sure they can put both feet down when stopped. If they can do that - the bike is probably just fine :) Also - as for "non-training wheel bikes" - both of mine had bikes w/ training wheels - and then we took the training wheels off. These same bikes got used for about, oh, a year or so after that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mycalling Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Our DS turns 5 on Friday and we are taking him to Toys R Us to pick out a 16" bike. We'll be taking the training wheels off immediately as he doesn't need them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 The rule for how big a bike is that they should be able to sit on the seat, and have at least the balls of their feet touch the ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MistyMountain Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 (edited) My dd started riding at 4.5 and she fit on a 12" bike. She still fits on that size at 5.5. She can't fit on a 16" bike yet. At least I don't think she can she was pretty far off at the end of biking season. She is on the bottom of the height and weight charts. DS started riding without training wheels before 3 and I could only find one bike that got close to fitting him in town and they had to cut the seat a little so he could fit. It is a 12" bike but it shorter than most other 12" bikes. They started on a 10" balance bike which they didn't fit on until 2.5. I can't wait until the snow melts so they can start riding again. Edited March 25, 2012 by MistyMountain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted March 25, 2012 Author Share Posted March 25, 2012 Sounds like 16" is the biggest my 5.5yo should go at this point. I'm thinking of 18" for the younger once she is pretty good at riding (she can practice on her sister's 16" until then). I was hoping to go right into 20" this year, but I must have been over-enthusiastic. I just hope the ones I buy this year will be useable for several years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 DD (just turned 5) is on a 14 inch bike. Walmart has it as a new size, they said. She fits it great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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