Buying advice: Which children's bike is right for you?

Bittl Radgeber Junior: Find the perfect bike for your child!

Choosing the first bike for your offspring is not only an event for children! Parents, too, are mighty proud when their little biker takes his first riding attempts with shining eyes. Apart from the fact that riding a bike trains the sense of balance, motor skills and muscles, your child also learns how to behave properly in traffic. But before it comes to riding training, the kiddos first need their own bike. The purchase of a children's bike can quickly become overwhelming, because there is a large selection and a lot to consider: age-appropriate equipment (frame, fork, rear derailleur or number of gears, braking system, pedals), ideal size and a cool look are important, but of course the bike purchase should not break your budget.

In the following guide, we at Sport Bittl give you a few useful tips on buying children ' s bikes for carefree biking experiences for your little ones.

Wheels, for example from Puky, have smaller inch units (8 or 10 inches). Starting at a size of 12 inches, bicycle manufacturers such as Winora, Scott, Bergamont and Ghost then larger wheels with pedals, which are ideal as an entry-level bike for children.

Thesaddle and handlebars of a children's bike are adjustable in height, so that they can be optimally adapted to the current height of your junior. As a result, you may well be surprised when buying a new bike because your child may be able to skip a bike size.

Good to know: Because the anatomy of children in the same age group can vary significantly, you should base your decision on your little cyclist's current height rather than his or her current age.

By the way: There are also a few bicycle manufacturers who use the stride length for the size specification. But how do you determine the stride length of your son or daughter? That's super easy!

Place your child straight on the floor, clamp a book between his or her legs and push it up as far as possible (i.e. to where the saddle would rest). Then simply measure from the floor to the top of the book with the tape measure and you already know the stride length of your junior!

Basically, it should be noted that your child will have an easier time on a smaller bike. The smaller the bike, the less weight it has and the easier it is to maneuver. If the bike is too big, your child might have trouble finding the perfect balance, which in turn could affect safety on the bike - and especially reduce the fun right from the start.

But what else should you consider so that you find the right wheel? The wheel should:

• bethe right size
• have a soft grip/handlebar with padding and a narrow saddle
• be equippedwith wide tires

And what to consider in terms of the size of the wheel? For "real" bikes with pedals of older children behave differently than the running wheels. It is said that the balls of the feet should reach the ground when the kids sit on the saddle, so there is a safe feeling during the ascent and descent. This is true at least at the very beginning. After a while, the saddle height can then be adjusted so that the balls of the feet comfortably reach the pedals.

If your child's feet do not touch the ground securely when he or she stops, it can be dangerous. Therefore, it is not recommended to buy a bike to "grow into". In addition, the thighs should at most be able to be pulled up into a horizontal position when pedaling.

Note that a child's bike should be light , because a child often weighs only a few kilograms more than his or her bike. The bike should be no more than half the weightof your child's body. In addition, bicycle handlebars and gr ips as well as hand brakes should be optimally accessible for children's hands and comfortable and safe to grasp.

Conclusion: Basically, you can't say across the board at what age a child is ready for its first bike . On average, you can assume an age between 3 and 4 years, but since the physical development and motor skills vary depending on the child, you should observe your offspring and assess for yourself when the right time is to switch from a running bike to a children's bike.

You need advice? Our bike experts at Sport Bittl will be happy to help you find the right children's bike on our bike hotline at +49 89 89219 -193. Or you can just drop by one of our stores! There, our Sport Bittl bike professionals will advise you personally and you can even try out the kids' bikes on site.

You can find a large selection of trendy children's bikes here.

Opinions also differ on the subject of training wheels. There are bicycle experts who argue that a child's sense of balance is already well-developed through his or her running bike practice and that he or she can therefore do without training wheels. Nevertheless, some manufacturers supply their children's bikes with additional training wheels to be mounted. But ultimately it is important how comfortable and safe your child feels on the bike - with or without training wheels.

As is so often the case here: Less is more! Many things are gadgets, which are "nice to have", but for the cycling adventure of your child has no absolute influence. Nevertheless, some accessories, such as the bicycle helmet, is indispensable for the safety of your junior!

And for a cool look on the bike, of course, the matching outfit must not be missing! Colorful bike outfitssuch as safety vests, cycling gloves, cycling shorts and cycling jerseys for trend-conscious kids from renowned cycling experts such as Ziener, Vaude and Scott can be found at Sport Bittl.