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When it comes to buying a kids bike, you may wonder how much should kids bikes cost? The cost can vary greatly depending on the brand, model and features.
One note is that the prices below are related to the original MSRP of a bike, which may be different than your purchase price. There is a lot of value in checking the used bicycle market.
Also, smaller children's bikes (of course) generally cost less. A balance bike will probably cost less than a 16" wheel bike, which in turn costs less than a 20", 24" and 26" kids bike.
Lower-priced kids bikes: under $250 MSRP
You can find perfectly functional bikes in this price range. These kids bikes are typically made with less expensive (and heavier) materials and may have poorer quality components compared to higher-priced models. They are going to be heavier due to frame and component construction, and thus slower to accelerate and harder to get up hills. Frames are usually made of high-tensile steel (Of course hills may not be a concern for you and your kid, and this is okay.) Depending on the model, the brakes may not work as well either. You may not receive professional assembly. You also may not need it! Kids are resilient, and nearly any bike is a good bike. And if your kid loves riding, you may know that you can invest more in a bike in the future.
Some brands in this tier are Huffy, Kent, Razor, and Schwinn. Decathalon also sells some bikes in this price range that look better than the rest.
Mid-priced kids bikes: $250-500 MSRP
In this price range, you'll find a wide range of kids bikes. These are typically made with better-performing materials such as chromoly steel or aluminum. These frames will be lighter and easier for your child to lift and handle. And it'll weigh less so your child's pedaling will more directly translate into better acceleration and braking. They'll typically have better brakes and other components. They may have a derailleur and a gear cassette or an internal hub so that your kid can shift and either go faster or easier pedal from a stop or up hills.
Some bikes brands in the lower end of this range are from the big manufacturers: Trek, Giant, Specialized, Cannondale. Guardian makes bikes for kids with an interesting SureStop braking system that applies braking power to both wheels when one of the brake levers is pulled. REI offers some nice bikes in this range also.
A note about Guardian bikes and their SureStop technology:
The system appears to work by connecting a rear brake pad to the front brake arms via a cable. There is no lever on the handlebars for the front brake, only the rear. When the rear brake is engaged, the pad slides forward a little bit, which pulls the cable of the front brake and squeezes the front brake arms together. This way, the front brake only engages when the rear brake is already stopping the bike. It's a neat way to get extra stopping power from a single brake lever.
Higher-end bike brands within this range are Woom, Priority, Pello, Cleary, Frog, Vitus, Prevelo, Islabikes (we had one, other friends as well), and the Specialized Jett line. These bikes are much lighter than their counterparts. They are more fun to ride. Bikes like the Wooms also have provisions that work better for kids and their small hands: the levers are easier to reach, and the cranks are shorter to match shorter legs.
We have many friends who have children who ride Woom bikes. They are great bikes. We also know many children who ride Cleary bikes. The Cleary bikes are a little different - slightly more aggressive geometry and they look like they would be more comfortable off-road than the Wooms. They are more "classic" looking, and made of steel. The single-speed version of the 20" is a little limiting, because many kids are at the point where they "graduate" to gears. I recommend getting the 3-speed version if you have the choice.
We also have friends who own Frog bikes. These are also great - well-built and with good components.
And we used to own an Islabikes bike. It was fantastic - lightweight and with nice components. We hope to get another in the future as our kid grows into the next size up.
Expensive kids bikes: $500+ MSRP
At the higher end of the spectrum, you will find kids bikes that are priced over $500. These are typically specialty bikes that are very lightweight or high-performing mountain bikes. They open up a lot of opportunities to novice and experienced riders alike, but come with a high price tag. Some of these bikes are ridiculously light for easy maneuverability and easy acceleration and braking. A claim made by high-end kids bike manufacturers is that nicer bikes hold their value for resale, and I think this is partly true.
Some bikes and brands in this range are Spawn, the Woom Off and Woom Now (cargo bikes for kids!) series, the Prevelo Zulu.
Used kids bikes
Another option is to consider buying a used kids bike. You can pay a lot less, but it's important to make sure it's in good working condition before your child rides it. I personally prefer to buy used, as you can get a lot more bike for your money compared to new. And I know my kid will bang up and scratch up the bike pretty much immediately. Having said that, there are a lot of bikes out there that don't get much use, and then the kid grows too big for it. So you can find something in like-new condition at a used price fairly often.
Where to buy used kids bikes? I personally look at Craigslist, Facebook marketplace. Also, families in the neighborhood often share kids bikes when children outgrow theirs.
So how much does a used kids bike cost?
There's a lot of variation here. Some people sell for a low price or give a bike away because they just want it to end up in a good home. Others are looking to recover as much of their original investment as possible. Based on my experience, I'd expect that fairly new kids bikes sell for around 75% of their original purchase price. Older bikes maybe 50-75% if in good condition. Bikes with more scratches and signs of use will of course often be listed for less.
Thank you
The cost of kids bikes can vary greatly depending on the brand, model and features. Consider what your child needs for their kids bike and what you can afford. A lower-priced bike will probably be perfectly functional, while a more expensive bike may be more enjoyable to ride and thus promote more of a love for cycling.
When I’ve bought bikes for my kids I had no idea how much I needed to spend to get a decent bike. So, I’ve put together the following summary of what I discovered.
So, how much should I spend on a kids bike? If you buy a kids bike from a high street retailer you can expect to pay between £50 and £250 depending on the age of your child. A specialist kids bike brand you will cost between £180 and £500. If you want a specialist bike for either heavy duty off-road riding or on-road racing you can expect to pay around £1000.
A lot depends on age of the child and the quality of the bike. Dividing the market into standard and premium kids bicycles and then looking at age groups within each you can get a feel for prices.
Standard
Very young kids (2-4): £50
Young kids (5-7): £100-200
Older kids (8+): £150-250
Premium
Very young kids (2-4): £170
Young kids (5-7): £300
Older kids (8+): £500
So prices for a new bike range from £50 to over £1000, depending what age your child is and what you’re looking for. Some children want a bike to take their dollies to the park. Others want to be able to go on all day adventures in the wilderness with the family. Clearly, these requirements result in very different buying choices and consequently different prices. There’s more detail about each bike type and their prices below.
Some of the difference in kids bikes comes from the fact that they’re designed for different age children. But aside from this obvious point, they also have different features. As children get older they might want to have a bike they can “throw around” and do jumps so a BMX style bike is ideal. They may want to ride to school so having gears mudguards would be more important. Different general bike groups are;
Broadly, this list is in ascending age order but it’s unlikely that any individual child will have all styles of bike. A typical sequence might be something like this:
When it comes to buying a bike for a child it’s worth paying special attention to a few things.
As with anything quality varies. A cheap bike will be kitted out with cheaper finishing kit. This is the stuff that’s attached to the bike. So, brakes might be stiffer, grips less comfortable, gears not so reliable etc. Importantly some of the premium kids bike brands also make their own scaled down components. This means that not only are they easier to operate but they fit the size and geometry of a child. When it comes to building a child’s confidence, components that work well are an important thing to think about.
Sometimes we all play mental gymnastics to feel comfortable spending a lot of money on an item. That being said, there are legitimate arguments for spending a lot on a kids bike.
A cheap balance bike from a high street retailer will be in the region of £50. This will have pneumatic tyres, a rear lever brake and be pretty decent for a small child.
A premium model from a kids bike specialist is £170. This will have better bearings, be lighter, more adjustability to get a good position and will have a better build quality.
When a child out-grows a balance bike or is ready to start pedalling, its time to get a bike with pedals. The age at which this happens will vary but most children will probably do this at about 2-3 years old. A cheap high street toddler bike is likely to cost about £75. At this age bikes often tend to be themed. So, anything from a Paw Patrol to a Disney Princess themed bikes are possible. Most bikes at this age tend to also come with stabilisers (or training wheels), baskets, streamers and all sorts of fun accessories so there’s no additional costs. A high end toddler bike will be about £290. Mudguards and any other accessories are extra so you need to budget an extra £50 for them if you want to go that route.
A 20 inch bike without gears from a high street retailer is typically about £100. If you want to add 5-6 gears then you can add about £30 to this figure. A premium kids bike with 5 gears will set you back about £390. As with all the premium bike prices here, if you want extras like mudguards or a rack then you need to add £25-£50.
A BMX is a robust, solid bike that is designed to take the rough and tumble of a child’s life. A cheap BMX can be picked up at a high street retailer for under £100. If you are looking for something with a little bit more performance then you can get the a premium brand for about £350-£400.
A kids mountain bike is more complex than the types of bikes we’ve looked at so far. It typically has front suspension, gears and beefier tyres. High street retailers offer kids MTB from about £150. A premium kids MTB can cost up to about £800.
High street retailers don’t seem to sell kids-specific racing bikes. So by the time children get to the age they need one, you can just buy a small adult racing bike. These can be picked up at high street retailers for about £150-£200. Premium kid-specific road bikes can be bought and they typically cost about £500.
Buying a second hand bike rather than a brand new one is an obvious way of saving money. There are many potential pitfalls with buying a second hand bike:
Three key areas; weight, set up and ease of movement make a huge difference to the overall enjoyment of a kids bike. If you want to save money, getting a light bike that can be set up properly, that’s free rolling is the way to go. Most cheap bikes are made of steel, if you can get one that’s made of lighter, aluminium then do. Also you need to be able to set the handlebars, brakes, saddle up so that the child can operate everything efficiently and is comfortable. This means looking for a bike with reach adjustment on the brake levers and an adjustable handlebar stem. “Free rolling” is a difficult thing to measure but bear in mind that extra weight in the wheel (tyre) really impacts a kid’s ability to get a static bike moving. So, if you can get slimmer tyres (say 30mm across) then kids will be self sufficient much quicker than with big bulky “balloon” tyres.
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