How to Fit a Kid for a Bicycle

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With children's bikes, size is crucial to safety. A bike that is the wrong size can be hard for the child to properly control, making an accident and injury more likely. This is particularly true when the bicycle is too large. Children should go with their parents to pick out a bike so that they can be fit with the best bicycle for their body size.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Step 1

Have your child sit on the bicycle with his hands on the handlebars and feet on the ground. If the bike is the right size, the balls of your child's feet should touch the ground. If your child can place his whole foot flat on the ground, the bike is too small. The bike is too big if your child's feet cannot touch the ground at all.

Step 2

Check to see whether your child can easily and comfortably squeeze the hand brakes, if the bike is equipped with them. If your child has difficulty operating the hand brakes, the bike is too large.

Step 3

Instruct your child to stand up over the center bar of the bicycle. Your child should be able to stand with her feet flat on the ground without the center bar touching her. There should be one inch of space between the center bar and your child's crotch area.

Tips & Warnings

Coaster brakes are easier for young children to operate than hand brakes.

Children should always wear a properly fitted bicycle helmet whenever they ride.

Article Written By Rose Kivi

Rose Kivi has been a writer for more than 10 years. She has a background in the nursing field, wildlife rehabilitation and habitat conservation. Kivi has authored educational textbooks, patient health care pamphlets, animal husbandry guides, outdoor survival manuals and was a contributing writer for two books in the Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Series.

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