With a front suspension fork and 4-inch-wide tires, Aventon’s Sinch folding e-bike broadens the types of terrain on which you can ride your folding e-bike. A 500-watt motor gives you the power and torque needed to climb hills, and a throttle gives you the option of not pedaling at all. The REV 12 also gets high marks for what may be an even easier assembly than the Strider. Turn the handlebar into the correct position, tighten it down with the included Allen wrench, and adjust the seat post height, and your child is ready to roll. A properly fitted balance bike can enable children to balance on two wheels even as young as 18 months and is a fun first step toward learning to ride a bike. If you’re not sure what size of bike is right for your child then we have plenty of information on the product pages about the heights that would be most appropriate for the chosen bike and the features that have been built into the design.
Folding bikes, not surprisingly, have become increasingly popular among urban commuters, frequent travelers, and apartment-dwellers—all the kinds of riders who might have limited storage space. Cannondale’s $225 Trail Balance bike (it comes in boys’ and girls’ versions, which are identical apart from the colors) is unique, with its single-sided lefty-style fork, made famous on Cannondale’s big mountain bikes. The Woom’s beautifully cast aluminum forks are attached to a unique steering limiter, which is little more than a strap and a thick O-ring bushing. The limiter offers progressively greater resistance once the handlebar approaches a 90-degree angle, preventing the rider from making jarring and potentially over-the-handlebar stops. When your kid no longer needs it, simply pop off the O-ring and let it dangle.
With origins dating back to the early 20th century, these transformer-style bicycles have come a long way in terms of design and functionality. Today, they provide a practical solution for those who want to combine cycling with public transportation, or simply save space in their living or work environment. Often, with a folding bike, you can unobtrusively bring it into many places that otherwise wouldn’t allow bicycles inside. If our top pick is sold out, or if you want the cushioning and traction of rubber tires, particularly for indoor riding or bumpy surfaces, the REI Co-op Cycles REV 12 Kids’ Balance Bike is an excellent choice. Even though it usually costs $30 more than the Strider, we liked the bike’s Strider-like geometry, its ease of assembly, light weight, wheel setup, and relatively low price, as well as REI’s reputation.
In addition, the padded seat is designed to be a little farther back and with a lower center of gravity. No, you won’t get the ultra-compact folded size of a bike with 16- or 20-inch wheels, but the bike will still pack down huffy scout bike much smaller than a traditional bike, and will fit easily into your trunk. A pivot point on the seat stay allows the back of the bike to fold toward the front in one move; just remove the front wheel and it’s ready to stow.
River, who is 3 and a proficient balance biker, took to our fleet with enthusiasm. This 24” cruiser bike in blue, has a stylish design and great features! Smooth-riding black cruiser tires with white sidewalls, provide a great look. The style and the comfort of this 24” Huffy Cranbrook Cruiser, makes this bicycle one great ride!
This is desirable for a more customized fit and will help keep your child’s knees clear of the handlebars as legs lengthen. The 14x also features smooth and shock-absorbing air-filled, semi-knobby tires on lightweight 16-spoke alloy rims. It has a removable footrest, and its wheelbase gives it plenty of speed and stability for medium- to bigger-size kids. For our experienced 6-year-old rider, Luke, it was a cinch to bunny hop. It also was nearly assembled right down to its pre-attached wheels, which were perfectly tightened so they spun freely without any play.
With Strider’s excellent step-by-step instructions (here’s a video), buildout was a simple, 10-minute matter of slipping on a few nylon washers at the headset, sliding on a self-aligning clamp, and inserting and tightening the handlebar assembly. Some beach cruiser bikes come with additional accessories like cup holders, baskets, headlights, cellphone holders, bells, and more. Others don’t come with any, but you can usually purchase and fit most of these afterward if you feel that your beach cruiser bike is incomplete without them. When choosing the best beach cruiser bikes, we first spoke with Jeffrey Palter, owner of Cycle Loft bicycle shop, and Chad Buchanan, owner of BiKASE, a bicycle accessories manufacturer. They shared their expert opinion on the important features every beach cruiser bike should have.
Rich Scherr is a seasoned journalist who has covered technology, finance, sports, and lifestyle. Ravi Davda is a certified personal trainer with nearly 10 years of experience in the fitness and wellness industry. Ravi has worked with a range of personal training clients both in-person and online.
Firmstrong’s Bella Fashionista Single Speed Bike is our choice for a sturdy, well-designed, single-speed beach cruiser bike. We love the wide range of bright hues, especially because Firmstrong adds an extra pop of color to the rims. The extended frame is made from durable steel, to better suit taller riders. SixThreeZero’s EvryJourney Step-Through Bike is our other top pick because it’s designed to go just about anywhere. It features wider tires, which makes it great for riding on different types of terrain, including rougher trails.