I absolutely love biking. As a kid, it was my first taste of freedom. As long as I called from my ending point or was home on time, I could ride for as long as I wanted. I loved riding to friends houses, to downtown via the coastal trail and eventually started mountain biking after a boyfriend in high school introduced me to all of the amazing single track in our area. Naturally, when I became a mother, I did all my errands with them on my bike and then with in the first week of them walking, they were on their first balance bike!
Now, the balance bikes are long gone, and while I still ride them around on our electric “mini van” bike, I try and get them on their own bikes as much as possible. Thankfully there are many amazing kid bikes out there that are light and easy to maneuver. Even my oldest, who would rather take in the sights as slowly as possible loves his mountain bike because as he says “it goes up and over the rocks so easily!” Between my husband who is also a bike fanatic, myself and now our two boys, our garage looks like a bike shop. With seats, parts and bikes all over, many people ask us if we have a family bike racing team. “Not yet but it’s the dream!” – I reply.
Below is a brief review of our favorite kids bikes that got both of our kids excited about biking including some tips on how to get your kids out the door and onto their bikes, because in all of our experiences once they are actually in motion and pedaling, they always thank me for getting them out and on their bikes!
Best Balance Bike:
Woom 1 / $249
Among multiple balance bike options, both of my boys reached for their Woom 1 the most. With a low swooping frame, easy to grip handle bars and a front brake to practice with, this bike taught my boys how to handle a bike before they could walk up stairs. It’s ultra light frame (only 6.6 pounds!) is also not only really nice for the rider, but extremely easy for the parent to strap on to their bike, or even carry it in a backpack to the local pump track. Our Woom 1 is still alive in our neighbor hood and is now on its 5th toddler. It shows no sign of wear and tear after many sidewalk, dirt and towing miles – and absolutely NO maintenance from any of the parents. This thing is amazing and hands down my first pick when any one asks me for advice on what balance bike to get.
Best first pedal bike
Woom 2 / $399
After the Woom 1, it was a natural progression to the Woom 2 as it felt very familiar and was an easy transition from a balance bike to a pedal bike. The Woom 2 has the same swooping frame and is super light as well but it has two hand brakes, bigger tires (14”) and the handle bars are a little different but are very easy to adjust as the kiddo grows. While we did test a few other pedal bikes, they were again not as popular as the Woom. I believe this is because the Wooms are lighter and because we started them on the Woom 1, they felt safer and more comfortable on the same looking (and feeling) bike.
The next step UP
When us parents and our boys (but really the parents!) were ready for some more dirt and single track, we went looking for something with bigger tires and a bit more forgiveness over the bumps. Below are our top picks for single track, dirt and rocky trails!
Best Dirt Jumper/ Pump Track Bike.
Prevelo Bravo /$999
Prevelo is a great company that specializes in kid bikes and genuinely loves seeing and hearing from actual kids (not the parents). They are constantly studying, taking in feedback and upgrading their bikes to fit the needs of kids. I have experienced this first hand and think it’s so rad and unfortunately is rare.
This bike is still in use by my youngest. He absolutely loves it. It is marketed as a dirt jumper and that is how he rides it! It comes with a Heir fork with 60 mm of travel and a carbon lower as well as HEIR alloy handle bars. The Kenda tires are super cushy and big with good grip. While my 5 year old has had a few wipe outs, it’s mostly been due to us figuring out the right tire pressure depending on what terrain he’s riding. We have yet to take it off actual jumps, but he rides around the pump track with amazing confidence on his Bravo, especially when we compare it to his other “street bikes”. He really loves the low seat for the big downhills and the “little jumps”. While it is heavier than the Wooms (16.8 pounds vs 13 pounds), the geometry and the extra beefy tires are worth it for the dirt and the jumps! This bike will be in use for a LONG time, as it’s so much fun, even my oldest loves riding/ kick biking around on it!
Best bikes for both Dirt and Pavement
Prevelo Zulu Two / $649
This bike is a great hybrid between a street and a mountain bike. It works for our rides around town and for the single track. When we are out at our cabin, we have a mix of both paved trails and single track, so this is the bike us parents always reach for. It is light weight and the geometry is great for both climbing up the hills and for bombing down them. The geometry of this bike keeps our little ripper low, which helps his confidence, especially on the corners (which we have a lot of here in Bend!). At 17.5 pounds, the bike is easy to handle and gives him a little more weight than the Wooms to work with. If you want just one bike that does both pavement and dirt, this is my ultimate choice.
Specialized Jett bike / $369.99
For another hybrid style bike that is designed to grow with your child, this bike is a great option. Specialized, despite it being such a big company is known for its innovation and out of the box thinking. I thought that perhaps this thinking would bypass the kids bikes, but luckily it didn’t. The Jett is fully adjustable for growing kids, the handlebars, cranks and seat post are all very easy to adjust in order to get an optimal pedaling position. My youngest loved it on on both our backyard bumpy dirt road and on all the paved streets in our neighborhood. Specialized also has great warranty, so if something happens they will help either send a brand new bike or they work with many bike stores and mechanics to get the job done.
Best Mountain Bike
TrailCraft BlueSky / $1,299- 1,999
I wrote a stand alone review on this bike because I was so excited about it. And after one full year with it, the excitement bar has only been raised. The attention to detail they put into their bikes and the customer service is by far the best. A month ago, Max’s dropper seat post broke. We thought it was because it was a cheap dropper, turns out after a quick email it was a user error and with in three days we had the small piece and a set of instructions on how to fix it. My favorite part of the bike is the way it fits my oldest perfectly and has grown along with him for the past year. I have watched both his skill and confidence grow on technical trails. His down hill skills are amazing (and even better than many adults!). And while his climbing skills could get better, he’s also seven and has absolutely no interest in pedaling up hill. However, towing him, is super easy and it’s cool to know we can climb some pretty bumpy roads with him on tow and not worry one bit!
Also Max, granted is small for his age and is still looking good on the 20in Trailfork, but I have seen taller kids rock this bike out for at least three years as it’s easy to put on a longer stem, raise the seat, etc. We will be upgrading to the 24 inch eventually but overall, this bike is still working great with very little maintenance on our end. It comes with a bigger price tag than some may be used to, but it’s very worth it and they keep their value!
Tips on how to get your kids out the door and on their bikes
For many kids, getting them outside pedaling around is not an issue at all. If anything sometimes it’s how to get them off their bikes and inside for dinner! This was me, and is my youngest. However for our oldest son, getting him out and on a biking adventure can be hard. Once we get him out and moving, he always thanks me but it’s that first transition that is difficult for him and us. Below are what we do when both or either kid is dragging their feet when the biking adventure requires a drive. Getting them to ride from the hood we find is the easiest, but many times we also want to go out to the trail heads.. which require a bit more coaxing!
1) Geocashing: We LOVE geocashing, it is a really fun activity that gets kids (and adults) out exploring new areas. If you have not done it yet and you have kids, get on it. Just download the geocash app and see what is near you. I am sure there is one very close to your house! Remember to bring some trinkets to put in when your kiddo takes something. We use often will find a geocash bike or hiking trail that has a ton on them. It gets our kids out there door and ready to go super fast.
2) Treats: I know many adults don’t like this, but hey – each to their own. We use special gummies and other fun snacks on our own long bike rides to help us keep our energy high and even to motivate us to GO on our bike rides and runs! Food can be fun and if you frame it right, for example “energy food” is special and helps us keep our energy high and muscles happy while riding. It’s not for sitting around or for hanging out.
3) Use “This is what we are doing for right now, afterwards we can come right back to what you are doing” Or ” we are going to go out and move our bodies together – it’s healthy and fun for our bodies to ride!” Both of these statements work well with my boys because they still LOVE to hang out with us (I hope this is always the case!) and our oldest is super into being healthy and doing what is good for his body. Finding statements that are both true and you know will tap into what they are into are always helpful and motivating.
These are the three main ones we use when going out on bike adventures, especially when the adventures require a little drive to the trails.