Better quality construction, more durable, a lighter-weight aluminum frame, and a lower seat height to better fit the age of child the bike is meant for. This allows riders to easily shift their weight to maintain balance on uneven surfaces, jumps, curbs, etc. Wider and/or knobbier tires, as well as dual-hand brakes and no coaster brakes, also help little adventurers to maneuver safely through technical terrain. Small and lower-end kids’ bikes tend to have a single coaster brake.
Bike shop bikes, however, always come 100% assembled, tuned up, and come with a bike shop mechanic to help you keep it in top shape. With the purchase of an optional shorter seat post, the Hedgehog’s seat can be lowered to 17.5″, making it one of the smallest 16″ bikes on the market. The Cleary Owl, which is the 20-inch version of this bike, is sized like a larger 16 inch bike and is often a great fit for taller 4, 5 or 6-year-olds. If your neighborhood rider decides to get aggressive and take their love of riding off-road, the Revo’s all-terrain tires are ready for the job! If they happen to fall in love with the dirt, the Revo is also compatible with up to 2.1″ wide tires (1.5″ is standard). The 2022 update to the REV 16 was a big improvement over the previous version.
As a result, we much prefer bikes without coaster brakes and with responsive hand brakes that are easy for small hands to operate. Other bikes require a rider to lean forward to grip the handlebars, putting kids in a more aggressive position. These types of bikes are generally better for more experienced, adventurous riders who will be doing more aggressive riding. A bike’s frame design plays a major role in the overall feel and performance of a bike. Some bikes put a child in an upright position that feels very natural for beginning riders and is great for neighborhood riding. While bike shops have good quality bikes, they are often heavier and offer minimal features as compared to bikes available from child-specific bike manufacturers online.
Although both Mongoose and Schwinn are bike brands, we know Mongoose for its BMX bikes and the Schwinn for their excellent commuter and road bikes. If your child has already mastered pedaling, you should set the mongoose mountain bike bike’s seat about 2″ above the child’s inseam to allow for maximum efficiency while pedaling. Not every bike we test can make our Top 10, but here are a few honorable mention bikes you should also consider.
We surveyed 7 excellent mongoose bmx over the latter 2 years. You can also Narrow by size, model, frame size and gender or settle upon one of our Mongoose kids bike editorial picks. In the end, after testing over 30 different 16 inch bikes, we can confidently say that higher-end bikes are MUCH easier for kids to ride than budget bikes found at big-box stores. Higher-end bikes also typically have great resale values, with many re-selling for close to 70% of their MSRP.