The Huffy saddle is longer and more narrow, which bothered our 8-year-old tester. Size is the most important feature to get right when choosing a bike for your child. Unfortunately, one of the primary difficulties with bikes under $100 is that they aren’t built in the right proportions for a child. The positioning of the handlebars can also make quite a difference. When the handlebars are too high, it limits overall control and maneuverability. Both Huffy and Dynacraft are a little cramped but aren’t the worst offenders we’ve seen by far.
Summer biking for the beginner will involve training wheels. Whatever bike you get, make sure the training wheels are strong. The last thing you want to dynacraft klds-on toys happen is for the training wheels to go out on your child while he or she is biking. That’s a recipe for them never wanting to get on the bike again.
Bikes under $100 are easy on the pocket book, but not always the easiest and safest to ride. The Kent Chaos is your best bet for a boy’s bike in this price range. If you’re interested in checking out mid and high-end bikes, read our Kids’ Bikes Comparison Charts and Recommendations page.
The worst offender here is the Kent Chaos, which is a beast in the weight department. Dynacraft sent us a bike to test out which is perfect timing. It’s an 18″ Next Surge Boys’ BMX Bike in Black and Green. The helmet is not included and some assembly is required. I think my husband assembled it within 30 minutes or so, but he’s usually handy and he makes it look easy. It also comes with training wheels which my son still needs.
Road bikes are made with a lightweight frame and aerodynamic seating position. The mountain bikes have sturdy frames and rugged brakes. You can go for hybrid bikes that can be used on roads and on tough terrains. The other models include cruisers, folding and specialty bicycles. If you are looking to upgrade your kiddo’s bike or buying them their first, we have options here too. Choose from tricycles, balance, transitional or pedal bikes.
With a 993 mm wheelbase, kids have room to spread out for an efficient, comfy ride. Now, we don’t want to harp on how much better a $300 boy’s bike is, but we do just want to make sure that you know what you’re giving up when you decide to go for a bike under $100 – just to set expectations. Hanna Horvath is a personal finance reporter based in New York City. She currently writes for Policygenius and her work has appeared in Business Insider, MSN, Inc Magazine and more.
Its mid-rise handlebars allowed their arms to extend properly and maintain proper control of the bike. Although this bike is by far the heaviest, if you have a confident rider, at this price point the smooth ride outweighs the heaviness. However, if you have a timid rider, heavy bikes will always be more difficult for them to get and maintain balanced.
I hope this year, he will practice enough so he will have the confidence to ride without them. It could be the motivation he needs to try harder this year. I like the sporty look of the bike, and he looks happy riding it. When you get right down to it, almost any small bike with training wheels could be called a child’s bike, but does that make it a good child’s bike?
To help your child have fun and stay safe while on the road, here are a few highly rated and expert-recommended bike options that are in line with guidance we received from our cycling experts. We listed different types of bikes for kids of varying ages and sizes based on our experts’ advice (we go into detail on the types of kids bikes below). We also noted the wheel size, suggested ages and weight of each one based on the bike manufacturers’ recommendations.