Bike guide - let's get you started!
Let's do this - two-wheeled adventures await!
Here's a quick run-through of the key decisions that you'll need to make
Choosing the type of bike based upon your child's age, ability and where they will ride the bike.
We stock a full range of bikes adapted for different levels and styles of riding. We group these into several categories, with indicative age ranges noted on our site:
Balance bikes: No pedals here! This is how kids learn how to ride a bike. How to balance and manoeuvre a bike. We advise against stabilisers for learning, as they subsequently have to be unlearned: a balance bike is the most natural way to find their balance!
Balance bikes are designed low to the ground for stability and to instill confidence. Your child should start with their feet flat on the ground to begin with, which our minimum inseam measurements guide, and you can raise the saddle incrementally as their confidence grows. In time, they will naturally learn to lift their feet a little and roll. Then they'll roll a little further. Next, they'll experiment with rolling and turning at the same time. It's an intuitive process for them which comes with time on the bike.
Brakes need not be learned initially - it will probably be too much to take in depending on the child's age - but they are a very useful addition once your child has mastered the balance basics.
Bikes tend not to be too specialised at this early age, mostly running slick or low profile tyres (i.e. not too knobbly!), but there are exceptions - just check out the Dirt Hero bike for any future MTB champs!
We stock three sizes of balance bike (with 10", 12" and 14" wheels), allowing kids to get on two wheels from as early as 18 months old, whilst also accommodating older children and balance progression for a number of years.
First pedals: Here we go! Your child has been zooming around on their balance bike for a while. Maybe they're getting towards the top of the saddle height and their legs are still bent close to a right angle at the knee. Not least, they're ready to explore further afield, and faster, and that requires a machine with pedal power and good brakes!
Depending on your child's height and their confidence on a bike, either a 14" (a little smaller) or 16" (a little bigger) wheeled bike will be the best size to progress to for those first revolutions. Again, please follow inseam measurements to confirm sizing pre-order (more on that below!).
All of our first pedal bikes come with front and rear caliper brakes (not coaster brakes, which are another thing to have to 'unlearn' later!), tyres that can handle some light trails and are single speed. We have belt-driven bikes as well as those with a well thought-out classic chain set-up.
Town / Hybrid / Mountain / Road / Gravel! The clue is in the name! Whilst first pedal bikes are essentially hybrids, the bike world thereafter offers different types of bikes to suit different types of riding, with the introduction of gears across the board.
For urban jaunts and school commutes, possibly carrying luggage, a town bike might suit you. A hybrid bike provides the flexibility to ride on easy trails too, with luggage racks available for certain models. A mountain bike will be a bit more cumbersome on the road but allow full freedom off-road. A road bike will have you whizzing along the asphalt at new-found speeds! If that wasn't enough, our road bikes can also be fitted with gravel tyres, so that they can moonlight as hybrid bikes too!
Measure your child's inseam, to determine the right size
- Get your child to stand against the wall
- Place a book between their legs and ask them to hold it as high as is comfortable, keeping one edge of the book against the wall so that it stays square
- Measure the distance from the top of the book to the floor
- Repeat a couple of times for accuracy!
Browse our selection of high-quality, lightweight, kids-specific bikes
We've taken care of curating a range of top-quality bikes that you can trust to serve you well. Now you know more about the different types of bikes, and armed with your child's inseam, you can get stuck into the details (and colour choices!) of the models that correspond to your needs, safe in the knowledge that you can change sizes at any time during your subscription, depending on availability.
Decide if you wish to subscribe or buy
This last one is up to you.
Subscription: no large upfront cost, and you change bikes as your child grows, as often as needed, subject to availability. The initial commitment is 12 months, and a swap does not restart it. The first delivery is free throughout Switzerland. Depending on stock, you receive a new bike or a previously used one, checked and serviced.
Purchase: the bike is yours. If the size turns out to be wrong, contact us within 14 days of receiving it: we can exchange it as long as it is still in new condition and has not been ridden outdoors. Rental payments are not deducted from the purchase price.
Both routes support our mission: more children riding high-quality bikes, at a lower cost and more sustainably!
