At Cycle 9, you’ll find kids bikes for ages 2 through first adult bikes.

For your littlest riders, ages 2-5, we carry Balance Bikes by Kazam. What’s a balance bike? This is a short little bike that has no pedals. Your toddler sits on the seat and walks along, holding onto the handlebars. The advantage of this is they learn how to balance the bike in an upright position. As they get a little older, they can run along and cruise on the bike while picking their feet up off the ground. They get the idea of balancing right from the beginning without training wheels, and then add pedaling skill later.

Kazam balance bike

For 4-6 years old, the 16″ wheel bike is the way to go. We have bikes from Marin bike company in this category. They come with training wheels installed which can be removed once they aren’t needed anymore.

Marin Kids Bike 16"

From there, it’s leg length that determines how quickly they move up in sizes. We have 20″ wheel bikes in a mountain bike or beach cruiser style, and 24″ bikes in a mountain bike style. The 24″ bike will last until they reach their teenage growth spurts, at which point, they’ll be needing a bike with 26″ wheels, the standard wheel size for most mountain bikes. When they get to this point, look for a bike in a small frame size with adjustable seat post and handlebars to get the most years out of the bike.

The bike designs change a bit from year to year, but here are some photos of the bikes.

Kids Beach Cruiser

Marin Hidden Canyon Kids Bike

Another reason to buy a Kids bike from Cycle 9 is our Trade-Up Program. Get up to 50% of the value of the bike towards the next size up. Read more about it under our “Why Shop Cycle 9” tab.

It’s that time of year again where the holidays are what fills many people’s minds. December is a month that has changed in meaning for me as I’ve gotten older and gone through different stages in my life. In my  college years, it was about traveling home to visit with my parents, then later in my 20’s about balancing visiting of my family, spouse’s family, and my sibling’s similar scheduling issues. Throughout this time, the holidays was fun and I enjoyed picking out gifts for people, but I really didn’t get that excited about the gift opening. These times were relaxed, and laid back opportunities with a cup of tea and a tray of cookies, maybe after a big meal.

That all changed when my first child was about 2 years old. By that time, she knew what presents were, and excitement was in the air. I have to say it is infectious. Now at almost 6, she is excited about putting up a holiday tree and decorating it, making gingerbread cookies for Santa, adding holiday lights to the house, and making cards for her grandparents. But also she is excited about what she’ll get as a gift.

I think many of us can remember back to when we were kids and the excitement of getting something really special from Santa, Mom and Dad, Grandparents, or whoever our gift giver happens to be this time of year. And one of those traditional gifts that kids get at Christmas is a new bike. This tradition goes back at least to the 1940s I think, as I can picture in my mind a classic drawing of a christmas tree with a little bike under it.

Bikes are great gifts for kids because we know they will be used and appreciated. I loved the freedom and joy of riding a bike when I was a kid. Flying down a hill at what seemed like incredible speeds (and we didn’t wear helmets back then!), being able to visit my friends a couple streets over, and riding on Sundays with my parents and brother, who also liked to ride.

And unlike that latest video game, a bike actually encourages physical activity and getting outdoors. We all know how much better that makes us feel. So as you are considering presents for your children, consider that new bike!

All kids bikes by Marin are now on Sale at Cycle 9. In addition, we have our Trade-Up program, where you can recoup up to 50% of the bike’s value towards the next size up.

We have bikes starting with Balance bikes for kids age 2-5 up through all the sizes.