A kid’s first bike holds similar significance to a teenager’s first car, which is why buying a bike for your kid can be quite daunting, especially when you take into consideration the sheer number of available products and the different types of bikes out there, from balance bikes to pedal bikes.
To make the selection process easier, this post attempts to shed light on the best bicycle for a 4-year-old on the market today.
We’ll also point out the several essential factors to take into consideration in order to ensure the best bang for your buck, so you may want to stick around.
Quick Comparison: Best Bikes for a 4-Year-Old
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| 1. Huffy Kinetic Kids Bike, Yellow w/ Removable Training Wheels |   |
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| 2. Dynacraft Hot Wheels Boys BMX Street/Dirt Bike with Hand Brake |   |
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| 3. Schwinn Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Boys Bicycle |   |
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| 4. Coewske Kid’s Bike Steel Frame Children Bicycle Little Princess Style |   |
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| 5. Joystar Kids Cruiser Bike |   |
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| 6. RoyalBaby BMX Freestyle Boys Girls Kids Bike |   |
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How to Determine the Right Bike Size for Your 4-Year-Old
As we all know, children don’t grow the same way. When trying to determine the best size bike for a 4-year-old, the most integral factor to consider is your child’s height.
Just because a bicycle can accommodate one 4-year-old child doesn’t mean it can accommodate all 4-year-olds.
Most 4-year-old children measure somewhere between 3′ 7″ and 4′ 0″, and the ideal bike size for that height range is a 16″ bike. If your kid’s height exceeds the specified height range, you want to opt for a 20″ bike. If your kid is shorter, on the other hand, you should go for a 14″ bike.
Another crucial factor to take into consideration to ensure the perfect bike size is the kid’s inseam. Ideally, the inseam should be as long as the Bicycle’s minimum seat height, at least. This helps ensure that your kid is able to put their feet flat on the ground rather than their tippy-toes.
Best Bicycle for a 4-Year-Old (for Boys and Girls)
The bicycle marketplace is saturated and crowded with numerous high-quality models. To make things less overwhelming for you, we managed to narrow down your options to 6 superior bikes.
1. Huffy Kinetic Kids Bike, Yellow w/ Removable Training Wheels
Description
Starting off our list is the Huffy Kinetic kids bike with its glossy silver frame and yellow outlines. It flaunts a great deal of aesthetic appeal that your kid will highly appreciate.
This Bicycle is perfect for kids of 4 to 6 years old. To be more specific, it’s suited for kids between 42″ and 48″ tall.
The Kinetic is equipped with a rear coaster brake that’s extremely easy to use. Not only that, but it also sports a front handbrake so that your child can learn how to use both braking systems. To add, the Kinetic features a chain guard feature for safety and a well-padded seat for comfort.
Huffy’s Kinetic flaunts a remarkably sturdy steel frame that will last your kid a few years to come. If that’s not enough to convince you of how resilient this bicycle is, then you’d be happy to know that it’s backed by a limited lifetime warranty on the frame. Quite convincing, right?
One of the strongest selling points of the Kinetic is its fast and easy assembly process. This bike can be put together entirely in only 5 straightforward steps, and the only tool you’ll need to pull it off is an adjustable wrench. The instructions manual lays out these steps for you brilliantly.
Features and Specifications
- Brand: Huffy
- Model: Kinetic
- Mountain bike style
- Recommended age: 4-8
- Rider height: 42 to 48 inches
- Quick-release seat post
- Padded seat and chain guard
- Frame material: Steel
- Single gear
- Brake type: Rear coaster and handlebar caliper brakes
- Load capacity: 60 lb
- Wheels: 16″
- Removable training wheels
- Color: Yellow with decorations
- Weight: 22 lb
- Warranty: Backed by a lifetime frame warranty
Pros
- Assembled in very few simple steps
- Limited lifetime warranty on the frame
- Extremely rugged steel construction
- Offers coaster and handlebar braking
- Excellently padded seat for comfort
Cons
- Not fond of the plastic components
- The brakes can be difficult to adjust
Video: How to Assemble a Huffy 12″ or 16″ Kids Bike
2. Dynacraft Hot Wheels Boys BMX Street/Dirt Bike with Hand Brake
Description
The Hot Wheels boys BMX from Dynacraft is another awesome bicycle that’s well suited for kids of 4 to 7 years old. This bike’s maximum weight limit is around 69 lb, which is enough to handle virtually all 4-year-olds. The bike itself weighs about 25 lbs, so it’s a pretty excellent ratio.
The Dynacraft Hot Wheels is equipped with two braking functions: rear coaster brakes and front handbrakes. The rear coaster brakes will help your kid learn how to pedal and brake. Once your child gets more confident with riding the bike, they can then begin using the front hand brakes.
The bike is equipped with a few cool features that your child will absolutely love, including a rev grip that makes motorcycle sounds and that you can use to turn lights on/off.
To add, the bike is accompanied by adjustable training wheels to help absolute beginners learn how to ride bikes.
We’re quite fond of the design of this bike, with its white rims and black and red tires. The bike is available in 16″ and 18″ variants, so pick the one that suits your kid the most. Finally, it’s backed by a lifetime warranty on both the frame and fork, ensuring excellent quality and longevity.
Features and Specifications
- Brand: Dynacraft
- Model: Hot Wheels
- Mountain bike style
- Recommended age: 4-8
- Available in both 16″ and 18″ variations
- Rider height: 42 to 48 inches
- Padded saddle and chain guard
- Frame material: Steel
- Single speed
- Brake type: Rear coaster and handlebar caliper brakes
- Load capacity: 69 lb
- Wheels: 16 or 18 inches
- Comes with removable training wheels
- Hot Wheels graphics
- Turbo rev’ grip with real motorcycle sounds and lights
- Weight: 24 lb
- Warranty: Lifetime warranty on the frame and fork
Pros
- Features adjustable training wheels
- Aesthetically pleasing two-tone tires
- Lifetime warranty on frame and fork
- Rev grip makes motorcycle sounds
- Excellent maximum weight capacity
Cons
- Rev grip can be annoying sometimes
- Front brakes can be hard to squeeze
Video: Dynacraft 16″ Boys’ Hot Wheels Bike Rev Grip
3. Schwinn Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Boys Bicycle
Description
The Schwinn Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-themed bike isn’t just one of the most visually appealing kids bikes on the market today, but also one of the most affordable. The Bicycle is well suited for kids between the ages of 3 and 5 years. To be more specific, it’s ideal for kids between 3’2″ and 4’0″.
Don’t let the tempting price tag fool you, as this bike flaunts a rugged steel frame that can stand the test of time. Like most of the bikes on our list, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles bike weighs about 25 pounds, which is not too light, but not too heavy or unmanageable.
This bicycle is equipped with only a back coaster braking system, which can be viewed as negative considering most of the products on our list offer both coaster and handlebar braking. Still, sometimes a kid just wants to focus on learning one thing at a time.
The bike features a Raphael cargo bag that will help your kid store all of his favorite belongings for their ride.
The seat post can simply be adjusted to accommodate your child’s height without the need for any tools. It also features training wheels to provide stability for the novice rider.
Features and Specifications
- Brand: Schwinn
- Model: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Boys Bicycle
- Mountain bike style
- Recommended age: 4-8
- Rider Height: 42 to 48 inches
- No-tools, easily adjustable post
- Frame Material: Steel
- Single gear
- Brake Type: Rear coaster braking functionality
- Load Capacity: n/a
- Wheel size: 16 inches
- Comes with removable training wheels
- Ninja Turtles graphics
- Weight: 25.5 lb
- Warranty: Lifetime warranty on the frame and fork
Pros
- Features adjustable training wheels
- Very attractive Ninja Turtles graphics
- An excellent choice for novice riders
- Simple, tool-free height adjustments
- Available at a highly affordable price
Cons
- Doesn’t feature handlebar breaking
- Plastic components are a bit fragile
Video: Watch 4-year-old Ben learn to ride a bike in 5 minutes!!!
4. Coewske Kid’s Bike Steel Frame Children Bicycle Little Princess Style
Description
If you’re looking for the perfect Bicycle for your little girl, look no further! The Little Princess kid’s Bicycle from Coewske offers everything your little girl may want in a bike, from the flashy design to the needed components that ensure a comfortable and enjoyable bike riding experience.
This bike is equipped with front and rear handlebar brakes as well as coaster brakes, providing your little girl with a great deal of control over the bike’s motion. The brakes are extremely easy to use as well. The tires are made of highly durable rubber, so no worries about them bursting.
The bike flaunts a wider footrest design that helps reduce the amount of effort that your kid has to exert in order to ride the bike, which, in turn, allows for more enjoyable riding experience. The bikes come with all of the tools required for the assembly as well as a bunch of accessories.
Features and Specifications
- Brand: Coewske
- Model: Little Princess
- Recommended age: 4-8
- Rider height: 42 to 48 inches
- Frame material: Steel
- Single gear
- Fully enclosed chain guard to keep fingers safe
- Brake type: Handlebar and coaster braking
- Load capacity: n/a
- Wheel size: 16 inches
- Removable training wheels
- Distinctly wide footrest design
- Weight: 22.5 lb
- Warranty: contact the seller
Pros
- Excellent design for 4-year-old girls
- Very long-lasting steel framing
- Has handlebar and coaster braking
- Broader footrest for reduced effort
- Durable tires and great build quality
- Extremely simple assembly process
Cons
- The instructions are poorly written
- Wheel fenders are made of plastic
Video: Coewske Kid’s Bike Steel Frame Children Bicycle Little Princess Style
5. Joystar Kids Cruiser Bike
Description
The Kids Cruiser bike from Joystar is one of the best-looking bicycles for kids on the market. It’s boasting an elegant, girly design that will appeal to your little boy. It’s built from Hi-Ten steel to ensure maximum durability. Oh, and it’s backed by a sweet limited lifetime warranty.
Both front and rear wheels are wrapped in rubber that offers a great deal of grip and stability. It’s equipped with a coaster braking system to ensure ease of stopping.
However, unlike most of the products on our list, this bike doesn’t feature handlebar braking, which is quite a bummer.
The JoyStar Kids Cruiser is delivered 85% assembled, and it comes with a simple tool that helps you the remaining 15% of the assembly at home. The whole assembly process won’t take more than 20 minutes.
This bike is perfect for children between the age of 3 and 7 years old.
Features and Specifications
- Brand: JoyStar
- Model: Cruiser Bike
- Cruiser bike style
- Recommended age: 4-8
- Rider height: 42 to 48 inches
- Quick-release seat post
- Fully enclosed chain guard
- Frame material: Durable Hi-Ten steel framing
- Single gear
- Brake type: Rear coaster brakes
- Load capacity: n/a
- Wheels: 16″
- Removable training wheels
- Colors: Beige/Blue/Green/Pink/White
- Weight: 26 lb
- Warranty: lifetime warranty
Pros
- The Bicycle comes 85% assembled
- Very aesthetically appealing design
- Extremely effective braking system
- Needs only 20 minutes to assemble
- Backed by a limited lifetime warranty
Cons
- Training wheels are of low quality
- No handlebar brakes
Video: Joystar Kids Bike for 2-6 Year Old Girls
6. RoyalBaby BMX Freestyle Boys Girls Kids Bike
Description
RoyalBaby bike is a manufacturer that consists of experts in kids’ bicycles, and the BMX Freestyle is one of the most popular offerings. The bike is featured in two vibrant colors and is suitable for boys and girls from 3 to 5 years old.
The BMX Royalbaby has a steel frame and unlike it and is equipped with two hand brakes that allow the child to learn how to use the front and rear brakes.
Besides, there is a patented RoyalBaby crank bearing that offers better transmission efficiency and lowers rolling resistance, making pedaling easier.
Also, this bike has a fully enclosed chain guard to protect fingers or even stain clothes.
This is also one of the easiest bicycles to assemble, as it’s delivered 95% assembled. All you’re required to do is join the handlebar, pedals, saddle, and bell. All the necessary tools for the assembly process are included in the package. The process won’t take more than 20 minutes.
Features and Specifications
- Brand: RoyalBaby
- Model: BMX freestyle
- Mountain bike style
- Recommended age: 3-5
- Rider height: 38 to 45 inches
- Highly adjustable seat post
- Frame material: Steel
- Single gear
- Brake type: front caliper and rear band brakes
- Load capacity: n/a
- Wheels: 14″
- Colors: Blue/Red
- Comes with a bell and a water bottle with support behind the saddle
- Weight: 24 lb
- Warranty: lifetime warranty
Pros
- Appealing design
- Super easy to assemble
- The bicycle comes 95% assembled
- Double hand brakes
- Superb pick for both boys and girls
- Easy to pedal bicycle
Cons
- Can be challenging to adjust the brakes
Video: Royalbaby Boys Girls Kids Bike Review
How to Choose the Best Bike for Your Kids
To ensure an enjoyable riding experience for your kid, several factors should be considered, from the size and weight of the bike to the brakes and frame. Heed the following.
Size
For 4-year-old children, 16″ bikes would be the most accommodating options. If your kid is a bit taller than the specified height range for 16″ bikes, which is 3’7″ to 4’0″, you should opt for a 20″ bike. Per contra, if your child is shorter than 3’7″, you should look into 14″ bicycles.
We’d like to point out that there are two main types of bikes that you’ll find on the market: pedal bikes and balance bikes. If you go for a pedal bike, you must make sure that the seat height is equal to or just below your child’s inseam measurement to ensure proper foot positioning.
We feel the need to stress the importance of getting your child’s inseam measurement right, as this will help ensure a safe riding experience since it will allow your child to plant their feet down to steady themselves or stop the bike when necessary. This is crucial when learning to pedal.
If your 4-year-old kid is already a master pedaler, then we strongly recommend that you set the bike’s seat 2″ higher than your child’s inseam measurement. This will help ensure a much more comfortable pedaling experience. It will grant your little pedaler better control over the bike.
Weight
Of course, the lighter the bike, the easier it will be for your little cyclist to ride it for long without getting tired. Heavier bicycles are pretty hard to balance and control. Generally, you want to make sure that the bike’s overall weight doesn’t exceed 30% of your child’s weight.
As you can see in our list of the best bikes for 4-year-old children, we only covered lightweight bikes that wouldn’t be a burden for your child to manage and balance. There are various other high-quality bicycles on the market, but they’re not light enough to ensure happy riding.
Brakes
Most 16″ bikes tend to be equipped with coaster breaks, also known as back-pedal brakes. But the thing about these brakes is that they can hinder your child’s learning experience in pedaling because most children tend to pedal backward to regain their balance.
When your child pedals backward on a bike that’s equipped with coaster brakes, the brakes will be activated, slowing down the bike or stopping it completely. This is mainly why we advise that you opt for a bike that doesn’t feature coaster brakes and utilizes hand brakes instead.
Keep in mind that mastering how to use hand brakes can take quite a bit of time. However, once mastered, hand brakes offer a more convenient and effective way of slowing down a bike. If you feel like coaster brakes are more suitable for your 4-year-old, by all means, go for it.
Frame
The design of the bike’s frame has a significant influence on the overall performance of the bike, and it feels to ride it. If your kid is a total beginner, look for a bike that puts the rider in an upright position. This position will feel more natural, ensuring an enjoyable riding experience.
If this isn’t your kid’s first bike, you may want to consider a bike design that requires the rider to lean forward to grip the handlebars. This position places the rider in a more aggressive stance. We advise going for the upright design to ensure maximum safety for your child.
Tip: If your child is a total beginner and is having trouble maintaining stability, you might want to invest in training wheels to help them learn how to pedal and brake safely. Once your child masters how to pedal and brake properly, you can then remove the training wheels.
Budget
The market is home for many high-quality bikes, but it’s also home for many knockoff products that have nothing to offer but a tempting price tag. We recommend you steer clear counterfeit models as they tend to be of low quality and can put your child’s safety and wellness in danger.
High-end bicycles tend to be a bit costly, but they’re also a lot more durable and lightweight than low-end alternatives. Also, they tend to flaunt frame designs that allow for more comfortable riding. All in all, a high-quality bike will compensate for its steep price tag in the form of greater longevity.
FAQs
As we were conducting our research, we came across a few questions that seem to be causing some confusion. This part of the article attempts to clear the fog by addressing these questions.
How to know the appropriate seat height?
To know the appropriate seat height, you have to measure your child’s inseam. The highest part of the seat should be set to the measurement you’ve got. To double-check, make sure that your child is able to plant their feet on the ground while still sitting comfortably on the bike’s seat.
Are kids bikes equipped with gear systems?
The vast majority of bikes designed for kids are single-speed bikes, which are designed to teach the rider how to balance and break a bike. Getting your 4-year-old a multi-speed bike is not a sound decision, as it’ll be extremely difficult for your child to learn how to handle it.
Which braking system is ideal for my kid?
Coaster brakes the easiest type of brakes to learn, which by default, makes them optimal for kids of around 4 years old. However, if your child is an experienced rider, we recommend looking into bikes that have handbrakes since most cyclists like to balance themselves by pedaling backward.
Conclusion and Best Offer
We’re quite confident that any of the bicycles mentioned above will do your child justice. One product that stands out the most in our eyes is the RoyalBaby BMX Freestyle Kids Bike.
Best Offer
Our best bike for 4-year-olds: it’s lightweight, secure, comfortable, easy to assemble, and optimal for both boys and girls.
The Alternative
Another product that makes for a great alternative to the RoyalBaby bicycle is the Huffy Kinetic Kids Bike. From the glossy silver frame to the dual-brake system, the Huffy just has it all. Keep in mind, however, that some of its plastic parts are a bit fragile compared to its steel frame.
Huffy Kinetic Kids Bike, Yellow w/ Removable Training Wheels
Hopefully, with the aid of the information provided in this article, you were able to find the perfect bicycle for your 4-year-old kid. Feel free to let us know which one of the bikes reviewed in this article you’re planning to buy your 4-year-old rider. Happy shopping!
