Kids-Bikes, Tips - February 15, 2020

The 10 Best Places to Buy Kids’ Bikes Online

Any cycling parent knows how exciting it is to set their kids up with their first bike, for you and your kid both. But it’s probably been a while since you’ve bought a kid’s bike if you ever have!

So what’s the best place to buy kids’ bikes online?

How do you find a retailer that’s reliable, well-trusted, and that offers good deals and prices?

Let’s take a look at the 9 of the best online retailers with a huge selection of kids’ bikes.

1. Amazon

The Biggest Selection of Kids Bikes Online

Like it or not, Amazon has come to dominate the internet retail game.

Luckily for you, that means that when you’re looking for a kid’s bike, you can take full advantage of Amazon’s impressive range of styles, manufacturers, accessories, and options, including terrific guarantees, warranties, and return policies.

Amazon is able to leverage its extensive presence into some great deals such as Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday sales on almost every major brand. But they’re also able to connect you with local sellers all over the country, offering an online marketplace to independents so that you can have a broader range of choices.

As with any online purchase, the main drawback is that you can’t check it out in person, and the relative lack of detail on each bike means you’ll have to do some research on other sites first.

However, Amazon’s tracking, fast shipping, and 30-day minimum return (some sellers on the site may offer more) make the whole process easy, transparent, and hassle-free.

2 Competitive Cyclist

The Online Cycling Retail Specialists

As a company that specializes in all things bicycle, Competitive Cyclist is hard to top.

With their own in-house reviews and experts, you can bet that anything you get from these guys is going to be well-vetted for quality and comfort. The Salt Lake City-based company does its best to get bikes to you with minimal fuss and with as little assembly needed as possible.

As an authorized dealer for Cleary, Prevelo and Strider bikes, Competitive Cyclist maintains a small but comprehensive range of kids’ bikes for sale online, with every age and size accounted for.

Prices range from $90 upwards for balance bikes, fixed-gears, and 3 and 10-speed bikes for older kids and pre-teens.

Competitive Cyclist also offers frequent sales, savings on package deals, and free shipping on orders over $50 in the contiguous United States. New purchases can be returned at any time for a full refund.

Read More : The 8 Best Bike Trailers for Kids

3. REI

A Reputable Retailer with A Major Physical Presence

Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) has been selling outdoor equipment since 1938, and they offer great name-brand and in-house bikes. With stores in 39 states and D.C. as well as a comprehensive online store, they can cater to your needs regardless of where their nearest branch is.

REI offers brands including their in-house Co-op line, Strider, Cannondale, and Early Rider Limited, in an incredible variety of options including cruiser bike frames, trail-runners, and belt-driven bikes.

They also offer frequent mark-downs and package deals. Balance bikes and 12″ bikes start from around $95 and the larger kids’ bikes such as 20″ and 24″ don’t sell for more than $500.

You can be sure that you’re getting good quality due to a large number of satisfied customers and a decades-old reputation. They also offer a one-year return policy for new goods, no questions asked.

4. Backcountry

The Outdoor Specialists, Now Online

Backcountry is owned by the same people who own Competitive Cyclist, so you can expect a lot of the same good service, great deals, and extensive support that their sister site offers. Backcountry assembles and tests each kid’s bike that they sell, so they can guarantee that a bike is in working order and of good quality.

Founded in Utah, much of the company’s focus is on MTB and trail riding, and kids are definitely included in that, with frames suitable for beginner trail riding prominently on offer.

Offering both balance and pedal bikes in varying sizes and styles, Backcountry sells Prevelo, Cleary, Strider, and Weehoo brand frames, along with tons of cool accessories for your junior cyclist. Prices range from $90 to $840 for larger frames.

Backcountry offers free two-day shipping on orders over $50 and a generous anytime warranty policy, so you don’t have to worry about mishaps.

5. Prevelo Bikes

The Kids Bike Specialists

Ever since cycling has exploded into a renewed popularity over the last two decades, manufacturers have seen the value of catering to kids in particular. Prevelo makes bikes specifically designed for kids, keeping in mind the things that growing kids need to be comfortable on a frame while having fun.

Prevelo offers good, carefully engineered, made from all aluminum tubing bikes, and with many of the same features that good adult bikes come with, so your child won’t feel baby on one of these.

They also feature adjustable seat posts to help the bike keep up with your kid as they grow, along with neat extras like USB-rechargeable likes and personalized lettering, each for less than $500.

With a five-year warranty for frames and forks, $15 shipping in the continental US, and discounts for military and emergency services, Prevelo also offers a terrific shopping experience online, along with hands-on customer service for assembly and support.

6. Woom Bikes

Award Winning Kids Bike Maker

Woom is another of the brands which have evolved to build bikes specifically for kids, offering ultralight, ergonomic frames designed only with young people in mind. Built from aluminum weighing around 5kg per bike, with 90% of the parts designed just for kids, and made to be easily handled and enjoyably ridden, these are unbeatable kids’ bikes.

Woom offers some excellent deals, including an upcycling policy under which older Woom bikes can be exchanged for a 40% discount. They’re vindicated by tons of awards too, with design, consumer, and cycling associations giving them top marks for user-friendliness and customer service.

Their product line starts with the $199 Woom 1 balance bike all the way up to the $529 24” eight-speed Woom 6, each one designed to offer a premium ride to your child as they grow with cycling.

They also offer free shipping to all customers in the USA for orders over $19, along with a 30-day return period and a 5-year warranty on frames and forks.

7. Walmart

A Brand Name that Everyone Knows

Defining the retail experience in the United States for decades, Oklahoma-based Walmart has something for everyone, and their presence in nearly every town in the country helps them undercut most offers from competitors.

While they may not offer the same quality or expertise that other retailers do, Walmart has one clear advantage in its corner; price. Walmart offers one-size-fits-all bikes at terrific prices, and their widespread network of physical locations means that shipping and distribution are rapid.

They offer kids, MTB, balance, and cruiser bikes along with extensive stocks of handy accessories, both online and in-store. When ordering online, you’ll have to do some assembly yourself if you opt for home delivery, but this can be handled easily with one or two basic tools.

Walmart has hundreds of products, including frames and accessories, on offer, many for under $100. They offer free delivery or pick-up on orders over $48 and a 90-day return period for most products.

8. Target

Hundreds of Kids Bikes to Choose From

A bit more upscale than their big-box counterparts and offering some truly great options for bikes, Target has a reputation for ease of purchasing both in-person and online.

Target offers more than 100 different out-of-the-box kids’ bikes for kids, helping you select what you want through a user-friendly interface with their handy online buyers’ guide.

Most of the bikes Target offers come with a price tag of under $100, with options for in-store pickup or free two-day delivery on orders of over $35. Target only offers assembly for in-store pick up, so be advised that you’ll have to handle that part yourself if you’re getting it sent straight to your door.

They also offer searches of their online store graded by quality, value, and comfort, with a 90-day return window and in-store and online advice. In-person assistance can also be found at any of their hundreds of locations after purchase.

9. Wiggle

One of the Largest Online Cycling Retailers in the World

For over 20 years, UK-based Wiggle has been focused on creating quality kids’ bikes for internet shoppers. An early comer to the online retail scene, Wiggle has been focused on online sales for long enough to have become true experts.

Wiggle offers bikes that go from balance to intermediate sizes, all built from 6061 aluminum alloy. Their products offer features like top-shelf gear setups and disc brakes, as well as impossibly cool detailing and styles. The frames on offer are all great for helping kids get accustomed to trails, rougher terrain, and roads alike.

Wiggle does ship internationally and will and a wealth of advice for avoiding customs and shipping headaches. Because they offer a range of products from different manufacturers, they generally don’t offer warranties of their own, but they do offer great support for using a manufacturer’s warranty.

10. Merlin Cycles

High Quality Bikes Backed by Excellent Customer Service

UK-based Merlin Cycles is one of the smaller retailers on this list, but they offer high-quality bikes with great accessories, backed up by years of experience and excellent customer service.

They’re not tied to Britain, though, maintaining an impressive online presence which is one of the nearest experiences you can get to visiting an actual bike shop through your computer. In fact, they’re one of the earliest online stores around, having started up way back in 1993.

The entire range of kids’ bikes on offer from Merlin is from manufacturer Frog and features both balanced and pedal bikes to get your kids started as early and as comfortably as possible. They can also offer advice and support on accessories like training wheels and kickstands.

Merlin also offers free shipping on items valued over $97 to the US, which definitely stands out, and although international returns are always a little tricky, they’ve put enough thought into it to help advise you on how to avoid getting returns and replacements caught up in customs.

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Julie Hammond

Julie discovered her love for cycling when she had her first child. When it comes to everything related to kids’ bikes, accessories, or gears, Julie is hands-on and up-to-date with the latest trends.