Choosing the Right Size Bicycle For Your Child
A bicycle of the wrong size may cause your child to lose control and be injured.  The League of Michigan Bicyclists and the American Academy of Pediatrics stresses that any bike must be the correct size for the Child for whom it is bought.  Keep your child safe by the following these hints:

1. Do not push your child to ride a two-wheeled bike until he or she is ready, at about age 5 or 6.  Consider your child’s coordination and desire to learn to ride.  Stick with coaster brakes until your child is older and more experienced.
   
2. Take your child with you when you shop, so that he or she can try out the bike.  The value of proper fit far outweighs the value of being surprised.
   
3. Buy a bike that is the right size, not one to “grow into.”  Oversized bikes are especially dangerous.
   
4. How to test any style of bike for proper fit:
   
   A.   Sitting on the seat with hands on the handle bar, your child must be able to place the balls of both feet on the ground.
   
   B.   Sitting on the seat with hands on the handle bar, your child must be able to place the balls of both feet on the ground.
   Straddling the center bar, your child should be able to keep both feet flat on the ground with several inches of clearance between the crotch and the bar for mountain bikes (about one inch for a ten speed).
   
5. When buying a bike with hand brakes for an older child, make sure that the child can comfortably grasp the brakes and apply sufficient pressure to stop the bike.  Smaller children do NOT have sufficient grip strength to operate hand brakes and require foot brakes.
   
6. Consider a helmet standard equipment.  When buying your child’s first bike, be sure to purchase a CPSC approved helmet also.  Let your child pick out his or her own helmet and insist that he or she wear it every time he or she gets on his or her bike.
   
7. Before taking his or her new bike on the road, a child should get used to riding it in a quiet spot such as a parking lot.  Encourage ample practice shifting, braking, and turning with parental supervision.

Adapted by the League of Michigan Bicyclists from an American Academy of Pediatric Injury Prevention Program brochure.