Kids' Bike Review

Sizing up reviews of kids' bikes

Consumer Reports hasn't reported on kids' bikes in nearly five years, but other publications haven't kept up either. We expected to find bike reviews at Parents Magazine or Good Housekeeping, but those magazines have little to offer when it comes to rating kids' bikes. We did find a good buyer's guide, however, at Cookie.com. The most useful reviews of specific kids' bikes are generated by consumer-review websites, including Amazon.com and WalMart.com. When it comes to kids' bikes, information provided by parents is more useful than anything we found in professional publications.

The Schwinn Tiger/Tigress (*est. $105) and the Huffy Pro Thunder/Disney Princess (*est. $80) are two tested kids' bikes that earn points from reviewers and merit first consideration. But as many bicycle experts point out, the best way to get the right bike for a child is to have that child try out several bikes before making a purchase. It's a tactic that may ruin the element of surprise for a birthday or holiday, but experts say that's the best way to get the sizing right.

Experts say that well-established brands are a good place to start. Schwinn and Mongoose make a number of kids' bikes. The kids' divisions of these brands are now part of a company called Pacific Cycle, which has been in the business since 1977. This company makes the majority of bikes for kids these days, and many designs are similar. Huffy has been around since the 1950s.

Experts generally advise adults to steer clear of bikes found in big-box stores. That's because big stores tend to sell lower-quality bikes made by big manufacturers; the higher-quality versions are sold via independent dealers. Assembly and construction is sometimes sketchy for bikes sold at big stores. For example, Harley-Davidson 16-inch BMX bicycles sold at Toy 'R' Us between 2002 and 2005 ended up being recalled because the fork welds on the bikes were breaking. Also, two 2007 Huffy bike models sold at Kmart -- the 20-inch Huffy Howler and the Huffy Highlander (*Est. $105) -- were recalled because the bicycle cranks were falling off. In general, bike experts advise parents to shop at independent bike dealers, because they take the time to fit the bike to your child.