What size bike for 8 year old girl?

[khalloc]

We want to get DD a new bike for Xmas. Her old bike is 16" and way too small. She is just under 50" tall at this point and won't actually ride the bike until spring/summertime so I'd expect she will be at least 50" tall by then and 8.5 years old. Do we get her a 20". Or 24"?

[Binkandabee]

We went with a 24" for DD#1 two years ago and boy am I glad we did. It was a little bit big at Christmas time, but by Spring...it fit her perfectly. She would have outgrown the 20 inch by spring and would have been extremely disappointed. Have you tried your DD on a 24 inch?

[Jen841]

I am a firm believe on having the right size. Too small is uncomfortable and too big can be intimidating. Can you drop into a store and have someone professionally size her? That's what we did.

[khalloc]

Well I wanted this to be a present from Santa and I dont want to give it away ahead of time. So I was hoping to just buy it without her knowing

[KrisM]

DD was 47" at her check in June. She rode a 20" all summer just fine. She got that at age 6, so it was her second summer on it.

DS1 got his 24" at 8. He's 9.5 now and about 55". I don't remember what he was at 8, but the bike fit him fine then.

I'd go with the 24".

[Mom to Brandon and 2 cats]

My DS is a tad over 4' tall, and is outgrowing his 16". His brother's bike is a 20", and he can ride it ok, but it's still a little bit big.
If the bike has a horizontal bar in the middle, then I'd go with the 20" so that she can have her feet on the ground when she hops off the seat.

[zukeypur]

I'm so glad you asked this! I'm searching for a bike for DD who is a very small 7 year old. I was leaning towards a 20 inch, but MIL said that the person in the online chat at Sears told her a 20 inch was for an 11 or 12 year old. She's never had a bike because there was no where to ride one in our last neighborhood, so she'll definitely need something with training wheels. The 20 inch bikes are the largest I've seen with training wheels.

[new_mommy25]

We are buying my 7.5 the 20" Trek Mystic. It's adorable. We went to a bike shop and sized her and the 20" was just a touch big and DD is tall.

[o_mom]

DS2 is about that height - in size 6/7 pants for size comparison. He has a 20", but possibly could move up to a 24" within the year. It's going to also depend on the bike brand - some brands have a lower seat height for the same size tires.

If possible, measure her inseam (crotch to ankle) and use that as a starting point: http://www.centralparkfitness.com/2011/10/sizing-up-your-childs-bicycle.html

Then measure the inseam all the way to the floor with shoes on and compare that to the lowest seat height on the specific bikes you are looking at. Also consider if she can handle a bike with only hand brakes - I think most 24" bikes only have hand brakes, where there are many 20" with both a hand and coaster brake.

[nfowife]

Both my kids have 20" bikes right now. DD probably has another year on hers (this summer) before we have to upgrade. She is a tall 8.5 year old right now. Very tall. Wearing 10 slim pants stitched even slimmer..... she is at least 53" tall and all leg. The 20" still fits her okay.

[Kindra178]

We are buying my 7.5 the 20" Trek Mystic. It's adorable. We went to a bike shop and sized her and the 20" was just a touch big and DD is tall.

My ds is now 7.5 and got a 20 inch Trek this past summer. He will definitely use it again at least one more summer, and maybe two. Because the seat height has some wiggle room, I say go with the 20 inch. The 24 inch is huge.

[khalloc]

I think maybe the 20" will be the way to go. DD is on the shorter side for her age and she has DH's build which is a long torso and shorter legs. Right now she is wearing Gap size 7 jeans (I dont know what the inseam on that is). She wears size 8 (M) in leggings though. Our neighbor is 7 and he has a 24" bike and he is very very tall for his age. He's at least 5 or 6" taller than DD.

[Simon]

I think maybe the 20" will be the way to go. DD is on the shorter side for her age and she has DH's build which is a long torso and shorter legs. Right now she is wearing Gap size 7 jeans (I dont know what the inseam on that is). She wears size 8 (M) in leggings though. Our neighbor is 7 and he has a 24" bike and he is very very tall for his age. He's at least 5 or 6" taller than DD.

I agree with 20 inch. Ds1 is turning 8 and wears a size 8 in gap jeans for length, and we are getting him a 20 inch. Last summer, at the same size as your daughter, he rode a 16 inch Trek and really probably could for another summer. Part of the reason for the up grade is multiple speeds to add to the excitement. I expect the new bike to last at least 2 summers, and then we can hand down a few times. Another factor in our reasoning is that Ds is on the cautious side and would feel very uncomfortable on even a slightly too big bike.