Best girls' bikes with a basket

Four bikes in our registry arrive with a basket already fitted: the Schwinn Elm in 12, 14 and 16 inch, and the JOYSTAR Fantasy 16. All four also come with removable training wheels. The trade-off is weight — every one of them is heavier than a comparable bike without the extras.

Why the basket matters, and why it does not

It matters because a five-year-old who has somewhere to put a toy rides further and rides more often. That is not a small thing — the best bike is the one that gets used, and a basket gives a child a reason to go somewhere rather than just around.

It does not matter because a basket is a strap and two bolts. Almost any kids bike takes an aftermarket front basket, and fitting one to a lighter bike gets you a better bike with the same feature. What you are really buying from Schwinn is the convenience of it arriving assembled and matching.

The weight cost, stated plainly

All four of these are steel bikes with steel rims, and they weigh accordingly. Against the lightest 16-inch bikes in our registry the gap is substantial:

The CDC median five-year-old is about 40 lb, so the Elm 16 is 53% of the rider — the equivalent of a 95 lb bicycle under a 180 lb adult. A woom or Prevelo at this size is around half that. If your child is small for five, that gap will decide whether the bike gets ridden.

No published saddle heights — plan for it

Schwinn publishes total bike weight for all three of its bikes here and a saddle height for none of them; JOYSTAR publishes a rider height range and no weight. Either way, the number that actually decides the fit is missing until the box arrives. Two things follow.

First, measure the inseam anyway and use our size chart to pick the wheel size. Second, buy somewhere with a return window, and check on day one that your child can sit on the lowest saddle setting and put the balls of both feet down.

Elm or Fantasy at 16 inches

The Elm 16 is 21.14 lb with Schwinn's SmartStart geometry, a slack seat-tube angle and a seat handle for towing it home. The JOYSTAR Fantasy 16 is the decorated one: a woven front basket, a bell and a sheet of decals your child applies themselves, on a Hi-Ten steel frame JOYSTAR publishes no weight for. Both run a coaster brake as the primary stop with a front caliper lever as well.

Take the Elm for the published weight and the seat handle. Take the Fantasy if your child picks it — which is a legitimate reason at this age and one we are not going to argue with. Note that JOYSTAR only fits a kickstand from 18 inches up, so the 16 does not get one.

The lighter alternative

If weight is what matters most, buy the lightest 16-inch you can afford and add a basket. A woom GO 3 or a Prevelo Alpha Two is several pounds lighter than anything on this page, has proper dual hand brakes, and takes a front basket in ten minutes. See what to buy with a first bike for the rest of the accessory list.

For the wider version of this question — every bike marketed to girls ranked on weight and published saddle range rather than on paint — see best girls' bikes.

What we would actually buy

For most five- and six-year-olds: the Schwinn Elm 16. Basket, training wheels and chainguard in the box, a front hand brake as well as the coaster, and the lighter of the two 16-inch options here.

For a three- or four-year-old: the Schwinn Elm 14 at 20.28 lb, or the Elm 12 at 17.24 lb — the lightest bike in the Elm range.

If your child cares about how it looks more than how it rides: the JOYSTAR Fantasy 16, with the decals they put on themselves.