Gift Guide
What to buy with a first bike
One thing is mandatory: a helmet that fits, certified for their age. After that, a floor pump and a multi-tool do more good than any accessory. Everything else — bells, streamers, baskets, a lock — can wait until your child asks for it by name.
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Buy the helmet in the same order as the bike. It is the only item on this page that is not optional, and a child who starts riding without one will argue about it forever after.
The one mandatory item
A helmet, sized by head circumference
Measure around the head about an inch above the eyebrows and match the centimeter range — helmet sizes are not age-based. If the child is under five, check that the certification explicitly covers that age: the CPSC standard requires extra head coverage for helmets intended for children up to five.
Sizing bands are on the kids helmet size chart, and the picks are on best kids bike helmets.
The two things that earn their place
| Item | Why | When you will use it |
|---|---|---|
| Floor pump with a gauge | Small tires lose air fast, and a soft tire makes a bike feel heavy and slow | Monthly, forever |
| Multi-tool with hex keys | Saddle height changes constantly at this age | Every few weeks |
| Spare tube in their tire size | A flat a mile from home otherwise ends in a carry | Rarely, memorably |
What can wait
Knee and elbow pads. Useful for a nervous child or a skatepark, unnecessary for driveway laps. Buy them if your child is anxious about falling — the confidence is worth more than the protection.
Gloves. Worth having eventually; not a first-week item.
A lock. Only when they start leaving the bike somewhere.
Lights. Genuinely important the moment they ride at dusk, irrelevant before that.
A bell, streamers, a basket. These are presents, not equipment, and they are excellent presents — see bike gifts that are not a bike.
What to skip entirely
Training wheels. They come in the box with most mass-market bikes and they slow learning down. Reasons on do kids need training wheels.
A cheap suspension fork. Two to three pounds of weight that absorbs almost nothing.
A second bike "to grow into". Buy the size that fits now.
Ten minutes before the first ride
Saddle height, tire pressure, brake reach, helmet fit. The full list is on the first ride checklist, and doing it the night before beats doing it in a driveway with an impatient child.
The picks
Every figure below is the manufacturer's own published spec, linked to the page we read it from. We have not ridden these bikes and the cards say so — here is how we choose.
Quick picks — sorted by weight
| # | Product | Best for | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 45–53 Top pickGiro Scamp MIPS II The XS covers a 45–49 cm head and carries the CPSC certification for age 1 and up with extended rear coverage — the combination most toddler helmets miss. | Toddlers and preschoolers | n/p | |
| 2 | 47–57 Bell Sidetrack II MIPS 320 g in youth size with a visor and Mips Evolve — the value pick once a child is past five and riding further than the driveway. | School-age riders | n/p | |
| 3 | 48–56 Nutcase Little Nutty MIPS Toddler (48–52 cm) and Youth (52–56 cm) sizes with MIPS, in the graphics kids actually agree to wear — which is most of the battle. | The helmet they'll actually wear | n/p | |
| 4 | 50–56 Lazer Nutz KinetiCore 250 g and 12 vents, with rotational protection built into the foam rather than added as a separate liner — the lightest helmet in this registry. | Hot-weather riding | n/p |
n/p = the manufacturer does not publish that figure. We do not fill in a number they never gave.
Top pick — Toddlers and preschoolers
Giro Scamp MIPS II
The XS covers a 45–49 cm head and carries the CPSC certification for age 1 and up with extended rear coverage — the combination most toddler helmets miss.
| Head size | 45–53 cm |
|---|---|
| Brakes | — |
| Frame | In-mold polycarbonate shell, MIPS liner |
| Brand says | XS is CPSC certified for age 1 and older; S for age 5 and older |
What works
- XS 45–49 cm, S 49–53 cm — two sizes across the whole toddler-to-kid range
- Extended rear coverage on the XS
- Roc Loc Jr. dial fit with a pinch-guard buckle
What doesn't
- MIPS versions cost more than the plain shell
- Dial fit systems can loosen and need re-checking
Hands-on status: Researched from published specs · Giro — Scamp MIPS II
#2 — School-age riders
Bell Sidetrack II MIPS
320 g in youth size with a visor and Mips Evolve — the value pick once a child is past five and riding further than the driveway.
| Head size | 47–57 cm |
|---|---|
| Brakes | — |
| Frame | In-mold polycarbonate shell, Mips Evolve |
| Brand says | CPSC certified for age 5 and older |
What works
- Universal Child 47–54 cm and Universal Youth 50–57 cm
- 320 g in size Y, light for a helmet with rotational protection
- Removable visor for trail riding
What doesn't
- CPSC certified for age 5 and older, so it is not a toddler helmet
- Universal sizing is less precise than two distinct shells
Hands-on status: Researched from published specs · Bell — Sidetrack II MIPS
#3 — The helmet they'll actually wear
Nutcase Little Nutty MIPS
Toddler (48–52 cm) and Youth (52–56 cm) sizes with MIPS, in the graphics kids actually agree to wear — which is most of the battle.
| Head size | 48–56 cm |
|---|---|
| Brakes | — |
| Frame | Hard outer shell, crumple-zone EPS, MIPS liner |
| Brand says | Complies with CPSC 16 CFR 1203 |
What works
- Two sizes cover 48–56 cm
- MIPS across the range
- Designs kids pick themselves, so it gets worn
What doesn't
- Skate-style shell runs warmer than a vented road shape
- Heavier than an in-mold helmet
Hands-on status: Researched from published specs · Nutcase — Little Nutty MIPS
#4 — Hot-weather riding
Lazer Nutz KinetiCore
250 g and 12 vents, with rotational protection built into the foam rather than added as a separate liner — the lightest helmet in this registry.
| Head size | 50–56 cm |
|---|---|
| Brakes | — |
| Frame | EPS with integrated KinetiCore rotational protection |
| Brand says | CPSC certified for age 5 and up |
What works
- 250 g published weight
- KinetiCore rotational protection integrated into the EPS
- 12 vents, which matters in summer
What doesn't
- One size, 50–56 cm — too big for a toddler
- EZ Fit auto-adjust gives less manual control than a dial
Hands-on status: Researched from published specs · Lazer — Nutz KinetiCore
Questions parents actually ask
01What do you need to buy with a kids bike?
A correctly sized helmet, and that is the only mandatory item. A floor pump with a gauge and a multi-tool are the two accessories that genuinely earn their place.
02Do kids need knee pads for cycling?
Not usually for pavement riding. They are worth it for a nervous child or for skatepark use, where the confidence they give is the main benefit.
03Should I buy the helmet at the same time as the bike?
Yes. A child who rides from day one with a helmet never treats it as negotiable, and helmet sizing is by head circumference so it needs its own measurement.
Sources
Read next
- Gift GuideHow to buy a bike as a surprise giftFour ways to size a bike for a child you cannot measure.
- Gift GuideBike gifts that aren't a bikeGifts that fit any child, from someone who can't measure them.
- Helmets & GearBest kids bike helmetsFive helmets, compared on head size and certification.
- Learning to RideFirst ride checklistNine checks, ten minutes, before the first ride.