Bicycle wheels come in multiple sizes. The standard wheel size of most adult bicycles is either 24 or 26 inches. Tricycles are often the first bikes for children, but a large variety of bicycle sizes exists between tricycles and adult bikes. Bicycles with 16-inch wheels are intended for small children that have graduated beyond tricycles but are not yet ready for adult sizes.
Training Wheels
At some point, kids must learn to ride bikes without training wheels. Bicycles with 16-inch wheels can be used either with or without training wheels. This makes the 16-inch bicycle ideal for children that are in the process of learning to ride a bike.
Sized for Kids
Kids want to be able to ride bikes that are comfortable for them, which means they must be sized appropriately. A 16-inch bike is ideal for children that are too big for a tricycle but not yet tall enough to ride a young adult bike. When a bike is the right size, the child will be more comfortable riding it and maneuvering it, which is especially important when they are still new to riding bicycles.
Brakes
Bicycles with 16-inch wheels are more likely than smaller bikes to have rear coaster brakes, and some also have hand brakes. Many 16-inch bikes also have pneumatic tires. This makes 16-inch bikes a good transitional model for children that are ready for more features and have more control over the bicycle.
Quickly Outgrown
A disadvantage of 16-inch wheels is that kids quickly outgrow them. This size bike wheel is typically used by children in preschool and early elementary school, an age when kids grow at a rapid pace. Their legs will quickly become too long to be able to ride this size of bike for much time. Once children become too tall for this size bike, they will need to upgrade to 20-inch wheels.
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