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Bikes for Teens

Bikes for teens; what should you actually consider?

In this section, you’ll see a range of bikes that we’d recommend for pre-teen and teens.

With over 37 years of fitting pre-teens and teens to bikes, we’ve
found that the most important things to consider are the:

  • Type of bike, such as a mountain bike (MTB) or hybrid.
  • Future growth (or sizing). Something they're comfortable with now but can also handle future growth.

More Teen Bike Info
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Teen mountain bikes.

The most common type of bike we sell to pre-teens and teens are recreational mountain bikes.

They’re also terrain versatile; they can cope with smooth dirt and gravel paths, as well as suburban bike paths.

As you go up in price for MTBs, the more capable, robust and durable they become for off-road riding.

The recreational mountain bike has wider tyres (at least 50mm wide); perfect for riders who are spending time on dirt or gravel surface or who just want more grip.

Recreational mountain bikes tend to be a little tougher too compared to the hybrid bikes below.

Some examples of great value mountain bikes for teens:

For the girls, have a look at the Liv Tempt range or view our complete collection of womens mountain bikes.

Teen hybrid bikes.

The hybrid is a cross-between mountain bike and road bike.

The main difference between these 2 bikes is the tyres and suspension.

For teens who prefer less pedalling effort, the hybrid is the way to go.

These bikes have narrower tyres (40-45mm wide) and so there’s less rolling resistance.

And the amount of suspension (called suspension travel) is less at 65mm (max) vs 80mm (min) for mountain bikes.

Simply, the smaller suspension is perfect for small bumps. More suspension is better for big bumps (off-road bumps).

These are some options to consider:

A note on sizing.

Teenagers tend to grow.

So it's important to get a size that not only fits now but is also suitable as they get older.

Simply:

We're balancing the seat height (vertical) and the reach to the handlebars (horizontal).

Keeping it super simple:

First, put the seat all the way down. Are they on the balls of their feet?

Tick.

Next check the reach. Are they rounding their back with locked elbows?

If yes, then the seat needs to slide forward. This shortens the reach; almost like going down a frame size.

If it's still too far to reach, you need to size down.

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