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Best 18″ kids’ bikes for a 5 year old

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18" wheel kids bikes are becoming more and more popular, as they plug the gap between a small starter bike and a larger geared bike.

Some children aren't quite the right size, ability or age to move up to a bigger geared bike, and a 18" wheel bike can be a great solution (plus they usually cost a bit less than a geared bike too!)

A word of warning though - it's a wheel size that has traditionally been dominated by very cheap "toy" bikes (and click here to read why we don't recommend these).

Thankfully now there's a number of good quality 18" wheel bikes that are available to buy or lease long term.

In this article we'll take a look at the best 18" wheel kids bikes - they're all great bikes that should bring years of fun for your child.

We include options on where to buy new and also how to lease long term or buy second hand (where available) so there's hopefully something suitable for every budget.

Best buys on 18″ wheel first bikes for 5 year olds

If you're looking for a 18" wheel pedal bike for your 5 or 6 year old, then here's our quick picks on the best buys at different price points to suit all budgets.

The Kidvelo Rookie 18 is a great bike for slightly older children who may not have learnt to ride yet because you can convert it from a balance bike to a pedal bike. We think this bike offers good value for a lightweight bike with pedals too.

Price: £260

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This 18" wheeled Frog bike bridges the gap between a small pedal bike and a larger geared bike. This single speed, easy to ride bike is a good option for children who are too tall for a standard 16″ wheel pedal bike, but don’t have the ability yet to move onto a bike with gears.

Get a free helmet when you buy from Wheelbase and use the promo code CYCLESPROG!

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The Forme Cubley 18 is a great bike for all round riding, now available to lease through Bike Club.

Subscribed price: £13.99 per month

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These uniquely designed bikes have an extending frame which allows the bike to grow with your child. This makes a Black Mountain KAPEL a clever investment as you don't have to upgrade as frequently. There is also an optional balance bike kit if your child hasn't yet mastered pedalling.

Price: £499

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Before you start take a moment to GRAB YOUR FREE KIDS BIKE BUYING CHECKLIST to help you record all the information you need to find the perfect bike for your child. 

What age child is an 18" wheel bike for?

Obviously all children are different, but on average an 18" wheel bike is suitable for children aged between about 5 and 6 years of age. In general 18" wheel bikes tend to be suitable for children with a minimum inside leg of approx 50cm and a minimum height of about 110cm.

Every 18" bike has different geometry (sizing) so we've provided the measurements provided by the manufacturer, to allow you to choose the one that fits your child. Please measure your child carefully and if possible test ride the bike if you're worried it won't fit.

These articles will help you:

Do 18" wheel bikes have gears?

Some children can cope with gears on an 18″ wheel bike, others will not need them.  As this is a cross-over size, some brands have gears, and others don't.

Gears add weight, complexity and price, and on many brands don't make an appearance until 20" wheels.

Some Cycle Sprogs are ready for them earlier, and they can also be useful if you live in a very hilly area (even if you need to change them yourself at the bottom of the hill!)

18" wheel not the right size? 

Check out these other articles to find a smaller or bigger bike:

The best 18" wheel kids bikes

Here's our selection of the best 18" wheel kids bikes currently available.

Raleigh Pop 18

Bike
Raleigh Pop 18
Price
£239.00
Age Range
5–7 years
Rider Height
112–125cm
Colours
Green Blue
Bike Weight
9.9kg
Frame material
Aluminium
Gears
6 speed
Brakes
Aluminium V-brake with adjustable 3-finger brake levers
Tyres
18 x 1.50, black tanwall with puncture protection

If you’re looking for an 18″ wheel bike with gears then one option is the Raleigh Pop 18. It’s available in blue and green and is aimed at ages 5 to 7 years old. 

It’s worth pointing out that the Pop is about 2 kg heavier than a lot of the other 18″ bikes, so you need to consider whether your child is a strong and confident cyclist able to cope with this additional weight and the complexity of the gears.

Buy New
Read more about the Raleigh Pop 18

Kidvelo Rookie 18 Balance / Pedal Bike

Kidvelo rookie 18 balance to pedal bike
Bike
Kidvelo Rookie 18
Price
£260.00
Age Range
5–8 years
Inside Leg
50–69cm
Colours
Blue Green Pink Red
Bike Weight
7kg
Frame material
Alloy
Tyres
Innova compass Lite BMX 18" x 2.0 tyres

The Kidvelo Rookie 18 is a great bike for slightly older children who may not have learnt to ride yet and will likely start pedalling soon.

It is aimed at ages 5 to 8 years old and starts off as a large balance bike and then if and when your child is ready to try out pedals the Rookie 18 then easily converts to a pedal bike, with a simple-to-fit pedal conversion kit. So you essentially get 2 bikes for the price of one.

You can convert easily if your child needs to try pedals for a short time and then revert back to a balance bike for a while longer. It’s designed to work effortlessly in either balance bike or pedal bike mode.

The Rookie 18 balance-to-pedal bike is also a popular choice for children with additional needs who may want to learn their balance using the balance bike mode and then have the opportunity to progress to using pedals.

We’ve reviewed the Kidvelo Rookie 12, which was the first bike in their range, and were very impressed.

Buy New
Read more about the Kidvelo Rookie 18 Balance / Pedal Bike

Forme Cubley 18

Bike
Forme Cubley 18"
Price
£319.99
Monthly Lease from
£13.99
Age Range
5–7 years
Inside Leg
50–54cm
Rider Height
122–127cm
Colours
Red Blue Pink Purple Orange Green
Bike Weight
7.56kg
Frame material
Alloy
Brakes
Tektro
Tyres
Kenda Small Block Eight 18"x 1.5"

Sadly Forme Bikes went out of business in March 2023, so new bikes are now hard to find.  However the good news is most of their warehouse was bought by Bike Club so kids can continue to ride these great bikes for years to come.  

The Forme Cubley 18 is a great bike for all round riding, if your child isn’t quite ready to move up to a geared bike.

It’s a good value, lightweight bike with well designed child sized components and performs well on most surfaces a rider of this age is likely to want to go.

Subscribe to the Bike Club and get this great Forme Bike for a low monthly cost. When it gets too small just upgrade it for another one (the bike, not the child!) 

Further reading: Should I subscribe to Bike Club instead of buying a new kids bike?

Buy New Bike Club Buy Used
Read more about the Forme Cubley 18

Squish 18

Bike
Squish 18
Price
£339.99
Monthly Lease from
£12.99
Age Range
5–8 years
Inside Leg
50–60cm
Rider Height
110–130cm
Colours
Blue Blue
Bike Weight
6.66kg
Frame material
Alloy
Brakes
Tektro Mini V-Brakes with junior specific levers including reach adjust
Tyres
18 x 1.5” Cadence Lightweight Multi-Terrain Tyres

The Squish 18 is a good choice if your child isn’t quite ready to move up to a geared bike. It has a long wheelbase to give confidence and easy-to-use ‘child-sized’ brakes that are perfect for smaller hands.

The Squish 18 is fitted with lightweight components, and our 6 year old tester was impressed when she reviewed this bike for us.

Small block tyres are fitted to give good grip on a variety of surfaces, so the Squish 18 can be used for fun in the mud too.

Buy New Buy Used
Read more about the Squish 18

Frog 47 First Pedal

Bike
Frog 47
Price
£430.00
Monthly Lease from
£15.99
Age Range
4–6 years
Inside Leg
43–54cm
Colours
Green Red
Bike Weight
6.75kg
Frame material
Aluminium
Brakes
Tektro 836AL, Aluminum, linear pull brakes operated by Tektro JL510, Aluminum, easy reach levers
Tyres
Kenda K1047, 16"x1.5", Hybrid, (ETRTO/ISO: 38-305)

The Frog 47 is a brand new bike for 2022. We think this single speed, easy to ride bike is going to be popular with children who are too tall for a standard 16″ wheel pedal bike, but don’t have the ability yet to move onto a bike with gears.

The Frog 47 has a minimum inside leg of 47cm and comes with all the features you’d expect from one of the best known premium kids bike brands.  This includes a lightweight aluminium frame, grippy tyres and child proportioned components.

We’ve not reviewed this particular Frog bike but we have reviewed a number of other sizes and they’ve all been great, long lasting and fun to ride. 

Subscribe to the Bike Club and get the bike for a low monthly cost. When it gets too small just upgrade it for a bigger Frog. 

Learn more: Is the Bike Club Any Good? 

 

Buy New Bike Club
Read more about the Frog 47 First Pedal

Cube Cubie 180 SL

Bike
Cube Cubie 180 SL
Price
£449.00
Rider Height
90–115cm
Colours
Green Red
Bike Weight
7kg
Frame material
Alloy
Brakes
Alloy V-Brake With Powermodulator
Tyres
Schwalbe Billy Bonkers 1.75

The Cube Cubie 180 is inspired by Cube’s larger junior mountain bikes and is a good choice for a child who is desperate to go mountain biking, but not quite ready to move up to a 20″ wheel geared MTB.

It’s fitted with proper off road tyres and has small brake levers to help make stopping easy, and at just 7kg it’s light enough for them to ride and you to lift / carry at the end of the ride.

Buy New
Read more about the Cube Cubie 180 SL

Black Mountain HÜTTO

Bike
Black Mountain HÜTTO
Price
£499.00
Age Range
6–9 years
Colours
Green Orange Purple Blue
Bike Weight
8.6kg
Frame material
Alloy
Brakes
Tektro
Tyres
Kenda Small Block 8 - 1.75"
Buy New
Read more about the Black Mountain HÜTTO

The Black Mountain HÜTTO is actually a 20" wheel bike, but we've included in this article because it's actually designed to replace a 18" wheel and a 20" wheel bike, due to it's growing frame design, so may suit a taller child better than the 18" wheel KAPĒL.

The HUTTO comes in three different versions - the standard version is adequate for most types of riding, but if you're planning on getting out on the trails there's two mountain bike versions available. The HÜTTO Trail has front suspension and the HÜTTO Disc has the added benefit of disc brakes.

If your child is not pedalling you can buy a separate balance bike convertor kit for the HÜTTO.

Black Mountain KAPĒL

Bike
Black Mountain KAPĒL
Price
£499.00
Age Range
5–8 years
Colours
Green Orange Purple Blue
Bike Weight
8.4kg
Frame material
Alloy
Gears
Twist Grip Shift — 7 speed 32T chainring 11-28T cassette
Brakes
Tektro
Tyres
Schwalbe Black Jack - 1.9"

Black Mountain Bikes have a really clever “growing frame” which means that when your child outgrows the original frame size you can adjust the frame and the gearing to make it last much longer.

This means you get at least two bikes for your money and don’t have the hassle of having to sort out a new bike. 

The KAPĒL is their 18″ wheel offering, but taller children may want to move straight onto the 20″ wheel HUTTØ to get maximum usage.

Most 18″ wheel bike are single speed, meaning they don’t have gears.  The KAPĒL is one of the exceptions, making it ideal for those who regularly ride hills.  Do remember that not all children are ready to start using gears at this age.  

Another clever feature about these bikes is the fact that they can start out in balance bike mode if needed (you do need to buy an additional balance bike convertor kit) so your child can progress from learning to balance through to pedalling all without you needing to buy a new bike.

Buy New Buy Used
Read more about the Black Mountain KAPĒL

Before you go.....

If you're planning on buying your child a helmet to go with their new bike, do make sure they're wearing it properly (otherwise there's not much point them having it on!)

Is your child’s bike helmet fitted correctly?

Other 18" wheel bikes

These are other 18" bikes which you may wish to check out if you can't find what you're looking for in our recommendations:

159 bikes match

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