Best 26″ wheel kids bikes for ages 9 – 13 years

As your child starts to approach the end of primary school and starts secondary school they may start wanting a bit more freedom on their bike.

In this article we're looking specifically at the best 26" wheel kids bikes, designed for children aged about age 9 and over.

The majority are hybrid bikes (also known as multi-purpose bikes) which means they're great for riding on a variety of surfaces such as grass, tarmac and gravel.

If you're looking for a kids bike for a child aged 9 years and over then we always recommend going for a larger kids bike, rather than a smaller adult bike, as they are designed specifically for children's bodies.

Obviously all children vary in height so do measure them carefully, and PLEASE don't buy a bike that's too big for them.

In general, the more you pay for a bike, the better the components and the ride experience.

All bikes listed are well specified, lightweight and should give your child a fun, yet safe, riding experience, and so all deserve a place in our list of the best 26" wheel kids bikes.

If we've missed off your favourite 26" wheel bike, do please do let us know in the comments at the end of the page.

Not all kids bikes are always available - at the moment these are hard to find, but are worth a look if you find them either in your local bike store or on eBay:

Wiggins Chartres Junior 26 (Discontinued)

Key data:

Typical age range: 9-12 years;
Bike weight: 10.3kg;
Brakes: V-Brakes;
Frame: Lightweight Aluminium;
Tyres: VEE-Rubber;
Available colours:Grey;
Warranty: Frame and Forks - lifetime; All other parts - 1 year

The Wiggins Chartres Junior 26 is the largest hybrid in Sir Bradley Wiggins' range of kids bikes, which has now sadly been discontinued.

With its signature reverse fork and striking paintwork options, the Chartres is an attractive-looking bike that was available at a competitive price (it retailed at about £310 when available new).    The range had a makeover in 2019 so the later bikes came with slightly different gearing than the original specification.

The Wiggins kids bike range was discontinued in early 2021, but remains a popular on the used kids bike market.

Cuda Performance CP26 (Discontinued)

Key data:

Price: £340
Minimum inside Leg: 69cm;
Bike weight: 11.2kg;
Brakes: Tektro with short reach levers;
Frame: Alloy Double Butted;
Tyres: Kenda Smallblock 8 26″ x 1.5″;
Available colours: Red;
Warranty: 12 months

Cuda Performance was a short-lived range of quality bikes from the Cuda stable.  The new CP26 was released in 2018 and was  Cuda Performance's multi-purpose offering for children aged around 10 years and over.

With a double-butted aluminium frame and cromoly forks, the CP26 was certainly mixing it up with the other manufacturers of this style and type of bike, but was discontinued in early 2020.

If you can find a secondhand one of these bikes it's a great option. Braking is supplied by Tektro and there is the usual 32T single chainset matched to an 11-32T cassette with 8 gear options. Alloy hubs and rims are shod with Kenda small block tyres to give great grip on a variety of surfaces.

We haven't reviewed this particular bike, but we have put several of the other Cuda bikes to the test, including the drop handlebar Cuda CP700R and the smaller wheeled Cuda CP20R as well as their full-suspension Cuda Impact 24" wheel mountain bike.

Dawes Academy 26 (Discontinued)

Key Data:

Age range: 9 years +

Gears: Shimano 9 speed gears

Bike Weight: 11.26kg

Frame: 13" or 15" Triple Butted 6061 Alloy

Tyres: Dawes, Academy Cadence 26" x 1.5"

The Dawes Academy range was a lightweight and well-specified range of kids' bikes, which is no longer being produced.

If you can find one either on sale in your local bike shop, or second-hand on e-bay, it's definitely worth a look.

Buy Used