Best 18" wheel kids bikes for 5 year olds

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.

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:

Black Mountain KAPĒL 18 inch wheel bike is one of the few 18" wheel kids bikes with gears

Bike: Black Mountain KAPĒL
RRP: £449.00
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

Squish 18 kids bike 2021 is one of the best 18" wheel kids bikes for children aged 5 years and over

Bike: Squish 18
RRP: £339.99
Monthly Lease from: £9.99
Age Range: 5–8 years
Inside Leg: 50–60cm
Rider Height: 110–130cm
Colours: Blue Aqua
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.

The Squish 18 is available to lease from the Bike Club for a low monthly subscription - when your child grows out of it just send it back and upgrade to a larger bike.

Buy New Bike Club Buy Used Buy Local

Wild 18

Wild 18 Key Data

Price: £220
Height range: 110 - 120 cm
Minimum inside leg: 49cm
Bike weight: 7.2kg
Frame and forks: Alloy
Gears: No
Brakes: Tektro alloy with Tektro full alloy short reach levers
Colour: Yellow/red
Warranty: 1 year

Wild Bikes are an in-house brand sold by some of the companies in the JD Sports business, such as Go Outdoors, Black and Millets.

Everyone we know who has bought a Wild Bike is really impressed with it because you're getting a good quality, well designed and lightweight bike at a slightly lower price than some of the established names.

The Wild 18 has an upright riding position for a low centre of gravity, and narrower cranks which bring their legs closer together in line with their smaller hips, which combined with the low weight of the bike gives an enjoyable and easy riding experience.

Buy Now

Raleigh Pop 18

Raleigh Pop 18 Key Data:

Price: £239
Suggested Age Range: 5 - 7 years
Height range: 112 - 125cm
Bike weight: 9.9kg
Frame: Aluminium
Tyres: 18 x 1.50, black tanwall with puncture protection
Gears: Yes - 6 gears (Shimano Tourney TZ20 14-28 x 32T)
Brakes: Aluminium V-brake with adjustable 3-finger brake levers
Colours: Green, Blue
Warranty: 1 year

If you're looking for an 18" wheel bike with gears then one option is the Raleigh Pop 18.

It's worth pointing out that the Pop is about 2 kg heavier than most of the other bikes featured on this page, so you need to consider whether your child is a strong and confident cyclist able to cope with this additional weight.

The components on the Pop 18 are mainly steel, so it may rust more easily than some of the more expensive bikes so do make sure you keep it well maintained, especially after riding in the rain.

Buy New

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.

Puky LS Pro 18 (£300 )

Puky LS Pro 18 Key Data

Price: £339.99
Minimum height: 105cm
Bike weight: 6.3 kg
Frame: Aluminium
Gears: No
Brakes: V-Brakes
Colours: Silver-orange, silver-blue and silver-berry
Warranty:

5-year on frames, forks and handlebars if registered online with Puky within 4 weeks of purchase

The new Puky LS Pro 18 is a really lightweight 18" wheel bike that comes from a brand that is renowned on the continent for building really reliable kids bikes and balance bikes.

They've got the weight so low by having not only an aluminium frame but fork, crank and seat post too. The Puky LS Pro also features the new HEBIE Chainlooper - which is designed to protect little fingers.

The bike has a special coating applied to the paint to make sure it doesn't chip, so you can expect this bike to still look great when you come to sell it on when your own child has outgrown it.

Buy Now

Photo of Frog 47 18" wheel kids bike in red - a good choice larger pedal bike without gears

Bike: Frog Frog 47
RRP: £360.00
Monthly Lease from: £9.99
Age Range: 4–6 years
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.

You can 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?

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