Best bikes for girls: Everything you need to know

If you’re searching online for bikes for girls, you’re not alone. Whether you're buying a little girl's first bike or upgrading to a bigger size, it can be overwhelming knowing where to start. At Cycle Sprog we’re dedicated to helping parents pick the best kids bikes for their children that are actually built for the job.

Many bikes marketed specifically to girls focus heavily on colour and styling, often featuring baskets, tassels or themed graphics. While these features may appeal to many little girls, it’s also important to consider the bike’s weight, build quality and suitability for regular use. Some cheaper options can be quite heavy and less durable, which may affect how easily a child can ride and enjoy their bike over time.

In this guide, we’ll help you focus on what really matters when choosing a good quality bike for a girl. With a growing number of manufacturers now offering unisex bikes in a wide range of colours – including popular shades like pink and purple – families can have more flexibility when it comes to passing bikes down to younger siblings or reselling them in future.

We’ll explain what features to look out for at different ages and stages, including step-through frames for cycling to school in a skirt or dress, and female-specific fit and components for teens whose bodies are changing. 

You’ll also find suggestions for fun bike accessories for girls, advice on what to avoid, and tips for getting the best value, including why a quality girls bike will last longer and be easier to sell on or pass down to younger siblings. We'll also explain how riding the wrong size bike can affect your daughter's enjoyment and confidence, and how to measure her so you know which size bike to buy.

Once you’ve got an idea of what sort of bike to look for, check out our other buying guides for even more options, or use our Kids Bike Search to access our full database of children’s bikes.

B’Twin Riverside 500 (24 inch)

• Price: £249.99 (Currently £199.99 at Decathlon)
• Wheels: 24 inches
• Weight: 13.65kg
• Height: 135-150cm
• Colours: Coral pink

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woom Explore 5 (24 inch)

• Price: £585.00
• Wheels: 24 inches
• Weight: 9kg
• Height: 125–145cm
• Colours: Pink, red, blue, green

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Specialized Jett 24 (24 inch)

• Price: £460.00
• Wheels: 24 inches
• Weight: 9.39kg
• Height: 112–156cm
• Colours: Clay/Lilac, blue, red, bronze, grey

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What size bike should you get?

It’s quite common for children to outgrow their bikes without parents realising straight away, especially if the bike is still in good condition or was chosen based on its appearance. Riding a bike that’s too small can make pedalling more difficult and tiring, especially on hills. Not only does this make their ride less comfortable, but it can impact the efficiency of their pedalling.

Regular sizing checks can help you make sure your child continues to enjoy their rides and gains confidence. It’s not uncommon for kids to lose interest in cycling simply because their bike doesn’t fit properly.

The good news is that it’s easy to check whether your child is due for the next size up. Take a look at our guide on what size kids bike you need and our step-by-step instructions on how to measure your child for a new bike. It's as simple as standing them with their back to a wall and placing a book firmly between their legs (like a bike saddle), then measuring from the floor to the top of the book to get their inside leg length.

Do girls need a different type of bike?

When children are younger, there’s very little physical difference between boys and girls that will affect their comfort on a bicycle, so there's usually no need for gender-specific bikes. In most cases when retailers advertise a bike as for girls or for boys, it’s based on the colour and accessories. A well-designed unisex bike, available in a variety of colours, is a far better investment than a poor quality girls pink bike.

That said, the colour and accessories aren’t always the only difference, and there are some features you’ll find on many girls bikes that are genuinely useful:

• Step-through frames make it easier to pedal while wearing a skirt or dress, which can be especially helpful if they’re cycling to school. Most good quality kids bikes will come with a staggered top tube that sits between a step-through frame and crossbar.
  
• Chain guards can help protect clothing and legs from oil or snags, and flared trousers or long skirts can be the most affected.
• Saddle shape becomes an important factor as they get older and their bodies develop, and good quality girls bikes in bigger sizes should come with female-specific contact points.

Quality girls bike vs bike-shaped toy

Walk into a toy shop or scroll through a major retailer’s bike section, and you’ll

often come across bright colours, themed graphics, and accessories like baskets, tassels, or handlebar streamers. These features can be a great way to get children excited about cycling and help them feel proud of their bike.

However, it’s important to look beyond the styling to check how well the bike is built. Some bikes with popular character themes or sparkly designs are made from heavy steel and come with low-quality components that may not hold up to regular riding. While they might be fine for occasional pavement rides, they’re unlikely to offer the comfort, safety or performance needed for daily school runs, longer family rides, or building confidence on two wheels.

The good news is that it’s absolutely possible to find a bike that your child loves the look of and that’s well designed and durable. We recommend looking at trusted kids bike brands like those listed above – many of them offer a wide range of colours (including pinks and purples), with lightweight frames and child-specific components built for real riding.

What to look for in bikes for girls as they grow up

Once your daughter gets older and hits puberty, her body will start to change. Wider hips and changes in body shape can make a difference to how comfortable she feels on her bike, especially on longer rides. At this stage, it can be worth looking at bikes with:

• Female-specific geometry, which can help with comfort and control, especially if they require a shorter reach.
• Wider or gender-specific saddles designed to suit different pelvic structures (one with a cut-out down the centre and a short nose could be a good place to start)

These are only meant for general guidance, though, as many women will attest that they prefer unisex bikes and saddles. Everyone’s anatomy is different, as are our proportions and limb measurements, so it’s important to always measure first and buy the bike that works for the rider’s body.

Our guide to how to stop your kid getting saddle sore has more tips if they start riding longer distances or complain of discomfort.

Make it theirs with accessories

If your child has their heart set on a character themed bike, (Elsa from Frozen is still a popular one), one way to compromise is to go for a high-quality bike and let them choose girls bike accessories that reflect their personality. This way, they get a bike that’s fun to ride and feels like theirs, while you know you’re getting proper value for money and investing in their future cycling enjoyment.

Here are a few ideas to bling up their bike:

• Btwin Handlebar Bag
• Btwin Kids Bike Plushie Seat
• Basket and handlebar streamers set
• Stickers to decorate frames
• Multicoloured spokey dokeys
• Disney characters bike bell
• Disney characters bike basket
• Disney characters bike windmill
• Unicorn handlebar accessory

The Hornit helmet range is a great place to start, as they offer loads of fun designs including dinosaurs, unicorns, pugs, and more.

Why resale value matters

When looking at buying bikes for girls, one final thing to consider is that a unisex bike in a more neutral colour is usually much easier to sell on or hand down to siblings. A pink princess bike may be harder to shift second-hand or might not be welcomed by a younger brother, for example. Choosing a bike that's well made and in a colour that appeals to a wider group of kids means you’ll get more for your money in the long run, because as we all know, they will inevitably grow out of it!

Closing thoughts

This guide is all about helping you cut through the marketing and find a bike that a little girl will love riding. A good quality bike helps build confidence, independence, and a lifelong love of cycling. Whether she chooses pink, purple, red, green or orange, what matters most is that the bike is built to ride, not just to look good in the shop window.