Is it OK if your child's legs are not touching the ground while seated on his bicycle?

Training wheels are usually attached to bicycles with wheel size of 12″ up to 16″. These bicycles are suitable for children of age 3 to 4 years old.



It is alright if their legs are not touching the ground when they are riding on bicycles with training wheels.

For children who can cycle well, it is best that both the tips of their shoes are able to touch the ground when they are seated on their bicycles. That way, should they stumble during a mishap, they will have better control of their bicycles. The legs touching the ground can also help them to balance themselves if they have to cycle slowly because of obstacles or (human) traffic. Their legs can also work like a brake should they have to stop unexpectedly.

You can adjust the saddle height by lowering the seatpost if the tips of their legs are not touching the ground.  The bicycle wheel size maybe too large for their age if their legs are not able to touch the ground even after you have lowered the seatpost to its lowest position.

Take a look at this chart to see if you need to change the bicycle.

The specifications of a bicycle

In general, it is good to know the specifications of the bicycle you are interested in. If you discover a shop selling a bicycle way below the price of other shops, hopefully, it is because it is doing a great promotion to draw customers in and not that they have replaced expensive components with cheaper brands or models.

The same applies if you are buying a used bicycle. You would want to buy a second hand bicycle because the components have been upgraded. You can haggle on the price if you know that the original components, which were better, have been replaced.

Here is another point to take note of when you are buying a bicycle for a child. Bicycles for children are usually supplied with mudguards installed. If you don’t see them, they are likely removed by the retailer to be sold separately. Australian brand bicycles for children will usually be supplied with coaster brake and bell installed.

Some brands have websites with specifications of their bicycle posted online. Some distributors supply their bicycles to their retailers with tags that include the price and specifications.



You know that you are getting a real discount on the price if every components/model indicated on the tag are still on the bicycle.

If you want to know the specifications of a bicycle, you need to know:

1. the brand of the bike.
2. what kind of bike it is, eg, MTB or roadbike, etc.
3. the tyre size, eg, 26″ or 27.5″ or 29er or 700C.
4. the model name or number of the bike.
5. if possible, the year of manufacture, just in case some components have been changed for later models.

Do a search for “specifications (brand name) (type of bicycle)”, and you should be able to find the models that are available if they are posted online. If you are able to find their facebook page and it is actively managed, you can post a message there, to find the specifications of the bicycle you are looking for.

Fuel price going up? Start a bike train.

In USA, some parents are running bike trains so that older children who can cycle can get to school safely with their guidance.



In 2014, I paid the bus transport service provider RM180.00 per month to send my daughter to school.  This year, I am paying RM220.00.  With price of fuel increasing, bike train could be one way we can reduce the cost of transporting our children to school.

According to "Safe Routes", it is recommended that there is one adult to manage every three to six children cycling.

The thing is, will it be possible to run a bike train in Malaysia for children living near their schools?