Choosing a bike for your child can be overwhelming. There are so many options available for different terrain, riding styles, and sizes.
How do you identify the right combination of features, style, and frame type?
For a young boy, his bicycle is not just a means of transportation; it’s a statement of independence and personality.
At 11 years old, boys who love riding bikes are starting to explore new riding styles, going a little further from home, and maybe taking more risks.
Whether your 11-year-old is exploring the neighborhood streets, jumping curbs, or thrashing some off-road trails, choosing a bike that fits his riding style is essential. Read on to learn how to choose the best bike for an 11-year-old boy.
Types of Bikes for 11-Year-Old Boys
The most important thing to know in choosing the best bike for an 11-year-old boy is what kind of riding he’ll be doing.
Some kids are fearless and want a bike that can go wherever they go, whether it’s bunny-hopping over guard rails or careening down muddy gulches. Other kids are more laid back in their riding ambitions and are looking for a bike that’s stylish and comfortable for touring around the paved neighborhood streets.
There are tons of different types and styles of bikes out there, but they all roughly fit into just a few categories. These categories are defined by what kind of riding you want to do.
For example, a bike with a bulky frame built for jumping curbs and riding off-road would not be a great choice if you do most of your riding on the street.
Mountain Bikes for 11-Year-Old Boys
The typical 11-year-old boy wants a bike that’s versatile over everything else. Most kids at this age haven’t settled on a particular riding style yet. It’s more important for your child to be able to ride where his friends ride than to meet any other specific requirement.
Mountain bikes provide the strength and maneuverability for jumping curbs, riding gravel roads, and traversing pretty much any back yard or empty field. This kind of riding is the bread and butter of cycling for most 11-year-olds.
A good mountain bike will have a sturdy frame that can handle jumps, curb-hops, and any other abuse your child can put it through. Some mountain bikes even have shocks and other off-road capabilities to make rough riding even easier.
The tradeoff for all that versatility is that mountain bikes tend to be heavy and aren’t great for long-distance riding. If your kid likes to go for long rides on pavement, check out the next section on road bikes.
What's the best mountain bike for an 11 year old boy?
For a great starter mountain bike for an 11-year-old boy, try the Mongoose Rockadile.
Road Bikes for 11-Year-Old Boys
Road bikes have thin, lightweight frames with narrow wheels. Road bikes are designed mostly for use on pavement, although some can handle riding on well-maintained dirt roads.
Most kids don’t stick to the road when they’re out for a ride, so a road bike might not be the best choice for an 11-year-old boy.
If your boy likes to pop curbs, ride through mud puddles, or do any off-road riding, you’ll want to avoid road bikes. However, if he’s interested in road racing or riding long distances on roads or paved trails, a road bike might make sense. Road bikes come in lots of different shapes and sizes, but, in general, they’re designed for comfort and speed in longer rides.
What's the best road bike for an 11-year-old boy?
Specialized Allez Jr.
At 11 years old, most boys are getting big enough to ride smaller sized adult frames. We’ll talk more about how to choose the right size later. One great road bike that’s designed specifically with kids in mind is the Specialized Allez Jr.
BMX Bikes For 11 year olds
Some 11-year-old boys are just a little more extreme than others. If your kid is into trick or stunt biking, BMX is the way to go. The steel or aluminum frame of a BMX is strong and durable so that it can stand up to lots of abuse. BMX bikes also tend to look pretty tough, so most 11-year-old boys will be proud to show off their ride to their friends. BMX bikes are designed explicitly for jumping and doing tricks. The frames are shaped to deliver power and control for the rider, but they aren’t very comfortable to ride for long distances. So if your child uses his bike to get around, a BMX is probably not the best solution.
What's the best road bike for an 11-year-old boy?
If your child is interested in precision riding, tricks, and jumping, check out the Tony Hawk Dynacraft Boys BMX
Hybrid Bikes For 11 year olds
If you’re not sure what type of riding your child will be most interested in, or you just want the best of both worlds, hybrid bikes fall somewhere between the ruggedness of a mountain bike and the speediness and comfort of a road bike. Hybrids typically have flat handlebars like a mountain bike, but lighter frames similar to a road bike. They are designed for versatile riding on pavement, dirt roads, and gravel, but are usually not suitable for serious off-road riding.
What's the best road bike for an 11-year-old boy?
How to Choose the Right Size Bike for an 11-year-old Boy
Getting the right size is probably the most crucial part of finding the best bike for an 11-year-old boy.
It’s the most crucial part of finding the best bike for anybody! Bike sizing is a bit of a dark art and requires a good amount of knowledge about how the bike’s geometry is set up and what type of riding your child will be doing.
The best way to ensure the right fit for any bike is to talk to a professional at your local bike shop.
If that’s not an option, try these quick tricks for finding the right fit for your child’s bike:
Standover Height
The standover height is the distance from the ground to the top of the top tube (the part of the bicycle that runs from the seat post to the handlebars). On a road bike with a straight top tube, the standover height should be just below the crotch. In other words, you should be able to straddle the bike with the top tube pressing against your privates.
On hybrids, mountain, and BMX bikes, standover height is either not as important, or is measured differently.
Standover height is a feature of the frame, so you should check it before buying the bike. As long your child can comfortably straddle the bike and can reach the pedals with his feet, he should be okay.
Seat (Saddle) Height and Position
The saddle (seat) height and forward-back position can be easily adjusted on most bikes.
To adjust the saddle height, loosen the clamp that holds the seat post into the seat tube and raise the saddle until it’s comfortable.
This will be different for every different person and will change based on the frame geometry and riding style.
The position of the seat from front to back is important, too. Make sure that your child can sit comfortably on the seat and reach the handlebars without straining or overextending.
Body Position and Posture
The amount you have to bend to reach the handlebars when you sit on the saddle is another essential part of getting the fit right for your child’s bike.
Once you’ve measured the standover height and adjusted the height of the saddle until it’s comfortable, you’ll need to make further adjustments to the position of the handlebars, the angle of the saddle, and the forward and back location of the seat.
Body position is especially important for road bikes because riders tend to spend long periods in the same position while riding on the road.
If you’re hunched over or putting too much weight on your hands, feet, or posterior, you might end up with sores and stress injuries. No matter what type of bike you choose for your child, though, getting the fit right will ensure a safe and fun cycling experience.
What is the Best Bike for an 11-year-old Boy?
When you’re trying to figure out what is the best bike – for an 11-year-old boy, or anyone – there are a lot of factors to consider. In addition to the considerations mentioned above, there are some other important things to think about when choosing a bike for your child.
Fitness Level
If your kid is in great shape and ready for any challenge, then he’ll want a bike that’s powerful, agile, and can handle rough terrain. BMX and heavy-duty mountain bikes are great for kids with a high level of physical fitness and an interest in hard riding. But let’s face it, not every young boy is at his peak of physical ability. If your 11-year-old doesn’t possess the gung-ho, daredevil spirit of a BMXer, you might choose a bike that’s a little more stable.
Hybrids and mountain bikes with a relaxed frame geometry are ideal for kids who want love to ride but aren’t interested in shredding the single-track or doing tricks in the half-pipe.
Aesthetics
No matter how much effort you put into finding a bike that fits your child’s specific riding style and ability, none of it matters if they don’t want to ride the bike. Style is super important in a bike, especially for an 11-year-old boy.
If you’re going to spend the time and money to find a bike that meets all your child’s functional requirements, don’t skimp on the look and feel of the thing. There are tons of options available for paint colors, handlebar tape, decals, and all kinds of other important style elements to consider.
Price
If you’re one of the 1% and don’t care what the bike costs, congratulations!
You can go custom and have a bike built to your specific dimensions using a combination of materials for optimum strength and performance, and who cares how much it costs! For everyone else, the price of a bike is often a big part of the decision-making process.
If you get too far into your research before looking at prices, you might be in for some significant sticker shock. Before you go crazy on a costly bike for your 11-year-old, keep in mind that kids grow fast.
Whatever bike you buy for your child at this age likely won’t fit his needs within a year or two, so it’s fine to be a bit conservative at this point.
The best bike for an 11-year-old boy might be the one that doesn’t break the bank.
A few years down the road, when he’s stopped growing, you can go all out and buy the $6,000 carbon road bike. For now, you should be able to find a great option for under $300 in most cases.
Weight and Portability
The weight of a bike is essential when you’re road racing, climbing a mountain, or training for a triathlon. For an 11-year-old boy tooling around the neighborhood, a few extra grams here and there isn’t going to be noticeable.
Where weight is important, though, is in portability. It might be tempting to go with the most robust, most stable material available (usually steel), but make sure you can still pick the bike up. You’re going to have to transport the bike at some point unless you live in a great neighborhood with easy access to everywhere your child wants to ride. You don’t want to buy a bike that you or your child can’t lift on to the bike rack.
Titanium and carbon fiber are some of the lightest materials available for bike construction. They also quickly run into the thousands of dollars for even a low-end model. Aluminum is a much more cost-effective frame material that still shaves off the pounds.
Of course, if your kid is an aspiring racer, or loves speeding down big descents, the sky’s the limit on materials and construction.
Ultimately, if you use some common sense and take into account the considerations in this guide, your child will be sure to enjoy his bike. Just don’t forget to get him a helmet, too!