While kids 20 inch bikes are generally the best fit for most kids who are 6 or 7 years old, they can vary greatly in size, price, and features. From gears, to brakes, to frame size, kids’ bikes can start getting a lot more complicated when your child is ready for a 20 inch bike.

To help you wade through all the options, we’ve tested over fifty different 20 inch bikes, ranging from $50 to $900, to help you find the best bike for your child’s riding style and your budget. Not sure what size bike your child need? Be sure to check out our kids bike sizes guide.

Our Top 20 Inch Bikes Rundown

While 20 inch bikes generally fit most kids who are 6 or 7 years old, which bike is best for your child?  Use our handy lists below to check out our top picks for your child’s riding style, then scroll down for more detailed info on each bike.

Best 20 Inch Bikes Video Demonstration

Want to see these bikes in action? Check out our video roundup of our favorite 20 inch bikes. You’ll see each bike in action as well as learn why we like them.

BEST 20 INCH BIKES ON A BUDGET

Should I get a single-speed bike or a geared bike?

Single speed bikes are usually much cheaper than bikes with gears, but that’s not the only reason to consider a single speed bike. Some kids simply aren’t coordinated enough to tackle gears when they are tall enough to ride a 20 inch bike.

Geared bikes can add a lot of complexity to a child’s overall biking experience. Knowing when to shift and when not to shift is a skill that even many adults are still trying to master.

Shifters and derailleurs that come along with geared bikes can be quite finicky and often require pricey repairs. So unless your child needs gears to tackle hills or longer-distance rides, single-speed bikes are not only less expensive, they are much easier to maintain.

Guardian Bikes 20 Single Speed

Innovative SureStop Braking System

• MSRP: $289
• SEAT HEIGHT: 21.3″ – 26.8″
• WEIGHT: 20.7 lb.
• STANDOUT FEATURES: Guardian’s patented SureStop braking system allows kids to brake faster, safer, and with less effort!
• FULL REVIEW:  Guardian Bikes 20″

From their low-center-of-gravity designs and lightweight frames to their impressive SureStop braking system, Guardian’s bikes offer a unique and fun riding experience. Guardian’s patented braking system not only makes braking safer, it also makes it more fun!

The SureStop braking system works by preventing the child from accidentally activating just the front brake (which can cause the front tire to stop too quickly and buck the child off the bike). Think of SureStop as anti-lock brakes for bikes!

As an added bonus, Guardian Bikes are great quality, ridiculously easy to assemble, and offer fun and colorful designs that kids love.

The Guardian 20″ small is only offered as a single speed, and is slightly smaller than Guardian’s 20″ large bike, which has gears.

Retrospec Koda 2 Plus 20

Dual hand brakes and NO coaster brake for a super low price

• MSRP: $179
• SEAT HEIGHT: 21.5″ – 27.5″
• WEIGHT: 23.7 lb.
• STANDOUT FEATURES: Solid quality dual handbrakes, and NO coaster brake!
• FULL REVIEW: Retrospec Koda 2 Plus

Dual hand brakes and NO coaster brake for under $200? It’s a miracle! The Retrospec Koda 2 Plus 20’s braking system offers brake levers that are easy enough for small hands to pull, and stopping power that’s quite respectable. We were honestly shocked to find such a solid braking system at this price point.

Offered in several bright color combinations, this Koda has a retro flair that’s cool and comfortable to ride. When your kid is on the smaller end of fitting on the bike, make sure to rotate those handlebars down to make them easier for little ones to reach. But even so, they may need a little time to adjust to the wide handlebars.

Note: While the brakes work great once adjusted, we did have to adjust the front brake before it worked properly.

REI Co-Op REV 20 Single Speed

Lightweight bike with 1 year free, basic maintenance

• MSRP: $279
• SEAT HEIGHT: 21.9″ – 27″
• WEIGHT: 22 lb.
• STANDOUT FEATURES: Lightweight bike offering great quality for the price
• FULL REVIEW: REI Co-Op REV

*IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTE: We do NOT recommend using this bike with the included training wheels. Several customers have recently left reviews on REI’s website indicating that the training wheels can loosen and come off while a child is riding. While this was not our experience, we trust that it has been theirs.

The REI Co-Op REV single-speed is a great choice for neighborhood riders in the mid-range price point. Significantly lighter than other bikes in its price range and without the complexity of gears, the REV single speed offers a lightweight aluminum frame backed by REI’s bullet-proof warranty. With narrower street tires with minimal tread, the REV is not suitable for non-paved trails.

The updated 2022 model features a riser handlebar that can be rotated towards or away from the rider to more accurately fit smaller and taller kids. As a result, it’s a much better fit than the previous model of this bike. Be aware that like most kids bikes in the $200 price range, the REV does have a coaster brake, but it also has a good-quality rear Tektro handbrake that works quite well.

REI offers 1 year free basic maintenance for any bike purchased at its stores or online.

Polygon Premier Ultralight 20

Great performance for paved or light trails – 7 speed

• MSRP: $249
• SEAT HEIGHT: 21.25″ – 27.25″
• WEIGHT: 20.75 lb.
• STANDOUT FEATURES: Great build for a pretty great price, Kenda multi-terrain tires, Shimano 7-Speed grip shifter, lightweight
• FULL REVIEW: Polygon Premier Ultralight Kids Bikes

Polygon Kids bikes are newer to the US, and the Polygon Premiere will certainly impress you from the moment you take it out of the box. From its brightly colored graphics to its kid-friendly geometry and solid-quality components, the Polygon Premiere is everything a great kid’s bike should be, at a price tag parents will love.

While the Polygon isn’t quite as light as other bikes on our list and doesn’t have as high-end components, what you get for the price is impressive. If you have less than $300 to spend and are looking for a geared 20″ bike, you won’t get a better bike than the Polygon.

BEST NEIGHBORHOOD 20 INCH BIKE

What We Look for in a Neighborhood Bike

Bikes for kids who mainly ride around the neighborhood should be lightweight, easy-to-ride, and provide a comfortable riding position for the rider.  The average child rider doesn’t need a lot of gears or suspension or other extra add-ons that require maintenance and greatly increase the overall weight of the bike.

Keep it simple here – what your child needs is a dependable, durable, and fun bike to help them explore the neighborhood. Do they need gears? Many kids this age won’t even use gears if they have them, so unless you will be tackling hills frequently, a geared bike is a bonus, but certainly isn’t necessary.

Guardian Bikes 20 Inch 6-Speed

Innovative SureStop braking system

• MSRP: $319
• SEAT HEIGHT: 22.5″ – 28.5″ (both models)
• WEIGHT: 22.9 lb.
• GEARS: 6-speed
• STANDOUT FEATURES: Proprietary braking systems help kids brake with more control
• FULL REVIEW:  Guardian Bikes 20

Shark-Tank-funded Guardian Bikes come with a proprietary braking system called SureStop that prevents unsafe braking. When braking with just the front hand brake while at high speeds, bikes can tilt forward and buck a child off the bike and over the handlebars.

SureStop on Guardian bikes prevents this by having only one brake lever engage the front and rear brakes. Not only it is the safest system on the market, but it’s also much easier to use than most traditional dual-hand brakes.

These 20″ bikes offer incredible quality and riding experience for a price that really can’t be beat, and are offered in several kid-friendly colors and designs. The 20″ Large is only offered with 6-speeds, and is slightly larger than the single-speed 20″ Small.

Priority Start 20″

Simplified 3-speed shifting, modern styling, maintenance-free belt drive

• MSRP: $379
• SEAT HEIGHT: 22″ – 28.5″
• WEIGHT: 19.5 lb.
• GEARS: 3-speed
• STANDOUT FEATURES: 3 gears for an easy intro to shifting, low-maintenance belt drive
• FULL REVIEW:  Priority Start 20″

Staying true to their innovative beginnings, the Priority Start 20″ offers the simplicity and easy maintenance of a single-speed but with the gearing options of a traditional geared bike. 

With just three-gears housed in an innovative, internally-geared hub, the Priority Start 20 has gears, but without the traditional bulky and finicky derailleur. It’s also a much simpler introduction to shifting on a child’s first geared bike!

Combined with a lightweight frame and grease-free belt drive, the Start 20 is the perfect “Goldilocks” bike for the average everyday rider – not too basic, not too complex, but just right.

Specialized Jett

Super comfy ride, trigger shifters

• MSRP: $350
• WEIGHT: 17.6 lb.
• GAIN RATIO: 2.0 – 6.3
• STANDOUT FEATURES: Comfortable saddle, wider tires provide a smooth ride, kid-friendly trigger shifters
• FULL REVIEW:  Specialized Jett (24″ Review)

The Jett is a vast improvement on Specialized’s original neighborhood bike series for kids – the Hotrock. Exceptionally built to offer a comfortable riding experience, mostly everything about the Jett is an upgrade from earlier days.

The Jett’s smooth rolling tires have extra width to provide extra cushion, and the padded saddle has been a surprise hit with our kid testers.

The gearing system was designed with a nice range for climbing hills or gaining speed on flat ground, and features easy-to-use trigger shifters that make changing gears a breeze. To top it all off, the Jett’s responsive handbrakes stop on a dime, and there is NO coaster brake!

While the Jett is marketed as a bike that offers extended growth for kids, we didn’t find that to be true with the Jett 20. It offers about the same amount of growth as our other favorites bikes on this page. (The 24″ Jett is a bit different and does offer extended growth.)

woom 4

Ultimate lightweight, efficient bike for young riders

• MSRP: $599
• SEAT HEIGHT: 22.1″ – 28″
• WEIGHT: 17.9 lb.
• GEARS: 8 speed
• STANDOUT FEATURE: Wide gain ratio range, very lightweight, comfortable rider position
• FULL REVIEW: woom 4

With mid-range 1.4″ tires, grip shifters, and weighing in under 18 lb., the woom 4 is well-suited for anything from longer rides on paved bike trails to cruising dirt roads.

Easy to ride and easy to handle, the woom 4 places kids in a comfortable rider position (not too leaned forward or too straight up) that helps kids feel stable and confident as they ride. The woom 4’s unique handlebar design allows the handlebars to be raised or lowered for a better fit as kids grow.

As the lightest 20 inch bike we’ve ever tested, our timid testers have all raved about the woom 4. For those riders ready for more action, the woom features a wide gain ratio (gearing) range of 2.3 to 5.9 making it suitable for flying down flat paved trails or climbing rolling hills.  Comes in several fun color options.