An incorrectly adjusted saddle or handlebars may seem insignificant, but they have a major impact on a child's cycling pleasure. If the saddle is too high, your child will not be able to reach the ground properly with their feet. If the handlebars are too low or too far forward, this will quickly affect comfort and control.
Fortunately, adjusting the saddle and handlebars is not a complicated job. You don't have to be a bike mechanic for it, as long as you look carefully and know what you're doing. In this blog, we'll calmly explain how to set the saddle and handlebars to the correct height and position.
Adjusting the saddle
A good sitting position is important for balance and safety. If your child is still learning to ride a bike or is still young, you want both feet to be able to stand flat on the ground when the saddle is at the right height. If your child is a bit older and is already cycling vigorously, it is enough if the toes just touch the ground. Then you can set the saddle a little higher, so that pedaling becomes more efficient.
Adjusting it is simple. There is a clamp under the saddle, often with a nut or a quick release. If the bike has a quick release (that is a lever that you can open without tools), then you open it, slide the saddle to the right height and close it again. If there is a nut, then you use a wrench or Allen key to loosen it. Hold the saddle at the desired height and then tighten it firmly again.
❗️Be aware: there is usually a line on the seat post. This line should never protrude above the frame. It should therefore always be in the bike tube, otherwise the seat post can bend or even break.
Adjusting the steering wheel
The handlebars also need to be positioned correctly, otherwise your child will quickly sit crooked or lean too far forward. With most children's bikes, you can adjust the height and angle of the handlebars a little.
Look at the top of the steering column. There is usually a cap or bolt. If it is a cap, you can pop it off. Underneath that is a long bolt that you loosen with an Allen key or ring spanner. This will release the steering column so that you can move it up or down a bit.
Sometimes you will notice that the handlebars are still rock solid after loosening them. This is normal, especially if the bike has not been adjusted for a while. In that case, you can loosen the bolt a few turns (do not remove it completely) and then carefully tap the bolt head from above with a rubber mallet or a wooden block . This will release the inner pin in the frame and you will still be able to move the handlebars. One tap is usually enough. You can then adjust the handlebars to the correct height and tighten the bolt firmly again.
❗️Also note here that the line or marking on the stem never protrudes above the frame, it must always remain in the tube.
Sometimes you can also tilt the handlebars slightly forward or backward. You do this by loosening the clamp on the front of the handlebars. Then you can turn the handlebars slightly so that the grips are more comfortable, after which you tighten everything again firmly.
Just testing
After adjusting, let your child take a short test ride. Check whether the knees can move freely along the handlebars, whether the arms are relaxed, and whether the child can easily reach the ground with both feet. Ask what is more comfortable: a little higher, a little lower, a little further forward or back. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it should feel good.
Walk or cycle along for a bit to see from the outside whether the position looks natural. With a well-adjusted saddle and handlebars, your child will not only cycle more easily, but also with more pleasure and more control.
Or let us do it for you
If it doesn't work, you don't feel like the hassle, or you just want it done right? Then you can of course also have one of our BikeFlip Flippers fix it. You only have to submit a request via your personal BikeFlip portal .
Are you not yet using the children's bike subscription ? Who knows, it might be something for you. You will always have a suitable bike at home and you will never have to worry about repairs, adjustments or maintenance.
