my son is average height... he out grew his 12 inch. He's big enough for a 16 inch but can BARELY touch the ground and he doesn't know how to ride w/o training wheels yet....
do i get the 14 inch or do i get the 16 inch?
it's not the same with all bikes - my daughter tried 4 different 14 inch bikes, two were too small, one was too big and one was just right. The number of inches says the wheel size, but nothing of the frame size, so you do have to actually go and try out specific bikes.
I would go with the 16 inch as long as the training wheels are in place. That is what we did with our little girl and she rides just fine.
Go with the 16 inch. He still has a few months of growth until Spring.
Since he has outgrown his 12 in- this is the perfect opportunity to teach him how to ride without training wheels.
-This worked for my daughter and her whinny" friend next door and the my best friend's son.-
Unscrew the pedals off the old bike. Set the seat height so that his feet can be flat on the ground while he fully sits on the seat -basically it turns the bike into a strider (http://www.stridersports.com/) Then have him cruise around- can try a riding down a slight hill or just stride around- In a couple of days to a week (possibly sooner) he will have learned how to balance on the bike- no training wheels!
Then he will be ready for the big bike!
My 4 year old has a 16 inch... with the training wheels it's not a problem.
but I have read that it's easier to learn to ride without training wheels on a smaller bike... so maybe a 14 inch would be good, and lift the training wheels up alittle so he can start learning to balance a little!
