BMX is a term referring to bikes used for BMX racing which stands for Bicycle Motocross. They have earned their spot in pop culture, just like skateboards.
These bikes are relatively lightweight bikes which makes them easy to maneuver. Additionally, their smaller wheels compared to other bike types make them easy to control. BMX bikes are very popular for 10-year-olds and teens because they’re designed to take harsh abuse and look great while learning new tricks.
If you’re reading this, do yourself a favor and explore the best BMX bikes for your child who wants to learn more tricks and exercise
Quick List for the BMX Bikes for 10 year-olds
- Best Overall: Mongoose Legion Mag
- Best Value: Huffy Kids Bikes 16” BMX
- Best Premium: Mongoose Legion L500
- Runner Up 1: Mongoose Legion L40
- Runner Up 2:Diamondback Bicycles Youth Nitrus
- Honorable Mention: Mongoose Legion L18
Let’s roll out with…
Best Overall on the list is the Mongoose Legion Mag
Key Features and Specs:
| Weight: | 32 lbs |
| Max Load Capacity: | 250 lbs |
| Brake Type: | U-brake |
| Frame Material: | High-tensile Steel |
| Wheel Size: | 20 in |
- Suitable for BMX beginners
- Sturdy & solid construction
- Great aesthetic design
- Tremendous price point
- Less comfortable seat
- Confusing & difficult instructions and assembly
The Mongoose Legion Mag freestyle BMX bike will get your kid jumping! The bike has a BMX design with a low-slung seat that makes it durable and safe. The dual-brake system delivers extended stopping power to the rear wheel while the attractive mag wheels stand out. The bike is an easy-to-learn one-speed bike. It will allow your child to concentrate on mastering the art of riding without complications.
The hi-tensile steel frame used in the Legion Mag makes it a lighter-weight bike that cruises naturally down the street and is easy to control and balance. It’s a tremendous BMX beginner bike for young riders.
Best Value on the list is the Huffy Kids Bikes 16” BMX
Key Features and Specs:
| Weight: | 20 lbs |
| Max Load Capacity: | 220 lbs |
| Brake Type: | Coaster Brakes |
| Frame Material: | Steel |
| Wheel Size: | 16 in |
- Tremendous price tag
- Lightweight
- Beginner-friendly
- Solid construction
- Narrow front forks
- No neutral design
The Huffy BMX bike has a great value, good looks, quality, and performance. If your kid is a beginner in using BMX bikes, this is a more affordable place to start. It is lightweight, so your kid can easily control it. It has an optional fashion bag with boy and girl designs for its appeal. You can adjust the height of the seat for max comfort. All the well-designed components make this a safe BMX bike.
In addition, this is a great choice for your kids to experience riding with both front and rear hand brakes. If your child is a “menace,” the revolt gray version will suit them like nothing else!
Best Premium on the list is the Mongoose Legion L500
Key Features and Specs:
| Weight: | 30 lbs |
| Max Load Capacity: | 270 lbs |
| Brake Type: | U-brake |
| Frame Material: | Aluminum |
| Wheel Size: | 20 in |
- Double-wall rims
- Sturdy and robust construction
- Unisex appeal
- Strong brakes
- Pricey
The Mongoose Legion L500 is ideally created for youth and adults with short stature who want to ride their bikes and progress with their skills. It’s light to handle any tricks and jumps for beginners, and it’s sturdy for experienced people.
The bike also has a single-wall front rim with a double-walled alloy rear rim, deep enough to control severe jumps without sustaining damage. It is equipped with professional tools to assemble rapidly, without breaking a sweat. This will save your time from unnecessary repairs, making it an ideal choice if your kid wants to do more riding than repairing.
Runner UP 1:Mongoose Legion L40
Key Features and Specs:
| Weight: | 34.0 lbs |
| Max Load Capacity: | 260 lbs |
| Brake Type: | U-brake |
| Frame Material: | Hi-Ten steel frame |
| Wheel Size: | 20 in |
- Ideal for freestyling
- High stability
- Great price tag
- Aesthetic appeal
- Tad bit heavy
The Mongoose Legion L40 BMX bike makes it easy and affordable to purchase a freestyle bike that goes beyond lazy aggressive appearance. The Legion L40 has all the components for freestyle riding. It has quality parts and detailed engineering that delivers a riding experience that punches up adult counterparts.
Admittedly heavy, young boys who are still getting the hang of true freestyle will be just fine from the weight, as they benefit from stability.
The combination of components and design make this bike a great entry for kids who are serious about BMX freestyle.
Runner Up 2:Diamondback Bicycles Youth Nitrus
Key Features and Specs:
| Weight: | 10 lbs |
| Max Load Capacity: | 130 lbs |
| Brake Type: | Linear Pull Rear |
| Frame Material: | Hi-ten steel |
| Wheel Size: | 20 in |
- Great for off-road and dirt tracks
- Comfortable seat
- High control
- *cricket noise*
The Diamondback Bicycles Youth Nitrus is perfect for trail and off-road riding. The Nitrus has an appealing unisex design and great performance in all areas.
The linear-pull brake and coaster brake gives the kid uncompromising safety and handling. The seat is especially comfortable for bumpy drops. As you can guess, the bike’s frame is made of high-tensile steel, providing your child with the necessary strength and reinforcement for rough riding.
It has the necessary stability for fast and balanced cycling. The built-in mudguard prevents any mud or dirt from dirtying the clothes but in all honesty, there’s no way your kid won’t get dirty by all the fun.
Honorable Mention:Mongoose Legion L18
Key Features and Specs:
| Weight: | 26.4 lbs |
| Max Load Capacity: | 225 lbs |
| Brake Type: | U-brake |
| Frame Material: | Hi-Ten steel |
| Wheel Size: | 18 in |
- Great stability and contact feedback
- Old school design
- For versatile environment
- If you’re not mechanically inclined you’re in for some work
The Legion L18 is another great way for kids to get into BMX riding in street and dirt tracks. The high-tensile steel frame is built with geometry to suit riders between 3ft 8in and 4ft 8in. This is an agile BMX, well purposed for street riding. It has large volume tires to increase grip and traction and boost ride comfort, especially when kids are boosting off drops and landing on flat surfaces. In those moments, you might worry if your landing is correct, and with the L18, the kid will get great feedback. It will “feel” right.
The Mongoose Legion L18 offers adequate grip and cushioning for impacts. The steel handlebar should give excellent steering leverage to young riders as it won’t feel too tight or too wide to control.
What to consider before buying one of the Best BMX bikes?
It’s only natural to get a bit more familiar with the differences between the BMX bikes. This way you can have a better understanding. Ultimately it will help you choose the best BMX bike and the most useful to your particular needs.
Types of BMX bikes for Kids
There are many BMX bikes on the market, but there are two major types of BMX bikes: Freestyle & Dirt Track/ Racing. Other subcategories of those two major types of BMX bikes can give your kid an advantage over the rest.
Freestyle
These BMX bikes are built for practicing and performing bike tricks. This will be your kids’ first draft pick. Freestyle BMX bikes have sturdy frames and thick tires for banging against steel and concrete, pretty useful when considering how messy, and careless kids are. Freestyle BMX bikes often come with pegs on the front and back so the rider can stand on them to do tricks. Pegs are the most recognisable element of these bikes
- Flatland. BMX riders do tricks on a flat surface; in this case, flatland riders go for light and short BMX bikes for easy control and maneuverability.
- Street riding. It’s a no-brainer to ride a BMX bike on the streets, just like skaters. Going for BMX bikes that are robust enough to take impacts, wear, tear and abuse that come from an urban environment.
Dirt Track & Racing
BMX bikes made for dirt tracks and racing tend to have much lighter frames and overall parts. The type of BMX bike is built for speed and agility which as you may know, kids are very fond of going faster. Although always practice safety! These types of bikes will have thinner tires with deeper treads to form better contact with the dirt and allow your kid to accelerate faster.
- Dirt jumping. One of the most common competitions in BMX bike riding is dirt jumping. In this competition, riders take a couple of jumps in the air, how many kids have built ramps to fly off from. So choosing a BMX bike that can withstand the pressure upon landing is the best thing to do, an example is a BMX bike with 20-inch tires with 36 spokes.
- BMX racing. Like motocross, it takes place on short tracks, meaning that a BMX bike needs maximum acceleration and speed to win the competition. The competitive nature of this sport attracts many youngsters.
Frame material
Choosing a BMX bike with a strong frame material is essential. The frame materials will have a determining factor in the bike’s endurance. Steel is by far the most cost-effective material for the frame, aluminum is best for weight reduction.
Wheel Size
The wheel size can make or break the ride. Going for more aggressive tires for excellent traction and full contact with the ground is highly recommended on more challenging roads. A BMX bike with an 18-inch or 20-inch wheel is the most common choice for children and it’s also an overall sweet number for a broad range of activities.
Tires
The width and tread of the tires on the bike should match the type of riding your child will be doing. But you can always swap out tires for appropriate types of riding.
For skate park and street riding: look for wide tires with slick treading.
For dirt jumps or the pump tracks: look for tires with a bit more treading, the same as that of a mountain bike tire, to give you an idea.
If your child wants to use the bike for BMX racing as well, you’ll want to swap out the stock tires for narrower tires that roll faster on the track for added acceleration.
Brake Types
The most common brake types that you’ll see on a BMX bike are V-brakes and U-brakes.
V-Brakes: Aka direct-pull brakes are common on race bikes. They have powerful braking and are lighter which is used for racing. These brakes are not that ideal for freestyling, as their design makes the brake parts more exposed to potential abuse. If your child likes to put a bike through rough play then this brake type is not ideal.
U-Brakes: These are the most popular on freestyle BMX bikes. The main advantage of these brakes is that they stay out of the way. This is valuable for any type of freestyle. A U-brake has ‘C’ shaped arms that cross over above the tire, so the left brake pad is operated by the right side of the cable and vice versa.
Frequently Asked Questions on BMX Bikes
Q: How different are BMX bikes from the standard ones?
A: BMX bikes are smaller and much thicker than other bikes. They have a simple frame setup, and thick, fat tires for better traction and shock absorption. These bikes are designed to withstand harsh bike courses. All in all, a BMX bike is strong, rigid, light, simple, and easy to maneuver on the ground and in the air.
The Finish line
The children want to explore and learn new tricks while riding their bikes. Picking the best BMX bike for your 10-year-olds might require some time, but it’s worth it because you will favor yourself by helping your kid exercise and spend more time outdoors.
We highly recommend the Mongoose Legion Mag as the best overall BMX bike to make your kid happy. If you are looking for the bare necessities, the Huffy Kids Bikes 16” BMX completes them and is our best value option while being highly affordable.
But if you want to step it up, look no further than Mongoose Legion L500, as it offers you premium features. Whatever bike option you decide to buy for your 10-year-old will help them have fun.