Not All Kids’ Bikes Are Created Equal

By Dave L, Durham Cycles Owner

You may have seen an uptick in ads and promotions around Guardian kids’ bikes. Their advertising is fairly ubiquitious on Facebook and Instagram—likely because of a Wirecutter article published at the end of 2024 titled, "First Kid's Bikes.”

While I love Wirecutter and many of their recommendations are solid, this article prompted me to write a lengthy email to them. We don’t mess around with bike safety - especially when it comes to kids’ bikes.

One of the main issues I have with the bike in the Wirecutter article is the “SureStop” braking system. While the system sounds good on paper, its problems are well-documented by bicycle mechanics and brick-and-mortar shop owners. (We encourage consumers to search unbiased reports from professionals on sites like reddit and Substack for further information.)

My letter to the wirecutter addressed the issues known to the industry about the SureStop brakes and concluded with a further note: "Two of the bikes photographed by your team (the purple Guardian and the white Joystar) have the forks installed backwards. Having the fork installed backwards shortens a bike's wheelbase, reducing stability and increasing the chance of a child's foot getting clipped or caught in the wheel. As part of your bicycle rating was based on the quality assembly instructions, I would imagine that both of these bikes would have failed, yet they were both highly recommended.

I strongly recommend you update your review and that you solicit feedback from experts in a field before making recommendations on products where safety is paramount."

All the bikes in the review are good quality, so no need to worry if you made a purchase based on the Wirecutter recommendation. We do, however, recommend that you consult your local bike shop if you have issues with the SureStop brake system or if you are not confident with assembling the bike based on the instructions provided.

(FYI it’s been months since my letter and the WireCutter has not responded.)