Children’s bikes are the most price-sensitive category we make, and the one where a distributor’s reputation is won or lost fastest. We build 12″ to 20″ children’s and juvenile bicycles in our own Foshan factory, for distributors and retail chains who need a stable line rather than a one-off shipment.
What we supply
Balance bikes, 12″–16″ first pedal bikes with and without training wheels, 16″–20″ juvenile models, and 20″–24″ bikes that bridge into adult sizing. Frames in steel or aluminium — aluminium cuts roughly 25–35% of the weight against an equivalent steel frame, which is the argument that actually sells in a shop. Brakes, grips, saddles and chain guards are specified to be operable by a child, and every model can carry your artwork, colours and packaging.
The container maths for kids’ bikes
Small wheels mean high density, which is why this is the most cost-efficient category to ship. In a 40ft High Cube the reference figures are in the region of 900 units for 16″ and 1,250–1,300 units for 12″ at one unit per carton — and knocked down, several times that. Because the units are small, the penalty for carrying too many variants is lower than on adult bikes: a distributor can run a full size and colour ladder in one container without wrecking the unit cost.
Seasonality is the real risk. Children’s bike demand concentrates around back-to-school and year-end, so the container has to be planned two to three months ahead of the peak rather than ordered into it.
Quality and safety
Sampled structural testing to ISO 4210, seven QC checkpoints per order and 100% pre-shipment function testing. On children’s products the checks that matter most are the ones that are easy to skip — brake reach and effectiveness for a small hand, no exposed sharp edges at the contact points, chain guards that stay in place, and hardware that stays tight after assembly. Those are exactly the points our pre-shipment inspection covers.
Commercial terms
MOQ is driven by tooling, material and finish as on every other category: existing platform, lowest MOQ we offer; a new private mould in a bespoke finish, substantially more. Standard terms are 30% T/T deposit with the order and the balance against the B/L copy, with L/C at sight available. Samples are available first, and we recommend them on children’s products — finish quality is the thing distributors get complaints about.
What to send us
- Wheel sizes and the price ladder you sell at.
- Whether you need training wheels, mudguards, baskets and other accessories included.
- Your market’s labelling and safety requirements.
- Your branding requirements, if any.
Configuration reference for children’s bicycles
| Size | Frame | Brakes | Features that sell |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12″–14″ | Steel or aluminium | Rear calliper or coaster; front brake omitted on the smallest sizes in some markets | Removable training wheels, chain guard, low stand-over height |
| 16″ | Aluminium (weight is the argument) | Dual calliper or V-brake | Lightweight frame, adjustable saddle range, grippy tyres |
| 20″ | Aluminium | V-brake or mechanical disc | Gears on juvenile models, mudguards, bottle mounts |
| 24″ | Aluminium | Mechanical disc or V-brake | The bridge model into adult sizing |
Aluminium frames cut roughly 25–35% of the weight against an equivalent steel frame. On children’s bikes that is the single most persuasive specification in a shop, because the parent lifts the bike before they read the price.
Container loading reference
| Size, one unit per carton | Reference units per 40ft High Cube |
|---|---|
| 12″ | ≈1,250 |
| 16″ | ≈900 |
| 20″ | ≈700 |
Reference ranges, not commitments — carton design changes them. Small wheels mean high density, which is why children’s bikes are the most freight-efficient category per unit, and why a distributor can run a full size and colour ladder in a single container without wrecking the unit cost.
What drives the minimum order quantity
MOQ in this trade is not arbitrary, and it is not a negotiating position. It comes from four things:
| Driver | Effect on MOQ |
|---|---|
| Tooling | An existing mould carries no tooling cost and allows the lowest quantity we offer. A private mould has to be amortised, so the minimum rises in step with the tooling cost. |
| Frame material | Alloy has the lowest barrier. Carbon adds layup tooling and a longer ramp, so the minimum rises again — more on a new layup than on an established one. |
| Finish complexity | Two-colour wet paint and custom decals require masking, artwork and a paint batch run; a single-colour powder coat does not. |
| Component availability | Named-brand groupsets have their own supply lead times and minimum purchase steps, which can set the floor for the whole order. |
Inside a mixed container, per-model and per-colour minimums apply as well. That is why a container built from four variants usually costs more per unit than the same volume built from two — the mix is a cost decision, not just a merchandising one.
The seven QC checkpoints every order passes
| # | Checkpoint | What is checked |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Incoming material | Tube and sheet specification, alloy grade confirmation, and component references against the bill of materials |
| 2 | Frame dimensional | Critical dimensions and geometry against the tolerance sheet; bottom-bracket thread and facing |
| 3 | Weld and alignment | Weld quality, rear-triangle alignment, dropout parallelism, and fork alignment |
| 4 | Surface and paint | Surface preparation, primer and topcoat coverage, colour against the approved sample, decal position |
| 5 | Assembly and torque | Torque on critical fasteners, brake setup, gear indexing, and wheel trueing |
| 6 | Function test | 100% of units: braking, shifting, steering — and electrical function on e-bikes |
| 7 | Packing and loading | Carton contents against the packing list, carton count, and photographs of the loaded container before the doors close |
Structural and fatigue testing to ISO 4210 is carried out on sampled frames rather than on every unit. Sampling is the method the standard itself describes, which is why an inspection report containing the sample plan and the results is what a third-party inspector will ask for first.
Frequently asked questions
Are training wheels and mudguards included?
They can be specified per model, and for most wholesale orders they are — they are cheap to include in production and awkward to add locally. Tell us which accessories you want standardized.
Can we change the name or artwork on the frame?
Yes. Artwork is applied during production, so it has to be fixed before the batch runs. Changing decals after the container is packed is the most expensive change in this business.
What is the minimum for a mixed size container?
Per-size and per-colour minimums apply, but because the units are small the penalty for carrying many variants is much lower than on adult bikes.
Which safety requirements should we specify?
The framework is ISO 4210, and different markets layer their own requirements on top. Tell us the destination market and we will build the inspection list around it.
How long before the peak season should we order?
Children’s demand concentrates around back-to-school and year-end. Plan the container two to three months ahead of the peak rather than ordering into it.
When we are not the right supplier
Two qualifications, stated plainly. First, if you need twenty units next week, we are not your supplier: there is no production run to release and no sea freight to catch, and local stock will beat us on speed every time. Second, factory-direct pricing only pays off when an order is planned. If you are assembling a range for a season, we work; if you are filling a gap in a single week, we do not.
What we will not do is quote you a specification we cannot hold. If a component in your target build is not available at the price point you need, we say so and offer the alternative rather than matching the quote and hoping the difference is not noticed on arrival.
Request a quote — or the full catalogue
Send us your target model, quantity, destination market and price point. We reply with platform options, a costed quotation and a dated schedule.
How this page was written. Meihanda has manufactured bicycles, frames and components in its own factory in Foshan, Guangdong Province, China since 2014 (ISO 9001:2015). Container-loading figures and lead-time ranges shown here are industry reference ranges: the exact figures depend on the model, the packing configuration and the degree of customisation, and are confirmed per order in your quotation and proforma. Last reviewed: October 2026.
Start a factory inquiry
To quote accurately we need five things — put them in the message box below and we will reply within one working day.
- Product — the model name, or a link to the product page you are looking at
- Quantity — first order volume and expected annual volume
- Customisation — colour, logo, specification, packaging
- Destination — country and port, so we can quote freight alongside the goods
- Target price — if you have one, tell us and we will tell you what is achievable
