With every detail fine-tuned and perfected, woom bikes are the gold standard for kids bikes. Lightweight, easy to balance, with quick, responsive brakes, these little bikes provide an unmatched riding experience for your little one. Having tested, reviewed, and daily used all sizes of woom bikes for the last eight years, we can confidently say that they are hands down the best bikes for beginning and timid riders.
From balance bikes to 26 inch kids’ bikes, woom bikes has an option for your child from toddler years to tween. Starting out on the woom 1 balance bike at 18-months, your child could grow with woom until they reach the woom 6 26-inch bike when they’re 10.
Besides woom’s everyday bikes which we cover in this article, they also make the exceptional:
- woom OFF and OFF AIR kids mountain bikes
- woom UP electric kids mountain bike, and
- woom NOW kids commuter bike
7 reasons why we love woom Bikes!
Based on our many years of experience with woom bikes, we’ve summarized our top 6 reasons why we love woom bikes, and why they offer an exceptional riding experience for kids and parents.
- woom bikes are so easy to ride – impressive kid-specific designs and components
- They are super lightweight – the most lightweight kids bikes available in the US
- They are available in lots of fun colors – currently 8 color ways!
- woom bikes is always innovating and improving – these bikes only get better with time!
- Simple and effective safety features – beginner bikes help train kids in bike safety
- All woom bikes are easy to assemble – 10 – 15 minutes max, even with no experience!
- UpCycle program and high resale value – woom bikes may not be cheap, but they are a solid investment
1. woom bikes are so easy to ride
Meticulously designed and crafted to the highest standard, woom bikes are fun to ride because they are easy to ride. Simply put, we’ve seen countless kids who struggle to ride cheap bikes, almost instantly turn into completely confident riders on a woom.
The major factor that makes woom bikes easy to ride is that they are designed and built specifically for kids. Aren’t all kids’ bikes made for kids, you might ask? Sadly, the answer is no!
Most kids bikes are built with many components that were designed for adults. And of course, adult bodies are wider and have different proportions. Woom bikes on the other hand, are designed and built around the unique measurements of kids’ bodies.
Woom bikes have frame designs, pedals, brakes, handlebars, and every component that are kid-specific and kid-friendly. Woom’s frames are designed to provide kids ample room to move around and maneuver the bike without feeling cramped.
Kid-sized parts in the drivetrain also make woom bikes easier to pedal than other kids bikes. On a woom, its narrow build allows kids to push straight down to pedal, rather than slightly outward and awkwardly at an angle. As a result, each pedal stroke is more efficient on a woom bike, allowing kids to ride for longer distances without getting tired.
The brakes have small reach levers that fit the size of a child’s hand and are easy to engage.
Because the needs of kids change as they get older, the design of woom bikes evolve as the bikes get bigger. woom has a small and a large balance bike to start your child off on their biking journey, teaching them to balance so they’ll never need training wheels when they transition to a pedal bike.
woom’s smaller 14” and 16” pedal bikes are designed with an upright position for beginning riders, while their 20”, 24“, and 26” bikes have a more leaned-in position which is favored by older riders.
2. They are super lightweight!
Woom bikes are insanely lightweight and are the lightest bikes available in the US! With frames made from high-quality 6061 aluminum tubes, kids can easily pick them up, twirl them around, or even lift them over their heads!
Many kids bikes on the market weigh close to 40 to 60% of a child’s weight. Can you imagine riding a bike that was half your weight?? Woom bikes are typically close to only 30% of a child’s weight, which makes them much easier for kids to ride and maneuver.
As an example, our 5-year-old tester, who weighs 34 pounds, LOOOVES riding her woom 3 16” bike. The bike weighs just 13.1 lbs. which is a mere 34% of her weight.
Compare this to the very popular Specialized Riprock 16” bike, which weighs 20.25 lbs. That’s almost 2x the weight of the woom and 60% of her weight!
3. They are available in so many fun colors!
Everybody knows that color matters, especially for a kid! And with woom’s array of bright, happy colors, you’re bound to find one that your child loves. The woom 1 through woom 4 (balance bike to 20″ bike) come in 5 bright fun colors! (Yellow and green were recently retired and replaced with orange and lime green as seen below.)
For older kids who want a more mature look, the woom 5 and 6 are still available in red, but also come in navy blue, mint green, and gray.
4. woom bikes is always innovating and improving
We’ve been testing and reviewing woom bikes for over 8 years. Over that time, we’ve been so impressed by their dedication to innovation. They are constantly finding small ways to improve their already fantastic designs.
Even though woom bikes have topped our list of best kids’ bikes for many years, every year they continue to refine features, shave weight off bikes, and introduce new high-end components.
In fact, in their latest update, woom added two new features that aren’t found standard on any other brand of children’s bikes – ergonomic grips and a narrow-wide chainring on their geared bikes.
Ergonomic Locking Grips
Woom’s ergonomic grips, which are found on all sizes of their bikes (even their balance bikes), help to ease the strain on a child’s wrist and hands while riding. The “wing” on their ergonomic grip provides a wider base for the palm of the hand, which helps to decrease fatigue, especially during longer rides. The grips also lock in place to prevent the “wing” from twisting into the wrong position.
Narrow-wide Chainring
To prevent chain derailments on their larger geared bikes, the woom 4, 5 and 6 come with a narrow-wide chainring. A narrow-wide chainring alternates the shape of the teeth to allow the chain to better connect to the chainring as it passes through. As a result, the chain is very unlikely to ever come off on the woom 4, 5 or 6.
A more detailed explanation about how narrow-wide chainrings work can be found in the drivetrain section of our woom 5 review.
5. woom’s beginner bikes have simple and effective safety features
While all woom bikes have powerful dual hand brakes with kid-sized brake levers, the woom 1 Plus, 2, and 3 have an added safety feature – a green braking lever on the right hand. The green lever is located on the right side to help kids remember to always brake with the right brake (or rear brake) first.
While the woom 2 comes with a coaster brake (mandated by law), you have the option to purchase a freewheel kit to remove that pesky back pedal brake!
Another great safety feature of the woom 2 and 3 is its fully enclosed chain guard. The guard’s primary purpose is to keep pants from getting caught in the chain. An added benefit is that the chain guard keeps grease away from pants and curious fingers, and also keeps dust and grime out of the chain and chainrings to help keep them clean and prolong their life.
6. All woom bikes are insanely easy to assemble
If you don’t know anything about bikes, you might be intimidated by the idea of assembling a bike that is shipped directly to your home. Don’t be! woom has made the process so incredibly easy, assembly should only take about 10 – 15 minutes, depending on the model.
We once jokingly told our 10-year-old to assemble the woom 5 bike that had just arrived. When we walked back into the room 10 minutes later, he was finished!
7. UpCycle program and high resale value
Another impressive feature of woom bikes is their Upcycle Program. By purchasing a one-time $59 membership, you’ll be entitled to trade in your outgrown woom and receive a credit of 40% of your original purchase price towards the purchase of a new woom. The program has no limits to the number of bikes you can trade in, but the bikes need to be in “good” condition upon return.
If you choose not to participate in the UpCycle program, woom bikes’ exceptional quality means that they have exceptional resale value. So while woom bikes aren’t cheap, you have several great options for getting some of your money back after your child has outgrown their woom.
Frequently Asked Questions About woom bikes
How did woom bikes get its start?
woom bikes hail from Austria and are the brainchild of Christian Bezdeka and Marcus Ihlenfeld who set out with a goal to build bikes that inspire both children and their parents. A family-run business from day one, the US branch of woom bikes is run by Marcus’ brother Mathias Ihlenfeld, and is based out of Austin, TX.
What does “woom” mean?
woom has nothing to do with the English word “womb”. It comes from the German “wuum”, which is like saying “wham”, “bang”, or “pop”, to indicated a swift movement.
woom Bike Reviews
Interested in a specific model? We have tested every woom bike there is, and have detailed reviews to help you make the right decision for your child.
