For my three kids aged 9, 5, and 2, over the years we’ve bought them several bikes, often second-hand from the ‘langa’ bazaar in Erbil, as well as new ones. Each time, my kids were super excited to try them out. But pretty quickly they lost interest in cycling and went back to their trusty scooters. The bikes were heavy and tiring to maneouvre, the seats hard, the chains came off. It wasn’t fun.
When my oldest son turned 9, I decided to get bikes that they would love. After loads of research, I chose Woom kids bikes. We haven’t looked back since. Now my three boys love cycling and ask to go for rides. The joy and feeling of freedom I see on their faces are worth every penny.
The Woom bikes felt natural and intuitive to my kids from the get-go. They have already become pretty adventurous cyclists.
The aluminium frame is super light.
Were the Woom bikes worth the cost?
The bikes are pricey for sure. It was definitely worth it for us. My 9-year-old went from constantly resisting my suggestions that he go for a bike ride, to happily hopping onto his Woom 5 in his free time. My 5-year-old had only ever ridden a tricycle and a bike with trainer wheels (stabilisers), as I had not got around to looking for a good balance bike in Erbil. He learned to ride his Woom 2 pedal bike in three days! My 2-year-old loves whizzing around on his Woom 1 balance bike. Already feeling sure on two wheels, he’ll easily transition to a pedal bike.
Woom make their kids’ bikes from superlight aluminium frames. No more huffing and puffing to clamber on and off, no more wobbles when they turn or slow down to navigate tight spots. Woom bikes’ aluminium frame isn’t only light, it’s also specially shaped to give kids better control and safety. It makes cycling feel simple, natural and intuitive, even for toddlers and late learners.
Why Woom bikes are so good
Another great feature of Woom bikes’ frame is that it’s really easy for kids to hop on and off. The frame has a low entry point, so kids don’t have to struggle and swing their legs up high to get on and off.
One thing that’s really noticeable is that my kids sit more upright on their Woom bikes. They look more comfortable and confident. On their old bikes, they had to bend quite far forward to reach the handlebars.
The Woom bikes have a green rear brake, so my kids can tell the difference between the two brakes. With the colour-coded brakes, my kids know to use the rear one and don’t fly over the handlebars. The brakes are easier to reach than on other kids’ bikes, and the reach can be adjusted to perfectly fit your kid’s small hands.
A very comfy seat – For my 9 year old, who is lanky and skinny, one of his big complaints about his old bike was feeling uncomfy on the saddle. His Woom 5 with eight-speed gears has a super comfy seat, he doesn’t even think about it. The ergonomic handlebar grips on all Woom bikes are safe, comfortable and small for little hands.
A knee-friendly stem – Woom have cleverly recessed the bolts near the bike’s stem and headset (just under the handlebars), so that kids don’t bang their knees on bolts that stick out.
Other neat features that Woom has tailored into their kids’ bikes are the grippy, low-resistance tyres, an easy quick-release seatpost clamp (which my 9-year-old can open and close by himself), and a flexible steering limiter which stops the handlebars from overturning on the smaller models: the Woom 1, Woom 1 Plus, Woom 2 and Woom 3. This helps my 5-year old and 2-year old on the turns, giving them more confidence to zoom around.
A chain guard covers the chain and keeps my kids’ skin safe from pinches and scratches. The guard is easy to remove when we need to oil the chain or if we ever needed to change a tyre.
How to choose the right size bike for your child
I ummed and ahed about which size bikes to get for my kids. I was tempted to get bigger bikes to get more years of use out of them. In the end I went with Woom bikes’ advice to stick with smaller bikes.
A larger bike is harder to stop, start and manoeuvre. Kids have to stand on their tiptoes and don’t feel as confident or comfortable.
To learn to ride a pedal bike quickly, kids need to feel confident. They enjoy a smaller bike much more, they feel firm and secure on it when they whizz around and turn corners.
So for my 5-year-old, I chose the Woom 2 pedal bike over the larger Woom 3, as he had never had a balance bike. I went with Woom bikes’ advice to go for confidence and mastering skills more easily, rather than giving him a shaky start and discouraging him for the sake of keeping the bike for longer.
Teach your kid how to ride a pedal bike
As my 5-year-old had never ridden a balance bike, I showed him how to ignore the pedals on his Woom 2 bike and instead use it like a balance bike for a few days. He pushed his feet on the ground and coasted along for two days. On the third day, he felt so confident that he started pedaling and bingo. He learned to ride a bike easily in three days.
I’ve seen some websites and videos suggest that you take the pedals off the Woom 2 or Woom 3 and let kids use it like a balance bike for a while. This isn’t Woom’s advice. But it may well work for your kid, if the Woom 2 or Woom 3 are right for their height and inside leg.
Woom bikes have a really useful size guide and an easy quiz to help you decide which bike to buy, based on your child’s measurements and biking experience.
Are the Woom bikes worth the cost?
For us, yes absolutely. For cost per ride and enjoyment per ride, the Woom bikes have given us value for money. My kids cycle much more often than they ever did before, they love zipping around on them. They get huge pleasure from biking around the block of our communal garden and in the park.
Because our Woom bikes are so well made, I worry less about chains coming off, slipping seat posts, or failing brakes. I’m pretty clueless at fixing bikes, so Woom bikes’ reliability is a big plus for me.
Woom bikes are very pricey. On the plus side, when reselling them second-hand, Woom hold their value well. They are sought-after and have a great reputation. Craiglist, ebay and other listings are good places to look.
Another option to consider is the Woom Bikes USA trade-in program. Woom lets you swap the bike your child has outgrown for a brand new Woom, usually about every two years. You get a 40% refund of the cost of the original bike to put towards the new bike. Membership of the trade-in program costs $59. It’s worth it if your kid chooses Woom bikes into their teenage years.
As well as their original bikes, Woom also makes urban bikes and mountain bikes. If you go for the trade-in program, your kid can pick one of those models.
Woom provides the box and free shipping to return the old bike.
The returned bikes either go to family in need through Woom’s #woomgives initiatives or are resold at a discount through their Certified Pre-Owned Bike Program.
Where to buy a Woom bike
If you’re in the EU or US, you can buy direct from the Woom bikes site. In the UK you can’t buy direct from Woom bikes after Brexit, so I bought it from their UK exclusive distributor, The Little Bike Company and got a freight company to ship them to Kurdistan – Iraq.
Disclosure
This is an honest, unpaid for review. I bought the Woom bikes fully at my own expense, including the shipping to Kurdistan – Iraq. I haven’t been asked by Woom or anyone else to review their bikes. I hope my unbiased, honest opinion about my kids’ Woom bikes will help parents decide.