Woom Bikes | The Best Bike for Kids

Is there anything better than a kid riding a bike in the summer? Pink cheeks, sweaty foreheads, dirt roads and riding bikes until dark. That is what childhood summers should look like.

Our oldest daughter just turned 8, and was outgrowing her old bike. So I started researching to find the very best bike for kids. We wanted something that would be both fun to ride and easy for her to handle. Although she has been riding a bike for years, she was not super confident, so didn’t enjoy it as much as we hoped she would.

When I first heard about woom bikes, I was intrigued. The bikes are designed by two Austrian cyclists, and dads, right here in Vienna. They set out to make high-quality, lightweight bikes for kids of all ages.

Each of their 5 sizes is specially designed and made for a child’s specific anatomy and developmental needs. They offer great features such as handbrakes specifically designed for tiny hands, and a freewheeling option to allow kids to get into a better starting position. Plus, they are 40% lighter than conventional children’s bikes, making them easy for children to maneuver and even carry themselves.

Then I read an interview with the founders of woom bikes on The Bike Dads Blog, and one of the answers really stayed with me.

What advice do you have to parents when they are shopping for a new bike?
Avoid buying cheap and/or poorly made bikes, helmets, or trailers. If kids don’t have fun cycling, they won’t want to do it, and good equipment can make the difference between loving and hating the experience. I hear this a lot from customers who had previously purchased bikes that were heavy or not well designed. Imagine if someone asked you to ride for the very first time and you could barely lift your bike or couldn’t stop it from tipping over. Many times our customers find that our bikes make it significantly easier for their kids to learn to ride.

I had a feeling that woom was going to be the bike to make our daughter fall in love with bicycles.

We went with a woom 4 for our petite 8 year old, and it was a perfect fit. The beautiful blue color and matching helmet added to her excitement about the bike.

We live in the 19th district of Vienna, just on the edge of the Vienna woods, and these gorgeous vineyards are literally in our backyard. So we headed out to the trails to try out her new bike.

She started out cautiously, as usual, and was a little worried about the hills and uneven terrain.

I looked down at my camera for a second to change the settings, and when I looked back up, she was off. I couldn’t believe it. She was zooming up and down the hills having a blast.

We gave her a quick lesson on gears and hand brakes (since her old bike had neither) and she was good to go. Within a few minutes she was braking and changing gears like a champ.

The way her entire demeanor changed was incredible. You could literally see her relaxing on the bike, her worry lines turning into huge smiles.

After that afternoon, she has asked to go out on her new bike every single day. She loves it!

We have been amazed at the difference the woom bike has made.

This little girl went from a hesitant, reluctant rider, to a confident, strong cyclist in a matter of one afternoon.

Usually, when I find something for the kids that we all absolutely love, I cross my fingers that they don’t outgrow it too quickly. Bit with the woom bike, that isn’t a problem.

After paying a one-time membership fee to their amazing UpCYCLING Program, you can trade in your child’s outgrown bicycle. You get 40% of the original price to purchase the next size up and woom then donates the old bikes to non-profit organizations or cycling camps to teach more children to ride bikes.

This is a minimalist parent’s dream! Now you don’t have to have all sorts of outgrown equipment laying around. And you can be sure that your child is always on the right size bicycle.

Here’s to pink cheeks, sweaty foreheads, dirt roads and riding bikes until dark.

This post is in collaboration with woom. All photos, words and opinions are my own.