Woom Off 6 Bike assessment – A child’s bike that conjures up confidence

It is most likely not a shock to listen to I experience my bike quite a bit. Using my bike is what I do to really feel at one with the world, to really feel related to my physique, and as a solution to have enjoyable with my mates. When I discovered biking it fully turned my life round and gave me path in a approach I might by no means had earlier than. If there’s something I might need to go on to my baby, it is biking. 

The primary bike I obtained my son was when he was so younger he might hardly maintain it up. Identical to I did once I wrote the finest youngsters’ bikes consumers information, I researched it endlessly. When I discovered what I assumed was excellent, I introduced it dwelling and put it along with the body inverted so the standover peak was smaller. We have by no means regarded again. 

At the moment my son is quite a bit greater. I do not choose him up and rock him anymore and his peak is now on the prime of the expansion charts for his age. He would not want a low standover peak however I nonetheless need him to have among the best youngsters’ bikes obtainable and that has led me to Woom bikes. His major bike is a Woom Now Cargo bike however he is additionally had a Woom Off Air and this yr, Woom is updating that bike. 

Now that my son and I’ve hung out testing the most recent model of the Woom Off, I am prepared to speak concerning the particulars. In case you are in search of a brand new youngsters bike, hold studying to see if Woom is the suitable alternative for you. 

Design and aesthetics

It is good to begin with an understanding of what we’re speaking about with the Woom Off 6. In brief, it is a flat bar aluminium framed mountain bike. There are some particulars to cowl although. 

To start out with, you will need to perceive that Woom has six fashions which can be nearly all the identical. Your first level of distinction is entrance suspension. In case you select an Off Air mannequin you get a hydraulic air suspension fork with adjustable compression and rebound damping and a lock-out. The quantity of journey will change relying on the dimensions of the bike and that’s additionally why there’s a further three bikes to select from. 

The Off and Off Air are available in a 4, 5, and 6 mannequin designation. Though the Woom authentic, a typical hybrid bike, is available in smaller sizes, the Off begins at 4 with a 20-inch wheel. Like most mountain bikes, the Off is an total bigger bike anyway so I might think about Woom thinks a 20-inch wheel is the smallest that is smart. For greater youngsters, you may go as much as the 5 with a 24-inch wheel or the 6 with a 26-inch wheel. Personally, my boy nonetheless has a couple of extra years earlier than ageing out and that places him on the small facet of the Woom Off 6.

With that understanding of what the Woom Off 6 is, we will dive into the precise particulars. The body itself, as already talked about, is aluminium. Though that is the second era, bringing with it a brand new terra coppa color choice, our mannequin sports activities a carried over black and silver configuration. Which means the rear triangle is silver whereas the primary body is black together with a silver Woom brand on the downtube. 

The fork can be silver but it surely’s not aluminium, however carbon with a thru-axle. The brakes are Promax hydraulic with a 160mm rotor on the entrance. Previously that entrance rotor paired with a smaller rotor out again however one of many adjustments you will discover is that now there are 160mm rotors at each ends of the bike. 

The wheel related to the fork is pretty customary for a cheap grownup bike. The development is double wall aluminium with 24 spokes and these are Woom particular so there’s not a lot element about them. What’s noteworthy, for a youngsters bike, is that they’re tubeless appropriate. Sadly the Schwalbe Rocket Ron tyres come paired with a schrader valve tube however you may swap issues round at dwelling. On the upside the Rocket Ron tyres are a top quality XC race tyre so there’s no need to alter them till you must. 

Though the brakes are Promax, the remainder of the 1x groupset makes use of a mixture of SRAM and non-branded parts. The crank has 28-teeth and, on the Off 6, is 155 mm in size with no branding. On the rear you will discover a 9-speed 11-36 cassette and a SRAM x5 derailleur giving an best gear much like a 700c bike if it had a 33/44 entrance/rear gear obtainable. On the handlebar, controls for the shifting additionally come from SRAM within the type of an x5 set off shifter. 

Efficiency

I desperately needed to name this bike a flat bar gravel bike. I am unable to do it although, it isn’t. The flat bars are 600mm with a 20mm rise and there is a stem you may flip relying on most well-liked match. The flat bar, or the massive tyres, aren’t what defines the standing as a mountain bike although. As a substitute, that falls to the geometry. As quickly as you see the small triangle with the kinked top-tube and the lengthy wheel base, with raked out entrance finish, you realize it isn’t a gravel bike no matter drop-bars or not. 

That is not an issue although. Going with out the entrance suspension saves a bit of greater than 4 lbs /  1.7 kg and it higher matches the using our household does. The lengthy and laid again geometry makes for an excellent secure, and cozy bike, and the massive tyres imply there’s tons of grip. There is not any probability my boy is tackling closely rooted trails, drops, or something just like the southwestern desert within the promo photos. Truthfully, he’d most likely be even happier if I modified the tyres to a narrower gravel tyre however both approach, the lighter bike is simpler for him to deal with. 

The one actual off-road we sort out collectively are gravel roads that components of the world appear to affiliate with American fashion gravel. You can get away with a street bike however now you’d use a gravel bike. His Woom Off is all about management not huge characteristic efficiency however that is additionally what it excels at. What’s good about that’s that it applies to each variations of the bike. If your loved ones is on the market shredding single observe, you might be nonetheless going to understand the match and stability Woom imbues the Off with. That begins with the handlebars that match my boy completely and it continues with the brake lever he has no bother reaching. It is even related to issues just like the low quantity of strain it takes to shift or energy of the brakes. 

Probably the greatest options although is the kink within the prime tube. The obvious benefit, which Woom mentions, is that it lowers stand over peak but it surely additionally applies to a novel problem of children bikes. Since most mother and father purchase youngsters’ bikes roughly each three years, they hardly ever match completely. On the finish, there’s a yr the place it is a bit of too small, earlier there’s a yr the place it is excellent, and to start with you may have a yr when it is a bit of too huge. The kink within the prime tube means the primary yr you may drop the saddle down decrease with the simple to regulate fast launch collar. The yr after, when it suits completely, you would possibly need to add a dropper to the 27.2 seatpost. Even should you do not although, that kink will imply extra uncovered seat tube and the passive suspension that comes with it. As your baby grows the impact will solely be exaggerated. 

You additionally by no means want to fret concerning the bike lasting three years. My boy is not loopy laborious on bikes however he does at all times appear to drop them and Woom clearly understands this. The ends of the deal with bar grips have laborious plastic within the spot they’re principally to hit and in the event that they actually look dangerous, you may swap them simply sufficient. I do want they’d additionally included a defend for the derailleur but it surely’s on my brief record of adjustments to make as he continues to benefit from the bike. 

Apart from that defend, we have already made a few small adjustments. Identical to adults, my boy has a saddle that he prefers. Though Woom sizes the included saddle particularly for teenagers, and contains safety for dropping the bike on the perimeters, my boy likes a softer saddle and we have discovered him one. I’ve additionally swapped the pedals to Look Path Grip Pedals you may examine within the finest flat street bike pedals consumers information. The final change I made wasn’t to the precise bike but it surely did make a giant distinction. As a substitute of his regular minimal footwear, he now rides in Stamp Avenue Fabio footwear. They pair completely with the Look pedals and are versatile and sticky. Though he loves minimal footwear more often than not, they weren’t working for using a motorcycle. The Stamp Avenue Fabio made a giant distinction. 

Verdict

This is not the place you typically come to examine mountain bikes. Not solely that however a lot of the adjustments my boy requested for his bike work to tame down the off-road capabilities of the Woom Off 6. The reason being as a result of there are so few choices obtainable for teenagers bikes which can be this good. Each time I’ve ever had my child on a Woom bike the factor that involves the forefront is the soundness and ease of management. 

The headline options of Woom bikes are at all times the parts however that is not what makes them nice for us. I do know there are children on the market that want the large tyres and dropper submit compatibility however that does not matter a lot to us. I simply need to get my child off the streets and on a motorcycle he can get pleasure from. The 160mm hydraulic disc brakes, plus thru-axles, by no means rub and at all times cease while not having a lot strain. Having a light-weight body and all of the parts matched to his measurement helps the entire bike really feel prefer it ought to. The gearing is useful for that too. 

Greater than any of that although, it is the geometry that we love about Woom. Whether or not he is using his Woom now on the street or the Woom Off on gravel roads, he feels snug sufficient that we will chat whereas cruising alongside. That is what makes Woom bikes, and the Woom Off particularly, nice. 

Within the face of that, the negatives seem to be nitpicks. They’re however you also needs to know that the model is not fully excellent. The chainstay protector began trying nice however is now peeling after spending time in a scorching storage, the derailleur wants a protector, and each getting the seat angle proper and establishing yet one more bike tubeless is a trouble. Nothing main however little hassles that stand within the face of the worth. 

So far as the worth although, there’s some comfort. It is hardly outrageous in comparison with the competitors at this degree however greater than that, you will get it again. Woom bikes are so wanted that there are Fb teams devoted solely to purchasing and promoting this one model of children bikes. They maintain as much as abuse and so they maintain their worth, go one down by way of a pair youngsters then you may promote it for nearly what you paid. You would possibly want to interchange a grip or two, perhaps even a derailleur should you do not add safety, however in any other case these are bikes that stand the take a look at of time.