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With a large selection of attractively priced children's bicycles, the Austrian company Woom has become extremely well known. The name Woom now appears on countless bicycles with small wheels from 14 inches upwards. The biggest mountain bike from the kids' experts rolls on 26-inch wheels and goes by the name Off Air 6.
As familiarity says nothing about function, we asked the children's MTB for a test. Together with the young participants of the BIKE youth camp in Sankt Englmar, we put the Woom Off Air 6 over the trails.
Other children's bikes in the comparison test
Woom Off Air 6 in detail
- Field of application: Tour / Trail
- Spring travel: 90 mm
- Wheel size: 26"
- Recommended body height: 140-165 cm
- Recommended age: 10-14 years
- Frame material: Aluminium
- Weight: 11.0 kg
- Price: 1199 Euro Euro >> available here
Equipment
- Suspension fork: RST / Woom AirFork
- Circuit: Sram X5, 1 x 9
- Translation: 28 / 11-36 Z. (327 %)
- Brakes: Promax, 160 / 160 mm
- Seat post / length: Woom, rigid / 300 mm
- Impellers: Woom Disco Tec
- Tyres: Schwalbe Rocket Ron Evo Addix Speed Super Race, 26" x 2.35"
How the Woom children's mountain bike rides on the trail
The Woom Off Air 6 is the cheapest children's bike in our current comparison. At 1199 euros, it costs only a little more than half the price of other high-quality mountain bikes for youngsters. The model has remained unchanged since 2023 and comes in a stylish two-tone colour scheme.
Woom has specialised in the special needs of children and so an age-appropriate Q-factor and thin handles with anti-slip protection are almost a matter of course. What is not a matter of course at this price is the weight. In comparison with significantly more expensive children's bikes, eleven kilos may not trigger cries of joy, but the overall weight remains within reasonable limits. Woom has opted for a tapered steerer tube with a smaller, weight-saving diameter and a lightweight aluminium frame without too many bells and whistles.
Nevertheless, the Woom cannot deny that its 26-inch wheels weigh even more than the 29-inch wheels of the competition from VPace. The Schwalbe tyres are particularly wide at 2.35 inches and fitted with heavy tubes. Theoretically, the wheelset could also be converted to tubeless and thus save around 350 grams of rotating mass. As delivered, however, the Off Air 6 is heavy compared to the other test bikes. Child tester Lara (140 cm / 10 years) criticises: "I find it difficult to get up the hill on the Woom. I have to push more often."
In fact, this is mainly due to the low gear range of the favourable Sram drivetrain. The nine gears lack a really easy climbing gear for children. The wide tyres do help with traction, but when the terrain gets really steep, the Woom has to call it a day. This is also because the front wheel becomes light early on ramps and starts to wobble. The long head tube makes it difficult for kids to put a lot of pressure on the front on steep climbs.
For moderate tours
On moderate terrain, it is clear to see that Woom understands children's needs. The seat tube is not exactly short, but the top tube is pulled down far enough to allow sufficient freedom of movement even for shorter riders.
The standard bike does not have a dropper post, but the preparation for retrofitting one would be available. At the same time, the front of the children's bike is rather high so that kids can easily keep an overview even on steep downhill sections.
With low air pressure in the wide tyres, small bikers roll safely over roots. The suspension fork also responds well to low rider weights. There is no air pressure table on the fork itself. However, you can easily find the correct setup on the Woom website.
At 67.5 degrees, the steering angle of the Off Air 6 is slacker than on many hardtails for adults. This helps children with smoothness at high speeds. Nevertheless, none of the junior testers had any problems with the handling at low speeds.
Unfortunately, the Promax disc brakes are too weak - all the testers agreed on that. Young biker Lara explains: "The brakes are difficult to pull, which is really stupid when riding downhill." This means that the Woom mountain bike gives away some potential when it comes to descending trails.
Geometry Woom Off Air 6
- Reach: 359 mm
- Stack: 618 mm
- Top tube length: 574 mm
- Chainstay length: 434 mm
- Wheelbase: 1066 mm
- Bottom bracket height: 270 mm
- BB-Drop: -67 mm
- Seat tube length: 450 mm
- Protrusion height: 705 mm
- Steering angle: 67,5°
- Seat angle: 70,9°
- Head tube length: 140 mm
- Stem length: 50 mm
- Handlebar width: 680 mm
Data from the BIKE test lab
At BIKE, we go to unprecedented lengths to test bikes. We are the only trade magazine in the world to operate its own test laboratory. The data obtained supports our impressions from the practical test. When it comes to geometry data, we don't just rely on the manufacturer's specifications, but also use the laser measuring device ourselves.
- Complete weight: 11.00 kg (without pedals)
- Wheel weight: 4096 g (incl. tyres, tubes, cassette, brake discs)
- Impeller inertia: 2518 kg x cm² (the lower the value, the better the acceleration)
Conclusion
I actually quite like the Woom, but the gears are too heavy to get up the hill and the brakes are too weak for me. - Lara, BIKE young tester
As an all-terrain children's bike, the Woom is a great deal, combining age-appropriate details and a fair price tag. As a mountain bike, the Off Air 6 reaches its limits early on compared to the competition. Families who want to tackle more climbs and descents on the trail will have to tune it at one point or another. - Jan Timmermann, BIKE editor
Pro
- High-quality, wide tyres
- Child-friendly ergonomics
- Attractively priced
Contra
- Low gear range and weak brakes limit off-road riding
Jan Timmermann
Editor
