Woom Explore Kids Bike Review

For families looking for a bike that’s as adaptable as their kiddo’s interests, the Woom Explore brings a blend of versatility and adventure-readiness to the table. Designed to handle everything from school commutes to weekend gravel rides, the Explore fills a gap that few kids bikes do.

Compared to the Woom Go bikes, the Explore has a more grown-up, mature, and sleek feel. It also offers higher-end components, most notably the hydraulic disc brakes.

The bike comes in three sizes–the 20″ Explore 4, the 24″ Explore 5, and the 26″ Explore 6.

We’ve been testing the Woom Explore 6 for several months now (since before it released), and my son has been riding it for around-town outings as well as some weekend adventures with the family. Read on for all of our thoughts.

Review in a Nutshell

Pros:

• Lightweight aluminum frame and high quality components
• Hydraulic disc brakes provide powerful stopping, even in wet weather
• Adjustable stem and seatpost allows the bike to grow with your child
• Versatile for city riding and casual gravel rides

Cons:

• Integrated saddle and seatpost limits adjustments and replacement
• Tires and rims are not tubeless compatible
• Cables are routed externally rather than internally

Price:

• Woom Explore 4: $749
• Woom Explore 5: $799
• Woom Explore 6: $849

Like All Woom Bikes, The Explore Is Lightweight And High Quality

Woom makes our favorite kids bikes across the board, and the Explore lives up to our high expectations from the brand.

The Woom Explore frame is crafted from lightweight, high-quality AA 6061 aluminum, complete with butted tubes for extra durability without unnecessary weight. Speaking of weight, like all Woom bikes, the Explore is exceptionally lightweight.

While all the sizes are light, the most notable is the Woom 6, which as far as I know is the lightest 26″ bike on the market (in the U.S.). This makes it enjoyable for young riders, and more manageable for them to control and maneuver than your typical heavy and clunky kids bike.

Here are the weights for each model:

• Woom Explore 4: 17.2 lbs
• Woom Explore 5: 19.9 lbs
• Woom Explore 6: 20.9 lbs

Everything is well thought (except for maybe the saddle which I’ll discuss later), including child-appropriate geometry and correctly sized parts (including cranks and handlebars). The components are high quality and function like they should.

Out of the box, the bike was ready to go, and didn’t require any adjustments to the brakes or derailleur which we’ve complained about on other kids bikes (including other expensive brands like Spawn and Early Rider). And if for some reason you do run into a problem, reach out to Woom. Their customer service is top notch.

Excellent Braking Performance with Hydraulic Disc Brakes

Perhaps the biggest differentiator of the Woom Explore is its hydraulic disc brakes, which are rare to see on a (non-mountain bike) kids’ bike. The Promax brakes, which have a 160 mm rotor in the front and a 140 mm in the back, offer superior stopping power and work especially well in wet conditions compared to traditional v-brakes.

We live at the top of a steep hill, and it’s always a little nerve-wracking watching our son stop at the stop sign at the bottom. With the Explore, he was able to zoom up to the bottom and slam on the brakes at the last second–yikes, but thankful mom.

The only other bikes in this category with with disc brakes are the Prevelo Alpha and the Early Rider Belter.

Adjusts To Grow With Your Child

Woom’s thoughtful touches for growing riders shine through in the Explore. Both the seatpost and stem are adjustable, with handy ABC markings to help parents find the right fit as their child grows.

This is a clever way of communicating bike fit to parents. The only other bike I’ve seen with a similar feature is the Specialized Jett.

The stem can rotate forward, increasing reach and height, while the seatpost can be raised to accommodate height. This adaptability means the bike can grow with your child, for a while at least! The seatpost also has a quick-release seatpost collar for tool-free height adjustments, which we appreciate.

Sharing the bike with a friend? Just remember the marking and you’ll be able to put it back in the correct position later.

Wheels And Tires

The Woom Explore has durable, smooth-rolling wheels and comes with Schwalbe Billy Bonkers tires, known for their fast-rolling performance and all-terrain capability. These tires handle well on pavement, hard-packed dirt, and gravel, making the Explore a solid choice for a variety of riding environments. Reflective strips on the sidewalls add extra visibility—a nice safety feature for riding around town.

However, the rims and tires aren’t tubeless compatible which is a bit of a bummer. We wouldn’t expect a hybrid kids bike to be tubeless-ready necessarily, BUT since Woom is marketing this as a gravel bike, it would be nice to have for off-pavement riding.

Gearing and Drivetrain

While the Woom Explore is pretty consistent across models (the 20″ Woom Explore 4, 24″ Woom Explore 5, and 26″ Woom Explore 6), the one area they do differ is the drivetrain.

The Explore 4 comes with a high-quality 7-speed Shimano drivetrain and grip shifter. While the drivetrain works well, in our experience, the grip shifter can be difficult for little hands to operate. That said, grip shifters are often more intuitive for kids just learning to use gears.

The Explore 5 and 6 have a microSHIFT Acolyte 8-speed derailleur paired to a 28-tooth chainring and an 11–34 tooth cassette. The trigger shifter on the 24” and 26” models offers clean shifts and is easier to operate than the grip shifter.

Interestingly, the trigger shifter did hang our son up for a moment as it operates differently than most (you pull in rather than push to shift to a harder gear).  It wasn’t a problem and he adapted quickly.

The 28 tooth chainring up front makes the bike a solid climber, despite the fact that it has a narrower range of gearing than the Prevelo Alpha, for example. If you live in an area that’s flat as a pancake, your kiddo might be undergeared BUT in our time testing the bike, our kiddo never appeared spun out.

Seatpost And Saddle

The only thing I did NOT like about the Woom Explore is the seatpost/saddle design. 

While the saddle is actually pretty decent (and was developed with the help of Selle Italia), and I like the height adjustment markings on the seatpost, I do not like that the saddle and seatpost are integrated, for two primary reasons:

1. If you want to replace the saddle, you’ll have to replace the seatpost too.  Reasons you may want to replace a saddle include your child not finding the existing saddle comfortable (not all saddles work for all kids, just like they don’t for adults) or the saddle gets degraded or damaged over time or in a crash.  Saddles and grips are two of the first things to need replacement on kids bikes!
2. The saddle position is fixed.  There is no way to adjust the for-aft position or the tilt.  Saddle adjustments are an important part of getting a good fit on a bike, and I think this was a big miss.

Is It The “Ultimate Kids Gravel Bike”?!?

On their website, Woom is marketing the Woom Explore as “the ultimate gravel bike.”  Is it? 

Well, no, I wouldn’t go that far, though I do think it’s a good choice for gravel riding. Interestingly, the geometry on the bike is quite similar to the Woom OFF and it has the same reasonably slack headtube angle.  This does indicate that bike is designed for off-road riding.

That said, the couple of things that keep me from calling it a true gravel bike are that:

1. There’s no option to add a drop bar.
2. The tires and rims aren’t tubeless compatible.
3. The derailleur doesn’t have a clutch. 

That said, what are your other gravel options for kids? Almost zilch, at least if you’re in North America. There are the Frog drop-bar bikes but they don’t have disc brakes.

So, if you want to do some gravel riding with your child (or even ‘cross racing), this is one of your best options for doing it.

Explore Compared To Other Woom Options

For parents looking for a 20″ bike, you’re going to have the option of the Woom Go 4 or the Woom Explore 4. (The Go only goes up to 20″). If you’re debating between the Woom Explore and the Woom Go, and you can afford the extra expense, I think the Explore is the obvious choice.

The hydraulic disc brakes offer better stopping power, the aesthetic is more attractive to older kids, and it’s lighter.

Although the Woom Explore is definitely “cooler” than the Woom Go, I will say my son’s opinion of the aesthetic was underwhelmed.  The Explore has been parked in our garage directly next to his Woom OFF, and he still grabs the OFF over the Explore even for riding to school or to a friend’s house.  Yes, he is a mountain biker, so his perception of what’s cool may be a little skewed, but I do think it’s important to note that many kids are still going to think a mountain bike looks cooler, and is more playful for hopping curbs on their way around town.

The Explore can handle very mellow trails, but for any type of real mountain biking, the Woom OFF will be your better choice. Even for serious or long gravel rides, I’d probably opt for the Woom OFF with rigid fork just for the tubeless tires, thru-axles, and derailleur clutch.

If urban riding is more your family’s jam, you may also want to consider the Woom NOW which is essentially a mini cargo bike for kids.

Compared to the Woom NOW, the Explore looks a little bit more like a traditional bike and may be more aesthetically pleasing for a lot of kids.  I think most kids would prefer to ride the Explore to school rather than the NOW. 

That said, for urban riding, the Woom NOW still has a lot of bonuses that the Explore is lacking–built in lights, fenders as the default, lots of storage space, etc.  If you’re the kind of family that doesn’t have a car, the NOW could be the superior option.

At the end of the day, for the vast majority of families, the Explore will be the best option for your child out of all the Woom offerings. Yes, if you’re strapped for cash and looking for a 20″ bike, go with the Go. If you’re mountain biking, choose the OFF. And if you’re a car-free family, opt for the NOW. For everybody else, the Explore is the bike you want.

Ready for Accessories and Storage

The Explore comes ready for various add-ons, including mounts for a bottle cage, fenders, and a Woom rack. These extras make the bike more versatile, allowing it to carry school bags, small backpacks, or even overnight gear for light bikepacking adventures. A rear rack could transform the Explore into an efficient commuter bike or weekend adventure companion, adding to its appeal for families who want a multi-purpose ride.

Other Things Worth Mentioning

• The grips are ergonomic and my kiddo liked the shape and feel.  But, they are slick when wet.  If you are riding somewhere where it rains frequently, I’d probably swap out for something with more grip.
• The pedals are just okay and not as good as the pedals on the Woom OFF.  You may want to upgrade the pedals, particularly if your kiddo is going to be using the bike for off-road riding.
• There are eyelets to mount a water bottle cage.
• The cable routing is external rather than internal which is somewhat surprising at this price point. It does look a little sloppier than internal cable routing, but makes maintenance easier if you’re doing it yourself.
• The bike comes with a kickstand installed. Often times older kids don’t really need a kickstand anymore. If that’s the case for yours, remove it for even more weight savings.

Bottom Line: A Superior All Around Bike

The Woom Explore is everything you could ask for in a kids hybrid bike. It’s lightweight, durable, and has features you won’t find on other kids bikes. This is THE bike I would recommend for any parent who has a child that is venturing further out into the world and needs a steed than can do all the things and take them all the places.

And like all Woom bikes, you can rest assured that it is high quality, will have a good resale value when the day comes, and is backed by solid customer service.

More Help Picking A Great Bike

• Our Favorite Kids Bike Brands
• Ultimate Guide To Kids Bike Sizes (And Bike Size Chart!)
• 5 Reasons You’ll Love Woom Bikes & Detailed Reviews!

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