If you have an inkling that you might be the parent of the next Pogacar or Vos and want to start nurturing that talent ASAP, the specialist lightweight kids bike brand woom might have just the solution for you and your little’un. The woom Wow, said to be “the only self-balancing bike”, helps your child to improve balance and practise shifting their weight, according to woom, with self-centering handlebars and very chunky tyres. 

A pre-balance bike bike of sorts, the Wow is suitable for children from 9 months up to 36 months. woom (styled all lower case like road.cc, just so you know we’re not repeatedly making typos here) recommends that the Wow can be combined with the use of an actual balance bike from around 24 months, the idea being that the child can get the hang of steering with assistance before moving to a balance bike, and eventually one with pedals. 

In reply to a customer review, woom admits that development is “very individual” up to three years old, and that the Wow is only suitable for children up to 100cm in height. The Austrian brand reiterates that for best preparation before moving up to a pedal bike, it recommends using its woom 1 balance bike model from around aged two.  

“The self-centering handlebars are ideal for kids who can’t safely manage steering and balancing at the same time just yet”, says woom.

“They can focus on their balance to start with and get help staying on track once they can steer too.” 

The Wow is meant to be used mostly indoors, and there are no sharp edges across the entire bike to reduce the chance of injury if your child takes a tumble… though as I’m finding out as the father of an 18-month-old demon child, they’ll probably find a way to hurt themselves eventually.  

The European-made bike is crafted from 98% recycled materials that are pollutant-tested, so if your child must put any part in their mouth, they won’t come to any harm. Parts that are likely to suffer from the most wear and tear are also replaceable.

That big chunky bit in the middle is a carry handle, making it easier to cart the 2.7kg bike around. It’s ready to go straight out of the box, and comes with activity ideas and “clever accessories”, which seems to include a friendly red monster toy according to the product images.

Innovation comes with a price tag, of course, and the woom Wow is priced at £160, making it a fair bit more expensive than most balance bikes (though not nearly as much as this one). There are three colourways: pop peach, dreamy sky, and soft sprout. 

When keying in a UK delivery address, shipping was free when ordering direct from woom. You can find out more and check for local stockists on the woom website