Bike gearing can be confusing. To better understand all the moving parts, first, you have to know what a sprocket is. A sprocket is a metal wheel with teeth, and it is the generic term for chainrings (a.k.a. front sprockets) and cogs (a.k.a. rear sprockets). All pedal bikes, which excludes balance bikes, have at least two sprockets — one chainring and one cog.

The combination of a specific chainring (front sprocket) and a specific cog (rear sprocket) is known as a gear. If you refer to a sprocket as a gear, everyone will know what you’re referring to, but the combination of different sprockets is the actual meaning of a gear when it comes to bicycles. Single-speed bikes (such as our woom 2 or woom 3) only have one gear option — one front chainring and one rear cog.

However, some bikes have multiple gears, meaning they also have multiple rear cogs and a derailleur to shift the chain from one cog (a.k.a. sprocket) to the next. A cluster of cogs on the rear of a bike is known as a cassette. Our woom 4, woom 5, and woom 6 models (ORIGINAL, OFF, and OFF AIR) all feature a cassette consisting of eight different cogs. Those cogs, along with the one chainring, represent the eight gears or “speeds” those bikes feature.

Side note: The side of the bike with the chain and sprockets is known as the drive side. We recommend your child either use their kickstand or lay their bike down “drive side up” if they leave it on the ground to avoid damaging the chainring.

As we already mentioned, single-speed bikes have a singular gear. The gearing of a single-speed is even more crucial than the gear choices for multi-speed bikes because it’s important to make sure it’s important for the Rider. If too low, the pedals spin out without enough forward motion, and if too high, it causes frustration when getting started or going up hills. The woom 2 and woom 3 were designed to offer just the right amount of ease when learning how to pedal and enough oomph for when your Rider is ready to pick up the speed.

A wheelset is the combined set of rims, tires, spokes, and hubs that makes up the wheels. The rims are the metal outer edge of the wheel and house the tires and tubes inside of their rim walls. On all woom bikes, rims are made of lightweight aluminum and are double-walled for durability.

The spokes are the thin metal rods that connect the rim to the hub, and the number of spokes affects the strength and weight of the tire. We pay careful attention to the spoke count on our tires to ensure they are tough but lightweight.

The hub is the center of the wheel where all the spokes meet and rotate on the axle. Most of our bikes come with a freewheel hub, but our woom 2s come with coaster hubs to meet federal guidelines. For a deep dive into hubs, check out our blog post Coaster and Freewheel Hubs: Explained. To accommodate kids' smaller hips, the woom 1, woom 2, and woom 3 original models feature hubs that are narrower than most children’s bikes to create a more comfortable ride.

To provide even the youngest riders access to high quality, woom uses tires made by industry leader Schwalbe for all of our bike models. The tread of the tires is designed for youngsters who want to explore different terrain. Rather than being optimized for speed (such as thin, narrow road bike tires) or being optimized for rugged conditions (such as knobby, wide mountain bike tires), woom ORIGINAL tires are meant to do a bit of everything. Featuring excellent shock absorption and grip, our Schwalbe tires are also extremely durable and feature low rolling resistance.

Inside most bicycle tires are rubber inner tubes, usually referred to just as simply tubes. When you use an air pump to inflate the tire, you’re actually inflating the tube which expands the tire. When a rider gets a flat, it rarely requires the replacement of the tire. More often than not, just the tube will need to be replaced. For more information on fixing flats, check out our FAQ page on the topic.

Without being able to turn or steer, a bike would be impossible to ride. Therefore, the headset, stem, and handlebars are three of the most critical components when it comes to steering a bike.

Like the connection between the roots of a plant and the flower, the “stem” of a bicycle connects the handlebars to the frame of the bike. Because we know that learning youngsters will occasionally have mishaps on their bikes, we go to lengths to remove any potential precarious elements of the design. All woom bikes feature stems with gently sloped angles and no sharp edges. The stems on our bigger bikes (woom 4, woom 5, and woom 6) also feature another point of innovation - Vario stems. The Vario stem allows for quick and easy adjustments so your Rider can optimize their fit as they grow with the bike.  

The choice of handlebar design in woom bikes is intentional and changes depending on the model. For our entry-level balance bike, the woom 1 features an integrated stem and handlebar. Because these components are combined, there aren’t any protruding bolts or sharp angles that could cause any additional harm if your child were to get into a crash. The woom 1 has mostly flat handlebars with a slight rise to promote an upright stable riding position.

For our growing riders, the handlebar featured on the woom 2, and woom 3 is a high-rise handlebar. Lastly, the woom 4, woom 5, and woom 6 feature adjustable handlebars thanks to the Vario stem mentioned above. In each case, the handlebars’ width and rise are designed to ensure comfort and stability, taking into account the actual dimensions of typical children at each age range.

All of our woom handlebars come with our woom Ergo grips. Designed specifically to meet the dimensions of a child’s hands and made of non-toxic rubber, these grips screw into the handlebar for added security.

While the handlebars get all the attention, the headset is perhaps the most crucial part of the steering system. The headset is a set of stacked circular components that allow the fork (and connected steerer tube) to rotate. A quality headset must not only be quite stiff and secure laterally (side to side) but also rotate freely and easily for steering. In order to provide ease of steering while maintaining a secure ride, woom bikes use high-quality internally sealed bearings to last longer and perform better than cheaper alternatives.