Balance Bikes
woom 1 (GO 1) review
The bike sold for years as the woom 1 is now the woom GO 1. At 6.4 lb with a 10.2 inch minimum saddle height it is the smallest-fitting balance bike here — and its 13.9 inch maximum means a fast-growing child moves on quickly.
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through one, we earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes which bike we put first — here is exactly how we make money.
A naming note first, because it causes real confusion when shopping: woom renamed its line, and the balance bike most people know as the "woom 1" is now listed as the woom GO 1. Same role in the range, current product, current specs below.
The two numbers
6.4 lb
Published weight
10.2–13.9"
Saddle height range
10.0–14.4"
Inseam it fits
10.2 inches is the lowest minimum saddle height in this guide. For a small 18-month-old that is not a marginal advantage — it is the difference between a bike they can ride and a bike they cannot.
What you are paying for
An aluminum frame
6061 aluminum, which is where the 6.4 lb comes from. The practical benefit is a toddler who can right the bike themselves after every tip-over without asking for help.
A real hand brake
woom fits a child-friendly mini V-brake with a short-reach lever. At balance-bike speed it is not needed. As preparation for a pedal bike with hand brakes, it is a genuine head start.
Air tires
More grip and more comfort than foam, at the cost of occasionally needing a pump.
The catch: 3.7 inches of travel
The saddle range tops out at 13.9 inches. Against the Strider's 17 inches, that is a much shorter runway. A child who starts on a GO 1 at eighteen months may need the next bike a year sooner than a child who started on a Strider at two.
That is not a flaw so much as a design choice — this is a bike built for genuinely small riders — but it changes the value calculation. If your child already measures 12 inches of inseam or more, the comparison page walks through why the Strider is probably the better buy.
It also matters because the next woom up does not pick up where this one stops: the GO 2 needs a 16 inch inseam, where the GO 1 runs out at 14.4. That 1.6 inch hole, and what to do if your child is standing in it, is the subject of woom GO 1 vs GO 2.
Two things to check in a shop
Everything above is woom's published spec plus the arithmetic that follows from it. The two things a spec sheet cannot tell you are worth thirty seconds in a shop: squeeze the brake lever with your child's hand, and lift the bike the way a toddler would — by the saddle, one-handed, from flat on the ground.
The picks
Every figure below is the manufacturer's own published spec, linked to the page we read it from, so you can check the one number your decision turns on — here is how we choose.
Quick picks — sorted by the inseam it fits
| # | Product | Score | Best for | Inseam | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Top pickwoom GO 1 The lowest published saddle height here, which is the whole argument for it: it fits a 10-inch inseam, and almost nothing else does. | 9.8/10 | The smallest riders | 10–14.4" |
n/p = the manufacturer does not publish that figure. Every other spec number here comes straight off their spec page. Scores are ours, on the 8.4–9.8 scale explained on our how we choose page.
Top pick — The smallest riders
Category-defining · our scale
woom GO 1
The lowest published saddle height here, which is the whole argument for it: it fits a 10-inch inseam, and almost nothing else does.
| Wheel | 12" |
|---|---|
| Weight | 6.4 lb |
| Fits inseam | 10–14.4 in |
| Saddle height | 10.2–13.9 in |
| Brakes | Child-friendly mini V-brake with a hand lever |
| Gearing | None (balance bike) |
| Frame | 6061 aluminum |
| Brand says | Manufacturer says 1.5–3.5 years |
Why we picked it
- 10.2 in minimum saddle height fits genuinely small toddlers
- 6.4 lb aluminum frame — the lightest in this registry
- Has a real hand brake, so braking is learned before the pedal bike
- Air tires
Good to knowThe 13.9 in saddle ceiling is the number to check - it is built for small riders, so a fast-growing toddler moves up to the GO 2 sooner.
How we checked it: Researched from published specs · woom — GO 1 specs
#ad · How we make money · Price as of November 12, 2026
Questions parents actually ask
01Is the woom 1 the same as the woom GO 1?
It is the current version of the same bike in woom's range. woom renamed the line, so the balance bike previously listed as the woom 1 now appears as the woom GO 1.
02Is the woom GO 1 worth the price?
If your child measures under an 11 inch inseam, it is one of very few bikes that fits at all, which settles it. For a bigger child you are paying for aluminum, air tires and a brake — real benefits, but not decisive.
03What age is the woom GO 1 for?
woom quotes 1.5 to 3.5 years and publishes a 10.0 to 14.4 inch inseam range. Use the inseam figure.
Our recommendation
Top pick
9.8/10woom GO 1
The smallest riders. The 13.9 in saddle ceiling is the number to check - it is built for small riders, so a fast-growing toddler moves up to the GO 2 sooner.
#ad · How we make money · Price as of November 12, 2026
Sources
Read next
- Balance BikesStrider 12 Sport vs woom GO 1The two best-known balance bikes, on the numbers.
- Balance BikesBest balance bikesFour real balance bikes, compared on saddle height and weight.
- Balance BikesStrider 12 Sport reviewSix inches of saddle travel at 6.7 lb. The long-runway pick.
- Balance BikesBest balance bike for a 1 year oldWhat actually fits a 1-year-old, by saddle height.