woom 3 AUTOMAGIC: The Kids’ Bike with an Automatic Gear Shifter
A programmable coffee maker brews a pot just as you wake up. Motion-activated lights only shine when they’re needed. A robot vacuum cleans up your crumbs. What do these have in common? They all make things a little easier by removing a manual step. You don’t have to understand the mechanics behind these to appreciate how they improve your daily life.
We are thrilled to introduce the bicycle that magically shifts at just the pivotal speed. Designed for kids aged 4-6 and featuring a two-speed automatic gear shifter (we’ll explain that in a minute), the woom 3 AUTOMAGIC offers kiddos who aren’t brand new to riding their first taste of gears, all without the responsibility of shifting.
Some of the best design components add the desired feature without complicating things. The woom 3 AUTOMAGIC allows for this best of both worlds scenario: access to two different speeds and a wider gear range, but (thanks to auto-shifting) no added frustrations for a young Rider to manage. When the gear automatically shifts for your child to get a boost, they’ll intuitively feel the magic in the woom 3 AUTOMAGIC.
woom ORIGINAL 3 vs. woom 3 AUTOMAGIC: Which is Right for your Child?
The woom 3 AUTOMAGIC offers ambitious young cyclists between 41” - 47” in height a different option than the woom ORIGINAL 3. Both bikes feature the same 16” wheels, are intended for the same size Riders, and appear visually similar. However, while the woom ORIGINAL 3 is a single-speed, the woom 3 AUTOMAGIC boasts a hidden second speed to propel its Riders further and reduce over-spinning.
The key difference is housed inside the rear hub; it’s where the magic happens! The internal gears inside the hub automatically shift from the lower to the higher gear at approximately 7 mph. This allows kiddos to start in an easier gear and then kick into high gear once they get up to speed. Read our blog on the topic to learn more technical details about how this works.
Is the woom 3 AUTOMAGIC the right bike for your child?
It depends on a few factors; one bike is not inherently better than the other. Assuming your Rider is the appropriate size for either the woom ORIGINAL 3 (a.k.a. woom 3) or the woom 3 AUTOMAGIC, then their level of experience will be the biggest determinant factor in making a choice.
The ideal candidate for the woom 3 AUTOMAGIC is a kid who has already mastered riding a smaller single-speed bike (such as the woom 2 or woom 3) and is left wanting more. Those intermediate or advanced young Riders may find themselves “spinning out” when riding a single-speed bike without enough pedal resistance to satisfy their eager legs. If this sounds like your kid, then the woom 3 AUTOMAGIC is the bike for them.
Children who are still learning the basics of riding a bicycle will benefit from the simplicity of the woom ORIGINAL 3. Weighing in at 1.5 lbs less than the woom 3 AUTOMAGIC, the woom ORIGINAL 3 features a simple single-speed drivetrain, easy gearing for beginners, and is ideal for short, easy rides.
If you’re on the fence about which bike would be the best for your kiddo, a potential “tie-breaker” in your decision could be the topography in your area. Children who live in hillier neighborhoods have more need for multiple gears than children who live in flat areas. If your child has previous cycling experience and is proficient in flat areas, chances are they’re reading to take on the woom 3 AUTOMAGIC.
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Things to Love About woom 3 AUTOMAGIC
Yes, having two gears can be better than one, but it’s more than that. Most of the awesomeness inside the woom 3 AUTOMAGIC isn’t apparent at a glance. From the opportunity it provides your child to learn how to use gears to the hub’s lifespan, there’s a lot to love about the woom 3 AUTOMAGIC.
- Extra Power in Second Gear
- No more spinning out! Aspiring young cyclists yearning for a little more oomph have finally found their bike. Once they reach the magic speed, kids will enter top gear and reach faster speeds during flat stretches. Look out: They suddenly might be able to keep up with their older siblings!
- Easy Pedaling in First Gear
- Lower gearing in the first speed means that the woom 3 AUTOMAGIC makes it easier for kids to get started from a dead standstill. By feeling the difference between first and second gear, your child will begin to learn about gears.
- Shifting Automagically
- While children are still growing as Riders and familiarizing themselves with the feeling of riding in different gears, the guesswork of “when to shift” is taken out with the woom 3 AUTOMAGIC. No need for kids to fret about a gear shifter just yet!
- Low-Maintenance Hub
- Typically, having gears means having a derailleur. However, the internally geared hub in the woom 3 AUTOMAGIC is the exception. While derailleurs allow for more gears, they require more fine-tuning and maintenance. In contrast, the AUTOMAGIC hub is basically indestructible and unlikely to need any servicing for years.
- Redesigned Bashguard Plus
- Compared to our previous single-speed woom ORIGINAL 3, the chainguard on the woom 3 AUTOMAGIC has a new look. Rather than completely encasing the chain, the new Bashguard Plus covers the chainring and the top half of the chain while leaving the bottom portion of the chain accessible, allowing for easy chain lubrication — an important detail for kids starting to go on longer rides.
AUTOMAGIC Rider Spotlight: To Ride or Not to Ride
To better understand the differences between the woom 3 AUTOMAGIC and the woom ORIGINAL 3, it’s illuminating to think from the perspective of a child. Consider the lives of two young cyclists:
Whether your child resembles Leon or Sally, we have just the bike for them. The woom 3 AUTOMAGIC fulfills an important niche in the woom collection — bridging the gap between beginner single-speed bikes and larger bikes with shifters and derailleurs. Its automatic shifting and internal gearing allow eager young Riders a chance to transition to gears at an earlier stage. While its low gear is helpful at slower speeds, its high gear allows aspiring pedalers to push further and prepares them for the road ahead.
