WASHINGTON — Around 84,000 bicycles for children are being recalled because the handlebars could come off while riding, posing a risk that children using them could be unable to steer and fall.
Woom bicycles are meant for children learning to ride their first bike. Woom produces bikes specifically made for children, "not just a smaller version of an adult bike," the company says on their website.
But around 84,000 of the company's woom ORIGINAL Bicycles sold in the U.S., as well as 533 sold in Canada, may have issues with the handlebars. The affected bikes were sold between 2018 and 2021 and were marketed for children between 18 months and 14 years old.
According to Consumer Product Safety Commission, a federal regulator for products, "the stem and handlebar on the bikes can detach and cause riders to lose control, posing a fall hazard."
The CPSC said the stems on the affected bikes have one silver bolt to clamp onto the steerer tube. That bolt, if it becomes loose, can cause the handlebar assembly to come apart.
The bikes were sold in six versions, in various colors. All of the bikes have the word "woom" in white letters on the sides of the frame, and the word is also visible in metalic letters on the front of the bikes.
- woom 1
- woom 1 Plus
- woom 2
- woom 3
- woom 4
- woom 5
- woom 6
The woom 1 and woom 1 PLUS models are balance bikes, while the other bicycles are pedal bikes.
The company urged buyers to stop allowing children to use the bikes and to contact them for a free repair kit. Woom is also contacting all known purchasers directly to provide the repair kits.
The CPSC has received 77 reports of the handlebars loosening or detaching fully, with 19 of those incidents leading to injuries including bruises, cuts and scrapes.
The bikes were sold on woom's website, online through Amazon and at local bike stores nationwide from Sept. 2018 to March 2022. The bikes cost between $200 and $530.
Woom is based in Texas, and the bikes are manufactured in the U.S.