YOMO 20 Review

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Choosing a 20-inch wheel bike for your child or grandchild can be a bit daunting with so many options out there. This is the time when they’ll probably start learning to use gears, so it's crucial to pick a top-notch bike that builds their confidence and keeps their love for cycling alive. The bike we're reviewing today features in our roundup of the best 20" kids' bikes, and for good reason.

In this YOMO 20 review, we’ll dive into what makes this bike stand out. With its bright colours and impressive features, we were excited to see how it performs.

We'll cover everything from its overall performance and ride quality to what our 6-year-old tester thinks about it. Whether you’re a parent trying to make a smart purchase or just curious about this new bike brand, our detailed review of the YOMO 20 will give you all the info you need to decide if it’s the right fit for your young rider.

Disclosure: Cycle Sprog were sent the YOMO 20 to review. We were not paid to write this review, and all opinions are our own. We do use affiliate links, so may get a small commission if you choose to buy through the links on this page. This funds the website, and we thank you for your support.

YOMO 20 bike scores

Quality - 5/5 -A bike specced with brilliant components and a lifetime frame and fork warranty.
Weight- 5/5 -One of the lightest 20" bikes with gears available.
Value for money - 4/5 - Competitively priced for a bike with branded child-sized components.
Customisability - 3/5 - Unfortunately YOMO's range doesn't include any accessories other than helmets at this point. But the bike has mounting points for mudguards, a stand and a rear rack.
Resale value - TBC - As YOMO is such a new brand on the market we aren't sure of its resale value yet, but they do have an excellent bike trade scheme.

Final verdict - The YOMO 20 is a brilliant high-end bike at a great price point. We loved the lightweight design, child-sized components and all-round confidence-inspiring riding, as well as being a brilliant colour.

Find out more about the Cycle Sprog review process

About our reviewer

Evie, age 6, enjoys whizzing around local pump tracks, the blue forest trail at Whinlatter Forest and some gentle open fell rides, but nothing too steep or rocky.

Evie has only ever ridden Islabikes before, getting her first when she was 2 years old. She and her mum were keen to test out the YOMO 20 bike and see how it compares to an Islabike.

As Islabikes have now sadly ceased trading everyone at Cycle Sprog HQ has also been waiting to see if YOMO can fill some of the gap they've left in the market.

YOMO are a new brand, launching at a turbulent time in the bike industry, but sometimes this is the best opportunity to step into the void left by others. YOMO's founder told us:

YOMO was born out of a simple yet powerful idea: to create bikes that empower children to confidently explore their world on two wheels. We recognized the need for bikes specifically designed for young riders - bikes that combine lightweight design, kid-friendly components, and unwavering safety features. And thus, YOMO Bikes came to life.

Lightweight, high-quality bikes to make cycling fun and inspire a lifelong love of cycling - this is something we are on board with here at Cycle Sprog.

Their range includes a 12" balance bike and 14, 16, 20, 24 and 26" wheel pedal bikes, which come in an impressive range of vibrant colours.

As an adult, my first impressions were how light the bike was.

The YOMO 20 came almost fully assembled in the box, we just needed to straighten the handlebars, attach the pedals and adjust the seat to the correct height.

I was very pleased with two things specifically: one is that the brake levers are for small hands, so Evie was able to confidently and effectively brake straightaway.

The other was the crank length (114mm). These are appropriate for the size of the bike, with a brilliant q-factor. On the steeper, sharper berms of our local pump track, other bike cranks have caught the tarmac and caused some nasty offs. This didn’t happen with this bike. This shows impressive attention to detail with the design and specification of the bike- well done YOMO.

Evie’s reaction to the bike was that she loved the colour, and it felt nice to ride!

The YOMO 20 bike comes equipped with brilliant, child-sized components.

The Selle Royal junior saddle means a comfy ride, Evie was impressed by the comfort of the saddle meaning she was happy for longer bike rides. The seat post is adjustable with a quick release leaver, which makes adjustments on the fly super quick and easy as your child grows and increases confidence.

The Tektro rim brakes with child-sized levers have reach adjustment and fit her little hands perfectly, meaning she can confidently control her speed on hilly terrain. We only usually ride in nice weather, although riding through lots of puddles doesn't affect the braking quality of the V-brakes.

The YOMO 20 comes with a lifetime warranty on the frame and fork, which shows YOMO expect this bike to last. The geometry of the frame keeps a low centre of gravity and efficient riding position. This is something that you can tell has been meticulously designed, and will get your child riding confidently on a mixture of terrains and up and down hills- rather than in a wobbly upright position.

The gears are adjusted with Shimano thumb trigger levers, rather than twist-grip shifters commonly found on children's bikes, which she prefers. I also think this sets her up to know how to use more common shifters as she gets older.

The Shimano 7-speed gears have worked seamlessly to date without any skipping, making learning to use them for hills as easy as it can get. She also loves the little window telling her which gear she is in.

The rear cassette is 11-28T with 32 teeth on the front chain ring, which is an impressive range of gears for a 20" kids' bike, and gives Evie a nice easy gear for going uphill.

The Shimano 7-Speed Rapidfire Plus leaver enables quick shifting with the capability to downshift three gears in one stroke.

I would say her hill climbing has improved since we got this bike. We think this is a combination of the bike making her feel confident and being easy to switch gears, as well as her getting older and more fit.

The bike comes fitted with Kenda Small Block Eight, 20'' x 1.50 tyres. These tyres are all-rounder tyres, for this age and weight, they seem to be fine for everything we do, including tarmac riding and off-road. Wider tyres would probably be better for a bigger child or more extreme off-road riding.

The tyres have a reflective sidewall for enhanced low-light visibility which we anticipate will be brilliant for riding to and from school and clubs when it's dark in autumn/winter!

On anything slightly rocky or bumpy, Evie complains a bit about not liking the bumpiness of the ride. I think slightly fatter tyres would help with this, but recognise the benefit of narrower tyres being lighter, more efficient on roads and managing up hills better.

Riding the YOMO 20

The YOMO 20 bike is designed as an all-rounder, hybrid bike. Designed for mixed trails, road and cycle lanes. We have put the off-road capabilities of this bike to the test and Evie has become more keen to ride the local blue trail centre trails and bridleways on our local fell in the Lake District.

The YOMO 20 has withstood light mountain biking incredibly well. The tyres are grippy and robust and we haven't had any punctures.

The V-brakes stop the bike well, even on hilly, steep terrain.

She can lift the bike up steps and push it up slopes. We love the lightweight design that makes lifting it in and out of the van easy for me.

The bike isn't showing any signs of wear after four months of regular riding, other than a few surface scratches that can be expected from lots of use from a 6-year-old!

The bike feels efficient, and Evie appreciates the confidence-inspiring geometry, enabling her riding skills to progress.

Overall verdict

Evie has only ever ridden Islabikes before the YOMO 20 bike and we were intrigued to see how it would fare against those seriously impressive bikes.

During the 4 month review period we couldn't fault the YOMO 20 and Evie loved riding it just as much as her Islabike.

The YOMO 20 is lightweight with brilliant child-sized components and confidence-inspiring geometry. The lifetime warranty on the frame and fork suggests the bike will last well and we are impressed with the quality of components which is reflected in the price tag.

Alternatives to the YOMO 20

The new YOMO range aims to sit at the premium area of the kids' bike market, alongside brands like Islabikes and woom, all while keeping bikes at a competitive price point- and they are doing a very good job at it.

An Islabike Beinn 20 is now only available secondhand, while Islabikes are still great bikes, they will become increasingly difficult to get hold of over the years.

A woom Original 4 is another premium quality 20" children's bike, we have reviewed several woom bikes and think they are brilliant bikes. The 20" woom Original 4 is more expensive than the YOMO 20, but in the short term will likely get a higher re-sale value as woom are fast becoming a very well know, trusted brand.

If you are looking for something a little cheaper than the YOMO 20, head to our guide for the best 20" kids' bikes to find a range of bikes for all budgets.