Tricycle suggestions

[lisak]

Hi! Hope this is the right place to post this...

What is a good first tricycle? DS is 20 months, almost 21.
We went to TRU recently and he tried out a Radio Flyer fold 2 go. I'm not sure if it was half metal, half plastic...anyway, I liked that it folds up making it portable. I also like the classic retro Radio Flyer one.

I know you guys talk about Kettlers alot here.

Can those with tricycles share your experiences and recommendations?

TIA!

[brittone2]

We're investigating this ourselves right now for DS's 2nd bday (he's 18 months now). I go back and forth on spending the $$ for a kettler, only because we need air tires (he'd be mostly riding on grass and gravel) and that makes a pricey kettler even pricier.

One Step Ahead offers a less expensive version of the Kettler with many nice features. There is also a Kiddio brand which is made by Kettler and sold at TRU stores as the Kiddio 2. THe Kiddio 4 has air tires but is no longer sold in TRU stores from what I understand. It is available through amazon.com.

The RF hasn't gotten great reviews from what I remember. Some people do like them though. I believe many have found they tip easily. Although, there are people who dislike Kettlers as well (find them heavy and hard to pedal for example).

It depends on what features you want. Some of the things to consider are do you want a push bar? Air tires or not? Does the warranty matter much to you (Kettlers have a great warranty, I don't think the versions sold through OSA and TRU have the same warranty though)? Do you need steering lock out? That makes it easier for a parent to push the child w/ the pushbar. Is the ability to freewheel important to you?

I think a lot depends on when and how you expect your child to use the trike. It is different for everyone. Things like the parental lockout on steering might not matter so much w/ a 3 year old who will be peddling on their own as it might matter for a one year old who will need pushed w/ the pushbar for a long time.

I'm really no help, but maybe there are some things I mentioned you might want to investigate and weigh how important they are to you for DC.

FWIW, in my experience most kids start riding on their own between 2.5 and 3ish.

[kaitlinsmommy]

Beth had great points about buying a tricycle. DD has the Kettler Happy (not air tires) and she loves it. She started riding it well at 2 1/2 & loves to zoom around now. That said, her friend has a RF that she loves just as much (retro one) and rides it all the time but it is more tippy. I also wish I would have gotten one with a dump bucket so she could haul her dolls around but I may solve that by buying her a basket.

It's true they are expensive & they are good trikes, but honestly, we didn't use the push bar much and now she's already wanting a bike with training wheels. Thankfully, we have a little boy who will get to use it too.

Good luck!

[Joolsplus2]

We had the $30 KiddieO and were thrilled with it (they might have changed models now, but I'm sure it's basically the same thing). Our classic Radio Flyer fell apart on us on a regular basis (I'd love to blame assembler error, but my BIL owns a body shop and has lots of grand kids and never messed up any other assembly of any wheeled vehicles, lol). It was a basic, sturdy, quiet (nice rubbery wheels were a big improvement over the plastic wheeled fisher price trike we started with...), and could even support my weight when I'd ride it home as a scooter (though the dump basket option is better, because we had big neighbor kids who would scooter along on the back with my little kids, and that was scary!).
Anyway, we've passed it down to a little friend and he loves it too.
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx