Bike or Trike for 2 year old?

[amydiara]

My DS is 24 months old. I am trying to decide between getting him a trike or a bike. He is my first child but I hope/expect to have more.

I was looking at the Kettler Air Navigator but with the price around $200, Im wondering if I shouldnt just get him a bike with training wheels. He wont actually use anything until Spring when he will probably be 28 or so months. I like the adjustability of the Air Navigator but I am worried that he will use it one season and outgrow it.

A factor is my son is very big for his age (takes after DH). He is 41 inches tall and 38lbs and wears a size 6. I wonder if with his size if even an ajustable trike wont last. I have no idea at what age kids normally ride a bike so if its not until 4 or 5, the trike might be worth it.

Another option is to buy a cheap trike which can be ditched after a season but I tend to like the quality items where they make sense.

Advice?


Note: also posted on Toddler Board
Amy

[new_mommy25]

Maybe you could take your DC to TRU and sit him on the trikes and bikes there. See what he's comfortable with and what excites him.

[brittone2]

I have no idea size-wise how long a Kettler would last...my 23 month old is on the smaller side. The Kettlers are adjustable but as you said, your son is big for his age.

Less expensive trikes that get good reviews are the Kiddio Supertrike 1 (around 30 bucks, no pushbar though). We opted for the Kiddio Supertrike 4 for DS because I wanted air tires (he'll mostly be on gravel and grass w/ his trike) but didn't want to pay for the Navigator. The supertrikes can be seen at amazon.com. I'm not sure how he'd do size-wise on them though.

There are a few people here that just used a bigwheel and then skipped right to a bike w/ training wheels. I think Lori (momofthreelabs) has posted about this before. There are also the wooden bikes (the Like a Bike http://www.koolstop.com/Like-A-Bike/ which maukilo.com also carries, this one from back to basics toys: http://www.backtobasicstoys.com/item/productid/5779/) . Kettler makes the Bingo which is a bike w/ training wheels (www.sunrisecyclery.com carries it).

There was a thread not too long ago (2-3 months ago at most) with more details on the wooden bikes and/or bikes w/ training wheels if you can dig it up in the archives.

[amydiara]

Thanks for the advice, its probably a good idea for me to take him to TRU to see what he likes, I didnt think of it! (order most of his toys online)

The more I look at pix of bikes, I am starting to think putting a two year old on them (however tall) is a bad idea.

So this Supertrike 4 is made by Kettler! Im confused! How is it different than the Navigator then?


Amy

[brittone2]

Kettler makes the Kiddio trikes.

They do not have a great warranty like Kettler trikes though (90 days I think)?

The Kiddio does NOT have parent lockout on the steering. So if you push w/ a pushbar, the child can still turn the handlebars (which makes pushing them a bit trickier). You can either just teach them that you'll stop if they do this, or essentially push the trike with the front wheel off the ground a bit (by pushing down on the pushbar) to prevent this from being a huge issue. The Kiddio also does NOT have the autofreewheel feature like Kettlers. If you push a Kettler, the autofreewheel means the wheel will turn but the pedals won't turn (to prevent DC from getting their foot caught). Based on reviews here and on amazon, I'm okay with the tradeoffs of the Kiddio vs. the Kettler on those things. DS is getting his trike in just about 3 weeks for his 2nd bday but I think he'll understand to keep his feet out of the way (wearing sturdy shoes is a good thing just in case). If not, we'll make a plywood foot rest that will velcro to the pedals and buckle his feet to them (we used to do this when I worked as a pediatric physical therapist to allow special needs children or smaller children to ride trikes).

Also, the Kiddios come as is...you can't add on any "extras" after the fact like the Kettler footrest or other accessories. Kiddios can't accept a tandem. Kiddios aren't designed to be compatible with Kettler accessories. But, the Kiddio Supertrike 4 comes w/ a pushbar, seatbelt, and dumpbucket, all which are nice features to have. If you want a seatbelt on a Kettler it is an add-on feature (silly IMO at that price!). TRU no longer carries the Kiddios (at least not the ST4) in their brick and mortar store unfortunately. They do carry the Radio Flyer which looks similar but doesn't tend to get good reviews online at amazon or here. But...you could try it to get an idea of how a trike in general would fit and work out for your son.

We bought our Kiddio for under $100 shipped during a TRU friends and family sale. Occasionally they have free shipping on the supertrike 1, or a coupon code that would save you a bit on any of them. Not cheap, but less than the $200 I was close to spending on the Air Navigator. There's also the Supertrike 2 and 3 but I don't know as much about them.

The Navigator (Kettler) also has the navigator feature, which means when you are pushing the rear wheels can turn/steer to make it easier to push your child.

For me personally, I was okay with these tradeoffs since DS is getting his trike at 2. Since he'll be pedaling on his own most likely in 6 months to a year, I'm not going to be pushing him forever on it, and he's more able to follow directions. If I was buying for a one year old, I'd be more inclined to get a Kettler so it would work better as a "stroller" since I'd be pushing it long-term. But that's a decision everyone makes on their own...for some people the Kettler features are worth it and for others they may not be.

Our air tires actually say Kettler right on them (we have the Kiddio ST4).

Another option to consider is that onestepahead carries their own exclusive version of the Kettler. ETA link: http://www.onestepahead.com/jump.jsp?lGen=detail&itemID=292755&itemType=PRODUCT&iProductID=292755&change=117 A lot of people on this board have that version and have been very pleased w/ it. No option for air tires, but a nice trike. Last year they went on sale after the summer I think and tons of people here scored a great deal on them (70ish bucks or so if I remember correctly?) There are also pared-down versions of the Kettler that aren't as expensive if you don't care about air tires, a dump bucket, etc.

HTH!!

ETA: that kiddios don't take tandems

[squimp]

We have the Kiddio Supertrike 4 from Amazon and love it.

DD fits on a "two"-wheeler, and so I considered those too. But I've heard that regular bikes are a little more dangerous than trikes for little ones, since the fall is from a slightly greater height. Not sure how true that is, but it made intuitive sense to me.