Let's talk Kettlers!

[Jacksmommy2b]

Now that we'll finally be able to replace Jack's stolen Kettler, I'm not really sure where to start. His was a gift and I think it was the fold one but I'm not sure (it showed up fully assembled with a bow on his birthday) We didn't have it very long but I do know that pushing him was a little difficult b/c ours didn't have the navigation feature, so I think I'm going to want that.

I like the idea of a really well made bike that will grow with him but am I wasting my money spending over $100 on a tricycle?

Anyone have any Kettler advice or know where I could find one for a reasonable price?

(I saw Jo's post and would have jumped on it but it's back to almost $50 because the sale is over)

Thanks!

[lav1]

I am sorry about your getting stolen. That is awful! I had a kiddo which is made my kettler and sold at Toysrus and looks like the Kettler Junior. Kettler Junior and the kiddo that looks like it would both be great. My started pedaling it right at 2. The problem with the pushbar ones is that besides costing so much the kids get use to someone pushing them. The point is to get them independent go out on a bike on their own. If you really like the push feature a wagon is nice. If you have your heart set on one hopefully someone will post or wait for a coupon at your local store that sells them. I recently got a 30% coupon at ours. I see what you mean though if you don't go all the way with the Navigation then just go with the basic! Good luck and I am sorry that it got stolen.

[kinglish]

We have the Kiddio Supertrike 4 - got it off Craiglist for $60 for my son's 2nd birthday. He's tall and was able to start pedaling right away. When we go to the park, all the kids want to ride his bike ;-). We like the air tires and bucket and steering bar (when he doesn't want to go in the same direction that we need to go), though now he wants to pedal himself so he looks back and says "no, mama" if I'm trying to help push. Anyway, the only pics I could find were on this ebay listing:

http://cgi.ebay.com/KETTLER-KIDDIO-SUPERTRIKE-4-TRICYCLE-WITH-PUSHBAR_W0QQitemZ200138162071QQihZ010QQcategoryZ14 5984QQcmdZViewItem

Maybe try Craislist - they come up on ours quite frequently.

Good luck!
Kristi

[wcheng]

I just put our Kettler trike together that we bought over a year ago. I have to say I'm a little disappointed in the product. Actually disappointed A LOT! For the money, I don't know if it's really worth it. It was really difficult to put together, with some pieces either missing or holes that were suppose to be in places but not. Now that it's put together, the handle bars don't turn well and the quality is just a little better than what you can get at your local store. Maybe it's the way we put it together but we're not impressed and sorry that we had someone else (it was a gift) waste their money.

My DD liked her Rock, Roll, N Ride Trike by Fisher Price much better (and for half the price).

Our trike came through One Step Ahead, bought with the birthday 15% off code that you can find each month through the web.

[samantha546]

Question: How big of a difference is the air (rubber tires) compared to the newer plastic ones? Or even an older 3 year plastic tire?

I have an option to purchase 2 Kettler's with plastic tires for about $65 or a Kettler Jumbo Air for $100. Wondering how big of a difference it is.

Thanks!

[new_mommy25]

We have the Air Navigator. We got it when DS was about 16 months and used it as a glorified stroller. We mostly used it on walks to the park and around the neighborhood. It was great in that aspect. The air tires really glide. The downside to the trike is that it is really, really heavy. My DS wasn't able to pedal the trike until a little past his third birthday. It wasn't his fault as he was able to pedal other smaller trikes when he was two.

So I don't know where I stand on Kettlers. I like ours but I don't. I think if I have to do it over I would have skipped the fancy model and gone with something light and inexpensive.

[Jo..]

Those Kiddi-o super trikes do go on sale from time to time. If you do a search in BA, you'll see that they have been on sale at Amazon at least four times in the past year, once they were as low as $20! If you're willing to watch and wait (and POUNCE! lol) you may be able to score a bargain.

We haven't used ours yet (saving until Christmas) so I can't comment on anything but the price!

[ThreeofUs]

Oh, gosh, DS loves his kettler trike. Expensive, yes, but imho worth it.

Ours was fully assembled when we bought it new - for that price, honestly, they should have provided an on-board computer as well as free assembly!

DS could ride it at 2ish, and now at 2.5 he's taking over the whole neighborhood. The bike really takes a beating and looks as good as new. It's so over-engineered that even leaving it out in the rain is no problem. Other trikes around us rust at the first hint of moisture.

We pushed it a little, and really enjoyed the navigation features during the very short time DS was willing just to ride.

[brittone2]

We have a Kiddio Supertrike 4 and have loved it. For us, it was a good balance between price and features. It is solidly made, had the push bar, dump bucket, air tires, seatbelt, etc. included. It does not have the autofreewheel or parent lockout on steering, but we didn't miss it (DS didn't get his until he was 2, so it wasn't that big of a deal. If he got it at 1, I might have missed those features more). We paid about $90 shipped. It wasn't inexpensive, but it was not like shelling out $200 for an Air Navigator.

DS didn't pedal on his own until he was a few months past 3. He didn't ride it much over the winter prior, so that was a factor, and he's on the shorter side. I've encountered a lot of people that think the Kettlers are so heavy that kids have a tougher time riding independently until they are stronger.

The air tires are a nice feature IMO. DS rides on our longish gravel driveway at times, so it is nice for that. He doesn't ride much in the grass, but I bought the air tires because I thought he might ride in the grass. They do give a nice smooth ride. I can't really compare them to plastic wheels, except to say they are smoother. For a kid that is going to ride mostly on pavement or sidewalks, you can probably get by just fine without the air tires (unless there are a lot of bumps and things in your sidewalk). If you think your child will do a decent amount of riding on gravel, grass, trails, etc. then the air tires are IMO worth considering.

At 3, he got a Puky balance bike (www.gliderrider.com) and that's been awesome. He is 3.5, so he's using both the trike and the balance bike now (mostly the balance bike though). You might want to go with a less expensive trike (or buy 2nd hand), and then put money toward something like a balance bike for down the road. Consignment stores/sales, ebay, Craigslist, etc. are all places to look if you are open to 2nd hand.

[anamika]

We hate our Kettler. My DD is petite and she can't pedal it at all (at 3). She can pedal the cheapy plastic ones!
And we bought online (big mistake) and it's been malfunctioning a bit. They have sent us replacement parts galore but nothing is fixing the problem and it's too expensive to ship back.
If you love the Kettler and absolutely want to get it, my best advice is to buy it locally or pre-assembled.
I'm seriously considering a plastic trike just so DD can experience the feeling of riding a trike before she's too old!!

[o_mom]

What happened with the charity folk? Do you still *heart* Officer Miller? I need closure!! :-)

(you can just direct me to an update if there is one I missed)

[Jo..]

The supertrike II is $22.40 again this AM!