Smart Trike - yes or no

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

So we are thinking about getting DD her first REAL bike for x-mas she will be 14mths old and i REALLY like the look of the smart trike.

Great restraints
Handle for my lazy PG butt to push her around
Has a sunshade
Can get it in Pink... lol

Has anyone had one and if so what do you think of them?
Will be getting it when on sale as don't want to be spending too much on it if she wont last in it long?????

TIA!

[STARRYSKY]

hi, we just got one from the grandparents for DS, the one we have you can use from 10 months, its pretty good, he likes being in it, doesnt pedal or anything, yet, just me pushing him around, he loves when we walk to the shops in it. when he is a bit older the other parts come off so it becomes just a trike for him to ride around. HTH.
ours is blue!

[Mum2OneSweetBun]

we've got one that is pink too. DD loves riding in it down the road. Easy for us to push it as she cannot reach the pedal yet. We got it when toys r us had it on sale for $100.

[DaintreeDream]

My DD has one, she loves it!
The only thing I would consider is the one she has has plastic wheels, the path to the park near our house is gravel, the bike is easy enough to push over the gravel, thats not a problem but because of the plastic wheels it is so noisy!
Other than that I cannot fault it .

[ktgirl]

We have smart trikes for our twins and they love them. They don't pedal yet just sit back and relax while Mum and Dad push lol. I like the way the parts can come off so they can use it as they grow. The only thing I would fault is they are not wonderful to steer (but not really bad either IYKWIM?)

[Butterfly Child]

Go for it hunny
I heard their great my Aunty just bought one recently for my cousin and its been great for him xxx

[kawazuki]

DD has one and loves it. and i love it converts to a trike for her aswell so we will get some decent usage out of it
we got the pink one. i find it easy to steer and control and we havent had a fall out yet.. lol dd does get excited and try and stand up, lol but she is usually to busy talking on the phone that came with hers lol i keep telling ehr she will loose her licence for talking on the phone before she gets a speeding fine lol

[amberj]

I am pondering getting one for DS too, so I've been asking my friends about them. One of my friends has a similar product, but not a smart trike, and her son is about 3, so he's up to 'trike' stage- she says it can be a problem because its quite heavy, so he doesn't really have the strength to peddle it himself, so he doesn't like it much. I was surprised because it looked quite lightweight. Now I'm concerned about the smart trike and whether it would have the same problem- it actually looks like it would weigh MORE then the one she had.

Does anyone who have the smart trike have a child actually using it as a trike yet?

[feeb]

I have been thinking about getting a bike with handle thing with fly buys points. If you go and look under rewards kids you will find it.

[Moi]

M LOVES her Smart Trike. She keeps going over to it and asking for a ride in it. Hers is pink too.

Though when I was researching the smart trikes I read somewhere that the plastic pedals often break after a while, but the way she loves it I reckon it was worth it even if they do end up needing to be replaced.

[Jas]

Hi we love ours too! Noah is almost 28months and he still loves his will definitely buy one for ds2

[tenar]

Is the Smart Trike the one where the handle for an adult to push actually steers the bike, too?

If it's that one, it was highly recommended by my friends with toddlers. We're not there yet...

[thepixie]

we have one and it's great for trips to the park etc or other short walks - as long as DD isn't due for a nap, that usually doesn't work out so well
My issues with it are the plastic wheels (rubber would be better) and it has no brake. If it had a brake I would have no issue with it. DD loves it and the other toddlers at the park have major trike envy. I say go for it

[Ozziehoffy]

For me I can't say that they are really worth it. It was great whilst Oskar was younger and didn't want or couldn't "ride" it and we pushed him in it. We did have a problem with the front wheel "tread" coming off the wheel and had to glue it back on. The issue now is that the setup of them doesn't make it easy for them to pedal it themselves. The pedals are too far forward so they can't get the momentum and force needed to do it. He gets on it and pushes with his feet on the ground or gets us to push him around the yard. I wish I'd known and had gotten one he could ride himself. I won't get another one for Elijah, will just use this one and get something Oskar can ride himself then upgrade for Elijah when he's bigger too.

[Liz]

We have one.. not a fan.. doesn't get used much. The steering wanders like crazy LOL. And now DS is up to pedalling, he just can't pedal this bike. The pedals just don't have much leverage on them, as in they seem to be too short or close to the wheel or something? so it makes it tough to pedal. I know it's not him, coz I've seen him pedal other trikes ok. I guess my conclusion on this trike would be.. since it's only really decent for toddlers that can't ride yet.. might as well stick to going for walks in the pram and getting a trike they can actually ride when they're a bit older. I'm now a little confused what the point is putting a young child that can't ride yet onto a bike?? LOL.

We want to get DS a glide bike.. love the idea of skipping the trike/training wheels stage and going straight to balancing on two wheels.

[STARRYSKY]

I have just been looking on the smart trike website, If I were to buy one, (the grandparents bought this one, on special I think) I think I would go the deluxe model, its probably more exxy, but I think it would be worth it.
It has rubber wheels, which would make it a more smooth ride, less noisy, looks like this is the one that comes with the phone.
we have the basic model, or "classic" and it can be a bit bothersome to steer, the plastic wheels are noisy etc, but like I said DS does really like it.
check out the website, they have lots of different models with all the features etc.

[Snacks]

For those who have a problem with the steering - did you lock the front wheel in? Ours does drift slightly, but it's very easy to correct...
We do have a problem with the pedals though. As has already been said, the pedals are too far forward for DD to get enough leverage. And the plastic wheels have some decent dents in them from rides over gravel. But it has been great for something different - she has been riding on it for almost 2 years now (how many toys hold their interest for that long when they are this little?) and it will last for Phoebe to use as well.

[monday]

We have a similar style one & the kids love it. Both of our kids have really enjoyed it from about 12 months on.