Reviews of Hutchinson Fusion 3 Road Tire - Tubeless

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List Price: $109.99
Sale Price: $57.86
Today's Bonus: 47% Off

I read multiple reviews about tubeless tires and using self sealer. I went through every web site, product review and bike site trying to decide if I would take the plunge. It was time for new wheels and I was thinking about the Fulcrum racing zero wheels which are designed for clinchers with tubes or tubeless.

Well, I took the plunge and bought the Fulcrum wheels. i went to Stans tubeless site and read about self sealers and what to use.

I installed the Hutchinson tires, added Stans Sealant according to the instructions, inflated the tires, and they immediately seated and sealed.

I typically ride 1500 miles during the riding season and usually get 2-3 flats per season.

This year, riding my typical routes, I got ZERO flats that prevented me from finishing a ride. I got no pinch flats, no snake bite flats and the only indication that I did get a hole was the loss of some air during a ride that did not stop me from getting home.

The tires hold 90 PSI without any loss for a week. I still check each ride but rarely find any air loss.

I carry a spare inner tube, just in case of a catastrophic tire cut. And I also have CO2 and a mini pump. But, the tubeless with Stans self seal has worked flawlessly for this past year.

I read the review that one person had a side wall cut and a mess. Any tire cut that destroy a side wall is obviously irreparable and is exceeds the self seal capabilities.

But, for any other type of pinch flat, puncture flat, snake bite or just bad luck flat, this seems to be perfect.

So, based on my personal experience, having had more flats than I can ever want to recall, these tires appear to be the cure.

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I've been riding these and their Fusion 2 predecessors for over five years on my Shimano Dura-Ace tubeless rims. I'm very impressed with these tires, but they take some getting used to and there are some tricks you need to know. Most of the complaints in these reviews come from not knowing some of these tricks.

Riding about 4,000 miles a year I have had only three flats. The first, I hit a roofing nail and it penetrated the sidewall. The second I got a sidewall cut almost a half-inch long from an unknown object. The third was caused by a razor blade that peeled over an inch of tread off the rear tire. I do not expect any tire to stand up to this kind of damage. Around here we have a desert plant called puncture vine that throws off thousands of seed pods we call goat heads because of their shape. These are the bane of cyclists here and on every club ride we have to stop a couple of times for people to fix the punctures caused by these monsters. The Hutchinsons with sealant, though, are immune to them.

Ride is great. Stable at speed and fast curves in downhill descents. A set of Fusions lasts me an entire season.

Now, let's talk about those problems. The first is these things are expensive. The price through Amazon is the best I've found this year, but at about $63 per tire, that's a lot more than most regular clinchers.

The sidewalls are incredibly stiff, which allows them to run at such low pressures (I'm 155 lbs and run 90-92 pounds in each tire). This also makes initial installation really hard. Here's what I've learned about this. First, warm the tire. In summer I put them out in the sun until they're soft. In winter I heat them in the oven to about 110 degrees. I'm sure they reach temperatures highter than this on the road, so I doubt they can be harmed by this process. Then I use some soft work gloves with rubbery palms that protect my hands and give me better grip.

Next, make sure to wet the bead on the tires and the groove inside the wheel with a solution of water and dish soap. This will seat the bead a lot easier. It still will take a lot of hand and wrist effort to get the last few inches of the second side of the tire inside the rim.

I have started using an air compressor with an adapter for presta valves and this usually works first time to inflate the tire on its initial mounting. I have used a floor pump, but you have to pump really fast and it's absolutely necessary to have the beads moist. Strangely, some of these tires are much easier to mount than others and I have no idea why.

After running the tires they are much easier to mount, as they've been stretched and "broken in." Good if you want to rotate the tires or need to fix a flat on the road. Speaking of which, I usually carry a tube with me and to fix a flat you just put the tube in and remount the tire like any other. Moisten the beads with your water bottle, or Hutchinson makes a tire lever that's hollow and you can put some of your water/soap solution in it. You'll have to refresh this from time to time.

Every few months you need to refresh the sealant. Best way I know is to put removeable valve cores in the stems of your wheels. Then you just take the valve core out, stand the wheel and push the wheel down to force the remaining sealant out the stem and catch it in some kind of cup. Then you add fresh sealant to bring this up to the the amount you decide to put in your tire and inject it back into the tire through the valve stem before replacing the core. I use Stan's sealant and buy it in larger amounts, but I also have one of their 2 ounce bottles with a long nipple on it that will fit down inside the valve stem and you just gently squeeze it it. (Hutchinson says using any sealant other than theirs voids the warranty, but their stuff costs lots more and I really don't believe their claim that Stan's will damage the rubber. I know several people who have used Stan's for years and nobody has had a problem).

So, I've had to adjust my approach to bike tires to accomodate the characteristics of these tires. They are still harder to manage than regular tires, but with their durability, flat resistance and nice ride I think they're worth it. But, man, I wish they didn't cost so much, and that's the reason I did not give them 5 stars.

Best Deals for Hutchinson Fusion 3 Road Tire - Tubeless

If you use sealant (I use Caffe Latex) you won't have to worry about flats with all but the worst punctures. Today on a short ride I apparently hit something sharp and noticed the sealant bubbling out while I was stopped. This only lasts 10-15 seconds and then it's sealed. I rode another 12 miles and had only lost 10-20 psi (estimate).

These tires are comfortable to ride on, and you can ride at lower psi. I've been riding 95 front and 110 rear but I know I could go lower. I did not notice a night-and-day difference from regular clinchers, so don't buy these for comfort alone. Also, don't buy them for weight savings. They are 312g and once you add the sealant they are likely heavier than a lightweight clincher tube/tire combo. You can run without sealant (which Shimano recommends) but they lose 30-50+ psi in about 24 hours (depending on how well the bead seats and if there are any tiny punctures or valve leakage). With sealant they hold air better than tubes, losing under 5 psi per day by my estimates. I would not recommend running without sealant since it will be a massive headache to try to remove the tire and patch from the inside while out on the road!

I have mine mounted on Shimano Dura Ace 7850 SL rims, which are specifically designed to work with tubeless tires. Do not try these with regular clincher rims since the bead is more square and needs an appropriate rim shape to seat properly. However, due to the stiff carbon (rather than kevlar) bead on the Fusion 3s, they were a huge pain to install. I had to buy a special large tire lever and actually spent several hours getting them on. Once on the rim, the bead sealed perfectly with a manual floor pump.

They are fairly puncture resistant (mine have lots of little cuts, mainly in the rear tire, but all sealed quickly with the sealant) and have good grip. However, I'm not sure the benefits outweigh the drawbacks: they wear out fast, and I have less peace of mind on the road since I worry about a larger puncture. That said, I have not had to stop for a flat since I bought these (have ridden a full season on them, probably around 2000 miles). If there were more companies making tubeless tires, there might be better options but I can't wholeheartedly recommend the Fusion 3s. I give them 3 stars because I am impressed how well they work despite the minimal manufacturer support.

Honest reviews on Hutchinson Fusion 3 Road Tire - Tubeless

I have used these tires for 6 months now, and love the way they handle. The ride quality is much nicer than with a standard clincher with a tube. I run mine with 1 oz of Hutchinson's Air Max sealant, and have not had a flat that has left me stranded. When it does get a puncture, you will see a little bit of the sealant come out, then the leak stops. The best thing I like about the tire is that when you do get a big leak, you get gradual loss of air before the sealant stops the leak, unlike a regular tube tire that can have a catastrophic blowout. If a friend of mine had had one of these tires with sealant when he had a blowout coming down a mountain he may have been able to avoid a week long stay in a hospital.

To sum it up, you get a smoother ride, better handling, less flats and more confidence in your downhill descents.

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I have been using these or the previous Fusion 2s for for several years. Great tires. I use the Fusion 3s in front and the Intensive rears. I road race and use tubulars for racing and these for training. Haven't tried the Atomsmy guess is they would be good for racing. Haven't counted the miles but my guess is that with my Fusion 3-front/Intensive-rear set up I get about 5 thousand miles out of the set. If you haven't use road tubeless would highly recommendmuch fewer flats but you still get them (if the hole is about 4mm or bigger Stan's can't seal)and the ride quality is great if you run at slightly lower pressure, can't pinch flat, I'm 180 lbs and ride 90 psi front and 100 rear, used 10 psi higher with tubes. Stan's website has some good instructions. If I get motivated I might post to youtube.

Review of Planet Bike 3044 Blaze 1-Watt LED Headlight

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List Price: $45.99
Sale Price: $36.69
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I am the type of person who reads the reviews before buying something. I read many reviews on several bike lights. I knew what I wanted to spend and started reading about the lights in my price range. Many of the reviews of this light complained about the way it attaches to the handle bars. I found that this was not a problem. This may be because my Cannondale has thicker handle bars than some of the bikes in the reviews. I am not sure, but it fit easily and securely. The other complaint was about the strength of the light. Most reviews claimed that you would not be able to see very well on a dark trail, but that it was sufficient in a lit city. This is not really the case. I bought two and mounted them easily on my bike. I ride on dark trails at night and have found that even when riding fast I can see really well. This is true even with only one turned on, though I prefer both on at the same time. They don't light the trail like my Honda CRV, but it is plenty bright. Once while riding through the city I had the lights on strobe so that cars will notice my presence better. They are pretty bright and really show up in the reflective surface of street and stop signs. Two motorcyclists riding in front of me saw this strobe effect and pulled over, only to realize that I wasn't a cop. They were probably drunk, but that is still pretty bright. I am glad I chose this light. The battery life is also great, especially with rechargeable batteries. As for the people out there bashing this light, yeah it probably isn't as powerful as one of those $300, $400, or $500 bike lights. However, this light was $32 and more than does the job. If you are looking for car or truck headlight performance, you are not going to get that with a $32 1 watt LED. If you want a very good and reliable bike light for riding at night in and out of the city, this light is gives great bang for the buck! Hope this helps!

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I have both the one-watt Blaze and the 5-LED Beamer lights on my bike (note that I am comparing the one-watt Blaze, not the half-watt Blaze). I use the Blaze for constant-on illumination (to see) and the Beamer as a blinker (to be seen).

First of all, there is NOTHING WRONG WITH THE MOUNT (which is the same for both lights). Please ignore other reviews to the contrary, which were posted by people who are apparently unable to read an instruction sheet.

The mounting strap is ADJUSTABLE. It will accommodate very small handlebars, as well as massively oversized handlebars. If you turn the mounting bracket over and examine the underside, you will see that the mounting strap has ratchet-teeth. There is a keep directly beneath the mount which holds the strap to the desired length. If the mount is too loose, push the strap towards the mount to ratchet it to a smaller size. If the mount is too tight, use a small screwdriver to hold the keep up as you let the strap out. The mount may be further adjusted by turning the set-screw (by turning the cam-lever). Don't make it too tight, or it will be hard to adjust vertically.

The mount is very secure, yet the lights are easily removed (and can easily double as a flashlight when needed and you could easily hold it in your teeth for roadside repairs).

Photos of both the Blaze and the Beamer look rather similar I wondered if they used the same plastic housing. But the Blaze is substantially larger than the Beamer (in both length and diameter, even thought they both use the same size (AA) batteries). As I said before, the mount is the same.

In blinking mode, the Beamer is actually brighter (overall) than the Blaze. This is because the Blaze (wisely) does not flash at full-intensity all of the time (otherwise you would absolutely blind passing motorists). The Blaze mostly flashes at low-intensity, but every sixth or seventh flash is at high-intensity. The Beamer flashes at maximum intensity with each flash, which is brighter than the Blaze for most flashes, but not as bright as the occasional max-flash of the Blaze. Overall, the Beamer is brighter in flash-mode, although I am not sure it is better. But it is sufficient for my needs.

Many bike lights are designed like flashlights, where the beam is really visible only from the front someone viewing from the side would not see any light from the bulb itself (only the things that the bulb illuminated). Both the Blaze and the Beamer have lens bezels which fully expose the bulb to aspect view, giving these lights about 210-degrees of visibility.

In steady-on mode, there is really no comparison in lighting intensity. The Blaze has a high and low mode for steady-on, while the Beamer has only one steady-on mode. My comparison is only using the Blaze in high-mode. The Blaze's intensity is why I give it five stars (I gave the Beamer only four stars because it was lacking in comparison).

The Beamer's steady-on mode is rather hazy and unfocused. The five-bulb light source can be seen in the uneven lighting it produces. The Blaze (which has a single bulb) produces a much whiter and brighter light which is highly uniform. I'm not sure I would recommend the Blaze for absolute pitch-dark riding over difficult surfaces (such as singletrack wilderness and mountain trails), but it is perfectly sufficient for fill-lighting in urban commutes, with occasional very-dark spots. The Beamer is sufficient only for urban fill-lighting I would not want to use this light in very dark conditions.

If I found myself riding an extended bit of pitch-dark road, I would reconfigure my lights to use the Blaze as a distance light and the Beamer as a close-in light.

Some posters complain that NiMh rechargeable batteries are inferior to alkaline. I am not able to discern any difference in the Blaze. NiMh batteries are 1.2 volts, whereas ordinary batteries are 1.5 volts. However, it is not really voltage, but milliamp-hours (mAh) which determine a battery's power potential.

The Energizer e2 MiMh batteries can be charged to 2,450 mAh (milliamp-hours), while fresh Energizer Alkaline batteries are rated at 2,850 mAh.. So the difference in power is about 8.75%. I cannot perceive this difference. However, a freshly-charged MiMh battery will ALWAYS out-shine a somewhat-discharged (but still relatively new) alkaline battery. There is a temptation to use disposable alkaline batteries until they are absolutely worthless thereby depriving ourselves of good lighting (few people toss out batteries because they are only at 91% power the point at which fresh NiMh batteries exceed their 8.75% discharged alkaline counterparts). It is better, IMO, to have a slightly inferior battery that I can recharge each evening, so I always have an absolutely fresh battery, rather than a disposable battery that may be slightly brighter for the first hour or two, but soon looses ground to a freshly charged NiMh battery.

Best Deals for Planet Bike 3044 Blaze 1-Watt LED Headlight

Generally lights in this price range are "be seen" lights (for others to see you) rather than "see" lights (to illuminate the road). This light (barely) crosses the threshold to be considered a "see" light -I can ride at 15mph on a completely dark trail and see enough to feel safe. I couldn't find any other light as bright for twice the price, making this the best deal in a headlamp that I know of.

The light has several shortcomings, but they only add up to one lost star because the brightness is really the only critical issue:

* There's little difference between "high" and "low" modes. I haven't investigated whether this makes a difference in battery life, but the "low" mode seems kind of pointless.

* The "flash" mode is at full brightness. The problem here is that the light is so bright, it creates a disorienting "strobe" effect that actually makes it hard to concentrate on the road. Since you'd only use this mode to be seen, the flash could (and should) be at a much lower intensity.

* The mounting hardware is pretty bad -it's hard to get the light mounted really securely. (The attachment of the light to the mounting hardware, on the other hand, is pretty good -easy to attach and detach the light even while wearing gloves.)

Honest reviews on Planet Bike 3044 Blaze 1-Watt LED Headlight

I ride on rural roads with kangaroos on pitch-black moonless nights.

I have had this light for one week. It scares kangaroos. Truck drivers dip their lights. Motorists slow down and move over.

At a distance of about 20 metres (say 60 feet) the beam is wide enough to light up the whole road. It will pick out reflectors on road side posts at about 400 metres (say quarter of a mile).

The mounting is stable, secure and easy to adjust. The on-off switch is easy to use, even with gloves, and has good tactile feedback. The side illumination is good, to ensure visibility in urban streets, without light shining back into the rider's eyes.

If you want to look into the beam, get some welding goggles.

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This is a good option for road riding, and commuting on lit streets. I use it for a 45 min workout at dusk. The super flash mode is awesome. Pros high powered spot, only takes 2 AA batteries (easy to carry spares with you) SUPERFLASH MODE. Cons mounting is questionable (not for off road use) would be nice to have a wide angle option (sliding or swinging diffuser) works well on headlamps. all in all definitely a good buy.

Reviews of Third Eye Eyeglass Bicycle Mirror

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List Price: $10.92
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The three mounting tabs are NOT adjustable. If your eyeglass frames are too thick, you can't bend the tabs to adjust they will likely break off. However, with regular glasses or sunglasses with thin arms, these will work great. I find the mirror size to be just about right, and I don't find it obtrusive. You'll want to adjust it so that you have to raise and turn your head a bit to see behind.

The arm and mirror pivots are a little loose and tend to move a bit when you take the glasses off, so I find myself making small adjustments when I'm leaving for a ride. Not a big deal. It holds the adjustment well while riding.

Don't bother with mirrors that mount directly on the bike. They shake too much to be useful. Plus, with a helmet or eyeglass mount, you can get a panoramic view just by turning your head. Can't do that with a handlebar mirror.

TIP: Once I got my mirror set the way I like it, I put a drop of Super Glue in each of the two ball-joints to permanently lock in the adjustment. I never have to fiddle with it again.

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I have owned 1/2 dozen of these over the years and they tend to last no more than a season. Plastic attachment tabls fatigue and break off. Works great when it works. I usually keep a spare since there is no warning when it breaks and I have come to depend on the mirror. Mirror is also a little heavy. My sunglassess ride crooked with the mirror attached. So I will try a different brand next time.

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I respect the other opinions expressed here, but I can't imagine how some people are experiencing these problems without solving them. I too, have encountered some of the same issues, but I was able to quickly resolve them, ie, use glasses that don't have such thick frames, etc.

These mirrors are a really a great product. I use both the glass mounted or helmet mounted versions; depending on which helmet I am using. I wouldn't think of riding without one of these mirrors...like having an eye in the back of my head, In both cases, a head turn of 15-20 degrees will provide a panoramic rear view. Can you imagine driving your car without rear view mirrors?

Mariano

Honest reviews on Third Eye Eyeglass Bicycle Mirror

I tried two of these. The plastic mounts broke when trying to put them on my glasses in cold weather. The plastic becomes brittle and snaps off. The "Take a Look" mirror has sturdy metal mounts and has a wider field of view.

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This mirror works fine, takes a couple times of riding to get used to it, but I found it adjusts easily and has plenty of range of motion for adjustment. If you adjust it correctly you simply turn your head a tiny bit to see cars behind you.

I would never rely on this mirror in checking traffic before making a turn, of course look over your shoulder for that! This is more to keep from a car coming up on you to surprise you or to warn you if someone is too close to the curb not giving you enough riding room.

(The instructions say that the mirror is unbreakable, which is nice to know that even if I don't survive the accident that I can pass the mirror down to my heirs : ))

There have been some other reviews that state the mounting arm is cheap and breaks easily, while this hasn't happened to me yet I have examined the mount and way it attaches to your glasses. There is a very easy solution if the mount breaks, it can be secured with inexpensive cable ties from your local hardware store. These cable ties are pennies, you can get a whole bag for a few dollars and they will easily secure the mirror to your glasses arm. The issue with this is you will need them semi-permanently mounted to your glasses which means you'll need a dedicated pair of glasses for bicycling. The ties can be carefully cut off with a razor or good knife if you need to undo the mount.

This unit is only $10 so you can't complain too much about the durability, the mirror itself is very durable and is optically of a very high quality, so I can't see complaining about this unit even if the mount breaks. Its only ten bucks. I give it 4.5 stars.

HINT: you may want to start off my leaving this mounted to a pair of glasses that you can use as a dedicated pair of riding glasses. This will probably prevent the mount from even breaking if you leave it on. Even if this isn't your first choice, it will make the unit last longer & it probably won't break at all. Taking the mount on and off every time you ride is going to put extra stress on the mount & of course it probably will eventually break. I leave mine mounted to a cheap pair of polarized glasses for $15 that rival my expensive Maui Jim glasses in performance.

HINT 2: Measure your glasses arm before you buy this. If the arms on your glasses are wider than about 1 cm you may have trouble getting this mount to sit right. If you wanted to mount it in a semi-permanent fashion with the cable ties I previously mentioned you should have no trouble on thicker arms, but I think this unit was designed to work with glasses arms that are not overly thick or not more than a cm wide.

Hope this has been helpful!

Discount Zipp Tangente Tire - Clincher

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Good handling tire with excellent grip and nice ride.

It's not as fast as the Vittoria Open Corsa and rides a trace harsher but it handles better.

I wanted to try the these Zipp tires and since I just bought the Vittoria Open Corsa thought it would make a good comparison.

Ian

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I love this tire. It's grippy on corners and rides easy and fast, soaking up bumps on the chipseal. It seems to last pretty well, but is susceptible to flats as it gets a little older.

I rode a pair of these on Zipp 101 wheels for a season. Near the end of the season ( ~ 3500 miles ) they became very flat prone. --they seemed especiall vulnerable to those little shreds of steel belted radial tires. When I started having flat after flat I ordered a new pair which fixed the problem. I've never had this type of problem with the Continentals that I ride, but they are a much harder riding tire.

Be sure if you want the clinchers to order them. I accidentally ordered the glue in version once.

Discount Maxxis Padrone Tire

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List Price: $139.00
Sale Price: $72.59
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There aren't many tubeless road tire options available yet but this one may be the best. Price is a bit high but the tire is durable, plush riding, corners well and yet has super low rolling resistance.

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I love the way of tubeless and the reduced vibration on my spine while riding. The tyres are excellent quality, tough to mount, but once past that they are usually good for up to 1 year.

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I've been riding tubeless for the past few years, on Eurus 2way fit wheels. I was smitten with Vredestein Fortezza tricomps for years, as a "Poor mans" Vittoria Open Tubular, the benchmark of Clincher tires. I've loved them on Reynolds assaults, Easton Tempest 2's, Neuvations and on my Campy Eurus 2 way fits.

To me,Vredesteins are VERY under rated tires. They made me reluctant to start using different rubber, or switching tubeless.

Eventually I moved onto the Hutchinson Fusion 2 and 3 tubeless. Decent improvement in lack of flats, good cornering and nice rolling resistance at a more comfy lower psi. The Hutch's will make you think twice before dropping in to a turn hard. otherwise, a fine tire, but not "sublime" like the Vredesteins.

Now the Padrones, I feel provide all the attributes of the Fusion 3, but a "nicer" more refined ride. Noticably better than Fusion 3s, but still not to the level of the Vredestein Fortezzas.

The thing about the Padrones, that the Hutches don't have is that extra level of grip, or confidence from added grip. No problem turning in hard, and leaning it into high speed switchbacks, or fast and flat corners. people that ride crits with Tubeless tires, on a "steep" bike that turns in quick will love this tire (vs Fusion 3)

Puncture protection (for tubeless), durability, ease to set the beads remain the same. But the better dry cornering grip, and slightly more refined ride has me "SOLD" on Padrones over Fusion 3's.

Next up is Ultremos.

Reviews of STRIDER ST-3 No-Pedal Balance Bike

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List Price: $110.00
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After extensive research on the right balance bike for my 18 month old, I went with a red ST-3 Strider. While I didnt want to pay this kind of money, the expectation is she uses it for 3 years or so and when she is done with it she'll hop on a big-kid bike and ride away. My son, who is older can ride a bike fine now but he is still hesitent and that's because he started on training wheels and the transition is scarier.

I first Spotted these balance bikes at a car show and was amazed at the kids ability to ride around on it so I started my research and was hooked on the idea.

Primary reasons for choosing a Strider over the other manufacturers was that it's seat can go as low as 11", it has a steel frame, and the new ST-3 has the small grips. Given that this was being given to an 18 month old, the smaller the better. Reviews on various sites also helped seal the deal over the wooden bikes and some of thec omposites. I would've considered a kinderbike but besides their own website, they seem hard to find. The wooden ones Ive seen all look pretty beat up and more like a 'craft' instead of an actual bike. Their website marketing showing kids riding their striders like BMX bikes brought me in too, although it'll be a while before my little one does that!

The bike itself is really tiny. The best way to tell this online is to watch the assembly video on their own website (an excrutiatingly boring video however). Its really light weight also which is good for someone so small to pick up off the ground, which she can. Assembly was easy, although I has to use a mallet to attach the quick release on the handlebar stem because its a little tight. Took about 5 minutes with the help of my 6 year old. More time to take all the packaging off than putting it together. The stem is attached to the handlebars directly, there is no neck clamp as in a traditional bike. I was a little worried about this since I thought maybe I wanted some adjustment backwards to make it easier to reach but the bike is tiny and really doesnt need this. Overall construction is fine (paint, weld points, bolts, screws etc seem to be of decent materials) but they could've sprung for some painted on 'Strider' emblems instead of the cheap stickers which I can see peeling off quickly. It would've added to the belief that $99 was worth spending on something so diminutive and simple. My sons Schwinn, complete with metal pedals, front, rear and pedal brakes cost about this and it's got 18 or 20" wheels on it, so a lot more material and engineering over this little bike. (That said his bike is all stickers too, but with orange flames and racing stripes on the seat!)

The seat itself is a hard plastic, not like a standard bike seat which is cushioned. We'll see how the comfort of that is over time. She'll need to learn some new words first before she can express that though.

My tiny 18 month old (girl) saw the bike and hopped right on and immediately started walking with it. She didn't want to get off. Its the reaction I was hoping for, so that's great. She is very small for her age but she can straddle the bike fine and the seat is as low as it can go. With shoes on she should be just right for it. She can reach the handlebars and the smaller grips of the ST-3 are definitely a good thing.

The tires are interesting. They are a semi-soft-hardish solid plastic mold, not the inflatable kind. We'll see how long they last, but I doubt my tiny one can do anything to really mess them up.

One thing I do wish Strider would do is let you customize the bike more on order. I would've ordered straight from their site (instead of amazon) had I been able to choose wheel colors, seats or handlebars to match the bike instead of the all black. They do let you configure it, but not actually buy it. The red on black is great though and I chose that over pink (for resale value, LOL) and in case she wanted to share with her boyfriends (LOL) who may not want to ride a pink bike.

We'll see how she does with it over the next few days as these are first impressions. I am looking forward to seeing her balance with it. She really loves bikes and trikes and now that she has one her size, she's really going to get going.

UPDATE (10/2012):

So she didnt take to the bike as much as I thought she would gravitating more to her brothers old tricycle and scooter. She's maybe used it 10 times so far and only for short spurts of time before switching to somethign else. When she does get on the bike, and she is small for her

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Reviews of Smart Trike Fresh Blue-Green 3 in 1 Kids Tricycle

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List Price: $126.49
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I don't normally post negative reviews, but I have had a terrible experience with Smart-Trike's customer service. My daughter received a blue. green, and purple smart trike for her 1st birthday (the "purple" is actually dark blue). It was a gift that was ordered on-line and is not returnable. While the bike itself is fine and wasn't too difficult to assemble, the plastic basket that goes on the back of the bike was warped and discolored. I called the phone number provided by Smart-Trike on the instructions and found it was disconnected. So, two weeks ago, I contacted Smart-Trike's customer service through their website. Upon two requests, I e-mailed two sets of pictures of the damaged basket to Smart-Trike. I was initially told that since the basket wasn't cracked, it could not be replaced by the company. I argued that the discoloration and warping of the plastic was damage too. After asking for a working phone number or to have a manager contact me, Smart-Trike stopped replying to my e-mails for nearly a week. Smart-Trike finally responded that it would send me a new basket if I paid $15 for shipping, which I find outrageous. I suggest buying from a competitor. Little Tikes has similar bikes and a working 1-800 number.

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