I really like this trike. We just bought 2 for our twins and they are wonderful. My husband and I put them together without any problems. The directions are step by step in picture format. One person posted that the directions were difficult and I would have to disagree. The steering is okay but not that bad. I can push two at the same time. Also the trike is very light weight and the saftey harness is a pluse. Also someone posted to upgrade to the zoo. We tested a trike pluse in the store and it seemed wobbley/cheap. We were going to purchase the deluxe but the store had the zoo only. I am so glad we got the zoo, it is just better quailty from the seat cushion to the tire and peddles. Overall we are happy with the purchase. Advice: purchase when kids are small because you will get a lot of use out of it. Suggestions for change: able to remove the cell phone (use of clip) this way the phone will not drop but can be removed when parents are annoyed with it, canopy is good but would be nice if it can move side to side, bin in the back can fall off if load is too heavy or you hit it just right (connected to bike a little more securly with a bolt or bungee of some sort)---I know you don't want the plastic to crack). These were just some suggestions and I know you can't have it all. Thanks for reading my reivew, sorry if there are spelling errors.------Cassandra (Even though I did not purchase this on amazon, I do go to amazon for reviews. I love when people post their unbiased thoughts on items because it helps me to decide if I would like the product.)
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There are some serious flaws in this product, first of all I'm a motorcycle mechanic, I take apart and put back together motorcycles for a living, so I thought this should be a piece of cake, but it wasn't like that at all, It took me about an hour to finish putting the thing together only to find out I need to file off a piece of plastic that's touching the steering column,
One more thing is the safety belt, the three point safety belt is far from being safe, it keeps falling from my sons shoulders no matter what setting I put it in or how much I tighten it. Nowadays, anything less then a five point harness and a Harness Clip like this one will not hold any child in place.
UPDATE (Nov 23rd 2011): My son is 1 year and three months old and has out grown the seat belt that's in it's maximal setting... Too bad :-(
The parking brake lever, that's located on the rear axle, is longer then the radius of the wheels so when you go up or down the stairs, it touches the stairs before the left wheel when going up or gust after the wheel when going down. It keeps getting bumped and I have no doubt it will break sooner rather then later.
after your child grows and you plan to take out the plastic part holding the legs of the 6 months baby, you should know that the front wheel is not protected and your baby's legs are not long enough to reach the foot pegs yet, so the legs are in the air, and it's only a matter of time till one of his legs gets clinched between the front fork and the wheel. To avoid that I usually lean on the handle to tilt the trike back so the front wheel is in the air and doesn't spin.
The sunshade is very small and positioned too high so it doesn't do much in shading my child, it's more for looks then it is for sun protection.
It doesn't fold quickly like you would expect from a toy this big that gets to go with you, it needs to be taken into three pieces and then to be put back together.
Bottom line, my son loves the thing and the concept of this product is great but it requires some serious re engineering.
Best Deals for Smart Trike DX 3-In-1 Kids Tricycle
So what's so smart about the Smart Trike Deluxe Tricycle? This unique 3 in 1 multi-featured tricycle is designed for quality and functionality for a baby 10 months and up. It changes and grows with your child making it the perfect first tricycle choice.
I should start by saying I was sent one of these to review by the company. The twins and I loved it so much after using it a couple times that I immediately ordered a second Smart Trike Deluxe from Amazon.com. Putting the bikes together was simple and painless. The directions are well done and easy to follow.
The smart trike deluxe can be configured in 3 different configurations which correspond to 3 different approximate development phases of your child.
The first configuration is for the 10+ month child. In this set-up it has a wrap around seat, complete with back support, keeping baby in place. It also includes safety straps, a telescopic, parent push handle, and a sun hood to limit exposure. In other words, it's a bit like riding in a bike themed stroller for your little one. Pushing them with the parent handle is a breeze, it controls the actual steering of the bike as opposed to just pushing and muscling the thing along like most bikes.
The picture of my twins above on the Smart Trike Deluxe shows the second configuration, which is aimed at the 15+ month child. Gone is the safety bar, back support, and sun hood. However, in this phase the bike still utilizes the parent push telescopic handle, safety buckles, a cup holder, telephone toy, back tipping bin, and a storage bag. I can lower the handle if my twins want to pedal and steer on their own for a touch, but raise it back up to push them home when they tire. Love it!
The 3rd phase allows for the eventual removal all together of the parent push and steer handle. My twins aren't ready for that stage yet at 21 months but it's so nice to know our bike allows for that when we get there.
Wow! Tricycles have come a long way since I was little. In fact, they've come a long way since my 15 year old was little. Where was this thing when I was hunched over pushing him or dragging his bike home next to me while I carried him?
The overall make-up of the bike is top quality. It has double injection rubber wheels and full metal construction. It was of no surprise to me that the Smart Trike was a "Right Start Best Toy" Award" winner. The deluxe is just one of the models made by the Smart Trike company.
You can find further details and photos on my blog andtwinsmake5.com.
Honest reviews on Smart Trike DX 3-In-1 Kids Tricycle
We bought this trike for our son's first birthday primarily due to it's ability to "grow" with him. We've been using it for 8 months now and here's what we love/dislike:
PROS:
1) Easy to assemble. No offense to those who had a tough time but it just wasn't hard. My husband had it together in somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes. It's really fairly self-explanatory without a need to stare at the instructions too much.
2) Convertible. Side bars and a seat belt help ensure your child doesn't fall out. Both are EASILY removable later on when your kid's ready for the plain trike.
3) Push bar. My son loved this but, even at 18 months, is unable to reach the pedals (he is in the 50th percentile for height, if that helps) thus we are always pushing him on it. I wouldn't even want to think about how much of a pain this would be without a push handle!
4) Wagon attachment. This is currently my son's favorite part of the bike because he can put his "wow" objects in it when we go on our walks (pine cones, rocks, etc). It's great for me because I don't have to hold all that stuff! When we get back to the house we can play with all of his nifty finds!
5) Little bag that attaches to push bar. This was just an extra accessory that we initially didn't care about but we have found it REALLY useful! This bike, on short trips, serves as our stroller and this bag is plenty large enough to hold a diaper, wipes, a snack, and a bit more. This means we don't have to carry the huge diaper bag with us!
CONS:
1) Does not steer well. Yes, it does go where you want it to...eventually. DO NOT EXPECT turns to be as easy as those provided by a stroller. It will take effort particularly when your child grows old enough to steer and you try to counteract his choice of direction!
2) Plastic wheels. I know that these are the norm but I still hate them. However, they are holding up well so this isn't too much of a complaint.
I cannot comment on the sunshade as it just looked too dumb to bother with.
We would definitely buy this bike again the pros for us far outweigh the cons!
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Our grand-daughter loved this trike!!! Her folks had to put it another room to get her to eat, play with other toys, etc. If she saw the trike, she would cry until they put her on it. They used it instead of a stroller at the local mall and it worked great.
