Review of Radio Flyer Tailspin Trike, Red

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program First, this toy definitely requires the rider to be wearing a helmet and I would also strongly recommend knee and elbow pads. As the description states, the rider drives straight and then pulls on the bar which results in a wicked spin out. Beware however that the rider will spin quickly and if they are close to anything when they pull this bar (such as a parked car), they could spin right into it. My husband was able to assemble the trike without any difficulty. What I noticed right away was this toy was really light weight. Our 6 (almost 7) year old son thought it was incredibly cool to ride. Unfortunately however the handlebar assembly snapped literally in my son's hand while he was in spinout mode making the bike completely inoperable (lightweight materials do have their downside). This occurred after only about 3 uses. There is clearly a lot of force placed on the handlebar when the rider is spinning out. We contacted Radio Flyer directly and they were aware of this problem (they thought they had resolved it before marketing the product) and sent the appropriate replacement parts. It took a while to disassemble the bike to install the new handlebar however it was worth the effort because our son really loves this trike. All in all, a very enjoyable toy and major thumbs up to Radio Flyer for standing behind their product and quickly replacing the defective parts.

Update....After several more uses, all tires are wearing out very prematurely. This trike will be inoperable after a few more uses as the tires, which are nearly bald, will have absolutely no tread left. Considering how expensive this trike was, I'm actually disappointed in the overall durability of this toy. It's still a lot of fun, just don't expect to have more than two months of serious play time with it.

2nd update handle bar broke AGAIN. Had to send it back to the company for their quality assurance unit to inspect. They sent a replacement scooter (free) that our son loved.

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program The front wheel is hard plastic (no rusting) and the black tire portion is a soft plastic (I think they are using this tire on other current Radio Flyer products) The back wheels are the hard plastic wheels used on the old big wheels (and a R.F. wagon we currently have) but since the Tailspin has inline skate wheels to do the spinning this should not be a wear issue. The bike frame is all metal and very sturdy. The seat is plastic and adjustable with a screw driver and wrench. This trike is so sturdy I was even able to give it a very lame "mom spin" around the driveway much to my children's delight.

The directions to put the trike together were very clear and large. It took me an hour but I was being very careful. I was trying to make sure I had all of the washers and nuts in the proper place since my kids were going to be riding it. I am sure this will make it through many, many, years of play. Love it!

UPDATE: 2/2012 The handle bar rusted and snapped off at the shaft of the bike. It has only been left in the rain a few times since we got it but not enough times to warrant an irreparable break. Besides the rusted shaft the bike still looks new. What a shame.

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Very fun bike for my 11 and almost 3 year old. The intended use is for 5 to 8 year olds but the bike is sturdy enough to hold my 11 year old boy and even though my 3 year old can't reach the pedals yet, she LOVES to pull on the spin handle and lift the bike up about 2 inches. The bike is easy to put together as my 11 year old did it all by him self with me only checking to ensure bolts were properly tightened. The spin lever works by lifting the bike off of the main back wheels and on to the smaller roller wheels making it spin out. I would say the only area of dissapointment is that the front wheels and main back wheels are plastic. If you are old enough to remember the 'Big Wheel', it is just like the wheels on those. It looks pretty odd to me as the rest of the bike has a sturdy metal frame and yet these cheap plastic wheels. I would have liked to see proper rubber tires.

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program We got this bike and although the assembling wasn't the funnest, we gave it to my bfs 3 yr nephew and he has had a blast on this bike! We both grew up on Radio Flyer products and they are still as good of a product as they always have been. This is his first tricycle but it's been a fun learning experience for him even though he doesn't quiet fit on the bike itself, he has been able to push himself forward and peddle.

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Bought this for our 5 year old and was hoping he was going to like it but had a bit of hesitation since he can ride a bike and may feel this was going backwards. It was quickly apparent that that wasn't going to be an issue once he figured out how to spin it out. Really a cool present and at the price, an awesome deal for a well built trike.

Cheap Radio Flyer Classic Red 10 - Inch Tricycle

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My 2 year old twins (27 months) love their 10" trike! The 12" one they have at Grandmas is way to big and they get frustrated with it because they can barely touch the ground and tip over on easily. The 10" one they have no problem with. Im going to have to buy a 2nd one so they will each have their own!

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This trike is adorable, but the handlebars do not stay aligned. They slip and turn easily in the shaft and do not stay where they should no matter how tightly you set the bolt. I lined the insertion bar with duct tape to give it some grip and that works for a while before I have to do it again.

My son did have trouble peddling at first. He is two and has never been on a bike before, so that was to be expected. After a couple of months of practice he has had no problem peddling the trike. He is now two and a half years old and still plenty small enough to get quite a bit more use out of the tricycle. Until he figured out the pedals, he was able to walk the trike.

This tricycle has not tipped while my son is riding it. For a two-year-old, he gets it going pretty fast believe me, this child is a total kamakaze. He has already fractured his skull, cracked his cheeck bone, and is always one giant bruise with his wild antics, but he hasn't had a single accident on this trike. My older kids (4,5, and 6) could probably tip this trike, but they really are too big to be on it in the first place. This is the smaller model of the radio flyer tricycle and is for the little bitties. It is rated for 2-4 but I would say 2-3. It's ok for smaller 4 year-olds, but if you are buying a trike for a 4 year-old, a larger model or even a small bike with training weels will be a better investment.

Overall, I love this trike, but the shifting handlebars have been an enormous headache for me having to constantly fix them and for my son constantly unable to steer his trike. If it were not for that significant flaw, I would have rated this tricycle a 5 star.

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My son absolutely loves his tricycle, and it fits him perfectly. We love that there are so many adjustable heights (seat height and handlebar height) and so as he grows, so will the bike. BUT! The handlebars won't stay in place. Never have. The reason is that it's just too difficult to get the little piece that keeps it in place to be tight enough with the tools we have. We are going to take it into the bike repair shop and have them tighten it for us with their tools (not sure what that will cost) and that should do the trick. So, if you're willing to do that, then this bike is an excellent buy. And, it's even more attractive in person than in the picture.

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I wanted to write a review because I nearly returned this item initially after (as other reviewers) not managing to tighten the handlebars properly. I followed the directions using a wrench and pliers and I couldn't get it anything like tight enough. After a frustrating afternoon, I got out a socket set and tried that instead. Suddenly, I could get the bolt so much tighter and it has been fine since. My son loves it, it seems to go pretty easily, and have a classic, old-fashioned look which is very appealing. He can also put his stuffed monkey-lovey on the step and carry it round. According to my son (2 1/2) the only drawback is that it doesn't have a bottle cage, like my bike does!

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I bought this for my son who's not quite 2. He loves it and it is really traditional and seems durable. However, the reviews about the handlebars are true. They do not stay in place and frequently move, coming off center of the front wheel. It's aggravating, but fixable. My son, whose average in height, still can't reach the pedals well enough to pedal the tricycle, but he loves being able to maneuver it by pushing off the ground with his feet. He is very close to pedaling. One thing that frustrated me--the tricycle is made in China! So much for a "classic" product.