Somehow, despite having 3 boys, we've never had a little trike for them to ride around on. The older two (at 7 and 5) are now enthusiastic bike riders so it obviously didn't do them any harm, but my youngest at very nearly 2 hasn't had a chance to get peddling yet. He is however very keen to copy his brothers in all things, so when Little Tikes asked if we would review their 3-in-1 trike (with extra whizzy beeps and buttons Discover Sounds Dashboard) I couldn't resist.
We've had a few weeks now, and here's a summary of our thoughts; some good, some bad.
Pros:
Sam hasn't worked out pedalling yet, but I can just push him along so he isn't frustrated that he can't get anywhere yet. This of course has the added bonus that I don't get frustrated by trying to keep up with the other 2 and moving at the speed of Sam. It seems to work well - the handle controls the bike effectively and when he gets more proficient, the handlebars can be fixed to take over the steering role. I have to say that the adult pusher thing seems a bit plasticky, I'm not sure how long it is going to last for, but so far so good.
There are 3 different settings, 'parent guided riding, learning and independent cycling'. In parent speak the seat moves back and it will last him for a few more years yet. I can officially say that the 5 year old can still use it - just - but the 7 year old is definitely too big. It took a little while to get the seat in the right spot so Sam could reach the peddles; Sam is a big 2 year old and he was a long way off where they recommended the 2 year old position should be.
The included bag and the storage bucket are great, many a car has been stored and taken for a ride to the great delight of Sam. He also uses it to hide things he doesn't want his brothers to find. Good to see he can look at an object and subvert the original purpose to suit his own needs. I'm proud.
Cons
What didn't we like? To me it just feels a bit plasticky. I'm just not sure how long it is going to stand up to the abuse meted out to toys in our 3 boy household. That said, that is just guesswork on my part, there is nothing in the bike itself that has actually failed or broken, despite a reasonable pounding so I may yet be proved wrong.
It is fairly easy to tip over, particularly if on a camber on the road. Even with me in control of the steering we've had a few close misses and I'm not sure if I'm ready for him to try it out on his own until he is a little bigger as he will tip it at some point.
In general I'm not a fan of dashboard type things, there is enough noise in my house without adding extra electrical ones to it and I can't face the fighting between my 3 about whose turn it is to pretend the dashboard is a space fighter control deck, so I have to admit that I have hidden it. Other parents may well be nicer/not have 3 boys and enjoy this aspect of the toy more.
The assembly was fine, took Dave about 30 minutes, but I would say that he is a ninja DIYer and great at this sort of thing (words do not fully describe how thankful I am for this talent) but there were a LOT of bolts and small plastic things and it didn't look like something I'd have tackled on my own. Dave's one comment was that the instructions, although fine, would have benefited from being a little fuller and on 2 pages rather than crammed onto one.
So, overall - Amazon are selling the bike at £67.49. Would we buy it at that price? On balance, probably not, Sam hasn't really played with it enough to justify it. But at a cheaper price we would, it is always great to have a trike and come the summer months/period of time without rain I think we will be using it a lot more.
This is a review post for which I received, free of charge and to keep a 3-in-1 Little Tikes trike with Discover Sounds Dashboard (RRP £89.99) .