Review: SmarTrike® 4-in-1 Touch Steering Chic Tricycle

06/05/2014

First, let me just say that my 2 kids and I walk back and forth to school (its just a few blocks) nearly every single day.  We have a double jogging stroller, a single jogging stroller, a double chariot for behind my bike, a wagon, a car that you can push and multiple back carriers for my 17 month.  I really like the car I can push because I can push it right into the school outside of my daughter classroom and my little guy can hang out and make car sounds while we do the drop off routine.  Several weeks ago, we were contacted about checking out the SmarTrike.  I was VERY excited to have another option to keep Carter busy on our walks back and forth, plus not only can he sit and be entertained, there are also several stages that we can move into.

This 4-in-1 Touch Steering Chic tricycle is SmarTrike’s premium tricycle offering both parent and child the ultimate outdoor experience! Equipped with SmarTrike’s patented Touch Steering technology, the Chic enables parents to steer the trike just like a stroller, directing it easily in any direction with the lightest touch of the parent handle.

Its red navigator button allows for easy transition from parent steering control to child steering control. Its 4-in-1 capability allows the trike to grow with your child in four stages:

Stage One – Parent-controlled trike: At 10 months, the baby is comfortably seated in the high back padded seat with full control in the parents hands.Stage Two – Guided trike: At 18 months, the back support is removed while still being fully controlled by the parent.Stage Three – Training trike: At 24 months, the footrest is folded in and the child learns how to pedal.Stage Four – Classic trike: At 36 months, the parent handle is removed and the child can ride independently.

I love the black and white colour – we have had many compliments on it on our walks.  I also really like all of the storage.  It was really handy to take it to the park and still have lots of storage for all of our stuff.  Carter loves steering and he has the phone in one hand, pretty much at all times!  That was a really clever idea to add a phone.  It keeps him very occupied and engaged, especially while waiting for me to do pick up and drop off with his big sister!  My one complaint is that the stationary foot rests seem to be a bit far back, or maybe he is just between on size right now.  He can’t quite reach the pedals, but he also won’t keep his feet on the foot rests, so unless we have the front tipped up a bit he will drag his feet on the ground.  I think a better design might have been foot rests in an L-Shape placed a bit closer to the pedals, so his heel could rest on something and not slide off.  Other than that, we are loving it!  You can lock the handle bars too in case you have a crazy driver like we do!

We are looking forward to him being able to pedal – it shouldn’t be long now!

The SmarTrike Chic comes in two colours (black and pink) and includes several accessories including: telescopic parent handle, extendable UV protective canopy, bottle holder, toy phone, storage compartments and more.

This tricycle is for ages: 10 months to 3 years old and retails for $169.99

Check out their website for more details: www.smart-trike.com or follow smarTrike on Facebook or Twitter