We hadn't been planning on buying this trike, we hadn't actually been planning on buying a trike at all because Isla
had a trike.
Had being the operative word, it was stolen yesterday and as it was a suggestion from her physiotherapist it seemed important to replace it ASAP.
She used to have the
Little Tikes 4-in-1 trike in purple and I have to admit I really liked it. But it wasn't in stock at the moment and I wanted a new trike
now. And despite it being a Sunday I was able to get one thanks to
Argos who offer a same day
fast track delivery service, seven days a week on many of their items that starts at just £3.95 for a small item (
a bike counts as a small item.. Amazing). Welcome to the twenty first century.
So her new trike the
Smart Trike Breeze 3-in-1 was delivered last night and I put it together this morning before the school run. I was expecting it to take a while as Dylan had a trike from the same brand a few years ago that took three people to successfully make it on Christmas Day but it was
really easy and only took about twenty minutes and that was with Isla helping and Luna trying to steal the instructions. The only thing that took me a while to figure out was how to make the parental control work for the steering, but again it turned out to be a super simple click of a button, Luna had just successfully managed to steal the piece of paper that was written on.
Once it was put together it was a lot smaller than her Little Tikes trike. Sometimes I'm out off by smaller trikes because they seem less sturdy or the quality isn't as good but this trike is perfect.
It's just the right mix of a sturdy, chunky base and leaner handles with a slightly smaller seat and basket. Not only does the smaller size suit Isla a little better being able to get on and off with more ease but it also takes up less room in the hallway where it's currently sitting (no more leaving it hidden in the front garden for us, no matter how many times we use it in a day). For some people I can understand that a smaller convertible trike may be less than ideal.
What is the point of a trike that can change as your child grows if your child is just going to outgrow it? However with Islas mobility being limited due to her diplegia a smaller trike that she can use now matters more than how long it will last her.
The basket on the back is something I'm a fan of as it has a lid. Isla likes to carry things around, she's a bit of a bag lady really, and having the lid on the back of her basket means that if she forgets things in there they won't be ruined by the weather or stolen by the dog. It does of course restrict what we can carry, on old trikes I could use the basket like the basket under the pram and put a bag or jacket in there and now of course I can't but there are pros and cons to everything I guess.
Speaking of cons, the biggest of found with this bike so far is the steering. When I was looking at it online it seemed quite swanky to have
touch steering. When I put it together I was sure it was broken because the handle wouldn't turn. When I finally worked out how it worked (touch steering was probably a clue to why the handle wasn't turning) I almost killed Isla several times on the school run because I couldn't steer the touch steering.
I found it really difficult! Except loads of the reviews on the Argos website talk about how easy it is to steer so maybe I just need a little practice? I'll start with tomorrow's school run and hope for the best.
Islas favourite thing about the trike is the colour, it's the brightest of pinks to the point that it borders on being vaguely day-glo. And somehow even though it should be giving me a headache I really like it. I suspect this is because it's contrasted by the gun metal grey of the metal body and handles.
I really liked her old trike and I'll admit this one is still growing on me especially as I'm having trouble with the steering.
Non-touch steering was a lot easier.
However this trike while a lot smaller feels a lot sturdier. I feel more comfortable going up and down curbs and up and down the step from our front garden to the street. The bright pink is far less jarring than I had expected to be, I actually really like it and Isla absolutely loves it so I can't argue with that.
Overall the pros with this trike far outweigh the cons and given that I didn't find any reviews written by parents who had lost control and pushed their children into oncoming traffic I am assuming that I'll get the hang of this touch steering business pretty fast.
If you missed any of the links above you can find the trike in Argos
here
You can also get it on amazon
here
But I would definitely recommend Argos if you're looking to get hold of it (or anything else) fast. Same day delivery for £3.95 you can't go wrong.
