We looked for trikes that can be passed down from child to child. We tested tricycles made from steel, aluminum, and plastic, in varying combinations. Compared with trikes that were 100% plastic, trikes with at least some steel tended to age better and more consistently stood up to a beating. Make memories that will last a lifetime with the Schwinn Kid’s 12 in. This retro-styled children’s roadster trike is designed with a low center of gravity, making climbing on and off during play easy and safe. Our kids bikes include great features like removable training wheels and adjustable seat heights.
The Schwinn Meridian Tricycle for adults makes an excellent commuter bike with its large cargo basket. The Doona Liki Trike S5 has some great features, such as the ability to fold down for travel (it’s designed to fit in overhead bins on airplanes). schwinn bicycles We enjoyed its three-second fold, padded straps, and sleek look. Like our top pick, this one converts to multiple stages. The sunshade is similar to that of our top pick, too. But this trike is more than triple the cost of our top pick.
Parents didn’t love the harness, and kids preferred our top pick. The INFANS trike is about 4 pounds heavier than the Radio Flyer 4-in-1 Stroll ’N Trike; we think the added weight is why our kid testers found it harder to ride independently. Like the Radio Flyer trike, this one also has plastic wheels, but they didn’t work as well on dirt pathways.
This lower-cost, convertible tricycle is loaded with extras, and it offers significantly more versatility than its competitors. Designed with a low center of gravity for superior stability, the Roadster schwinn tricycle makes it easy for young kids to ride and operate the pedals with confidence. Raise the front panel and align it with the sleeves on the side panels, then fully insert the locking pins to secure it.
Those models with a wide wheelbase will provide stability and grip the roadway, and we found that lightweight trikes are, in general, easier for younger kids to use. Tires made from rubber or foam are softer, and that can help cushion the ride; hard plastic tires can ride a little rougher and be slippery on pavement. But all of these materials are fine as long as the trike is stable. The SmarTrike 3-in-1 Breeze S Toddler Tricycle felt flimsy, with plastic wheels and screws that are tough to tighten.
The XJD 5-in-1 Kids Tricycle is a trike that turns into a balance bike. It takes 10 minutes to build, and it’s easy to adapt from trike to bike by adjusting the two back wheels into one (they slide together) and removing the pedals. It’s sturdier than many of the trikes we tried, with hard rubber wheels instead of plastic. But it doesn’t have a warranty, and the kids in our test group avoided this bike like the plague, probably because the stand-over height for the balance bike configuration wasn’t low enough. If you want a balance bike, try one of our balance bike picks.
It weighs 17½ pounds, and it has a low center of gravity, which prevents tips and allows the trike to take corners. With a wide rear wheel position, the Meridian tricycle provides more stability than a bicycle so riders of all experience levels can get around easily. The low standover aluminum frame makes it easy to get on and off, while the extra-large seat offers superior comfort on every ride.
And the push bar is also more loosely attached than that of our runner-up pick; this made it difficult for an adult to push the Liki in a straight path, especially one-handed. The INFANS Kids Tricycle is similar to our top pick, with more-durable steel features and a slightly easier-to-use steering mechanism. schwinn bicycles And our kid testers found it less easy to use, likely because the IFANS trike is about 4 pounds heavier than the Radio Flyer tricycle (20 pounds versus the Radio Flyer’s 16). This tricycle has four modes, for kids of different ages, and ample accessories, and it rides well on many different surfaces.