It was difficult for Kate’s young son to get started on the trike, and he soon lost interest. Kate lost interest even sooner, when it took a whopping 54 minutes to assemble, mostly due to the number of decals. Jenni’s 3-year-old son also screamed in frustration while using the Big Wheel and found it didn’t move well across pavement or schwinn tricycle dirt. Like its namesake, the Big Wheel is better for bigger kids. It accommodates kids up to 70 pounds and 8 years old, and we’ve known older children who did, in fact, love it. But this trike is the most fun when it’s used to barrel down steep hillsides; even older, stronger pedalers will find it difficult to use for sidewalk travel.
We found that bigger kids could more comfortably ride the MyRider Midi than our other picks, and that could help justify the much higher price tag. The MyRider Midi doesn’t have storage or come with a bell or tassels. For bigger kids, the Schwinn Roadster Tricycle 12-Inch is a shiny, gorgeous tricycle that’s fast and fun to ride. It’s low to the ground, with more of a Big Wheel style than you typically see in a metal trike. Because it doesn’t have a push-bar option, it’s not as versatile as our top or runner-up picks. But if you’re buying a tricycle for an older kid, they may prefer the style of this more-sophisticated-looking trike.
Install Rear Drive Sub-FrameLoosen and remove the four bolts at the rear of the main frame. Slide the rear drive sub-frame over the main frame until the holes in both components are aligned. Verify the secondary chain sprockets are in alignment. Reinstall the four bolts from the inside of the frame. Slide the rear drive sub-frame all the way forward to ease installation of the chain. Lower the secondary chain into the frame ahead of the front gear, then wrap the chain back over the front gear.
As Jenni was writing the current version of this guide, her kids were 15 months and 3½ years old—perfect trike-testing age. With all the style of an icon reimagined as a tricycle, your child can take a ride on the coolest wheels in town with the Lil Sting-Ray tricycle by Schwinn. Just like the vintage Sting-Rays of the late sixties and early seventies, this tricycle features a real low-rider banana seat and sissy bar. Add in scalloped chrome fenders and your little rider will be turning heads around the neighborhood in no time.
Many of today’s parents (and grandparents!) may have fond memories of rolling down the driveway—and perhaps over homemade jumps, definitely helmet-free—on an Original Big Wheel. The actual Original Big Wheel was manufactured in Pennsylvania by a company called Marx, which went out of business in the 1980s. Today’s Big Wheel (the name was sold) is lightweight, and the wheels slip a ton.
The INFANS Kids Tricycle is similar to our top pick, but it offers added durability and has a higher price tag. This trike is a solid option if you can’t find the Radio Flyer, or if you schwinn mountain bike want a trike with sturdier hardware. The INFANS trike weighs 20 pounds, whereas the Radio Flyer is 16, so it’s a bit harder for little kids to ride the INFANS trike by themselves.
It also has a three-point harness, and this one was easier to use than the harness on any other model we tried—it actually pulled tight, too. The 4-in-1 Stroll ’N Trike has a steel frame but is mostly made of plastic (wheels included). So it’s not the most durable option we tested, but it still stood up to several months of heavy use without injury.