Bicyclerick said:
Chainy how can you say that about the schwinn trikes? They are built better in many ways, first they are lower to the ground and won't tip over like the others, second they have a adjustable seat so the kid won't outgrow it as fast, third they have ballon tires so they roll easier. You compare the schwinn to the giant at the same price and then say the schwinn isn,t any better than the cheaper trikes what are you saying about the giant? look at those wheels on that thing. For the same price its schwinn all the way.
Rick, I like the look of the Schwinns but for smaller children, the handlebars are in their line of vision. Having to look over or around the goosey-neck bar sucks for little Johnny.
To me, the seat seems as though it would restrict their leg movement, I'm basing this on my experience riding a Stingray Chopper with a tractor type seat on it. The seat height and pedal distance were fine but I couldn't get the full range in my pedaling without feeling the seat rubbing the meat off my legs. The trike seat seems as though it would do the same. Plus like with a regular bike, its easier to go up inclines when your more over the pedals than behind them.
As for the ballon tires, kids run over things because they can, who's gonna run the pit crew and fix tires all day? How well do they roll when flat? Most kids don't even know the difference, they just quit riding when it gets tough. The hard tire will stay hard for a very long time and the No-Mar tires on the Giant are great for people who have basements or let the kids take a house tour on a rainy day. Now if they we're going on a mile ride or BMXing their trikes, then I would prefer the bouncy tires.
I like the look of the standard trikes, anything else is a "Big Wheel" clone. When I was in my teens, the Big Wheels came into being. The kids that had standard trikes, made a pretty easy transition to a bike, but the neighbor kid had a Big Wheel. It took him longer to learn to ride a bicycle because of the difference in riding/pedaling style and that he fell! The security of the low riding non tipsy style wasn't there anymore. Everyone one has their own views of which would be better, but in my opinion, give them something that is time proven and builds coordination.
I'll be honest with the pricing of the trikes, I'm not sure what each costs and that wasn't an issue. I looked at the overall trikes and how they were built. What I had to choose from was the Schwinns 06, the Giant 06 and the department store junk. I saw very little in the Schwinns that I thought made them worth the price. They were cool and made me think of a little hot rod bike, but did not impress me on their quality. Then there were the reasons I stated earlier. The Giants were very well built, the paint (we got the pink version) was very nice and it was a standard type tricycle. The seat would be easily replacable with any small bicycle seat, should it get damaged or a different color choice was wanted.The wheels area a plastic, so they won't rust when little Sally leaves it in the sandbox. The only thing I don't like is the wood. We looked at several and the wood was cracked. Most of the cracked ones were obvious, they had a size ten or larger shoeprint on the them. Seems the sales guys like screaming around the store with one foot on the board and the the other puishing themselves like a scooter. The Schwinns were the same way. The '08 Schwinn would definitely get a second look given the choices between the Schwinn trikes and the other two pictured, it would be my preference!
Here's a link to the Giant trike, pretty much the same as the one we bought. The color is alot better in person.
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-US/bik ... 9421/zoom/
I quess everyone has their own views on what's the better trike, but I'll stay with my original opinion. If I was to buy a new trike, I'd proudly buy the same one, but if I wanted a lowriding chopped out looking trike...... well, I got some parts, a grinder, a wleder and a whole lot of friends with ideas to draw from!
Oh one last thing, my friend, who works at a bike shop and grew up in a Schwinn dealership that his parents owned, reccommended that I get the Giant before purchasing a Schwinn. I don't usually listen to him so this was kinda worthless advice, especially because I'd already bought the trike hours before his answer. I've never been a big Schwinn person, although I've owned several of the older bikes, but alot of times the name Schwinn automaticalyy make me nitpick them. This maybe the case here, I can't say.
GTcoma, what ever you buy your little girl ,she'll love! Her daddy got it for her and he's a cool guy!
Man I babbled alot!
Chainy
