Bike reviews

Radio Flyer Classic Red 10-Inch Bicycle with Chain Drive

An Amazing First Bike!

I bought this bike for my 2 year old son who is *very* petite. He had tried all of the traditional bikes and trikes available in our local stores and his legs were too short to push the pedals. He LOVES this bike. He can pedal it with ease and at 2.5 is about ready to take the training wheels off. Two things that make this bike perfect for a new bike rider are the size (the pedal cranks are very short so the circle they have to pedal is short) and the lack of brakes. Now I wouldn't have even considered the lack of breaks a factor, until my son tried his new Redline BMX bike that my husband insisted on buying him. That bike has brakes and he can't pedal it because he doesn't understand pushing the pedals *forward* instead of just pushing the pedals period. I cannot say enough good things about the Radio Flyer Classic Bicycle. It is worth every penny. Sara

Great Design! Excellent Gift!

I purchased the Radio Flyer Classic Red 10-Inch Bicycle for a 3 year old foster child for Christmas this year. He was so happy to get it that he rode it all day Christmas day. He especially enjoyed the classic bell ringer. I received an email from his foster parents thanking me for making their son's wish come true. I shopped around until I found the best deal and I'm very satisfied with how quickly the item shipped.

Classic Design with "Sweat Shop" manufacturing

Let me start out by saying the bike has some timeless design: Wide seat, chrome fenders, "Albatross" bar, and a 'ring-ring' bell. If you subscribe to Rivendell, this is a dream bike. The red color is so stunning that you might want to admire it for a while.... except that you won't be able to breathe near by this bike for at least two weeks. When the bike has arrived at my front door, my plan to assemble it with my kid in the living room went out through the window, and soon I found myself in the garage with the door open, with my breathing apparatus I use for priming, ...and all by myself (because the first reaction from my three year old boy was "what's that smell, Daddy?"). It all starts and ends with the "tires." Well, the tires are solid block of rubber, and I like this feature because 1) the weight is not an issue at this stage, 2) no need to inflate the tires, and 3) they bring down the center of gravity quite a bit. However, there were two isues with these wheels: 1) they were not true and 2) ah, THE SMELL. First of all, I was neither planning nor delighted when I had to take out my truing stand and spoke ranch for 10" bike. And even after spending considerable time to true the wheels, the front one was still wobbly (this does slow down my boy a little, and I find that to be a good thing). As for the second issue, as with almost everything in life, only time will heal. The stench will eventually go away after 2~3 weeks. Put the fully assembled bike or, better yet, the wheels only out on your back yard. Keep your kid and other pets aways for a few weeks. If you have any mole/gopher problem, place the wheels near by fresh mounds, and they will surely move away to next county. Why did I keep the bike? Because my kid loves it. The bike is a "fixie," meaning the real wheel will stop, when your kid stop pedaling. When my boy "moved up" from his trike to this bike, he was having so much fun for the fact that it was behaving exactly like his old trike: he can go forward and back. This comes with a price: no brake. But this bike is so heavy (and wheels so out of alignment), your kid won't be going that fast anyway. As for stability, the bike will tip over occasionally just like any other 12" bikes; however, the bike's small size does minimize the fall. One more tip: Do spray chain lube or WD40 on the chain system. Your kid will thank you (maybe not, but it will avoid making your kid crank like a bike messenger, butt off the saddle). Timeless & winning design.... however, can't imagine what the factory would smell like making these bikes. Oh, btw, the stunning red color I have mentioned before? I have not lead-tested it yet... :)

Bought for a 2yr old!

Beautiful looking bike. Just the right size for my 3yr old son! Actually, all of my 3 kids have just loved it. My oldest is six and she can ride it as well. Only downfall is that it only lasted a year. The chain keeps coming off and it would be much more expensive to fix than to replace. My two year old has figured it out and I may buy another one for him this Christmas. PS...Of course it has no breaks! These bikes are only meant to train babies!!! Whoever leaves their two year olds unattended while riding is an unresponsible parent anyways!

Great toddler bike!

My 3 year old daughter loves her new bike! She had no difficulty learning to ride it and loves that she can go backwards as well as forwards. Not having a braking system is actually easier since most toddlers stop pedaling even though they still want to be moving. The others, with a back-pedal braking system are frustrating. This stops moving very quickly when she stops pedaling without an abrupt breaking. I attached a strap to the seat to be able to prevent her from riding faster than I could run to keep up or through the intersections and driveways. A strap also seems to help to pull the bike along when she no longer wishes to ride it the rest of the way home! None of the commercially available parent control bars I tried adequately fit this model of bicycle.

Keyword : bike