Conference noted::bicycle

>>    Does anyone have any suggestions?
    
  I'd check out the yellow pages for small mom/pop bike stores that sell BMX
bikes and skateboards. They'll most likely have a supply of better than
department store type small bikes with training wheels and tricycles.

As they say let your fingers do the walking. You don't have much time to spend
driving all over creation so use the phone and have a pad of paper and pen
ready and a list of what you are looking for in the trike.

I did see a really nice trike somewhere, must of been Franks Spoke 'n Wheel.
I know he carries good small bikes he must have tricycles. Give him a call.

Whaltham (617)894-2768 

Also he has stores in Sudbury Nobscot and Framingham. Let him know which store
is nearest and if he has what you what in stock in one of his other stores,
he can sometimes deliver it to the nearest.

Tom 

    The Big Wheel style does have the advantage of keeping
    the weight near the ground.  Those things are pretty
    hard to tip over.

    In comparison, a lot of the upright trikes have a tendancy to pitch
    over to the front quarter.

    Some one ought to make a trike with big wheel type geometry,
    but with real tires, and a steel frame.

    -Jeff Bell

    I'm not  sure,  but  I  think  the  US  Consumer  Products  Safety
    Commision got into the act, and they may have made the old upright
    tricycles illegal.

    I wouldn't  worry  too much about the quality of the tires, as the
    kid isn't going to ride it enormous distances.

    I can tell you where to get a high quality recumbent tricycle, but
    is  has  two  front wheels, and one rear (driven) wheel. It's over
    $1000.

--David

    Fischer Prise (SP?) makes a plastic trike that we bought our son.  I
    believe the literature in the box said that it was design by some
    physicians and mothers (nothing personal).
    
    It's a cross between the big wheel design and a "regular" trike.
    
    It has held up well and we are giving our daughter one for Christmas.
    I got my son's at Spag's.  I think my wife got our daughters at a local
    toy store.
    
    Tim B.
     

>    I wouldn't  worry  too much about the quality of the tires, as the
>    kid isn't going to ride it enormous distances.

    The problem with the plastic wheels was that they always
    developed flat spots from trying to skid.

    -Jeff

    I would go with the Blue and yellow Fischer Price Tricycle mentioned in
    a previous reply. I got one for my son. He liked it. In fact, this
    model is *very* popular. We had a bicycle birthday party this summer
    for my son (it rained of course) and four out of the five kids brought
    this tricycle.
    
    One the other side, We also bought a conventional tricycle for $2.00 at
    a garage sale. It has ball bearings etc. It probably cost about $50
    new. He liked that one too. But it was a lot less stable. The Fischer
    Price will cost about $25. 
    
    One pice of advice though. Take your child to the store and try it for
    fit. My sons legs were too short for a while.
    
    Remember, kids that age are just as happy with a pot and mixing spoon
    as they are with the biggest fanciest toy. Take advantage and save
    money before their tastes get more sophisticated. :-)
    
    Good Luck,
    
    JC

    A friend has German made tricycle that has a few interesting features.
    The most notable one is a handle that can be connected to the trike
    just behind the seat. An adult can then grab the handle and give the
    rider a push, or help them steer, etc. You can also set the pedals so
    that they can free-wheel.
    
    The trike cost a bundle (memory is fuzzy, but somewhere around $75). I
    can find out more if there is interest.
    
    	Marty Sasaki

    There's an article about child trikes in the current issue of New
    Cyclist, a UK rag. It comments that most trikes are built down to a
    price and the manufacturers cut corners everywhere, thus, no
    ball-bearings. In the UK, a company called Pashley still does
    manufacture a "proper" child's tricycle, but of course it's expensive.
    I think that slightly retro stuff like that may appeal to the yuppy
    market. Of course, I'd only buy one because it was nicely made...
    
    
    Rod

    Both my kids had 16" bikes with training wheels from the time they were
    three.  The 16" bike is recommended for kids three to six years old.
    
    By the time they were 5.5 they were ready to take the trainers off. 
    There was no transition from a trike with no brakes to a bike with
    coaster brakes.
    
    I paid more $$$ for the bike, but when my kids out-grew them I easily
    sold them for a price that made them worth the initial cost.
    
    Dave