Customer Reviews

Kettler Kettrike Air Happy Tricycle

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Our family went to the local bike store and had the luxury to compare the Air Happy and the Happy Navigator models in person. We decided to go with the Air Happy for the following reasons:

It is more compact
It has a stand/foot-rest over the rear tires where a child may stand and push the bike.
It was actually easier to steer with the parents' pushbar without the Happy Navigator's special navigation system--especially in reverse.
A child may brake by pedaling backwards or using the hand brake.
The plastic clip which secured the rear bucket on the Happy Navigator appeared flimsy

We cannot comment on the assembly as the bike shop put it together for us and pumped up the tires, but overall, this is a great tricycle for our 18 month old. For her age, the specialist at the bicycle shop thought that she should wear a helmet, but perhaps not the seat belt as she is old enough to be developing her sense of balance. I initially really wanted the Happy Navigator to be the trike of choice because of its popularity and the assumption that because it's more expensive, it must be the more deluxe model, but in person, the Air Happy is simply a sturdier, better design.

Overall, a general comparison can be made between the Air Happy and the Happy Navigator in the same way that a BMW can be compared to a Mercedes. Both are beautiful and well designed, but the BMW (the Air Happy) is the sportier of the two in design, handling, and response.

First let me start with the good news. This is an excellent tricycle, of solid construction and that has a definitely smooth ride. It does not have the klack-klack-klack sound when pushing it that some other options have, and which drives me crazy. The wheels are of a much better quality than everything else I have seen, and the option to lock the handle in a fixed position is really useful. Finally, the fact that you can adjust both, the position of the seat and the length of the body, guarantee that your kid can use this tricycle for a long time.

As you can see, once the product is assembled, you will be hard pressed to find anything better in the market. The problem is that the process of putting this thing together is not a pleasant one. It is not that it is impossible to assemble this toy, but what frustrated me was that it took me one hour to do something that I could have done in fifteen minutes with the proper instructions. The steps are communicated only through drawings, and in some cases these are not clear at all.

I have a couple of pointers for people that are going to go through the process of assembly. The first thing I would recommend is that you try to figure out which screws / bolts are to be used in each step, and only start constructing after you do this. If you are used to assembling US products you know that you should try to avoid over tightening the screws and bolts. You need to forget about that rule in this case, since you are going to have to really put your strength behind this process, if not things like the handle will pop up after you are done. Lastly, even though the drawing on step 6 shows that you need to use a screwdriver to fasten the foot rest to the body, you will have a much easier time using the wrench provided by Kettler. At first it will seem that the screw is too big, but with the wrench you will be able to tighten it without trouble.

If you can manage to go through one frustrating hour while putting the tricycle together, then this is a product really worth buying. I recommend Kettler that they update their instructions and make them clear, since this would make their product perfect.

I am constantly using these reviews to make purchases, so thought I should contribute as well. I purchased the air happy kettrike a couple of months ago for my 2-year-old daughter and I am very happy with it. To respond to a couple of themes I've seen:
1) Setup - took me about 1.5 hours. All the pieces seemed to fit fine for me. I would say I am about average ability in putting things together, so you could do it faster or slower. The bike seems very sturdy and seems like it will last a long time.
2) Steering - I was originally going to buy the other model that you can steer the back wheels, but have found this to be a non-issue. When you need to take control, you can just use the push handle and raise the front wheel off the ground a bit. Not a problem at all.
3) Air tires - are great. Smooth and quiet ride.
4) Problems - Ironically, the biggest problem we have is that a lot of toddlers in the playground (NYC) try to hijack the Kettrike from my daughter. Might be the nice paintjob, but you really have to guard them when they are on it.

Overall, a great purchase. My daughter loves it and get excited everytime we go out with it. One of her favorite toys. Highly recommended.

Kettler Tricyle's are solid products and the Air Happy is no exception. The design allows for it to grow along with my children so it's not obsolete after just one year. I also like the fact that it rides low to the ground for easy access by my young children. The "push pole" is a must when they're not yet able to master peddling. I chose the Air Happy for it's hand brake and steering lock.

One important suggestion: pack your patience when assembling this item. The instructions do not include written steps, only diagrams. The ones that illustrate a screw or bolt I found confusing; the drawings are small and many of the screws, bolts, and/or nuts look alike (suggestion to Kettler: use to-scale drawings or better yet, PHOTOS!). Tools are included but they're of poor quality and don't include a screwdriver, which I found necessary.

The worst part of the assembly process by far is the fact that many of the screws and bolts don't fit well into the predrilled holes. The included washers don't fit at all onto the bolt that secures the seat to the frame. These facts turned what should have been an easy 15-20 minute assembly into an hour-long ordeal that included running to the garage to fetch my own collection of better suited tools and hardware. Considering the price of this item and the sturdiness of the frame I'm surprised and disappointed that the hardware is of such poor quality.

Got this for my 18month old son, and he loves it! Prefers it to the stroller. I love the fact that you can lock the handlebars and push it around. The only thing I would recomend for someone buying this for a younger child is that you purchase the seatbelt and foot rest. My son feet will drag on the ground if I don't use the foot rest (he dosn't quite understand to put his feet on the pettles yet) I thought about getting the navigator version, but I'm pleased with this version. I really dont have any problem stearing it, even though the back wheels don't swivle. You just slightly lift the front wheel with the push bar, It becomes second nature after awhile. I love the air filled tires, which work well if you use it on dirt trails or gravel roads. All around a very sturdy bike. Get it for your first child and I bet it lasts through all your children, even boys!

Worth the top dollar price. It's very well made. Much less prone to tipping over like the traditional Radio Flyier trikes because of the lower center of gravity. Ease of use of the push handle is a big plus. They also seem to retain a much higher resale value after searching craigsl*** and other local sites.

Overall a great trike. Very solid, very adjustable, air tires are great. Has been dumped on the concrete many times over the past year & still looks brand new.

A few considerations -
(1) Assembly did have a few head scratchers - but after reading some other reviews I prepared myself for the worst & it went fine.

(2) Peddles could have a little more grip to them

(3) One feature of the bike has actually caused us some issues - the auto freewheel. As others have noted, this feature (which is on most upper end Kettler models) is great for pushing kids around (they can rest their feet on the pedals & they don't move as the wheel does)... but there is a potential downside: When it comes time to learn how to peddle, this feature can frustrate the kids because there's a little "slack" between the peddle & the wheel moving... when starting & even when rolling along. Also, in order to stop the child needs to understand that simply stopping peddling will not stop the trike... he / she also needs to master the handbrake &/or reverse the pedals. For most kids, this probably won't be too much of a problem, but for some it may lengthen the learning curve a bit.

If you don't plan on using the trike as a "stroller" to push them around before they learn how to peddle... I would recommend going with a another (less expensive) Kettler model (e.g., the new Kettler Oceana - which doesn't have auto freewheel - which we ended up buying as well)! With three toddlers, we figured we'd get use out of both trikes.

We got this for our one year old son three weeks ago. (younger than the reccomended age, but he is large for his age). It is wonderful! It was easy to put together. The frame adjusts and he appears comfortable. The parent push bar allows us to take him for walks throughout the neighborhood. He can't get enough of it. This model does not come with a seatbelt, I would reccomend bying one for younger/ smaller children.
We love this product and would highly reccomend it.

I love the Kettler Air Happy tricycle--the air tires give my 16 month-old son a cushy ride. The metal tricycle frame seems very sturdy, and I like that it can shrink down to his size right now, yet will expand for many more years of fun. The pushbar that comes with the tricycle makes it so easy for me to take him on rides outside on the trike too. This was a great purchase!

We knew this would be a quality item based on the company's reputation, but it exceeded our expectations. We didn't have any assembly issues.