Customer Reviews

Kettler Kettrike Air Navigator Trike

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

My son has had the Air-Navigator for about a year now and loves it. The bucket is a nice addition - he likes to collect rocks and leaves on our rides and throw them in there. The handle works well and is long enough that I (6' 1") don't have to lean over at all on our walks/rides.

I have two complaints about the item:
1. The tricycle has a locking mechanism in the stem that, when engaged, prevents the front wheel from turning significantly. This helps the bike track better when engaged. Unfortunately, this locking mechanism doesn't work very well and keeps coming disengaged.

2. The tire valves are very short, stiff, and angled towards parallel with the inside of the wheel rather than outwards. I've had trouble finding a pump that can latch on to these valves to reinflate the tires.

I bought this trike for my daughter's 2nd birthday. When she was not able to pedal yet, it worked fine. The parent navigation system is not that easy to use, but easy enough for a short push ride around the block.

The problem surfaced after she really learned to ride a trike over our holiday vacation. It was my nephew's old trike, a cheap plastic one, made by FisherPrice I think. She mastered it perfectly in a couple of days. When we came back we were so excited about her trying her own trike. But she had and is still having trouble with the auto-freewheel design. The design causes the pedals to slip a little before locking into position, and it can happen anytime when the speed of the trike is not perfectly matched with the speed at which she pedals, not just when she tries to start the trike. This makes going on any surface that is not perfectly flat more difficult and confusing. And the trike does not stop when she stops pedaling, which can be scary for a little child, and the parents too, when the road is going downhill a little.

All in all I regret this purchase very much, especially considering we paid $200 for the trike. I wish I had just bought one of those cheap plastic trikes. I still give the product 3 stars since the construction is solid and the product quality is good overall.

The whole time I was researching this product, I thought that the rear wheel steering was linked to the front wheel - countersteering to provide a reduced turning radius. And I couldn't see from any of the photos or the owner's manual how that was supposed to happen.

Since neither Amazon's nor the manufacturer's description makes this clear, here's how it works:

The rear wheel steering is only used when the parent is pushing with the pushbar. You lock the front wheel, unlock the rear wheels, insert the pushbar, and you can steer it from behind. When it's the kids turn to drive, you remove the pushbar, lock the rear wheels, and unlock the front wheel.

Maybe it's just me, but this certainly wasn't clear from anything I'd read online.

After much research and hair pulling I ended up getting the Air Navigator for my son for his first birthday. It seems a lot of money for a tricycle but is worth every penny. My son LOVES it. His feet don't quite hit the pedals yet but he gets such a kick out of going for walks with us pushing him. He has way more fun with this than the jogging stroller we paid twice as much for. This is something we will get years and years of use out of. Even my anal retentive husband loves it! He was completely impressed by the features, durability, and attention to detail and he's an engineer. One note - if you get this especially if your child is young - get the seat belt. Great peace of mind and keeps their little behinds right where they belong. I went back and got all the accessories for this - the bell, the seatbelt, the little basket those goes on front and best of all - the deluxe pushbar. That's awesome for long walks. You can even get a tandem bar for the Kettler which will allow two kids to ride. Guess I'll be getting that as soon as #2 gets here. If you are looking for a well made tricycle that will last years and years and years - this is the one. When I think of the money we've spent on other toys he could care less about I could cringe. Save your money on that other junk and get this - besides the tricycle doesn't take batteries or make annoying noises.

We have had this trike a little over 2 years now. It is a great tricycle, but some of the features were not as useful as I thought they would be. The trike is sturdy, and gets a lot of use being as it is the favorite of the younger kids on the street.

Some particulars:

The push rod. We used it a fair amount. The push rod is the only parental-control feature we really needed. Probably the best use was as a back-up in case the child got too tired. I think I had visions of taking some of the same walks with the push-rod as we did with the stroller, but I now know that if you need to push the trike the whole way, chances are the child is young enough he/she doesn't really care what the mode of transportation is, and you are better off (and happier) with the stroller.

The auto-freewheel is a disadvantage for the beginner, but turns into an advantage later. I think the marketing angle is that you can push your child using the push rod and their feet can just rest on the pedals. That's fine but once they can do it themselves you won't be pushing much, and if the need to be pushed a lot, then probably they would be just as happy if not happier with a wagon. What I didn't realize is that a child who doesn't have access to a regular trike (where the pedals always move) can have a hard time catching on to the pedaling motion since these pedals don't force the motion. This was more of a problem than I expected. However, later this feature makes the trike more fun because they can pedal really fast and then coast.

The rear wheel parental steering is unnecessary. Using the push rod you have leverage to lift the front wheel off the ground, thus you can steer when you need to, so I rarely used the real wheel steering and I forgot it existed.

The front wheel steering lock keeps the child from turning the steering wheel. I used this some, but if you're using it because the child isn't cooperating direction-wise, then they will probably figure out how you locked the steering and unlock it anyway.

I like the air tires. It makes for a smoother ride on our cracked streets.

Get the red bell.Kettler Bell Red Metal Bell

The dump bucket on the back is not essential but the kids like to carry things around in it.

We later got the tandem insert, and you can look for my review on it. I'm not as happy with the tandem as I am with the trike, but it too is much enjoyed by the kids and made the trike even more of a hit than it already was.

We bought the trike for a 2yr old, but in retrospect there was no rush, and a wagon would have been just as welcome and easier to figure out at that age. I'm surprised that the product description says the age range starts at 1, I would say it should start at 2. One thing I've noticed, the Air Navigator can't seat a child as close to the handlebars as some other trikes (in fact the tandem insert seats a child closer to the handlebars than the bike can do without the tandem!), so if your child is 2 or less, you might want to go see this trike at a bike shop and see how it fits.

I've discovered that other sturdy trikes do exist. If you don't need the parental control features, visit a bike shop and look at a Trek Trikester.

We just bought the Kettler Kettrike Air-Navigator for our 11-month-old. It may be a while before his feet will reach the peddles, but HE LOVES IT! Kettler is the Mercedes of tricycle manufacturers, and the Air-Navigator is the star of the Kettrike line (top-of-the-line and the most expensive one). The age range is from 1-5 years, longer than for most other trikes. Small toddlers ride while secured by the 3-point harness (sold separately) and pushed by an adult using the removable pushbar (included). The front wheel locks in place and the peddles don't move when the trike is being pushed forward. Once the child is older, unlock the front wheel to allow them to steer and peddle on their own, but you can always add the pushbar back on whenever they get too tired.

From the parents' point of view, German engineering has created a high-quality, well-built, sturdy tricycle. The body is made of durable steel; the seat and the rear bucket are made of brightly-colored, thick, hard plastic. The air tires are big, cushy, and smooth - much better than the other plastic ones out there. We also got the optional harness, and will probably order a bell and a helmet too. DH took about an hour to assemble it.

The pushbar is a great feature. Since it's winter, we took it to the mall and pushed DS around in the trike. He had a ball! The pushbar is not quite as easy to push as a stroller, and the rear-wheel steering is not as maneuverable, hence I couldn't give it the full 5 stars. Especially when you're trying to back up and turn the trike at the same time, lifting the rear wheels may cause the whole thing to tip over. (It didn't. And we're still learning how to use it better. But since we're new at this, if someone has any tips, we would certainly appreciate it!) I also wish it had a brake.

This is indeed a "luxury" item for your child, but it is one that will likely last through all of your kids. It is a most gorgeous and fabulous toy for your most gorgeous and fabulous child. My only question is if the Air Navigator is compatible with the optional tandem insert? It would be great for both the kids to be able to ride in it together someday!

So I can echo all the positive things about build quality and longevity, but there's an engineering flaw that, for me, would be a deal breaker if I didn't already own it.

The mechanism by which the handlebars attach to the steering column is VERY poorly designed. Its held together by one bolt that applies pressure to a ring which grips the steering column by squeezing, transfering the motion of the handlebars to the wheel. If this single bolt isn't tightened 110%, to near the point of snapping, the handlebars can turn but the wheel stays where it is.

This happens regularly with my 2 1/2 year old daughter and the bike instantly becomes unusable until someone tightens that bolt. If we had stairs around the house or backyard I wouldn't let her ride it for fear that she'd turn to avoid the stairs but the bike would keep on going straight.

If there's a fix for this I'd love to know it because other than a critical thing like STEERING, this bike is top of the line.

Kettler Kettrike Air-Navigator Tricycle

We purchased this item based on all the reviews, which, for the most part were great. However, we did not get what we expected for the amount of money we paid. Our son is 28 months and needs guidance with the steering, so that aspect is wonderful. He gets the pedaling concept, but cannot fully reach the pedals, except with his tippy toes as the pedal turns further away from him. This was a big bummer because Kettler's description clearing states that the age range is from 1-5. I realize that a one-year old would just be guided around, but I thought for sure that my 2 1/2 year old, who is quite tall for his age, would be able to pedal easily and this is just not the case. The length adjusts, but not enough. This was the biggest issue for me, as the most important thing to a tricycle is that it is the right size. I know that he is growing quickly, but we got it for him to ride right away, not 6 months from now...if they are going to advertise it for 1 year olds, it should adjust more. This is deceiving.

Also, there is no way a child that is a year old should be pushed around in this without a safetly belt, which doesn't come with this model for some reason....crazy!

Also, this "powder coat" that they talk about is not the greatest. We attached a bell and because the ring that attaches to the handle bars is metal(as most are), they are already scratched from just a slight movement of the ring. "Powder Coat" means nothing, just a fancy term to make you think you are getting something extra.

Oh, another thing is the dump bucket in the back. Yes, it tips down, but it touches the ground, it does not dump out...the stuff has to be taken or pushed out. This is minor, I guess because it is not necessary in a tricycle, but it was a feature that pushed us towards this particular model.

Since our son still needs the push bar and we haven't tried it without...I am curious to see how it will maneuver when the back wheels are locked into place and he has to control it on his own. It doesn't seem like the easiest thing to pedal.

Oh, and that brings me to another issue....his feet slip off the plastic pedals all the time...hard to learn to pedal when the pedals are too far away and slippery. They need a velcro strap or to be made with grips or something. Rediculous for something so expensive.

All the reviews I read before buying this stated that it is still a better bike than any other out there and they would buy it again, but I'm not sure I would. I would seriously consider somthing cheaper. I have to end with the steering bar being the best feature, but if you can find another with similar steering and a better price, I would go with it!

Hope this helps you.

I thought that my two years old daughter was not able to pedal yet, until she used her friend's tricycle and she started pedaling like a professional. I felt horrible, because I was underestimating my child's pedaling skills. Her friend, who is a pro in pedaling could not even start moving when she hoped on my daughter's "Air Navigator." I regret having spent $200 in this supposedly very good tricycle. I would not recommend anybody to buy this trike. The auto - free wheel design is not a good feature.

We had originally chosen this trike 2 years ago for my now three-year-old. But, before we could buy it, my father-in-law went out and got the Radio Flyer similar-looking trike. He had it all put together and was very proud of himself, so we sighed and dealt with it. Now the Radio Flyer is falling apart and we've purchased this one. Thank goodness! It's a great trike, sturdy, durable, and the air tires are great for going over the bumps. The Radio Flyer couldn't make it through one of my boys, but the Kettler is going to last through both.