Customer Reviews

Kettler Tandem Insert for Kettler Tricycles

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Somebody wrote a review wanting to know what this is. It is an additional seat that you can attach to the adjustable kettrikes(type of tricycle), so you can have two children, one behind the other, on the same tricycle. The child that sits in this insert will use the original kettrikes pedals and handle bars and the second child will sit in the original kettrike seat and use the foot rests and the handle bars on this insert. I hope this is helpful and a little less confusing then the description given on the webpage.

The previous reviews do not do this product justice.

First of all you MUST HAVE a Kettler trike BEFORE you judge the tandem insert, if you don't then why would you need it? Why comment on something you don't own / or even need?

No, this insert does not fit the Air Happy, or any of the "Air" trikes, most websites will tell you that (except this one) Toy R Us fault, not tandem insert's

Where's the seat belt?
They are sold seperately. But most kids who are old enough to ride a trike don't need a seat belt. My little one is 18mths and she can hold on very well (back seat rider)

Not safe?
Maybe not for those people who don't let their kids touch dirt b/c of the micro-organisms it contains.

The Kettler trike has weight limit of <<<< 400 lbs >>>
it has a steel frame, heck I have ridden it a time or two, it has a height adjustable frame, it is easy to assemble and disassemble--fits in the trunk of my Honda, and it doesn't tip over like other trikes ((good when kids are just learning to get on/off))

Besides what other trike do you know can accommodate two chunky tots? Or one chunky tot and a mom who has fun with her kids?

I love it!! correction WE love it!!

Obviously over half of the reviewers dont even own a kettrike! One review even explains how bicycle seats arent safe, this is not for an adult bike, please read the description or own the product before you review it and give it a bad rating which it doesnt deserve. Yes it doesnt fit on the air kettrikes (we have 2 sets of twins, 2 kettrikes, the air jumbo and the happy navigator). It is great to accomidate one of my 3 year old drivers, and one of their little brothers. I could even buy up to FOUR seats so five kids could ride! (I probably wouldnt but its nice knowing that you can!) It is GREAT. I have yet to see any other trike accomidate TWO kids at the same time! And I mean safely, not like the radio flyers that one kid stands and one kids drives, this is WAY cooler! Okay this is how it works, You place this insert between the two pieces of the kettrike that come apartt. The "drivers" pedals and steers the bike by using the kettrikes original handle bars and pedals, and using the inserts seat. The second kid is basically along for the ride. They use the original kettrikes seat, and this inserts handle bars and "pedals", (they dont really move but my kids still call them pedals). It is VERY easy to take on and off. I love it and so do my kids. I am very dissapointed in many of the angrey reviews who obviously dont own this product OR a kettrike! I recomend ALL the kettrike accesories and DEFINATLY this one. (I may even purchase another kettrike without air tires to get another one!)

This is a helpful attachment. We have the happy navigator trike with a push bar & seat belt and added this insert to accommodate our two boys, 4 and 2 y/o.

Easily installed in minutes, just screws in place, this is a solid piece of equipment that allows my kids to take a neighborhood walk/ride together. The front passenger is the pedaler, while the rear passenger is just along for the ride. Good for the younger kids that may not be able to pedal yet. With the added pushbar, I have more control over hills, braking, and giving an extra push if the pedaling becomes too tough for my oldest. I also installed a seat belt on my trike for the benefit of my youngest. That way he's not trying to pop off while we are all in motion.

Your front passenger should be capable of steering well; because once you've added this tandem seat, trying to steer using the push bar becomes a little difficult. Typically with a one seater and the push bar, you can pop a wheelie to help steer, but with two seats and a pushbar, popping a wheelie will not work as well. My pushbar now has a nice bend in it from doing this.

Happily, my 4 y/o is now steering well, and we are enjoying this tandem trike seat immensely. "Look, Mom! I'm a good driver!"

For those of you who aren't sure what this is, check out the additional pictures. This is an extra seat that attaches to the Ketrike Tricycle to allow for two children to ride the bike at one time. One child pedals and the other goes along for the ride! Hope this helps! Don't forget,you have to own the correct trike in order for this to work.

I ordered this to go along with the Kettler Kettrike Oceana Tricycle which is the cheapest model they make that accepts the tandem insert. The Oceana is blue and silver rather than red/blue like the more expensive versions and I was concerned that this insert might look odd on the trike since it's made to match the red/blue models. No need to worry, it just looks like a colorful kids' toy. The only thing that really doesn't match is the red seat.

The seat is a breeze to insert and take out again. It literally takes seconds. Also, I'd read other reviews that with the tandem insert, the child in front had to sit in the farthest forward position, a problem when you want the oldest, tallest child in front to pedal and steer. I don't know if Kettler redesigned some things but this is NOT a problem for us. Both the front and rear seats can be adjusted with the Oceana/tandem combo we purchased. We have the front seat adjusted as far back as it will go for our 4 yr old daughter and the back adjusted forward for our almost 2 year old son. They have been having an absolute ball riding around the neighborhood together!

The Oceana model does not have the rear navigation system, but so far this has not been an issue for us as the 4 year old steers just fine. I just use the push bar to give a little extra help with the speed or when the 4 yr old's legs get tired, but it's actually a lot easier for walks around the neighborhood than a stroller since it's mostly kid powered.

One tip for assembly: I had a bear of a time getting the yellow rubber tips on the handlebars. I coated them with a bit of cornstarch and they slid on with ease.

I know it seems like a lot to spend on a second seat for a tricycle but judging from the amount of fun my children have been having and how much easier it is to take for a walk than one in a stroller and one on a tricycle (constantly running into the stroller, of course), I'd say this is definitely worth the money!

We bought this insert to go on an Air Navigator. As other reviewers have mentioned, not all Kettler trikes can use this insert. Check with the manufacturer's site, e.g. www.kettlerusa.com, to be sure.

My one complaint with this product is that it is too short. This insert connects between your existing seat and your existing handlebars, so the red seat pictured here becomes the front seat. The trouble is that the insert, when positioned for maximum leg length of the pedaler, is at a shorter distance then when the trike without the insert is set up for maximum leg length.

So imagine your older child, who needs to be in front because he/she can pedal, and the younger is in back. It makes sense that the older child needs more leg room, so you would expect at least that the insert should give you the same maximum leg length to the front rider as the trike normally does when you remove the insert. Sadly this is not the case. Maybe it sets up differently on other Kettrikes, but on the Air Navigator, this is how it is. I think this is a most unfortunate design flaw.

That said, it is not a show-stopper. There is still enough room to pedal, but it is obviously suboptimal. The kids love it.

After getting an Air Navigator for our toddler daughter, we figured that we'd get this attachment so that we could add our infant son to the set up. This is a cool idea - it allows you to add another kid to your (expensive) Kettler trike. But it doesn't work very well. In particular, it becomes almost impossible to maneuver and steer the trike once this insert has been added.

Before getting the insert, we would push our daughter in the trike using the steering bar. To avoid complete chaos, I locked the front tire and steering bar, and used the bar to manage our direction, often tilting back and pivoting the trike if we needed to change direction (if you own one of these trikes, you know what I'm talking about). Once we added the insert, it was difficult to change direction at all. Not only could we not "tilt and turn", as we had done before, but it was almost impossible to push the steering bar in a way that would effectively change direction. The trike with the insert was simply too heavy and awkward to change direction. (BTW, if you're letting the kid steer herself, I don't see how that would solve the problem, as a kid can't possibly manage to steer with the insert attached.)

At first, I figured that it would just take some time to get used to maneuvering the trike with the insert. But in the end, we simply couldn't figure out how to steer the trike when we added the insert - it was way too heavy and cumbersome. This is a real bummer because the concept is very appealing - in theory, it allows two (or more - although that would be a disaster) kids to enjoy your (expensive) Kettler trike. But in practice, it just doesn't work. It's too hard to steer, and your kids will constantly end up in the ditch as you futilely try to pull, push, and tug them back onto the sidewalk. Your kids won't be hurt, as it all occurs in slow motion, but they'll progressively head off the sidewalk while you're trying to figure out how to get them back in line.

The trike is great, but the insert has been relegated to a corner of our garage. And will never be used again.

We used this insert all last summer as my kids spent literally hours each day along paved trails to various parks and playgrounds. It made it so much easier to get out and go when I didn't have to try and balance a tricycle and a stroller too! I highly recommend getting a seatbelt for the back (main) seat, because on the way back from some longer rides, my daughter would fall asleep in the seat as her older brother pedaled home and the seatbelt kept her in the seat. Everyone stopped me to ask where I got "The tricycle built for two." It's easy (one bolt) to add and remove the seat, so I had no problem transporting it in my tiny trunk in three pieces and assembling it quickly when we got to parks.

As for which tricycles it works with - if yours has a straight front bar, it won't insert, but if your Kettler has the S shaped front, it'll fit. The front (insert) seat is smaller than a regular Kettler seat, even though it is to be used by the bigger child (since they have to pedal. But my three, now four, year old had no problem sitting in it and riding around. I wouldn't recommend it for a 5 year old in front - but by then he should probably be on a bike (with or without training wheels) already. It's harder for the parent to manuver with the extra seat making the bike longer - I certainly don't imagine adding two or three extra seats to one bike even thought Kettler says you can because only the front person pedals. However, my three year old didn't have any problem steering it from the front handlebars. I used the push handle mainly to provide extra power going up hills and to slow them down on the long downhill. At two, we used it as a single trike for my son to learn to pedal and I helped steer, but wouldn't recommend the doubles seat for a two year old and a younger child, since a two year old isn't old enough to ride well on his own yet. I also don't recommend a child younger than one in the back seat because of the lack of balance and strength sitting up (my little one is very short for her age and her feet never reached the fake pedals, so she often rode around with her feet up on the handle bars, kicking back and her brother did all the work LOL)

I bought this insert along with the Kettler Navigator because my 7 year old daughter wanted to ride a bike along with her 2 year old brother. Tandem bikes are not made for children, so we got a tandem trike instead. The assembly was easy, and I am certainly not a technical person. The trike is sturdy and easy to navigate. I love the push bar too. All in all, the tandem trike was worth the money. My sister, who has a 6 month old baby and will start working on child #2 soon has already claimed dibs on the trike when my kids outgrow it!