Ariel's Thoughts: Radio Flyer Deluxe Steer and Stroll

By Ariel

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Radio Flyer Deluxe Steer and Stroll

I bought the Radio Flyer Deluxe Steer and Stroll Trike based on faulty expectations. I kept seeing parents strolling around my quaint suburban neighborhood with push trikes. As they passed my house they look so peaceful carefully steering their well-behaved tiny human. Now, while I realized that this is only a snippet of their walk and probably not representative of the struggle, I still thought that that could be me! So I invested in the Radio Flyer Radio Flyer Deluxe Steer and Stroll Trike. I was wrong. So wrong.

Developmentally and personality-wise the trike and Bean are not well-matched. She is too active to sit passively while I push her, but not physically capable enough to start propelling herself. Even on the lowest setting, her tiny feet don’t reach the pedals and she is in the 99th percentile for height. But she still loves it! The result is an incredibly frustrating experience for me. Suffice it to say, it is not the peaceful afternoon stroll that I had in mind.

Radio Flyer Deluxe Steer and Stroll

My chief complaints about the tricycle itself are design flaws. When researching, I wanted a tricycle that would go from parental pushing to riding on her own – something that could be used in multiple stages over multiple years. The construction is solid, even my little demolitionist hasn’t made a dent. Though I was disappointed by the hard plastic wheels. They work well on black top, which is great for now, but sometime in the coming year I will be moving to a more rural location. Those cheap wheels will not cut it on grass or gravel. So, for a suburbanite this trike will suffice, but if you don’t live in a concrete jungle you should look elsewhere for your tricycle needs. My advice? Look for actual rubber bike tires. I will next time.

When it comes to the design, my chief complaint is that the pedals cannot be pinned. Without immobile pedals, the trike cannot truly be pushed. Pushing it results in bruised shins as the wheels come thwacking into little legs with every rotation. Now to be fair, Bean doesn’t mind. She thinks it’s funny. But she is abnormally unphased by physical hardship. Any other child would probably be upset by this. I am upset by this! Even though I know bruised shins are nothing to be ashamed of - they are “summer legs.” They represent an adventurous childhood. These bruises are unnecessary. They are not earned on the playground battleground. They are the result of a poorly designed product. I originally purchased this specific product because I read a review claiming the wheels can be pinned, which was misleading. In order to “pin” the pedals your child has to apply pressure to them. Now this is true, they won’t move, but in what world is your toddler going to sit willingly still in order to keep the wheels from spinning? I do not believe this was a realistic expectation. But despite my anger at the misleading review and the poor design, Bean still loves it. The Radio Flyer Radio Flyer Deluxe Steer and Stroll Trike is three eggs. I only gave it the third egg because my daughter loves it so much. But let’s be fair, she carried around an old piece of broken Tupperware yesterday calling it her “baby cup.”

If I could go back I would either purchase the Radio Flyer Classic Tricycle with Push Handle, Red which has an adjustable seat and handlebars and push handle for parents plus real rubber tires for better grip on multiple surfaces. Or I might forgo the trike that can do it all and instead purchase both a balance bike like the Woom for the younger years and a legit tricycle like the Schwinn Roadster for the older years.

The later suggestion is most likely what I will do going forward, because truth be told I didn’t think this whole trike thing through. I want multiple kids, so even if it can follow one child through multiple stages, will it? In my family probably not. As soon as Bean has outgrown one stage it will be time to hand it down. Well here’s to hoping I get better at this parenting thing as I go!


Have you tried a steerable tricycle? If so, would you recommend it?

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