smarTrike Xtend Ride-On review: a money-saving set of wheels to see them through childhood

Overall rating: 5/5

Price on writing: £150 | Buy now from Amazon

What we like

• Grows with your child

• Robust

• Great value for money

• Scooter folds for easy transport

• Chunky flashing LED wheels

• Ride-on seat opens for convenient storage

What we don’t like

• Trike/ride-on was a little bit stiff to put together

• Trike was a bit tricky to steer

Key specs

Price on writing: £150 | Age range: 12 months - 12 years | Max weight: 50kg scooter, 15kg ride-on | Trike weight: 4.7kg

Our verdict

As a mum-of-two, I can confirm that it is very easy to spend an extortionate amount of money on things with wheels for your little ones, from the essential buggy or double buggy,  to the various trikes, ride-ons, scooters, balance bikes, bikes and skateboards that you inevitably end up buying throughout their childhood.

The team at smarTrike aims to help ease this financial strain with the ingenious 5-in-1 smarTrike Xtend Ride-On, which can be transformed from a trike to a ride-on, to a scooter in three different sizes. In short, the smarTrike Xtend Ride-On wants to be your little one’s trusted travelling companion from 12 months, all the way up to 12 years of age.

Although I found the trike/ride-on stage a bit fiddly to assemble, it went down well with our young preschool tester, while my two older children were very impressed with the strength and performance of the scooter.

Although the £150 may sound off-putting, the smarTrike Xtend Ride-On is a good investment that will help to save you hundreds of pounds in the long run. It’s made of strong stuff, and with a bit of TLC, you may find this ends up as one of the best purchases you’ve ever made.

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What’s the smarTrike Xtend Ride-On like to assemble?

The smarTrike Xtend Ride-On comes with an illustrated book of instructions to guide the buyer through the assembly process. The two halves of the footboard click together before they need to be tightened with the enclosed Allen keys. With the footboard on its shortest setting, the seat and two footrests simply click into place with no screws to be tightened. The handle is screwed into the front of the ride-on for the child to hold, while the parental handle pole is screwed in at the back. 

Once kids have outgrown the ride-on stage, the seat is removed, and the parental handle’s pole is taken off the back of the trike and moved to the front to be used as the scooter’s handlebars. These can be adjusted to suit the height of the rider, while the footboard can be adjusted to three different lengths for children aged 3-5 years, 5-9 years and 9-12 years.

I found the trike a little bit stiff to put together, but in contrast, changing the height of the scooter handlebars and the length of the footboard was very easy.  Overall, the smarTrike Xtend Ride-On is pretty easy to put together and can be assembled by one person without too much trouble.

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What’s the smarTrike Xtend Ride-On like to look at?

The smarTrike Xtend Ride-On comes in three different colour combinations - blue and black, pink and black and orange and black. The extra large light-up LED wheels at the front are capable of brightening up even the dullest school run.

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What’s the smarTrike Xtend Ride-On like in day-to-day use?

As a trike, I found it a bit awkward to steer, but when it was converted to a ride-on, I watched with a friend as her two-year-old belted down the seafront, shrieking with delight at his new-found freedom. The seat of the ride-on lifts up to reveal a built-in storage box, which allows parents to store the handlebar, as well as any other essentials. Alternatively, it is handy for toddlers who want to take their best teddy bear or best doll out for the ride.

My five-year-old really enjoyed using the scooter. Although it picked up speed quite quickly, she found it easy to control and the big wheels were able to handle uneven surfaces. Originally she tried the scooter with the footboard on its shortest setting (3-5 years) but found it difficult to use the brake. The second setting gave her more freedom to move her feet into position and use the brake safely and effectively.

I like that the scooter folds at the touch of a button for easy transport and storage. I found that it folded down quickly and smoothly, with no stiffness. On the downside, the scooter is notably heavier to carry than other scooters I have tested, such as the Globber Primo and Maxi Micro Foldable. But I have pretty puny arms, so lugging the scooter home probably did them the world of good.

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Is the smarTrike Xtend Ride-On easy to clean?

The smarTrike Xtend Ride-On is easy to clean, and any muck, mud or filth can be easily wiped away with a cloth. The ride-on's dark colours mean that dirt does not show up easily.

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Is the smarTrike Xtend Ride-On good value for money?

At the time of writing (April 16th 2024), the smarTrike Xtend Ride-On costs £149.99 - or the equivalent of £13.64 for every year of use between the ages of 12 months to 12 years.

When presented with these figures, it is hard to argue that the Xtend Ride-On does not represent good value for money. The only thing I would say is it’s worth considering that kids’ tastes change - where your toddler may love pink, your tween may dislike and actively avoid all things pink and ‘girly’.

However, even if you don’t get the full 11 years of use out of the product, it will comfortably see your little one through their early childhood and it’s sturdy enough to be passed on to younger siblings when the time comes. 

Looking for inspiration for more outdoor fun? Check out Mumsnet’s round-up of the best trampolines for kids, best paddling pools and the best garden slides for toddlers and beyond.

How we tested

Laura Cooke is a Content Editor at Mumsnet and lives in Sussex with her two children, aged five and six. Her children took the smarTrike Xtend Ride-On along the seafront and around the local neighbourhood. A family friend also lent her two-year-old son to test the trike and ride-on. The smarTrike Xtend Ride-On was scored on how easy it was to assemble, keep clean, transport, store and use.

About Mumsnet reviews

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