Tour de Trike! Our Favourite Family Cycle Route
Collaborative Post
As a family, we love to be outside! Most weekends you will find us exploring a forest or climbing a hillside. Last year, our 6yo learnt how to cycle without stabilisers so her bike has accompanied us on many of our adventures this summer.
However, that has left Charis (2) has been feeling a bit out of things.
So we were thrilled when VTech contacted us about trying their new 5-in1 Stroll and Grow Trike.
VTech Trike
The new VTech trike is designed to accommodate children from 9 months to 6 years! There are 5 different configurations so that the bike can adapt to the height and needs of your child as they grow.
Charis hasn’t had a bike before so we set the trike up in the “training” stage so that she could have her feet on the peddles but still be pushed by us.
She loved pressing the buttons on the VTech panel and being in charge of the music. She got quite defensive about it when her big sister tried to come over and play too!
VTech Tour De Trike
To coincide with the launch of the 5-in-1 trike, VTech are hosting the Tour de Trike! The idea is simple – lots of families (including ours) have submitted their favourite trike routes to encourage other people to get out and about.
These maps are available to download from the VTech site (see link below). But here’a sneaky peak at ours:
For us, the location was a no-brainer – Oakwell Hall has been a firm favourite in our family for a long time. The Elizabethan Hall is set in 110 acres of Country Park and is just outside the little Yorkshire town of Birstall.
This part of the country is decorated with yellow bikes all year round in celebration of the famous Tour de Yorkshire! So it seemed fitting to come here for our own Tour de Trike!
We wanted to create a route that would be interesting for the children and also had all the amenities that a young family might need.
In the end, we created a route that started and finished with a toilet break (we are in the throes of potty training!) and had a playpark at the halfway point.
It also includes a small stretch of water that is designed for pond-dipping and some beautiful views of the Yorkshire countryside!
Testing our route
So, we had our route in mind, now it was time to put the trike through its paces!
The wheels coped really well with the slightly uneven surface, and the wide base meant that we had no worries about Charis tipping out. There is also a safety harness to make sure they’re nicely strapped in.
The music was really clear and a good volume for outside. Charis loved being able to tap away at the panel while we were moving but it did mean she kept forgetting to steer! Isn’t there a rule about not using electronics while driving?! Haha.
We were a little disappointed that the parents’ handle doesn’t lock into the steering system so we were reliant on Charis pointing us in the right direction. For babies, this can be resolved by locking the front wheel and letting the rear wheels move freely but I found it tricky to steer accurately.
The bike also includes a sun canopy to protect littles ones, and a ledge to rest their feet on if they’re not up to pedalling yet.
There are lots of Tour de Trike routes, planned by other fellow mums, so click the link and you might just discover a new trike route near you!
Disclaimer: This post is part of a collaboration with VTech but all opinions are my own. For more information, please check out my disclosure policy.
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I love this. R loves her trike too but we’re yet to find a good enough route to keep us all entertained. #SharingTheBlogLove
I wonder if I could get my daughter to use one these trikes. She doesn’t really use her pushchair and just wants to be carried when she gets tired – but my back can’t really handle it anymore! #stayclassymama
This trike looks really good. What a great idea to map good trike routes, that will be so useful to refer to. It looks like you had a fun adventure! #SharingtheBlogLove
My boys loved there trike but since getting more independent have enjoyed scooting with their scooter 🙂 X #stayclassymama
It looks lovely there, I can see why you like it. The trike looks great too. I do think there is a rule about not using electronics while driving, not sure if it applies to toddlers though lol.
#brillblogposts
What a great way to introduce kids to riding a bike – I love things like this that have flexibility as they get older. Yours looks like a beautiful little route and it sounds like it handled the slightly tricky terrain really well! Thanks for joining us at #SharingtheBlogLove
Both my girls loved their trike and I found them a great in-between when they stopped wanting to go in the pushchair, but would get tired. What a beautiful route you’ve found too. Thank you for joining us at #SharingtheBlogLove
That trike looks awesome! We love being outdoors too and that’s where you will find us every weekend unless its pouring down with rain. Thank you for sharing with #StayClassyMama
This looks fab – we have a trike that both our boys have used, and the little one is still using. The next big step for us is to get the four year old a proper bike 🙂 #SharingTheBlogLove
This trike is awesome, Ben really loves his and actually sits in it playing with the buttons watching tele! #Sharingthebloglove