Komodo Cycling 24", 6-speed Adult Tricycle #7002

Komodo Cycling 24", 6-speed Adult Tricycle #7002

CUSTOMER REVIEW



UPDATE July 24, 2014: the only thing I've noticed, after having ridden the bike several times, is that I slide forward in the seat and don't feel that I'm comfortably seated on the back part. I find myself sliding towards the narrow part. Not sure if this means I don't have the seat positioned correctly?



************



I love my Komodo trike, love the color and the stability of the trike. Kudos to the seller for shipping it out quickly. According to the box, it shipped from California and I received it 6 days later. The trike arrives in a large box and it was well packaged.



I purchased the Rossie (the pink version). The pink color in the product image is a little misleading as it makes the bike look like it's hot pink and the color description even calls it hot pink, but it's not. It's hard to describe the actual color, so for lack of any other kind of reference, I'd say it's closer to a Pepto Bismol pink. Now, before you saw "eww" let me tell you that the color is a much more of a classic pink -- and I was actually very pleased that it wasn't the hot pink as pictured. Also the trim that looks off white in the image is actually white.



My consternation is in the additional time and money it took to actually get it up and running. I had read elsewhere where a Grandma claimed to be able to put this bike together, so of course I thought that I would be able to put this thing together myself as well. WRONG. The directions are worthless. That must have been one smart Grandma. I'm no dummy at putting things together either. I totally ROCK at IKEA furniture. But, if you're anything like me and know little to nothing about bikes and even less about bicycle assembly, expect to have this professionally assembled. I paid $130.00 for assembly.



Once assembled, there was no way this trike was going to fit in my car (I have a Scion XB). So, I had to rent a U-Haul truck to transport the assembled bike from the bike shop to my residence... adding $50. Then, not two days after I had my bike, the chain slipped off and when I put it back on, the pedals turned, but the wheels wouldn't. So I went to a bike repair shop (this time I found one in walking distance, fortunately) and they found that the rear "cog" was faulty. It had to be replaced which costed me another $50.



So, you take the initial investment of $399 + $130 (assembly) + $50 (rental truck} + $50 (replacement cog) and my trike actually costed me: $629 total. Significantly more than the $399 I thought I would be spending. Obviously, everyone's experience is different... I'm not the smartest bicycle shopper and, to be honest, I just wanted to have a great trike on which I could look adorable while I trekked around the neighborhood with my trusty (and lazy) Boston Terrier in the basket.



A couple of things to keep in mind. First, this trike is *heavy*. In fact, I've already named mine "Betsy the Beast." It's not something you would want to be lifting on and off of a bike carrier (not sure if you can even do that with a trike) or transport anywhere. You'll be much happier -- and your back and arms will thank you -- if you are able to simply zip right onto the sidewalk or street straight from your driveway. I hope that Komodo eventually puts future models on a serious diet by finding a more lightweight frame.



Second, don't forget you're on a trike... you've got more "junk in the trunk" than you do in the front, so you'll want to keep this in mind as you take corners and maneuver around objects, people, etc. When you're riding, it's easy to forget this. I often take sharp turns into door frames or elevators (I live in an apartment building) and get the back wheels "stuck" on the frame. For this reason, I also find it terribly difficult to push the bike through doors as well. I often have to push the front of the bike through the door frame first and then have to "lift" the backend to align it to the frame to get it out. You'll need to account for a turning radius. Also, I had read that some people teeter totter on the bike or tip over when taking turns. I don't have this issue on the Komodo. I find it to be extremely stable.



All that aside, I LOVE LOVE LOVE my trike. This is my first trike and I ran into a couple of unexpected hiccups that I hadn't considered when purchasing it. I'm just trying to provide an accurate description of my experience so far, but don't get discouraged by my comments!



I get lots of comments on the trike and I love biking around my urban suburb in the Northern Virginia area. I'm very, very pleased with it now that's it's all put together and fixed. Would I purchase it again? Well, I hope I don't need to, but I would recommend this bike to a friend but provide all the additional info that I gave here.



Most importantly, I love getting out and riding the bike with my dog, who absolutely LOVES riding around in the basket.