The
humble scooter has never really filled us with excitement. You are
basically riding a skateboard with handle bars, which we didn't
consider a cool thing to do (because we're cool, okay?). However, our
opinions of scooters and scooting in general were drastically altered
when through the the post arrived the next generation of skate park
vehicles. We (or rather our youngest reviewer – now five years old)
melted some asphalt testing the SmarTrike SkiScooter.
The
what? The SmarTrike SkiScooter is a pretty revolutionary bit of
playground kit, which to all intents and purposes looks just like a
three-wheel scooter. But there is so much more going on here than a
simple push-and-go ride-on toy. We handed it to our plucky young
tester (the version designed for 5-12 years – there is also a
larger version for 12+ teens) to see what she made of it.
Unlike
a conventional trike scooter, where the feet are placed on rigid
individual platforms set behind a fixed set of handlebars, the
SmarTrike SkiScooter is all about movement. As well as turning let
and right, the handlebars also tilt forwards and backwards, and the
two feet plates can pivot to the left and to the right (although
these can also be locked in position). As well as that, the two rear
wheels are set on castors, meaning they can freely rotate and
therefore allow the rider to spin and drift. Tokyo here we come.
As you can see in the promotional video, this all adds up to some extreme moves... once you've practised quite a bit. Granted our teeny reviewer is on the lower end of the SmarTrike SkiScooter's age scale, but getting to grips with an extremely flexible scooter like this was something of a chore for her. Bless her socks.
That said, even when she couldn't quite get the hang of it, and was less Tokyo Drift and more Tottenham Draught, she still had bags of fun. Practising on the SmarTrike SkiScooter was clearly an exciting, crazy and unpredictable activity, and she loved every minute, right the way through to being able to keep it straight and spin herself around corners. Mastering the SmarTrike SkiScooter may be a far easier task for older kids and teens, so bear that in mind if you're getting this for the younger age group.
Once
some degree of proficiency is attained, the SmarTrike SkiScooter is
bags of fun, both to ride (so we're told) and to watch. The tricks
featured in the video aren't that difficult to pull off once the
rider has their brain wrapped around the notion of how the scooter
operates, and the side-to-side ski-like wiggle that gives the
SmarTrike SkiScooter its name, as well as providing forward momentum,
is a joy to behold.
This
is an innovative new take on the traditional scooter and we really
love it. There aren't many toys like this that would appeal to both a
five year old girlie girl, and a 33 year old manly man (“manly”?
Seriously? - Ed.). We have just one complaint, SmarTrike: when are we
getting an adult version?
5+
Years £89.99
7+
Years+ £99.99