Schwinn 24" Wheel Meridian Adult Tricycle

I made this purchase for my 90y old mother. She wanted to ride it so bad but in the end it wasn't for her. It was just too difficult for her to pedal and steer. So she decided to return it. We had it assembled for her to ride it, then disassembled to return it. Here is the kicker. We had to pay to ship it back to the warehouse. The cost to return this $600 bike was $400. Yes you read that correctly. I had to source our own transport company and ship it with the Amazon return label. My mother is sick to her stomach because of it. This info on the return is not clear anywhere in the policy. So beware.

I bought this bike after reading every single review, both positive and negative. I even took the step of ordering the bike from Amazon's Warehouse Deals. I paid a very reasonable price. I am a 52 year old woman who does not really have a lot of mechanical experience, but it was a beautiful day when the bike arrived. I got my iced tea and sat on my porch with the box and spent a leisurely afternoon figuring it out. With only a little help from my husband and son (mostly to just confirm I did something correctly) I was able to assemble the bike. I'm glad I did, too, because now, adjustments make more sense to me...I know the parts and understand how they work and fit together.That said, if you are just hoping for a quick experience putting it together, you may want to get help or pay a bike shop. I rate the bike 5 stars because I love the style and I think it was a GREAT value. It seems to be working well. But for the sake of those who read reviews, here are some notes that might help you.--The color: I read a lot of reviews that complained that they were hoping for a more BLUE bike. This should be called "Ice Blue" or something like that, not Slate, because the bike is really a silvery blue not a darker color like I would think Slate would be.--Packaging: I ordered from Amazon Warehouse Deals, which said the item would be repackaged, so I expected that. The large box it came in was not TOO badly roughed up from shipping, but when I opened it, the inner box that was holding all the bike parts was fairly frightening. Torn spots, dents in the cardboard, etc. From reading a lot of reviews about dents, I wonder if shipping is just really hard on this. Mine came basically double boxed. I wonder if someone returned it because of the condition of the original box! The original box did not appear to ever have been opened and resealed? Anyway, I probably got lucky, but my guess is this is a shipping issue and perhaps unavoidable when you have parts, like fenders, that are easily bent out of shape.--Assembly: Yeah, there were a few head scratching moments where I had to look at the diagram, re-read and THINK, but I figured them out. I saw a YouTube video of a guy who was pretty mechanical and putting this bike together for one of his parents and he had pretty much the same issues I had! I used (after googling!) Vicks VapoRub for grease for the handlebar stem and it is working great. Did have to laugh at the whiff of menthol I got just before my second ride on it, when I adjusted the handlebars. Vaseline would work too if you don't have a tube of grease that they call for. I confirmed with a mechanical friend that this will be no problem, we're not dealing with high temperatures or huge amounts of friction. I had to really work to get fenders lined up to the holes for the bolts that hold them on, then I had to bend them into shape a little to keep them from rubbing. This is no big deal to me, but if it is to you, you're forewarned. If you can't find the stem for the seat, look inside the hole in the frame, lots of people think they don't have one then find it there! Brakes might take a while to get them adjusted properly. If any of this really doesn't sound like something you want to mess with then definitely find a handier friend or take it to a bike shop for assembly. I didn't mind the tweaking.--Riding: THIS IS DIFFERENT THAN A TWO WHEEL BIKE! You have to really remember this or you may think something is wrong when it is not. If you learned to ride a two wheel bike, you instinctively *lean* to keep balance. Leaning on this bike is not necessary and may even make your sensation of being off balance WORSE. You *might* even want to lean OUT of a turn (the opposite direction) a tiny bit! I did feel a bit wonky on this trike at first, but I just took a deep breath and tried to remember that this was different. Much better as time goes on! Also, the road where I live is slightly graded to allow rain to runoff so if I'm riding on the road, I realize that it is going to feel off balance. I only take the road for a short while, then I am on the rails-to-trails near our home. That too is ever-so-slightly graded for runoff, but I can work with it better there. If the trail is clear, I just take my spot up the middle and my fellow bikers let me know they are coming with a friendly call or ring of their bell and I move over. :)--Mount/Dismount: At first, I kept whacking the back of my legs with the back wheels. Just needed to get in the habit of remembering that unlike a 2 wheel bike, I have to watch for them.--Seat: I'm a middle aged woman with an ample middle aged figure. The seat is just *okay* for me but since I got such a nice price on the bike, I don't feel badly about seeking out a wider, more comfortable seat. Until switching the seat, I only had gone about 3 miles at a time to avoid a sore posterior.If you want a flawless, seamless experience to get up and running, look elsewhere or get professional help to assemble and fine tune. If you're willing to deal with a few little issues, you'll have a great trike at a great price.

This is my experience with the Schwinn Meridian 24” adult tricycle.It arrived at the time promised and the carton was in good condition. There appeared to be no damages to it.I had set up a table to spread the parts out. It took me about twenty-five minutes to unpack and unwrap each part while spreading them out on the table. The parts were packed better than any other product I have ordered from Amazon. There were no damages to any part nor were there any parts missing.With one exception I followed the directions exactly as written in the owner’s manual. By and large, I was able to understand the directions as written. The one exception was installing the rear fenders. The written directions indicate the wheel should be installed prior to installing the fender. When this is done, it is really tough to work through the spokes to manipulate the three bolts that secure the fender. It took me about twenty minutes to install one fender.I had watched a video on Youtube that had shown how to assemble this tricycle. In it, the man installed the fender prior to installing the wheel. After suffering through the first fender, I decide to follow the technique of the video to install the second fender. It went perfectly and quickly as I finished installing the fender and then the wheel in about five minutes with no mishaps.When connecting the rear frame to the main frame, the written directions suggest that help from a second person would be helpful. My wife was not available at the time so I decided to do it by myself. I should have waited. It is hard for one person to do the adjustments needed to tighten the second chain properly.All in all, the assembly took me about three and a half hours. This assembly time included two stops for a coffee break. I am a 79 year old male who hasn’t assembled anything in the last fifteen years. In my younger years, I was an avid bicycle rider as I did a lot of trips of a hundred miles or more on a Fuji twelve-speed. Eventually, due to aging and health issues, I had to give up these endeavors.A comment about the basket: It is quite large. However, as a design, it surely is nothing the designers are proud of. I would describe it as clugy. I did not buy the machine for the need of a great basket so I would not deduct any review points for this.Misgivings that caused me to give the product four stars instead of five stars:I am having trouble understanding the adjustments needed for the front brake. It is still not installed properly and I will continue to try to make the proper changes.I am 5’ 10” tall with short legs and about fifty pounds overweight. I purchased the 24” instead of the 26” because the 24’ was sixty dollars cheaper. It is difficult getting the seat high enough to avoid having my knees pump too high. I cannot imagine a six-footer on this trike. I am not sure that a 26” trike would have made any difference.I am in Minnesota and, due to rain/snow this week I have not given it a thorough workout. With limited use, here is my first impression. On level pavement, it is quite easy to pedal even though there is only one speed. In fact, I am surprised at how fast it will go on a level surface. However, when standing still at the bottom of a quite small grade, it is difficult to get going up the grade. I will plan to always build up speed to tackle any kind of grade, no matter how slight.Because of my years on a bicycle, I am quite cautious when faced with turning on the trike. It is a totally different experience. I am confident this will not be a problem with continued acclimation. I plan to use it to ride to the store and post office with a goal of having some kind of workout in my life.All in all, I recommend it as a good purchase.Four months later: I’ve given it (and me) a fairly good workout during the last four months. Generally speaking, I am pleased with the purchase. Because of my own situation – being 79 years old and in a northern state that prohibits use of the machine for several months of the year; I would make the same choice again as opposed to a more expensive machine.If I were younger and in a region that had a longer riding season, I would have opted for a Raleigh Multi-speed trike. The Raleigh is built better and the additional speeds would be a blessing. The Raleigh sold for twice the cost of the Schwinn at the time of this purchase. Note: the Schwinn is available in multi speeds but the price for it is ridiculous.Here’s what multiple gears would mean – hills and headwinds would be much less of a challenge.The fenders continue to be an irritant. Each of the rear fenders is held in place by three struts. These are not rigid at all and the fenders have a tendency to move in either direction until they hit the tire. They can be physically pushed back to center but they do not stay in place.The seat squeaks. Every time the bike goes over a seam in the pavement, the seat gives out two or three squeaks. This is an observation, not a complaint.Techniques: When I first rode the trike, it tended to drift. Also, when going around curves, balance seemed to be disconcerting due to my experience with only two wheels. None of these are a problem anymore. I don’t know what’s different but I must have made some subconscious changes in my riding style and now all is well.A good purchase if the typical terrain is level and includes only slight grades.

This bike is amazingly awesome!I was born with a genetic disorder (EDS) that has my bones aging three times as fast as my body. That being said even at only 24 I have MAJOR joint problems, including a sprained PCL, but I wanted something that would be easy on my bones while helping me keep active. I received this as a Christmas present from my mom- AKA she gave me her card and said buy yourself a trike. I did not want to buy something super expensive and at the time this was on sale for about $275, so my mom agreed it would be good for the price.The shipping was fast and I was not home when it arrived, luckily my apartment maintenance guys love me because it was in my third floor apartment when I got home from my trip. This box is heavy- it took two guys to carry it up three flights. I have a 100 pound dog who I carry fifty pounds of dog food up three flights of stairs every two weeks, and yet I still found myself scooting the box around the apartment because of its heaviness.I could not put this bike together- I took it apart three times over a week before a co-workers husband took it during his bonding night with his son and put it together in less than three hours. I have always been handy challenged, but I would still recommend not spending the money on labor and just bring someone handy the bike, some beer, and a pizza because it is do-able.Once it was put together, it was still too heavy to bring back upstairs daily, so if you don't live in a trusty neighborhood take that into consideration.As for the riding, I LOVE this bike because it's super easy to ride. So far my longest ride was 12 miles with a 300ft elevation- in total during the past few months this bike has seen me through a total of over 50 miles and 700ft elevation in weather up to 100 degrees plus humidity- and this bike has held up. I ride to the store all the time, load up one of my five gallon bins with $100 worth of groceries, stick it in the basket, and ride home easily. I live in a very humid extremely hilly area of south Texas, and this bike handles both the hills and my weight extremely well.When I received this bike I did not like the seat and upgraded to one without a horn, which I do suggest looking into.I was 5.4 and 220 pounds when I received this bike, and have already lost 10 pounds by riding this bike for fun. This was my first bike ever, and I didn't know how to ride the first time I got on this bike, yet I have never fallen nor crashed- even coasting down a steep hill at 10mph. I would highly recommend this bike for older adults who have bone issues like myself, mobility challenged individuals, or anyone who wants a cargo type trike that is easy on the ecosystem. If this bike ever fails me, I would not even think twice about spending the asking price for this trike, it has quickly become my child and new favorite hobby.

Bought this for my autistic grandson’s birthday. The box arrived with considerable damage to it, so I’m not surprised that there is a dent in one of the bicycle fenders and some other scratches, nicks, and gashes on other pieces of the bicycle. I am going to assemble it tonight to see if it has all the pieces and turns out to be a sturdy product, but with the damage I still don’t think I should have been charged full price ($577!) for this beaten-up shipment. I’m also suspicious because there is a return shipping flyer inside the box as if this was a tricycle that at one time was returned—and then shipped to me at full price! I am going to ask for a refund or a partial refund given the fact that the product arrived with damage—but first I want to see if it assembles correctly. Also, I can’t find this product on the Schwinn website—is it a legitimate Schwinn product? I wanted the quality of the Schwinn name, or I would’ve gone with a much cheaper trike. You’ll notice on the chain guard there is a white sticker (not placed very carefully, as the edge of the sticker hangs over the edge :-( )claiming the model to be the Meridian, but during the viewing of YouTube videos for assembly purposes, the chain guard is marked “Schwinn.” As I said, I’m assembling this tonight and will update this review.