1) The machine doesn't remember what work the child has done once it has been turned off. Consequently, when your child plays with it again they have to start at the very beginning of every activity every single time. This means they'll be doing the exact same word lists in the exact same order each time.
2) The machine doesn't store user names to allow differentiated play. This means that our 3 year old, 5 year old, and 7 year old have to each do the same games in the same order. It would have been much better if you could select what level play was appropriate for each player.
3) Most importantly, the machine suddenly crashes and turns off if a child pedals very energetically. Since the whole point of the toy is to get them to pedal fast while playing games, this is hugely frustrating. Especially because the child has to start over again at level one after the machine is turned off.
Overall, this toy is fun but could have easily been much improved. Our 3 year old is most enthusiastic about it, it's best academically suited for our 5 year old, and is too easy for our 7 year old but she still wants to play with it. Although kids pedal while playing a few (not most) of the games, don't think of this an exercise bike. The "exercise" they get is very modest. Think of it as an active educational toy.
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Like other reviewers I bought this immediately on getting a newsletter from Fisher Price.The concept is great!
Like all Fisher Price toys it is durable with controls just the right size for the 3-7 year old set.
My problems?
On the first day after 1 hour we had to replace the brand new Duracell batteries. Since then we have replaced batteries twice more. (It's been a week since it arrived at our house).
Why did Fisher Price build this without an alternate AC/DC feature? I'd pay extra for it. (Goodness knows, I'm paying extra for the batteries)
Also it is annoying that you can't save your place. But for the 3-5 set, they do say that repetition is good.
Otherwise a great toy for my son to use while I use my recumbent bicycle.
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My twins received the Smart Cycle for their 5th birthday. So far they love it. It has kept their attention for long periods of time. I do agree with other reviewers, that I wish Fisher Price would have ac adapter capability with this. We go through lots of "D" batteries.Honest reviews on Fisher-Price Smart Cycle
I received an email from Fisher Price with a list of new products they had out, and the moment my 3 year old son saw the Smart Cycle he was hooked! He kept begging for it while pointing at the computer monitor and so I just had to take a look to see what it was all about.I came to Amazon to check out the specs and I was impressed. This is an "exercise bike" for children ages 3-6 that allows them to play learning games while exercising. Now my son isn't exactly the sedentary type and there are just times when it's too hot, cold, rainy to go outside to let some energy out. I figured the Smart Cycle would be perfect for him because it would allow him to get rid of some energy while he was learning numbers, shapes, letters, and words.
I ordered the Smart Cycle a couple of days ago, and now it's here with free 2-day shipping courtesy of Amazon Prime. You should have seen the look on my boy's face when he saw the box for the bike. His eyes lit up and he started yelling, "My bike! My bike!" Getting the bike together was easy enough and only took about 10 minutes. All you have to do is put some pieces together, plug it into the TV, insert the game cartridge and install 4 D batteries. My son's been playing with the bike for about 45 minutes now with no boredom in sight (this from a kid that loses interest REALLY quickly.)
My only real gripe with the bike is that you can't plug it into an outlet. I'm not sure how long the D batteries will last, but it would have been nice to have a permanent source of power.
If your kids love to run around, I would highly recommend this toy. It seems to keep them entertained for more than just 5 minutes, it's built well, it allows them to exercise, and it's educational. What more can you ask for on a hot, cold, or rainy day?
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I bought this for my son at Christmas time. He's four years old. I've been waiting to write this review for a few months so I could accuratly describe it. Let me start with my background. I'm a mom of two boys. I've been a school teacher for five years at the elementary level. Now, let me break things down for you.PROS:
* Price I got the system at a good deal (about $70). I watched Amazon for four weeks, and the price fluxerates a lot so if you have patience, you can get the product pretty cheap.
* Games At $20 a game, it can seem pricey, but watch for sales and shop around. I found Toys R Us to have the best deal. I bought three games when they were buy 2 get 1 free.
* Education I do believe that this game helps children learn some basic, important facts. It has helped in letter recognization, letter sounds, number recognization, sequential ordering, etc. This should not be a replacement for you teaching your child, but a supplement to their learning with you. I really like the game on Thomas that deals with spatial relationship where a train track is layed out and pieces are missing. The child must find the correct missing piece from a selection of choices.
* Peddling My child had been struggling with peddling his bike for a while. Once he played this, he was able to peddle a real bike!
CONS
* Graphics. If you are used to modern day gaming graphics and TV, you will be very disappointed. The graphics remind me of something from the 80's like Atari. They are very blocky and chunky. I know the system is not that expensive, but I still expected more.
* Lack of challenge. In each game you buy, you get many mini games. Most of these mini games consist of only three levels. In a block of about 30 minutes, my son is able to beat all the mini games. I wish the games would continue to add more challenge.
* Easy If you're child has the basic understanding of the alphabet and numbers, these games may be too easy. As my son was 4 when I bought this, I bought Diego and Thomas, both age recommendations were 3-5 years old. They were too easy for him right off the bat. I also purchased Cars which is recommened for ages 4-6, this one is more age appropriate for him.
* Lack of Peddling You see above that peddling is a pro, but I also add this in the cons because I was under the impression that all the games required peddling. This is not the case. Only a handful of the games require peddling, and in a lot of the games, peddling is only required if you want something extra to occur that is not necessary for the game play.
Overall, I would purchase this again, but I would recommend purchasing for a three year old for I think you will get more use out of it. I would not make this purchase for anybody above 5, I think there are better gaming systems out there for the older ones. Also, buy a variety of age games depending on your child's ability. And, don't forget to purchase the "D" batteries when you buy this for it runs off of batteries.
If I could, I would rate this product at 3 1/2 stars just due to my expectations at time of purchase and how the product truely functions.
And, I do believe this product would be great for any child that needs reinforcement of basic skills. It is said that boys learn and memorize facts faster when doing some kind of motion, and in this case, that would be peddling.
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