Just because it's raining, snowing or otherwise blustery outside, that doesn't mean that your child can't get the exercise she needs. The Fisher Price Smart Cycle combines the fun indoor activity of video game playing with the physical activity the great outdoors will give you. Designed for kids ages three to six, the Smart Cycle "physical learning arcade system" is an all-in-one stationary bike, video game console, and educational tool. Your little one will exercise her brain and her body -- and have loads of fun in the process.
 The Smart Cycle combines the fun indoor activity of video game playing with the physical activity of the great outdoors. |
 By using the bike's joy stick and buttons, your child can navigate through many other games and adventures. |
 Pedal and steer your way through different environments. |
 The Smart Cycle games provide different levels for growing kids. |
The Smart Cycle plugs directly into your VCR or TV and requires no need for a separate game system. Simply connect the Smart Cycle to your television's input jacks, insert the included game cartridge "key," and your child can start riding -- and learning -- right away! Your child pedals the bike to keep the game going and "steers" with the movable handlebars. A large, easy-to-use and conveniently placed joy stick and bright buttons control the games and educational tools.
The Smart Cycle comes with a "learning adventure," in which your child drives a car by pedaling the bike and turning the handlebars. She can splash through mud puddles and take treacherous corners as she tries to catch letters of the alphabet along the road. She'll learn to keep pedaling to keep moving, while at the same time learning her alphabet!
Versatility Adds to the Fun
The fun doesn't have to stop when your child gets her fill of exercise: she can stop and rest, and continue the fun and learning by using the bike's joy stick and buttons to navigate through many other games and adventures. And best of all, several optional game cartridges that can be used with the Smart Cycle (sold separately) will keep your child continually entertained, including games that feature favorite characters such as Dora the Explorer, SpongeBob SquarePants, Barbie, and Hot Wheels cars.
With its wide array of games and height-adjustable seat, the Smart Cycle is designed to grow with your child. So as your child grows both physically and intellectually, the Smart Cycle will grow with her.
The Ultimate Test Drive
We found the Smart Cycle easy to assemble and very simple to install with our television set. All we needed for assembly was a Phillips screwdriver and four "D" batteries (not included). As long as your television or VCR is equipped with the red, white, and yellow RCA jacks to connect the Smart Cycle, you're set to go. We simply connected the included plugs to the television's jacks, turned the television on, and we were ready for hours of fun. Once the game started, the cycle seemed easy enough to operate, making it not too much of a challenge to result in frustrating a child, but not so easy that it would soon become boring. With the additional optional game cartridges, we believe the Smart Cycle promises to be a long-lasting source of entertainment.
The Smart Cycle comes with an easy-to-follow instruction manual, and the set-up only took a few minutes. However, one minor set-back we experience was that we needed the paper instruction manual on hand to understand how to play the video game; we found some elements of the games to be nearly impossible to understand without the instructions. An intuitive set of online instructions designed for children to follow, without the need to consult a paper manual, would make for a near-ideal gaming experience for any child (and parent). Also, although the seat offers four height levels, the handlebars are not height adjustable, which may present a problem for some smaller children.
Pros:
- Provides a source of indoor exercise for young children
- Designed to grow with your child's physical and intellectual development
- Helps develop your child's motor skills
- Easy to install and use
- Includes several fun and entertaining educational games
- The instructions to some of the games are difficult to understand
- The cycle's handlebars are not height adjustable
Smart Cycle plugs right into your TV, ready to take kids on learning adventures like no other. As they pedal, favorite character friends guide them through learning discoveries, games and even exciting races. Other activities don't require pedaling at all. Includes Learning Adventure game cartridge with 3 ways to play:
1) Drive, steer and learn at your own pace--visit Math Mountain, Shape Lake, Number Fields, Letter Creek and other stops along the way.
2) Learn, stop and rest, but don't stop learning! Use the joystick to reinforce important learning skills with plenty of games and activities with different levels for growing kids.
3) Race--put the pedal to the metal as you race with cars on-screen, against the clock, or with another player.
Includes Learning Journey software and the other themes sold separately include: Nick Jr.Dora the Explorer Friendship Adventure, Nick Jr.Go Diego Go! Diego's Animal Rescue, Discover the Dinosaurs, Nickelodeon SpongeBob Squarepants Ocean Adventure, Hot Wheels Barbie Fairytopia.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
248 of 256 people found the following review helpful:
By Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
Durability:2.0 out of 5 stars Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars
This product has 3 main flaws:
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.
93 of 101 people found the following review helpful:
By R. Munoz "ZettaPixel Photography" (Lawrence, KS USA)
Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars
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?
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
By Erin Brownfield (Brooklyn, NY USA)
Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars
I got this for my 3.5 year old, chiefly because he has some gross motor skill delays and isn't really up to speed on a trike yet. As a matter of fact, he won't even get on one because he's embarrassed that he can't ride it. With this toy, he'll get on the bike and make a concerted effort to pedal, which is great practice. He still needs some help, but with no danger of falling over or crashing, he's a lot more comfortable giving it a try. Hopefully this will encourage him to try the real thing come spring.
I support the idea of this product wholeheartedly--if every video game required pedaling, there might not be so many overweight kids out there. But don't kid yourself that this is a real learning opportunity. It's fun and it gets kids moving, but I question how real any "educational" benefits will be. Now... let's get the grownups hooked up to one to make their xboxes go!
Get Your Own "Fisher-Price Smart Cycle"
