I was a little worried about assembly, after reading some of the reviews, because I'm not very mechanically inclined, but I didn't have too much trouble with it. The manual that comes with it isn't great, but there are some good videos on YouTube--just search "schwinn meridian assembly." I watched a couple of those before I started putting it together, and apart from the well-known fender issue (I joined the "just leave the fenders off" club), the only times I had trouble were when I forgot how something was supposed to go and decided to just wing it instead of coming back inside to look at the video again. I did eventually get it all sorted out, and I'm kind of a klutz, so if I can do it, you probably can too!It comes with several things already put together: the gears and main chain, both the front and rear brakes, and the wheels/tubes/tires. There is a second, shorter chain that you do have to attach, but it isn't difficult. You will also have to unhook the front brake to put the front wheel on.(This was one of the things I tried to guess how to do it and messed up, but the correct way is actually very easy.) The tires will probably be flat when you take them out of the box, but the tubes are in there--you just have to fill them up.Another nice thing is that most of the hardware comes attached to one of the things it will be holding together. That way, you just remove the bolt (or whatever it is), fit the two pieces together, and put it back--you don't have to sort through a bag of nuts, bolts, washers, and screws and figure out which one is Part 1A and which one is part A1. Just make sure you pay attention to what came from where when you're taking it off--another difficulty I had was when I found out that the bolts for the right and left sides of the rear axle piece were not identical; I'm not sure why the documentation doesn't mention this.Another thing that isn't in the manual is that the tilt of the seat is adjustable. If the bolts on the underside of the saddle (where you attach the post to the saddle) are not tight enough, it could tilt while you are sitting on it. This happened on my first test ride, and it was a little alarming because I didn't know that it did that.Once you are assembled and going on your first ride, it does take a few minutes to get used to how it handles--it isn't quite the same as a two-wheeler. I kept feeling like I was off-balance and trying to correct it by leaning the opposite way, and the steering felt like it was pulling to the right. One of the videos I watched says that that's common, because the drive wheel is on the right. The other thing that's different from a two-wheeler is that you steer only from the handlebars--not by leaning. I found a flat spot with plenty of room and nothing to run into and spent about ten minutes doing straight lines and circles, and I pretty much had the hang of it.

Es un excelente artículo, w de armar y muy cómoda, fue una excelente compra

There are a couple of things to know before purchasing this, or any, adult tricycle. I wish I had been better prepared!I'm a granny-nanny and I work only a mile from home. I could walk to work, but it's a long, tiring days with kids and the neighborhood isn't particularly safe early in the day or evening, plus I bring a huge bag of endless entertainment for "my" kids. A bike would mean a backpack or a pricey cargo-trailer, and while I was an avid distance cyclist in my youth, I haven't been on a bike in 20+ years. So a trike with a big-old basket sounded cool!I spent the entire summer researching the possibilities. I emailed, joined forums, vigorously attempted (in vain) to find a vendor who had trikes in stock or anyone in the city who would lend me one for an hour. I considered paying more than I paid for my car (which wasn't much, for a car) for a motorized C*zyTrike, but found such terrible reviews of the company's business practices that I decided it wasn't worth the risk.Initially I ordered a 7-speed Kent trike from W**Mart, at the same price as the Meridian. Weeks passed and I finally got them to 'fess up the trike had been "lost in transit" and couldn't be replaced. Don't ask why! They didn't know! I couldn't find any other trikes with multiple speeds without spending a LOT more money (but for a few with *terrible* reviews), and by then I was planning to add an eBike kit to it anyway. At my age, I need reliable transportation, and a casual workout, not an American Ninja Challenge!So I ordered the Meridian from Amazon and it was here in 2 days (hallelujah!). My darling husband has built many a bike for 4 children and 3 grandkids, so he had no problems with this one. The fenders DID rub at first, but he was able to adjust them so they didn't.My maiden voyage was just over a week ago, and it was MUCH more difficult than anticipated. The first issue I ran into was steering. Steering a trike is WAY different from a bike. I knew that, intellectually, yet I was unprepared for how difficult it was actually going to be. I live in downtown Atlanta, in a neighborhood built before cars (or driveways), therefore everyone parks along the narrow streets. The roads are all crowned very high in the center to facilitate rain runoff, and this means the trike tilts *VERY* far to the right if you are staying in your lane of traffic. One must lean to the left in order to maintain any stability, and that, in addition to the width of the back end, makes controlling the vehicle much more complicated, and difficult to handle. Add to that the unfortunate fact that the chain drives the RIGHT rear wheel, and you have a tricycle which wants to pull you off the side of the road. I had to brake frequently to avoid veering into parked cars, or once, into a tree! Also, when you put your feet down at a stop, as you are accustomed to doing on a 2-wheeler, if you are still moving even a couple of inches, you will road-burn your calves with your rear wheels!My second ride was better. I made it in the middle of the day, when there was very little traffic, and I stayed close to the center of the road. I still had to use my left hand to do most of the guiding, and kept swiveling my head to watch for oncoming traffic (note to self: rearview mirror!). I'm not ready to brave the main roads yet, for sure, and in spite of the fact that I use an exercycle regularly, the last hill defeated me, and I had to pull over and catch my breath for a few minutes. I'm a pale redhead, and I'm sure my face was beet-colored at this point. A low, recumbent tricycle would be more stable, and the "serious" trikers who are interested in speed and heart-rate will always recommend those, but I wasn't comfortable giving up visibility (seeing and BEING seen). Those models also do not have baskets, or room for what my employer calls my "Mary Poppins Bag".My eBike kit from Clean Republic arrives today, and I'm looking forward to a fun and motor-assisted ride this weekend! I'll gladly update this review at that time. The front wheel drive motor should help with my others issues, and beyond that, I just have to get used to it. This trike is inexpensive, heavy and clunky, but it's certainly a good starter trike for someone like me. If it becomes my main mode of transport (as I hope, with a new grocery being built nearby), I might upgrade at some point. The eBike kit can be transferred to any 26" bike or trike. Yes, the eBike kit cost nearly THREE TIMES what the bike itself did, and I'll be letting you know if it was worth it!My last comment, and the loss of one-star, is that I wish this trike had coaster brakes in addition to hand brakes. I have small, arthritic hands and the span of the brake grip is almost more than I can do now, let alone as time goes by. I may have to jury-rig a manner of closing the distance between the handgrips and the brake pull.

---UPDATE 6/25/2014----To make a long story short I am returning the bike today (will take it apart pack it and ship it believe it or not). Reason being that all the issues below are still a problem, but today my son was riding the bike and the seat let loose (even though we had just tightened it and done a safety check of the entire bike two minutes before. The whole bike flipped over and on top of him. This has gone from annoying and aggravating to downright dangerous. Cannot believe this is a Schwinn product, but happy to be a Prime member so that Amazon is paying for the return shipping.--------Original Review----------------I bought this based on the reviews, but I have to say I am very disappointed with the quality of the materials, assembly instructions, and functionality of this bike.Most reviewers complained that the item arrived with damage or missing pieces and that the assembly instructions were not too great, but I am handy so I took the risk.My bike arrived very well packaged and will all needed parts. As for the instructions, I agree there needs to be more detail and better images so that you can figure out the more difficult parts, but it was not as bad as many had indicated. That being said, it took me two days and three trips to the hardware store to get this together. The delay was not due to lack of instructions, but because several bolts that I needed to be removed in order to attach the front fender could not be removed from the bike (i.e. they were stuck solid). No amount of WD40 would loosen them and to make it worse the bolts are such soft metal that any attempt to use a ratchet, screwdriver, pliers, adjustable wrench, you name it, resulted in the bolt totally stripping. I overcame the bolt issues by using wire to attach the fender to the bike (not high tech or professional but it worked).Then after I attached the rear fenders, I realized that as you spin the wheels, the fender shifts position and rubs against the wheels. The bolts holding the fenders just keep loosening up, so I eventually had to get plastic ties to attach the fenders to the basket so they would not vibrate loose and rub the tires.Next was all the squeaking! I got the bike together, got the fenders stabilized, got the brakes adjusted (that took about two hours alone!) then I go to ride it and the squeaking and rattling of the bike drove me nuts. Had to spray the whole underside of the seat with WD40 to get it to finally stop squeaking every time I moved the slightest bit. Then I oiled and greased every moving part and it still rattles when I ride it.Needless to say for an almost $300 bike I am not happy at all. But it is not worth sending it back because I will not take it apart and shipping it fully assembled will be ridiculous.Aside from all the construction, assembly, and noise issues, I personally found that when riding the bike it follows the angle of the road. So unlike a regular bike where you balance the bike and can shift your weight to compensate for the grade of the road, on this bike if the road is really tilted you will tilt with it because the two back wheels are following the grade of the road and you cannot compensate for this. So if you are only riding this on very straight flat roads, no problem, but if you want to ride on a park trail (like me) or on roads that have a tilt, it will not be that comfortable or easy. It also does not handle hills well at all. When you hit a hill there is just too much drag in the back and you have to get off and walk it up the hill.Finally, the wheels do not brake if you turn them backwards, so you have to rely on handbrakes alone. This is not a big deal unless you are looking for foot breaking as well, which is what I was expecting.In conclusion, the concept is great but really cheap bolts, bad instructions, and design flaws.I would not recommend this bike at all.

For about a year I have looked at 3 wheel bikes(trikes)intending to get one for my lady friend. I ride road bikes for exerciser and pleasure and wanted her to accompany me when I leisurely explore small country towns or cruise bike paths.She has balance problems and is not able to ride a 2 wheel bike at this time and I felt she could ride a trike..To be honest, I choose this trike because it was the cheapest deal I could find on line.. Sorry honey..I never expected this much quality for the price though..The Low Price and the fact that it's a trike is the only reason I bough it....Being this cheap I felt it may be light duty and not very well made. I hoped it would get her riding before we trashed it and she got on a two wheeler..BOY was I SHOCKED.I opened the crate, saw this trike and fell in love..The trike arrived UPS, no damage, none what so ever, zilch but there was one hole in the box where an axle rubbed..The box had been opened and taped closed..Everything was in the box, no missing parts to my surprise due to the fact all the staples had been pulled loose on top of the heavy card board box and it was clear to see someone had taped it closed again using packing tape..I have mechanical skills so assembly was no sweat..Someone who has less skill may need to ask a few questions. There is an 800 number supplied. I did not call it so I can't say if it works or not.For assembly you will need metric tools. I recommend sockets and metric allen wrenches.. A strong Phillips screw driver may be handy too..My trike had two flat tires but there is nothing wrong with the tires.New rubber can be expected to slowly leak at times because before rubber ages a tiny bit of air can seep through the rubber even when there are no holes in the tube. No telling how long those tires had sat in storage.I squirted some slime in the tubes (like I always do with new bikes ) and inflated the tires. They are holding air well..The instructions are a single page tucked in the owners manual. Hard to find and not really good when you do.There was NOTHING mentioned about trikes in the owners manual. Strange..BUT if you insert the back part to the bike to the main frame and bolt it together using the 4 bolts and nuts provided you will get past the hard part.I hear complaints about the fenders...Mine are great..The fenders will need to be adjusted to cover the tires.. Do not bend the nice shiny metal braces.After the fenders are installed you can slightly bow the center brace to line the fender with the top of the tire..with an adjustable wrench you can grasp and slightly bend the bottom part of the fender braces outward to line the fenders up with the tires..If you are careful you can get them almost perfect..Someone could drill the fake lights ( red reflectors ) located on each fender from behind and install LED's through the back.. Fill the hole with something to keep water out. Hook up a battery and have red lights for night riding..Done correctly this would be nice..When you assemble the two main parts..Think of the front of the bike as the bike and the part with the long axle as THE REAR PART.The rear part attaches to the bike where the rear wheel normally goes.It has flanges that GO INTO not over the matching flanges on the main bike frame..Put them INSIDE where the back wheel normally goes. They fit tight and may not be easy to get INSIDE. A ball bat or other heavy wooden object, covered with rags to protect the pain will help bang the parts in place..You will also need to connect a short chain during assembly but do not fear. It comes with a master link that you clip in place using pliers.I have a chain tool and I replaced the factory short chain with a better chain that I had on hand. I made a replacement short chain out of a long chain using my chain tool..I recommend that everyone buy a chain tool and learn how to use it..All bike and trike riders should know how to splice a bike chain.The photo's do not do this bike justice.The basket is strong and BIGGER than I thought it would be.My 5 year old grandson loves riding in it. Place more weight slightly to the right because the right back tire does the pulling and needs the weight for traction especially going up hills..It will coast down hills very FAST... you may want to hold slight pressure on the hand brake at times.. Always be careful costing big hills and use the brakes to keep your speed in a safe range. I feel safe on the trike at about 17 MPH..Install a bike computer.. Keep up with your miles. This will encourage you to ride more. Gives you goals..Yes. I Recommend this bike and I recommend people get it from Amazon. They have always treated me well and they have the best deals on line. I love this product and I am impressed with Amazon's service..My lady friend is very happy with her new trike. We have ridden it tonight all over the farm.. I believe it will be good for some park trails too.I regret now that I did not get one for myself so when she rides hers I can leisurely ride along side..Did I say, I love this trike? The seat is big, soft, comfortable and nice too..The angle of the seat in relation to the peddles makes it fun and easy to ride.It almost feels like riding a stationary bike.. Comfortable with more leverage..The ONLY thing I did not like about the entire package is the cheap plastic peddles. Ouch.They are NOT what I know as cruiser peddles and they will not spin freely when I give them a spin.. That is how I check my peddles. If I spin them I expect them to rotate at least 10 times on their own before slowing to a stop..I suspect these peddles NOT have BEARINGS at all..They look like Cheap Mountain bike peddles that retail for about 7 bucks a set..They are Really cheap crap for a Schwinn.But when you saved 200 bucks, you can expect something to be cheap..We will just replace them and not look back..Wallyworld sells Cruiser peddles with bearings for about 12 bucks..I like THEM much better but in all fairness the Mountain Bike Peddles may not allow your foot to slip off due to the way they are made...Quality like this, sold this cheap, is a bargain. Cheap plastic peddles and all...Better get you one while you can.. Good luck Chief.