We are excited to share a wonderful customer review of the Trive Rollator, written by Mr G Sears. In his review, Mr. Sears shares valuable insights into the rollator's features and benefits, as well as his personal experience using it. We're thrilled to receive such positive feedback from one of our valued customers and proud to offer the Trive Rollator as a high-quality solution for those seeking increased independence and mobility.
Over the last few months, my walking has been slowly getting more unstable and I was using two walking poles for support, whilst these helped, they filled my hands and so carrying stuff was limited to what I could get into a backpack. They also did not provide the stability that I was starting to need. This set me on course to look at rollators, and what would suit me the best, I still drive and so I wanted something that would easily fit in the car without taking up all the boot space.
I have had some experience with rollators in so much as we had one for a family member, and taking them into hospital appointments etc showed just how unwieldy some of the designs were. I still had access to this other design and at full adjustment, it was not possible to get the handles high enough to stand upright within the frame.
So my quest was to find something best suited for my needs. After searching the internet and checking some of the manufacturers' websites, I realised that a dual-folding rollator was what I was searching for. This limited the range and one of the early choices was not available and the importer could not give me an expected delivery date. I checked in with them for a couple of months, but we still could not locate stock. The weather was improving and I wanted to go outdoors, so I resumed the search and came across a UK company called Uplivin. They have a rollator called a Trive and it has a dual-folding design.
I contacted Uplivin direct as I could not locate a distributor in my local area, and once they confirmed that I could order direct, I placed an order. My Trive arrived by late afternoon the following day nicely packed in a stout cardboard box.
Opening the box, I was pleased to find that it did not require any tools to assemble it, and following a quick look at the instruction book, I opened it out and adjusted the height of the handles. There is a clear diagram on how to set the handles up for you. I then clicked on the backrest and was ready to go.
I checked the dual-action brake levers and made sure the back wheels were locked and then rested on the seat. For me, the seat height is ideal as the knees are below the height of my hips, which makes transferring to standing easier. As a guide, I am 1.85m tall. Again, the seat width was ideal at 40cm, comfortable for me as I could easily fit between the frame even with an outdoor coat on. You might wish to check if the seat width is suitable for you if you are wider across the hips.
The dual action folding mechanism was the reason for me choosing this design over the other single folders, and a quick pull on the seat strap operates both the X fold and draws the back wheels in. This folding system makes it easy to store the Trive upright when you are not using it, really useful on public transport like taxis and buses.
Once folded, you can even wheel it around on the four wheels or tilt it back and manoeuvre it on the back two. This saves you from having to carry it. This design easily fits in the car and so it will come with me more often when I go out.
On an early test indoors, I noticed a slight rubbing sound from the back wheel on the left-hand side. This was caused by the brake rubbing on the tyre, which in turn was due to the wheel being slightly ovoid. A quick adjustment of the brake so it cleared the high spot and all good.
The Trive comes with two bags, one fits on the front of the Trive, and this doubles as a shoulder bag. I found the magnetic popper closure of the bag flap a little difficult to line up when the bag is hanging on the front. Some of this was because I had to bend forward and secondly, the soft bag front is not rigid unless it is full. Personally, I would have liked to see a heavy-duty zip on the top of the bag. This would be more secure and make closing the bag easier, plus you would not have to bend forward so far to close the bag.
The second bag is for when you are transporting your Trive. There was no mention of it in the instruction manual though. I quickly realised that you need to drop the handles to their lowest setting and then put the bag over them, and once you have cleared the lower straps you can tie off the zip saver. My bag had 15cm ties which I found to be too short to enable me to tie them into a bow. You have to be able to untie them easily after all. Dress the brake cables to the sides and finally do up the zip.
Then route the click lock straps around the frame and tighten them up so the bag can not pull off from the top. There are a couple of handles on the bag, so you can easily carry it or tow it along behind you.
What’s it like to use?
My first couple of days ownership was accompanied by cold and frosty conditions, and as they affect my condition, I spent the time practising indoors, mostly going between the lounge and the hallway. Manoeuvring on the flat surfaces was easy, and the Trive fits easily through a standard doorway without you banging your knuckles or rubbing the wheels on the door frame.
Uplivin did mention to me that be careful of the brakes on the carpet though, as you can lock a wheel and it will still push forward easily as the wheels will slide. As for tight turns I found that if you apply the brake on the inside wheel the rollator will pivot around that wheel. This allows you to stay within the frame. This technique stops you from lifting and twisting, both of which can cause me to be a little unbalanced.
Pulling a wheelie so you can go up an object the 20cm wheels will not roll over is aided by a little kick lever on either side by the back wheels. Put one foot on the kick lever and gently push down on the handles, the front of the Trive will come up easily and you can walk forward on the back wheels until the fronts can be lowered onto the higher level. This is the technique I use for getting up curbs or doorsteps.
Going down is the reverse of going up. Once you have a wheelie, I walk the back wheels to the edge, then gently apply the brake so I can slowly descend, only releasing the brake when the front wheels are lowered to the ground and you have stepped down into the frame.
What’s it like outdoors?
Getting the Trive out of the car and assembled is so easy that I could be ready to go in about a minute. On normal flat surfaces. It tracks straight, but the outside world is not flat. The Trive, like any other rollator, will always try to go down the slope, so I tend to push down on the inside handle and that helps it track straight. Just like a shopping trolley, though you may need to make an adjustment. Standing within the frame though makes things easier than an errant shopping trolley. The 20cm wheels ride over most small objects like the raised bars around the bus stop on pavements and little rain gullies easily enough, and these are things you look out for anyway when you are walking. The frame has a little flex in it which helps the wheels stay on the
ground when you go over little obstacles.
Having done a few walks outdoors and taking it shopping has shown that I am more stable and walk slightly better with the Trive than I do when using my sticks, and the added bonus is that I can sit whenever I need.
Conclusion.
So if you are looking for a rollator that is easy to live with, looks good and is really practical, I would really recommend taking a look at one of these for yourself. This is an independent review and I have no connection with the company. It was purchased with my own money and solely for my personal use. However, I thought that I would write a review to let others know of the product.
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