Trikes - do you feel like you stick out in the road too far?

[Gerdz]

Just started looking at recumbents and the trikes seem cool, but do you feel like you're sticking out too far? They seem about as wide as a bike path and like you'd kinda be out in traffic on streets without bike path lanes. Do you feel safe? I know that when I rode road bikes, I'd stay as far to the right as was safe.

Thanks,
Mike.

[Wheelchairman]

I feel very wide on the road, and it does get to me sometimes. Right now Im riding my trike 100miles per week and about the same on my DF. I try to confine my trike to bike paths, the local veledrome and a self designed "race circuit" around the grounds of a local school, yet the open road beckons occasionally.
The main problem is that the roads that are worth riding in my area (empty, winding, smooth tarmac) dont hav bike lanes! :mad: . The other problem is that everybody are, predictably, only human. And as such that means many close calls. Unless Im riding with a large group of DF riders, I try not to go on the road.
Its sad but thats something I think every trike rider, and to a lesser extent bent bike riders, will have to put up with til every city becomes a little bit friendly to human powered devices. Patiently waiting :)

[geebee]

I ride my trike on the road all the time, they really are not a lot wider than a bike if you include the rider :).
I have no issues with cars other than normal cycling problems i.e. doors etc. and they will give a trike much more room and are far less inclined to cut you off, a trike can change directions faster than any other cycle and I have avoided a door or 2 on the trike that a bike could not have, you can drink and hold a line or brake whilst drinking without issues.
I ride on the main roads and through center of the city all the time, I find a standard MTB much more dangerous as the traffic tends to disregard normal bikes.
I ride all types of bikes so get a good feel for the differences in the way they are treated.
This is a cut and past from another discussion I was having on an electric assist forum.
I ride Bikes, trikes and a velomobile. In order of visability and room given by cars from best to worst:
1 Velomobile
2 Trike
3 Chopper or recumbent bikes (I have both)
4 by a long margin a normal MTB.
With the mountain bike people will skim the handle bars and cut you off all the time, all the others they give much more room too.
I think it is because they dismiss the bike as it is common and well known and considered irrelervant.
YMMV.

[jeff-o]

I agree with geebee. A trike is really only 2-3 inches wider than a bike when you measure across the handle bars. I ride my trike down 60km/h roads every day to work, during rush hour. Cars typically give me more space when they pass, or signal into the left lane. Occasions where someone blasts by or shouts an insult are few and far between. I don't even ride with a flag!

I feel safer on a trike by a great deal, compared to my Trek hybrid. I know that if I hit a deep pot hole, or nick a car, or have to quick dodge up a driveway at a steep angle, that I won't flip over in traffic. The same cannot be said for the DF bike.

Make sure you "ride like a car," signal all your turns, act predictably, and you'll do just fine.

[megaman]

I agree with geebee & jeff-o. I'm given more room on my trike than my hybrid or lwb bent. Sometimes cars won't even pass me & seem content to follow me doing 16-18 mph(that's on 25 mph streets). Actually the closest call that I've had was by a cop who only passed by me 3 ft. away.

[cjs1948]

Just started looking at recumbents and the trikes seem cool, but do you feel like you're sticking out too far? They seem about as wide as a bike path and like you'd kinda be out in traffic on streets without bike path lanes. Do you feel safe? I know that when I rode road bikes, I'd stay as far to the right as was safe.

Thanks,
Mike.
I ride only trikes and have no issue with the width. One thing really different about trikes is that there is no wobble so the trike width is more absolute than bikes which can move around in their travel path--particularly when going slow. As do most trike riders, I use two rear view mirrors. It gives some comfort to know exactly who/what is behind you and how they are approaching. There is often a place to run the right front wheel off the path/road when necessary. A wheel in the turf or rough is not a problem whereas on a road bike it can be.

The main reason that I ride a trike is that with three wheels I don't have to think about the road surface upending me which allows me to spend much more time watching everything else.

Chip
recumbenttrikestore.com

[STEEKER]

how about towing a two wheel trailer with a Trike? as I am desperate to own a Trike but have two wait .

[Nightshade]

I find that most, if not all, cars give me a wide berth when
passing me on my Worksman PAV3. This is not so when I
ride my 2 wheeler. On the 2 wheeler I get a lot of "close
shaves" that just p!ss me off no end.

Since I use my PAV3 for pure utility use I've added a trunk that
can haul a real load and, recently, a 2 wheel lawn trailer (1000 lb cap).
Now I doubt that I could pull the trike fully loaded but I bought the lawn
trailer cheap for flat large items that just don't fit safely any other
way. I can also use the trailer behind the rider lawn mower in spring.

One item I find to very helpful is a bike flag and LOTS of reflectors &
doo dads on the REAR of the trike that attracts driver attention.

[dougfoot]

Having completed my 5th Seattle To Portland, I can safely say that trikes on busy roads are not a problem. I have over 18000 miles ridden and have enjoyed every moment of it!

I've been keeping a blog at http:www.footeco.com/blog tracking my training and rides with my trike.

Enjoy

[megaman]

I ride only trikes and have no issue with the width. One thing really different about trikes is that there is no wobble so the trike width is more absolute than bikes which can move around in their travel path--particularly when going slow.

I never realized just how true that is until recently. I was riding on a path shortly after a rain with sand on the surface over the asphalt. I went one way for a while and then came back. As I was looking at the tire tracks in the sand wandering up to a foot or more from side to side, I noticed one set of tracks that wear arrow straight. Then I saw two more paralleling these. That's when I realized these straight tracks were mine and the wobbly ones were other bikes. A few days later on a different path I noticed it again. I wonder how much energy is wasted by not going in a straight line.

[Papa John]

I ride my trike (velotechnik Scorpion) mostly on paved roads designed only for cars and don't have a problem with traffic. They give me more room than I need. Most of the roads around here have gravel or dirt shoulders. One of the big advantages of a trike is that you can pull completely off the pavement onto the shoulder with good stability while a road bike is tough to control in the dirt and gravel.
Have fun.

[STEEKER]

I ride my trike (velotechnik Scorpion) mostly on paved roads designed only for cars and don't have a problem with traffic. They give me more room than I need. Most of the roads around here have gravel or dirt shoulders. One of the big advantages of a trike is that you can pull completely off the pavement onto the shoulder with good stability while a road bike is tough to control in the dirt and gravel.
Have fun.
What gear set up do you have on your Scorpion? and how do you find the wheel removel with the allen key ?

[GreenGrasshoppr]

Several cager comments have led me to believe that drivers give trikes more room because they think that we're riding some kind of wheelchair and that we're disabled.

I guess there's some kind of mental switch in their minds that tell them that while it's ok to have "an accident" with a regular bicycle, it would make them look extra bad if they were to have a collision with "a guy in a wheelchair".

[FarHorizon]

This is a GREAT thread! The reason I've never considered a trike was because of the width issue. I'd never thought about the handlebar width of a "standard" bike (DOH)! As twitchy as my high-racer is, I may consider a trike in the near future. What models should I shop?

[STEEKER]

I have not bought my Trike yet , but the amount of space a Trike takes up is not very much at all compared to an upright bike and the Trikeruns straight and does not weave about like an upright bike does so use the safty flag with it and your all set :D

[megaman]

This is a GREAT thread! The reason I've never considered a trike was because of the width issue. I'd never thought about the handlebar width of a "standard" bike (DOH)! As twitchy as my high-racer is, I may consider a trike in the near future. What models should I shop?

I'm biased, but I love my Catrike Road. It has a weight limit of 300 lbs. I think a larger Greenspeed would also do you, but they are priced higher that the Catrike. At least the more substantial ones.

[GreenGrasshoppr]

...the Trikeruns straight and does not weave about like an upright bike does...

I have a Catrike Speed 2004, and I would disagree somewhat with that statement...

When I'm going at a relatively high speed, and the road is rough, the trike can be hard to keep on a straight line.

If you ride on nice surface areas, I suggest you get a stiff and light aluminium frame trike like a Catrike, but otherwise, you should consider a suspended trike.

[megaman]

I have a Catrike Speed 2004, and I would disagree somewhat with that statement...

When I'm going at a relatively high speed, and the road is rough, the trike can be hard to keep on a straight line.

If you ride on nice surface areas, I suggest you get a stiff and light aluminium frame trike like a Catrike, but otherwise, you should consider a suspended trike.

The trike on rough roads may be hard to keep in a straight line on occasion, but if the roads are rough on a two wheeler of any kind I'm wandering all over trying to find a smooth place. So at least for me it's still straighter.

[lisitsa]

It is a bit wider, but while this might be a slight worry, you also save other worries,

e.g. opening doors probably won't knock you off the bike, just put a big dent in their door.
e.g. You could probably do more aggressive dodging manuevre than a bike.
e.g. With one or two big bright flags, the visibility disadvantage is heavily reduced, if not more visible than a bike.

[FarHorizon]

OK, this is an outrageous question, but how feasible is it to build a trike? Standard diamond frames are easy - I've built one of those before from a Reynolds 531 tubing set. Does anyone make similar (high-quality, light-weight) tubing kits for trikes? If not, what material offers similar ease of construction, light weight, durability, and inexpensive availability? Are the running parts (wheels, axles, drivetrain) so specialized that the only real option is to buy a finished product, or can such parts be found?

I know this is slightly off-thread, but I'm really interested. Were I to "roll-my-own," I'd want a low-racer trike with front wheel drive & braking, cranks as low as possible to the pavement, and absolutely minimum weight to support my size. This would be fun to pass the local pacelines with!

[megaman]

I know this is slightly off-thread, but I'm really interested. Were I to "roll-my-own," I'd want a low-racer trike with front wheel drive & braking, cranks as low as possible to the pavement, and absolutely minimum weight to support my size. This would be fun to pass the local pacelines with!

A trike is an interesting beast. Weight matters more in climbing hills than flat lands. If you are riding in the flatlands than front wheel drive would be fine, but up hills when more weight is transfered to rear wheel you would lose hill climbing traction. Braking is normally done on the front of a trike cause when the brakes are applied the weight shifts forward. With the right gearing you could pass your local paceline, but being able to do that would require a much better engine than I've got.

[Papa John]

Steeker:
Gear range on my Scorpion is 21 to 105. Removal of the wheel with the allen wrench takes some getting used to. I did a dry run several times over and got the knack of it. Love that Scorpion.