Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.Leisesturm
01-09-08, 06:35 PM
The "trikes vs. quads" thread and others have been making me wonder why more hasn't been done to develop stability systems that could allow single track recumbents to have the kind of low speed and stationary stability of trikes and quads. In the powered vehicle world there is a motorcycle called an Ecomobile and its successor the Monotrace. Essentially they are motorcycles but are equipped with outrigger wheels that are manually deployed but are also tied in to the traction control system and will deploy automatically if they sense that vehicle speed is too low to maintain balance. A good thing because the rider is unable to put his feet on the ground to support the vehicle. It seems to me that design along these lines in the HPV arena could allow for the relative simplicity of the single track system along with freedom from having to use ones feet to keep the vehicle upright at stops. This allows for fully enclosed bodywork and greater confidence overall. Any thoughts anyone?