Recumbent - Stability - Tadple vs Delta Trikes

Any idea's or comments would be appreciated. I have a '99 Vision R40 SWB & LWB Convertible. I've been thinking about a trike because at 62 years old. I have had a long period of illness so I'm very weak. I'm beginning to have balance issues but I still like to ride. So I'm looking for stability. I used to ride 50+ miles with no problems. I want to get back to that again.

I've been on the net and looked at the Delta's
Lightfoot Roadrunner
http://www.lightfootcycles.com/rrmodel.htm
The Greenspeed Anura
http://www.greenspeed.com.au/anura_main.html

and the Tadpole design.
Catrike lineup starting with the Trail up to the 700
http://www.catrike.com/trail.htm
http://bentupcycles.com/itemdetails.cfm?catalogId=39&id=863
The WizWheelz Terra Trike Cruiser and Zoomer
http://www.wizwheelz.com/ttcruiser.htm
http://www.wizwheelz.com/ttzoomer.htm
Greenspeed GT3
http://www.greenspeed.com.au/gt3.html

I also and looked at quads (Rhodes Car and others) but they tend to be heavier and more expensive.

I am not into any competition riding but I do like to go fast. Most of my riding will be on city streets in bike lanes and long bike paths. My goal is to be healthy and enjoy.

Any and all comments would be welcome.

My favorite is the Greenspeed line.

I have a GTT and a GTX. From your description, I would shy away from something like the GTX, as the 16" wheels and low seat make it hard to get on & off of.
I would suggest the the GTR or GTO models for durability and ease of entry.
Although still not as easy as a delta trike would be, but the handling is sooo much better with a low COG.

I recently saw 2 GTO's go on eBay for $1,200 & $1,500 respectively.
Those are GOOD prices, considering that new thay run $4K+!
Not to mention that the wait for a custom ordered one can be excruciating! :eek:

This said with trepidation, as now there'll be one more bidder to outbid! :p ;)

:rolleyes:

My favorite is the Greenspeed line.

...I recently saw 2 GTO's go on eBay for $1,200 & $1,500 respectively.
Those are GOOD prices, considering that new thay run $4K+!
Not to mention that the wait for a custom ordered one can be excruciating! :eek:

This said with trepidation, as now there'll be one more bidder to outbid! :p ;)

:rolleyes:

Yes I saw your posts and felt your pain...:D Day late and a dollor short but there is hope... Thanks for your response :)

The choices you have specified are all very different bikes so I would suggest you really need to be realistic about the type of riding you plan to do (commuting vs recreation vs short vs long distance) and find a few models that fit that category. The Catrike 700 for example is a low clearance, very reclined vs the other bikes you specified which are far less "aggressive". A Catrike Speed I saw on a bike path today was silver and it looked like a body of a man floating along the path inches above the ground. Do think about how you will be seen by others from a safety perspective.

I played with tadpole trikes and specifically a Catrike 700 for 6 months and now I am riding the Hase KettWiesel AL delta trike. As far as stability is concerned, its all about center of gravity and again, a Trike with higher center of gravity may be fine depending on the type of riding you plan to do. Wizwheels, Hase, Catrike, Greenspeed all make good bikes so I do not believe you have to be concerned about stability.

In your posting you say you are weak and you say you want to go fast. Whatever Trike you buy you may need to make adaptions such as bigger rear cluster, smaller front rings and change out when you get your fitness back. Specifically the 700 would be a tough bike to push around in its standard configuration.

My personal favorites are Catrike for Tadpoles and KettWiesel for Deltas.

....depending on the type of riding you plan to do.

My personal favorites are Catrike for Tadpoles and for Delta.

Thanks for your thoughts... I'm just starting to look at trikes. I like performance but I also like to be seen for safety. I will check out the KettWiesel also.

Thanks...

I do want to set an expectation for you that Trikes are not necessarily as fast as a low rider two wheel recumbent or even for that matter a nice diamond frame bike. With the family I ride a Tandem with my wife towing a Hase Trets trailer with my son and 12-15MPH is comfortable for the three of us. I have a very nice Carbon Fiber 16.5 lbs Trek which has incredible acceleration and speed.

I do go fast with my Trike but to be realistic, 16-18 is a comfortable speed for me on my Trike and few people pass me on the bike paths I use. I have low gearing on my Trike so that I can spin up hills... and its comfortable!

The choices you have specified are all very good Trikes, I would suggest as someone else stated you really need to figure out the type of riding you want to do and how much your budget can stand.
The Deltas have there perks, but as far as stability and performance I think they suffer in comparison to the Tadpole Trike.The other thing you may want too consider in your decision would be trike weight. Buying a trike regardless of style is a personal choice.
I've said this before, try as many as you can. Testing different models is a must and your going to run across that Bent or Trike and it will fit like a glove. You'll also get that Recumbent :D in the deal at no charge.

Your best bet is to try to find a shop that carries a number of the trikes (in both styles) and try them. We did that for my wife last Thanksgiving when we went to the DC area for the holiday. Took a short side trip to the bike shop in Vienna VA and got to try a wizwheels, a greenspeed tad and anura (delta) as well as a sun ez-3. Really helped clear up which style was preferred. The other shop we were considering going to was in State College PA -- they also carry a large selection of makes and models.

It is amazing how frustrating it is to want to try some trikes and to have the nearest bike shop be over 150 miles away.