handson
01-14-08, 02:20 PM
Does anyone ride a sidewinder trike? Or are there any recumbent trike riders in Alaska? I'm trying to pick a trike without even seeing one. Really tricky! Pat
Recumbent - Picking a trike
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Shaman
01-14-08, 10:52 PM
I've never had the occation to ride a rear-steer tadpole, but from what I know, most trikers start to seriously pucker once the rear wheel starts to come around. I haven't seen any statistics on the trike and it's not talked about much on the #1 recumbent forum, Bentrider Online (BROL). That is not to say that it would be a bad trike.
As for buying Site-unseen... been there, done that... got quite lucky when looking for a true value trike. I bought the then Actionbent Tadpole Trike in Sunburst Orange. LOVE IT! But it seems circumstances and the value of the dollar has brought in a newer model that is less than I would recommend. It is still a great value, however. There is also another model called the Apoyo (at Actionbent) that is a nice buy for the money. Doing a bit of research, understanding your needs, and being realistic with both finances and riding environment will tell you what trike could be in your future.
My list of quality trikes... This is MY opinion!... in the order of most respected to least:
GreenSpeed
TRICE
Catrike
HP Velotechnik
Challenge
Recumbent USA (KUSA on ebay... importer of Performer trikes from Taiwan) "best value trikes"
WizWheelz * <== they have better models but I'd be very choosy here
Sun
There are also Delta style trikes:
Kettwessel (spendy! with questionable customer service), GreenSpeed's Anura and Sun EZ3
If you have the budget for that sidewinder, you have a lot of studying to do.
Enjoy the quest!
As for buying Site-unseen... been there, done that... got quite lucky when looking for a true value trike. I bought the then Actionbent Tadpole Trike in Sunburst Orange. LOVE IT! But it seems circumstances and the value of the dollar has brought in a newer model that is less than I would recommend. It is still a great value, however. There is also another model called the Apoyo (at Actionbent) that is a nice buy for the money. Doing a bit of research, understanding your needs, and being realistic with both finances and riding environment will tell you what trike could be in your future.
My list of quality trikes... This is MY opinion!... in the order of most respected to least:
GreenSpeed
TRICE
Catrike
HP Velotechnik
Challenge
Recumbent USA (KUSA on ebay... importer of Performer trikes from Taiwan) "best value trikes"
WizWheelz * <== they have better models but I'd be very choosy here
Sun
There are also Delta style trikes:
Kettwessel (spendy! with questionable customer service), GreenSpeed's Anura and Sun EZ3
If you have the budget for that sidewinder, you have a lot of studying to do.
Enjoy the quest!
bent eagle
01-22-08, 01:14 PM
Call the number at the top of this page:
http://bentupcycles.com/index.cfm
and ask for Dana (he's the guy in the pic). He can tell you all about the different trikes, and is a great dealer to buy from.
http://bentupcycles.com/index.cfm
and ask for Dana (he's the guy in the pic). He can tell you all about the different trikes, and is a great dealer to buy from.
BlazingPedals
01-22-08, 02:37 PM
To Shaman's list, you can add Windcheetah to the upper tier of quality trikes. Windcheetah boasts joystick steering and an off-center rear wheel. IMHO it's the fastest non-faired trike available commercially.
aikigreg
01-22-08, 05:33 PM
I would agree with Shaman 100%. However, I'd steer clear of Windcheetah. too many QC issues.
What do you want out of a trike?
What do you want out of a trike?