Hey guys,

Well the wife rode my actionbent trike today and it looks like she may have an interest in keeping my ab. So with that being said it looks like I'm in the market for a trike now.(I posted a post about a trike that was foldable with suspension earlier this week). If I were to basically change my preferences altogether since she is going to keep the ab and I'll need a carrier anyway(so I'll get a two trike carrier).

I'm 35 y/o, clyde, 6' tall, 240lbs.. and looking for a trike to evidently replace my AB .....The AB has been a good bike to decide whether trikes were for me or not but it has had some flaws. The terrain that I'll be riding is 95% paved with a split of that between roads/bike paths(60/40) and the majority of the terrain around here is flat. We will also probably ride the MS 150 this year and maybe do a couple of local club rides. My family also has a place at Gulf Shores Al so we'll probably carry them down there a few times a year as well. I'ld like to purchase a bike that I can enjoy for a while without having to do alot of upgrades or work to it. I'm not going to say that price isn't a concern but within reason would be fine. There are not any stocking dealers of recumbents let alone trikes so I'll probably have to just make a purchase and live with it. Given those specs what would you guys purchase? I was thinking about either a catrike expedition or a Trice QNT. The big thing I do not like about the trice is that it doesn't come with disc brakes so that would be an upgrade that I would do immediately. Now given that I don't want a $1k to keep me from getting a bike I'll enjoy that much more than another which one would you guys suggest if you were in my boots. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I know exactly what you mean... except the AB being confiscated.

First I'm going to ask this... since it always seems to be the case:

Why are *you* getting a new trike and the wife's getting the hand-me-down???

Okay, enough for the guilt trip and on with the show:

I have the ABTT... Gen II... idler on the frame and poor Ackerman geometry implementation... and a weak idler design.

Now my Ackerman is properly compensated; idler upgraded [in stock location!]; and the brakes have been upgraded to Avid BB7's. I LOVE THIS TRIKE!

But I wanted to try out something newer... so I went to Coventry Cycle Works to try out an '07 Expedition. Amazing how familiar that trike felt... there was zero learning curve... it handled exactly like the ABTT!

I went to try out the lawnchair seat option over the hardshell of the ABTT. What I was after was ordering an '08 Speed.. the Bengal Orange special edition. I was ready to place the order... 'til:

The upright *ergo* angle of the top of the seat was jabbing my shoulder blades. I am about your size... 6'2", 240#... I was really disappointed! This extra bend in the seat is included on ALL the Cats except the Trail and the new Villager. It was such a bummer that I walked away [actually rode away on my ABTT].

I did take the Expedition out for almost a half hour. It took about 20 minutes but the Expedition seems to have a design flaw... it only shows up on bigger riders [longer boom settings and riders over 200#'s]... The trike breaks out in a shimmy... even hands on... and not just a little shake, but a violent shaking at about 15mph. We have discussed this on the forum at length without conclusion, but it is obvious that larger riders seem to be affected... '07 and '08s alike.

My only other hesitation was the top end of the gear range on the smaller wheel. I've been seeing where I ride most of the time on my Actionbent. Seems the middle ring is used most of the time but sometimes, when building up speed on a hill, I'll grab the 52T chainring for the momentum on the climb after the downhill. Seems a 559 wheel is just to big and a 406 is just to small for nice climbing granny and high end downhill gearing.

ICE does have the new 9T cassette on their new trikes... and the Q does have the hardshell seat option... but $3500 for a trike??? Not from my budget... $2550 for an Expedition is even a bit on the steep side... and the risk of it having a death wobble was a pure turn-off.

Why not another ABTT? T1A? New wide bottom seat, Ackerman Corrected Geometry, the right price!?

Good luck on your quest!

..............."Now given that I don't want a $1k to keep me from getting a bike I'll enjoy that much more than another which one would you guys suggest if you were in my boots."...........................


In May, I decided to get a Greenspeed GTR. (Waiting for it has been brutal.) I strongly resisted spending the money, but I know it was the correct choice.

Hi Lee, Having owned an actionbent, you're already used to the things that I didn't want in a trike; direct steering, non-adjustable seat, and various-sized wheels....so, there are alot of trikes out there that would be suited to you. Before I bought my TerraTrike Tour, I went and test rode several brands. You'd be hardpressed to find a better riding trike than the TRice or the Greenpeeds (I'm 5'5", and never felt any design flaws, but if you're interested in the Expedition, per Shaman's report, I'd be cautious). I thought the CatTrike models were very nice too, but I demanded an adjustable seat and indirect steering. I bought the TerraTrike Tour because, even though it doesn't have the Sram components that I like a little better than Shimano, I was very pleased with its design, construction, finish, and ride. Not only did it give me the indirect steering, adjustable seat, and impressive weight, it's under $2k base price was appreciated. I'm very happy with it so far. Good Luck in your search. Let us know what you get. Gary