Recumbent - Trike or two wheels for steep and rough roads?

Live in the La Sal Mountains of SE Utah. The mountains are very steep. The rough road has grades of 14% to 19%. My Garmin reports a bit of 20% on one climb.
Would a trike be a good choice for these roads?
Ron Kiefel says the downhill is like nothing in the Alps. It is called "The Blue Comet" because it is very fast.

http://skinnytireevents.com/content/view/262/119/

What recumbent would you recommend?

If invited for a ride there and allowed to bring only one of them, I would bring the Trice Q even though the Rocket is good on hills. I'd make it to the top faster (ok, less slowly) on two wheels but would enjoy it much more on three.

Climbing 14% for any distance and maintaining stability will be extremely tough with a two-wheeler. Maybe plan on walking. Plus, descending steep washboard without full suspension could be scary and stressful. As much as I like my SWB, I avoid roads like that.

Moab's fall century is on this route. I live 7/8 of the way up the steep part. Maybe I could hide in the trees and wait until bikes start going by. I could emerge from the trees and people would think I simply took a leak.:)

Moab's fall century is on this route. I live 7/8 of the way up the steep part. Maybe I could hide in the trees and wait until bikes start going by. I could emerge from the trees and people would think I simply took a leak.:)

A fixie might be best for that particular purpose. <G>

I love my trike and will be riding it along the main road through Zion National Park in Utah this weekend, perhaps not far from you. It gives a fantastic view. The downside to most trikes is they are heavy. I ride a Greenspeed GTO, one of the best on the market, but it weighs 42 pounds equipped for a distance ride. There isn't a hill it will not go up, even with this 65 year old engine, but it can be mighty slow on a steep grade. Someday I'm going to do the bike trail out the back end of nearby St. George. It has some pretty good ups and downs. This is a wonderful area to ride in.

Trike beyond doubt.
The stability has 2 major advantages:
1) you can gear so low it would be impossible to stay aboard any two wheeler at a similar speed.
2) the off road and rough road stability is with out peer, you have 3 wheels after all, its very difficult to fall over.

Tom

Trike beyond doubt.
The stability has 2 major advantages:
1) you can gear so low it would be impossible to stay aboard any two wheeler at a similar speed.
2) the off road and rough road stability is with out peer, you have 3 wheels after all, its very difficult to fall over.True on (1)...not quite so true on (2): A two-wheeler can stay upright on side slopes and uneven terrain that will tip over a 3-wheeler. Further, you need only a very narrow track to get a two-wheeler through a rough spot, where a three-wheeler rider might have an impossible time finding passable paths for all the wheels.

True on (1)...not quite so true on (2): A two-wheeler can stay upright on side slopes and uneven terrain that will tip over a 3-wheeler. Further, you need only a very narrow track to get a two-wheeler through a rough spot, where a three-wheeler rider might have an impossible time finding passable paths for all the wheels.

I'd be scared of the downhill. I'd be going much slower on a trike than on a bicycle. Then again, I'd ride slowly either way. :rolleyes: