Classic & Vintage - Vintage Trike Pictures

how cool is this ! not mine but in the process of building one for the street!:D

saw one of those long time ago in a bike shop in orlando, fla. (Orange Cycle Works)They used to race those in england. That would be pretty cool to have.

Bob Jackson, Jack Taylor, and other British builders built trikes.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3384/3183871438_e4e397523e.jpg
Heres a Jackson. Typical 70's road junk backdrop!

Did they build these bikes for some reason, or just for the heck of it? I am having trouble coming up with a reason. Not that "for the heck of it" is not a sufficient reason.

jim

They still DO race them in England: http://www.tricycleassociation.org.uk/

There was a guy here in Dallas that had one stolen- if you see one in the area, speak up.

And I think "for the heck of it" is as good a reason as any. That's why they race bicycles, after all.

I had a trike with tall thin 26" wheels. it went fast but turning was a problem, you would have to lean way off the bike when you turn lol

Bob Jackson, Jack Taylor, and other British builders built trikes.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3384/3183871438_e4e397523e.jpg
Heres a Jackson. Typical 70's road junk backdrop!

Junk! Ha! That looks like a 1966-ish Chevy Chevelle! 2 door! :love:

Did they build these bikes for some reason, or just for the heck of it? I am having trouble coming up with a reason.

Same here.

Junk! Ha! That looks like a 1966-ish Chevy Chevelle! 2 door! :love:

After I posted that I just knew someone would take offense of that comment.

Mine doesnt have 26 in tires but I noticed the same problem making hard turns at a fast speed.
http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii125/vincev_2008/antiquetrike.jpg?t=1251671707:(

Did they build these bikes for some reason, or just for the heck of it? I am having trouble coming up with a reason. Not that "for the heck of it" is not a sufficient reason.

jim

Did you read scbvideoboy's post?

After I posted that I just knew someone would take offense of that comment.

Offense? nah, I just see dollar signs is all. :thumb:

Claud Butler used to offer kits to convert a normal bike to one of these trikes.

Actually, I'd love to try one.

Here are some pics:


and some great vintage pics of racers in England.
http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/gallery.html

Did you read scbvideoboy's post?

Yeah. But I guess it doesn't really answer my question for me. Not sure why one would race bikes that are modified to be difficult to turn. If the answer is just because its something different, then I can accept that. In fact, I would love to play around with one.

I guess I was wondering if there was some positive reason to build one. I don't mean this to sound like a loaded question. I just don't understand it.

jim

I have owned a trike almost continuously for 30 years and they are a blast. To ride a trike down a winding mountain road at speed has to be one of the most satisfying experiences that I have ever had in my life. It is also a hoot when you ride in the snow. I got my first one when I was living in Canada and was riding 365 days a year. It is not safe to ride a two-wheeler on certain snowy winter days as you often encounter ice under the slush and cover snow. With a trike you do not fall.

If anybody would like to take my 60 cm C/C George Longstaff trike out for a spin, turn up for the next ride that I host leaving from my home (likely on the Sunday September 13th if the weather is OK) and you are free to try it out. On one ride that I hosted a few years back we actually had two trikes to entertain (and terrify) the other riders. Curtis from Via bikes turned up on his Bob Jackson and we had a bit of Ben Hurr jousting with the result being 4 broken spokes...

curtis, via bikes. you must be local. Is there some info about this sept 13th ride? I'd be interested if it's an open ride.

I have owned a trike almost continuously for 30 years and they are a blast.

Is that first pic of yours, by any chance? I'm curious about the front brake setup & whether that's typical.

When braking most of your weight shifts forward, the rears wheels will off load and will lock up and skid with brake pressure. I want to know if they have a diff on the back or just one axle driven?

curtis, via bikes. You must be local. Is there some info about this sept 13th ride? I'd be interested if it's an open ride.

^^^^ +1. ^^^^

It looks like one of those bikes is a kit, not as sweet as the other that is obviously "factory built," but with front disc brakes would I be correct in assuming it stops a whole lot better than the dual brake set up on the other trike?

Trikes must go back pretty far in GB, I have a video of the old, 1936, George Formby movie "No Limit" a famous Isle of Man motorcycle race movie, and in there his father rides a trike and it is described as "old fashioned".

^^^^ +1. ^^^^

It looks like one of those bikes is a kit, not as sweet as the other that is obviously "factory built," but with front disc brakes would I be correct in assuming it stops a whole lot better than the dual brake set up on the other trike?

Speaking of kits does anyone know a source???

If you can deal with him I'd say Curtis at Via Bikes in Philly may know of a place to pick one up, not a bad dude, just misunderstood is all.

I can't imagine riding one of those in a club ride with a double pace line. Talk about keeping your distance from the bike next to you!

I'd love to get one for my approaching old age. Way more cooler than a Town and Country.

Maybe we are on to the next "big thing"?
As seen on TV!

The boomers are aging...

http://cyclinginfo.co.uk/products/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/david-duffield.jpg

David Duffield.

http://cyclinginfo.co.uk/products/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/norman-maggs-pipe-24hour.jpg

Norman Maggs, with a pipe on the go.

I can't imagine riding one of those in a club ride with a double pace line. Talk about keeping your distance from the bike next to you!

Actually as long as you are riding in a straight line, a tricyclist is about as good a person to draft behind ever. You can tuck right in behind a good 12" closer than on any other rider. The problems come when you need to go around corners as tricycles corner in a completely different way to bikes. The cornering makes trikes fun to ride.


Is that first pic of yours, by any chance? I'm curious about the front brake setup & whether that's typical. All the photos are of trikes that I owned at one time or another. It is pretty hard to fit brakes on the rear wheels, so most put them on the front. On the black George Longstaff, I have a Paul cantilever and a Universal Super 68.


curtis, via bikes. you must be local. Is there some info about this sept 13th ride? I'd be interested if it's an open ride.

The ride will definitely be open to all. I am just over the river from Philly (but easily reachable using bike friendly NJ Transit from downtown Philly.


When braking most of your weight shifts forward, the rears wheels will off load and will lock up and skid with brake pressure. I want to know if they have a diff on the back or just one axle driven?

You can get both with single or double drive. For double drive you need a differential. All of mine have been single drive which I find to be sufficient. What is more important is however which drive wheel you have. Ideally you want the drive wheel to be the outward lying wheel on the road, hence right wheel drive in North America and left wheel drive in Britain.


^^^^ +1. ^^^^

It looks like one of those bikes is a kit, not as sweet as the other that is obviously "factory built," but with front disc brakes would I be correct in assuming it stops a whole lot better than the dual brake set up on the other trike?

I must say that the disc brake was a total bomb. The kits work reasonably well but are very hard to come by.

Some great pics ..thanks

check out this bob jackson trike! (from 1994)

http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/BobJackson-94/14.JPG

sweet!

OH just when I thought my 'wish list' was complete with the aquisition of a "crimped" tubing frame these cool things come along

i have a bob jackson trike, its a stepthrough frame, i kinda want to sell it,

do you have any pics?

Hi all, great photos, and about the only "trike" thread I have been able to find. Of course, as always, I was amazed to find the word trike is associated with porn when I did a google search.

I was directed here after posting about an older (believed to be late 60's/early 70's vintage) Huffy trike. The trike was a freebie (it formerly belonged to my friends Grandfather, Jack) Jack is somewhat of a local legend in the local motorcycle community. To this day, at 80+ years of age he still participates in many rides, including the winter "Ice Ride". Though he doesn't know we have taken on this project, he will be so happy to see us restore/customize it into something usable again. He might even want it back once he sees it! :)

If anyone can give any advise on making it more ride-able, I would love to hear your thoughts. Our main problems with it now, are weight; it has a differential on the rear axle, and the rear axle set-up weighs as much, if not more than the rest of the trike. Another problem are the cranks. They are too short. They seem about as long as a kids bike, and they are the old BMX, one-piece style. We would like to convert the opening where a BB would go, to accept a more standard size BB. Right now it's a 2" opening. I have seen adapters on Ebay for about $20, but I am wondering if there's a cheaper (free?) or home-made solution. ABout the only things I have come up with are cutting a donor BB shell off of another bike, and 'sleaving' it in there. Or to cut the front triangle from a donor bike. This would also solve a seat-tube size issue. The current seat-tube is way too small, to find upgrades for. Probably the hardest problem to solve, is the drive-train. As it is now, it is driven by the cranks--->single chain-ring--->3 speed internal--->second chain--->differential--->axle. The rear hubs are mounted straight onto the axle (and a BEAR to remove). I notice in the photos, many (all?) of them feature a standard RD, and no FD. Our first thought was to add a FD and 1 or 2 more chainrings to increase the amount of available gears. This will require some sort of tensioner, or a RD, which I think will be pretty easily accomplished.

We already tore it down for cleaning/greasing/and painting, but I will get some photos posted soon, as I am sure this will help. Please share any tips or advise you have, as this is a hard topic to research.

I have been down the "do you know what you're getting into" road already, so don't bother trying to talk me out of it, or just dropping $1500 on a new 'bent trike. This is NOT an option, and we are trying to do this as cheap as possible. I understand that this could end up costing a bit-o-dough in the long run, but we are hoping to use some old leftover parts, donor parts, and my cousins VERY extensive barn-full-o-goodies to help make it cheaper.

nice ride. All the tricycles I see on the road are ridden by old persons with Parkinson's, mentally handicapped people (with down's syndrome for instance) or spasmics so the association with trikes is not terribly possitive for me :) but fun to see that there are actual racing trikes! I'd love to see a peloton of those hurtling through the Pyrenees.

All the tricycles I see on the road are ridden by old persons with Parkinson's, mentally handicapped people (with down's syndrome for instance) or spasmics so the association with trikes is not terribly possitive for me :)

Really? (http://www.catrike.com/img/gallery/Speed.jpg) I mean, really? (http://www.ransbikes.com/Trizard/TrizardXP.jpg) Huh.

Trikes have been a part of the scene since the beginning. Tadpole (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3471/3893878741_b476c67d62.jpg) (single wheel trailing) and delta (http://oldbike.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/plecto1.jpg?w=470&h=356&h=356) (single wheel leading) trikes from the 1880s.

For some reason, sport and touring trike (http://www.roman-road.co.uk/C21_side.jpg) riding didn't die out (http://worldtricycleunion.org/WTU%20Page1%20ENG%20TR%20History.htm) in Great Britian (http://www.tricycleassociation.org.uk/) with the advent of the safety bike - their cold, wet winters, perhaps?

Yes, you can get conversion kits (http://www.trykit.com/).

nice ride. All the tricycles I see on the road are ridden by old persons with Parkinson's, mentally handicapped people (with down's syndrome for instance) or spasmics so the association with trikes is not terribly possitive for me :) but fun to see that there are actual racing trikes! I'd love to see a peloton of those hurtling through the Pyrenees.

Hmmmm.... Guess that would be me except everything that was mentioned. Riding a tadpole trike is the
MOST fun I have ever had on a bike AND many motorcycles I've owned. I've have built and ridden many of them.

Johnnybee.