General Cycling Discussion - Trike question

Could some of the trike riders give their opinion on trikes with 26 in rear wheels. I will probably be buying a trike sometime in the future, and would like to achieve linearity of my water foul (line up my ducks). Im thinking that the 26" rear wheel would give a better ride, and maybe be a little faster. Also a standard triple in front could be used. Also wouldnt it be a benefit to have the derailer and chain further out of the dirt and curbs etc?

To have a look at the trikes types from a well known trike maker visit.......
www.worksman.com

Could some of the trike riders give their opinion on trikes with 26 in rear wheels. I will probably be buying a trike sometime in the future, and would like to achieve linearity of my water foul (line up my ducks). Im thinking that the 26" rear wheel would give a better ride, and maybe be a little faster. Also a standard triple in front could be used. Also wouldnt it be a benefit to have the derailer and chain further out of the dirt and curbs etc?

I have a Schwinn Town & Country which is a conventional one wheel leading and two following and a 3 speed Sturmey Archer IGH. It comes standard with 26 X 2.0 which gives it a comfy ride.
http://www.schwinnbike.com/usa/eng/Products/Cruisers/Details/1482-S10TOW-Town-and-Country

Trikes aren't noted for speed; my average speed on the T&C is 8.5 MPH. The beauty of the Schwinn T & C and it's cousin the single speed Meridian is hauling capacity.

If you choose the Schwinns the are a couple things to keep in mind. One is to have it shop assembled. Both are Chinese products and subject to the quirks of manufacturing in a workers paradise. Mine came with an out-of-true rear axle housing that was causing the axle to snap every 50 to 100 miles and like all mass produced bicycles, the wheels needed to be properly tensioned and trued. Also, a couple basket nuts were missing. (The latter was no biggie I just made a run to Home Depot for new bolts.)

Larger wheels do not withstand lateral forces as well as a smaller wheel such as a 20 or 24 inch wheel will. Longer spokes = weaker wheel, at least laterally.
This is why makers of really heavy duty/heavy haul trikes (see organic engines SUV) use 20 inch wheels. Light duty trikes (Miami Sun/Husky, Schwinn, Worksman, et-al) that are not overloaded, at low speeds (under 10 mph) are fine with a 24 or 26 inch wheel.

Hello you need one of these. I think they 700c wheels

http://www.classicrendezvous.com/images/British/Jackson_Bob/bob_ja16.jpg

I'm thinking that some of the other responders do not ride trikes, and are thinking of the big three wheelers that the old folks here in Florida tend to ride around the shuffle board court....I'm assuming that you are speaking of a tadpole, with two wheels in the front and one in the rear, like a Greenspeed, Catrike or Terratrike...

Trikes come both with 20 and 26 inch rears. The trike I ride, a Catrike Trail model with three 20" wheels. As stated by another poster, the 20" wheels do well with lateral forces found on trikes. The front wheels on my Tadpole trike are the ones that take the lateral loads, and most trikes have 16" or 20" front wheels. The 26" (Or even 700cm) rears on some of the trikes do smooth out some of the bumps, and will give a faster top speed, at the cost of harder a harder push at the pedal. My 20" rear DOES put the chain cage a BIT closer to the ground, and therefore puts the chain in the way of sand and crap tossed off the wheels. The chain is routed under the front axle cross as well, but the chain tubes that it runs in, tho' a bit noisy in some gears, do provide some protection for the chain. Additionally, I make it a point to clean and lube the chain once a week with a good quality wax based lubricant. My Catrike does use a standard triple in front, tho' right off the I don't recall the tooth count on the chainrings.

Hope this was some help. Drop me an email with specific questions and I'll try to get you some answers...tractortom01@gmail.com

Tractor Tom in Okeechobee, FL