Touring - Comfort Tricycle Touring

This picture is from the 50+ group. http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?68701-Listing-Of-50-Bikes!/page23
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg15/Dragonwlkr/Dragonrider-1.jpg

Not quite to this age yet, but thinking about the day when it will happen... Can we hear from those of you that made the switch, either because of health reasons or just to try it out and never looked back. :)

That is very cool!

Hey, i dont ride a tricycle, but on my last tour i bumped into a couple where the girl had a regular touring bike and the guy was using a really cool tricycle. He really liked it just because it allowed him to carry more weight. The guy looked like he was in perfect health so im guessing he just prefers using a more relaxed bike.

I used to have a two wheel recumbent, and I liked it a lot. But it was not all that easy to use. The package is big so difficult to take anywhere, other than by truck, or starting from home. The position is really great for me, but the leg recruitment is very different, and one uses very different muscles. Good for fitness, but I have a lifetime of leg prep on a regular bike, and was not as strong on a recumbent.

"Never looking back" is a very bad idea. On a recumbent I got mobbed by enthusiastic girls (not the pleasant experience I had imagined), chased by people, nearly run over by people, and face to face with really angry dogs.

I sold the one I had, but I would still like to ride one, or try a trike. Trikes solve some problems for touring, like what to do if you run out of gas on a hill, and can't get started again (2 wheelers are lower than regular bikes, but a lot less stable). You can deal with dogs with a club or gun since you have two hands...

500 miles

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=524843

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2FqFd9PXYc&feature=player_embedded

I switched back to a two wheel recumbent. Just wasn't for me.

We tried out a Greenspeed gtt Tandem (http://www.greenspeed.com.au/gtt.html)...I could see owning one except the $9k price tag.

Aaron :)

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I like that idea v70cat, for a couple of decades from now. My kids may differ though :lol:

The idea of recumbents is cool. On the other hand, the nice upright position of a conventional bicycle is hard to give up. How about this:
http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/components/trike2.jpg
http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/components/trike-conversion-components.html
Maybe pulling a Yak/BoB behind?

I followed a journal on Crazy guy for a while where a couple rode a tandem recumbent tricycle pulling a trailer across the US. I think they did an E - W TA. Might be worth looking up if you are interested. As I remember, they moved slow, but they made it.

The idea of recumbents is cool. On the other hand, the nice upright position of a conventional bicycle is hard to give up. How about this:
http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/components/trike2.jpg
http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/components/trike-conversion-components.html
Maybe pulling a Yak/BoB behind?

I used to race with guy that had one similar to that years ago. His was a Jack Taylor. They have their own set of handling issues, but still provide some of the stability of a trike.

Aaron :)

I recently completed the Southern Tier on a recumbent trike.

I recently completed the Southern Tier on a recumbent trike.
That's great. First hand experience is always good. How did you do on hills? How would you compare it to a regular bike? Think it would be suitable to a person over 55?

I used to race with guy that had one similar to that years ago. His was a Jack Taylor. They have their own set of handling issues, but still provide some of the stability of a trike. Aaron :)

They must handle like a motorbike with a sidecar...

I built a trike like that a while back it did handling a little bit different you have to lean in to a turn or the rear wheel will come off the ground and flip you off of it too.But it was a fun ride.It was a one speed and all chrome.

How did you do on hills? How would you compare it to a regular bike? Think it would be suitable to a person over 55?

I've never done the Southern Tier on a regular bike, so I can't give you a proper comparison, but I think the trike was an advantage in the very steep mountains of AZ and NM, where I probably would have hit stall speed on a regular bike 1/10th the way up. Slower on rollers than a regular bike, as you might guess.

The only drawback a 55yo might find with a recumbent trike is the fact that you need to be able to drop down to and rise up from a very low seat. If your knees are good, I don't see a problem.

My tour blog is here: http://8stars.org/sputnik in case you want to read the whole thing.

I found this tricycle on Fully Loaded Touring Bikes (http://www.pbase.com/canyonlands/fullyloaded)
http://ic2.pbase.com/g1/85/557985/2/116670708.QEKde6jr.jpg

The only drawback a 55yo might find with a recumbent trike is the fact that you need to be able to drop down to and rise up from a very low seat.

The seat on Catrike Villager isn't all that low, and the Terratrike Rover is nearly chair height.

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Everybody knows you can't tour on a fixie

I found this tricycle on Fully Loaded Touring Bikes (http://www.pbase.com/canyonlands/fullyloaded)

Cool, I've only seen those set up for racing. You should see them corner on 2 wheels. Touring setup makes sense.

Different takes on three wheels: we can start mainstream (http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/bike_path/pure/puredlxtrike/), and proceed to the Newton C21 (http://www.roman-road.co.uk/trikes/index.htm), Trikit conversion axle (http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/trykit/Galleries/Conversion%20Axles/images/04%20This%20Trykit%20Disc%20Brake%20Conversion%20axle%20is%20fitted%20with%20a%20Safety%20Bar%20and% 20satisfies%20the%20UCI%20racing%20regulations%20for%20Paracycling%20events..jpg), Smike detachable sidecar (http://smike.ch/index.php) and then finally the Sorte Jernhest (http://www.sortejernhest.dk/jern/?htmllang=1).

Cool, I've only seen those set up for racing. You should see them corner on 2 wheels. Touring setup makes sense.

Agree that is interesting.:thumb: Just goes to show you CAN tour on anything you want.;)

Aaron :)

Anyone seen a Rohloff hub on one of these upright trikes? I bet they'd handle MUCH better not to mention they'd be a wonderfully stable touring platform. Use a mixte frame instead of a diamond and you've got a comfy, easy step in frame for grandpa I would not mind riding NOW.

The seat on Catrike Villager isn't all that low, and the Terratrike Rover is nearly chair height.

Fair point. But I don't think you could tour on either one. Which is what the question was about.

Fair point. But I don't think you could tour on either one. Which is what the question was about.

LOL. Of course you could.

Neither comes with a wide enough gear range for touring. Getting the Villager equipped with multiple chainrings would be possible but a little spendy. Getting the Rover equipped with a Rohloff or Schlumpf (there's no mast for a front derailleur at all) to give it a decent gear range would cost more than the trike itself.

LOL indeed.

Neither comes with a wide enough gear range for touring. Getting the Villager equipped with multiple chainrings would be possible but a little spendy. Getting the Rover equipped with a Rohloff or Schlumpf (there's no mast for a front derailleur at all) to give it a decent gear range would cost more than the trike itself.

Funny you mention that. The day may come when we all have to decide how much we like touring and bite the bullet for just such an arrangement. I can definitely see trading half my bike collection for a decent touring trike if that was the difference between touring and not touring at all. The calculus changes when you think about how short life is.