Elkhound

Not a timid rider. A defensive and sensible rider, as opposed to a reckless and arrogant one.

JesPiddlin

Last time I noticed, the car was bigger than the cyclist and it has always been a monster to avoid. No excessive fear there. Just in touch with reality.

If you must continue, you need to turn around and notice that you seem to have a major insecurity issue. It is quite well-known that bullies generally feel insecure and pick on others to make themselves feel big and important. I'll be quite glad to receive some constructive input from you, if you have any.

I have asked for input, hoping to hear about positive and negative issues from those who actually have a Rhoades Car or another quadracycle. I'd really like to know how satisfied others are with theirs, before we spend that kind of money on one.

Floyd

Jespiddlin::::: I did have a Rhoades Car for a while. As far as getting from one place to another, it will do you a wonderful job. However as has been said, it will be at the slow pace where you can "smell the roses". I bought the one I had sight unseen because I knew an auctioneer who bought it for me. It turned out to be put together by someone who did not care too much about details so the mechanics of the thing was not the best. It was a two seater with a basket on the back. The good news for me was that I took it to another auction house and got more than I paid for the thing.. SO to answer your question, if i remember what the question is... It will be slow and heavy but that does not seem to bother you. I had fun on mine riding around town...and by the way it did have a home made canopy on it. If you have several miles to go it will take you a little while but if time is not a factor ...who cares. Glad your doctor is happy with what you are doing...go for it. continue looking and if the Rhoads Car looks good on the mechanical side, that is if you can actually ride it and try it out, it will take you from point A to B.

Elkhound

I have had no personal experience whth Rhoades Car, but I have heard that they do not hold up very well. I have heard good things about Lightfoot. You might also want to take look at Organic Engines.

JesPiddlin

Thank you guys for the input. I appreciate all of it.

Floyd, did your Rhoades Car have a speedometer on it and if so, do you remember how fast it went when 2 people were pedalling, or when only one was on board? I've also heard that one person is no problem with the Rhoades Car, as far as stability. Is that correct, according to what you remember?

How many speeds did yours have?

Do you know what year it was built?

Did you ever have any problems with shifting gears or braking?

Was it very hard to pedal and especially to get it up a hill... say maybe a half-mile hill that isn't extremely steep... just long? (You know... one of those long hills that normally makes you get off and walk a lot of bikes.)

StephenH

"Was it very hard to pedal and especially to get it up a hill... say maybe a half-mile hill that isn't extremely steep... just long? (You know... one of those long hills that normally makes you get off and walk a lot of bikes.)"

I would say the answer to that question is highly dependent upon the condition of the rider, and less so on the mechanics of the bicycle/car, whatever. Most people that are "serious" bicycle riders don't get off and walk up hills.

I've read a lot about the Rhoades cars, but you seldom hear from anyone that has used one. It seems to me that the major reason to use one is just a different philosophy about what one wants to do. You could probably make really valid arguments about how everyone ought to ride a motorcycle instead of driving a car, or vice versa, but that doesn't matter to anyone. Some people want to drive cars, some want to ride motorcycles, some don't care which they do if it's cheaper, etc.

Edit:
I see this post from 2/3/07: https://www.bikeforums.net/fifty-plus-50/271963-my-poor-weak-atrophied-body.html
"I developed the ability to cruise at 10-12 mph on the Rhoades Car even on slight inclines last summer and could do 15 mph on slight to moderate declinations." So it seems Ned was reasonably pleased with it.

JesPiddlin

Okay. Maybe I'm talking about a bit steeper hill than I made it sound like. And I'm coming from a kid's 1 speed bike with coaster brakes. A half mile is a long way to fight, if you did't get much time to build up some speed, first. Also, keep in mind that some serious bike riders might have heart problems and getting off to push is better than getting "knocked off" by your stubborness.

Very well put. And you are right. I find very few comments from Rhoades Car owners. One has to wonder if that's because they're out enjoying theirs, or because they tired of them and went on to bigger and better things. On another note, there are very few of them for sale in the second hand market, so I take that as a pretty good sign, too.

Thank you!

Floyd

JesPiddlin; wrote you a long answer then had to re-login so lost my answer. anyway
no speedometer... since I got it used I don't know if it came assembled or if it was bought as a kit and put together by someone who did not care if it was well done...the shifters were separate for each set of pedals and put on the 'steering wheel' so would get tangled if you turned too much one way or the other.
It was only a 6 speed with back derailer but the low gear would be adequet for a hill and the high gear would make 10-12 on level if you really pushed it. So in my estimation unless the product is now a better machine or you can get one ""cheap"" it might be better to go another route.. I am baseing that on what I had ,,,an older one (i think) that was not in good running order. The shifting needed work on mine, however it did do OK considering that it was for each set of pedals. The brakes were OK but could have been better, I would not want to have to stop going down that hill you speak of. The Fred Flinstone method might come into play.
I would be glad to answer more questions IF i can Happy looking Floyd

did your Rhoades Car have a speedometer on it and if so, do you remember how fast it went when 2 people were pedalling, or when only one was on board? I've also heard that one person is no problem with the Rhoades Car, as far as stability. Is that correct, according to what you remember?

How many speeds did yours have?

Do you know what year it was built?

Did you ever have any problems with shifting gears or braking?

Was it very hard to pedal and especially to get it up a hill... say maybe a half-mile hill that isn't extremely steep... just long? (You know... one of those long hills that normally makes you get off and walk a lot of bikes.)

JesPiddlin

Floyd::
If your Rhoades Car had 36 speeds and was put together a little better, do you think it would have been worth having? Do you think 36 speeds would make much difference in the capable speeds it could be driven and the hills it could climb?

If we buy one, we're expecting to get the 36 speed, 4 person model. It would be great if I could run into someone who has driven one with 36 speeds, so I could find out how well it performs and whether the gears have any issues we need to be wary of.

crackerdog

Well mine is a number of years old. Bought it from the original owners off Craiglist 6 months ago. The parts are mostly go-kart parts, it has 36 gears or so but it is so poorly designed that it is sad. It only has one wheel drive, which isn't too bad on a trike but with 4 wheels it is much easier to have the drive wheel spin on gravel. If only has a go-kart disc brake which only brakes one wheel. The shifters are located in such a way that you have to stop to shift gears and the passenger shifters on on the drivers steering column so the passenger can't shift without stopping and standing up. I was going to put disc brakes on the wheels (we have hills here) and a differential and move the shift levers but I got into other things so if someone wants it, for $1100 it is yours. These are made for flat smooth off-road places and would need tinkering to make it really useable.

StephenH

I was just looking at the website. It comes as 1-speed, 6-speed, or 36-speed options. Power to one rear wheel or both is another option. Brake on one rear wheel or both is another option. There are some videos on the website, and some user quotes, and from them, you can get a pretty good idea of the machine. (IE, the videos show it going maybe 8 mph or slower, or even much slower off-road; the user comments indicate pretty casual use of it.)

Floyd

JusPiddlin: now you are getting some more information... To answer your question IF it is put together well and IF you can get it for less than 1000 or 1500 it might be OK but as crackerdog said, this machine is not a "from the beginning" production vehicle...they used parts from other things. That being said...IF you have easy access to the Rhoads Car for little $$ then maybe worth it but for the distances you seem to want to go, you may not be satisfied... I guess what I am saying is that the Rhoads Car is not a real well thought out product, even though it does work...it will be slow. I don't know what the other 4-wheelers have to offer so will not try and make comparisons. Again ready for questions.

no1mad 

Jespeddlin-Been a while since I've checked out this thread. I was the one who suggested that you would probably be better off with an Xtracycle. Now that I know a bit more about your health (heart), I still stand behind that suggestion, but with one modification: a stokemonkey or some other form of assist.

Just curious about something though. In one of your earlier posts, you were thinking about a quadracycle so that after you became tired, your partner would still be able to keep it going.. Have you thought about the kind of stress that would induce?

BTW, if you're in Wagoner County, then you're right about those roads. Generally a mile long between stop signs, NO shoulders (max. of one foot of grass, followed by a min. 3-foot drop into the ditch, followed by an immediate barbed wire fence). You might consider just using the trail that runs next to the Creek Turnpike, at least until your health/skills/confidence improves.

Elkhound

The Stokemonkey is sounding more and more like Alice's Jam.

Take a look at Lightfoot and also at these people or these; they all are very much into custom work, and may be able to come up with something that fits your parameters more than any production model. You may have to pay through the nose, but you'll get what you pay for.

jrockway

I hate to push this thread back in the direction of traffic safety, but I have a few concerns. First off, never ride on the wrong side of the road. Please don't do it, it's very dangerous to the oncoming traffic, and very dangerous to you. There is not enough time to react, and there is no protocol for reacting. If the car goes off the road to avoid you, do you turn into the road? If the car doesn't swerve to avoid you, what do you do? It's a difficult situation, so don't put yourself into it. The fact that a quadracycle is huge compared to a bike is just making it worse.

You mentioned that you (as a driver) don't notice cyclists at night with only reflectors. That's obvious, reflectors are not adequate for night riding. They are worse than worthless; you need lights. If you see someone riding at night without lights, they are asking to be killed. So don't base your experience on what you see. Get some lights and cars will see you. People are basically programmed to avoid killing other people, so if they can see you, they won't hit you. (Being hit from behind just isn't a common action. Most accidents happen at intersections or when the cyclist is driving incorrectly.)

Finally, I am worried about the width of the quadracycle. Can you share a lane with a car? Will you only be riding on four-lane roads? Basically, if you are worried about being hit from behind, I don't think being a larger target is going to mitigate that risk!

I think you should go for a bicycle (recumbent, of course) or a trike. The trike is almost as narrow as a bike, but you can sit in a nice comfortable position, haul a lot of weight, accelerate faster (much less weight than a quadracycle), and balance at lights. I think if you relax a bit and get some flashers on back, you will love your trike. (I prefer regular bikes, but I see people on trikes all the time, and they are quite useful.)

JesPiddlin

(Sorry guys. Just found this. Thought I posted it the other day.)

You guys are great. I appreciate the offer, crackerdog, but we were planning on buying one with some extras, if we do buy one. I will pass the message along to the better half, just in case, though. We are in Oklahoma. I'd probaby have to take a bus up to your location to get it and drive it back home, if we did buy it. Does yours have a canopy?

Stephen, I had seen most of the things on the Rhoades Car website, before. I noticed a lot of really happy faces and I haven't hardly seen anything bad about them, except that they are a bit slow. Seems the highest speed I've seen listed for them is about 15 mph. Compared to some of the videos of the machines going uphill, my one-speed kid's bike can go faster up those hills with less rounds of the pedals. I would think having extra gears would mean (in my tiny, demented mind) that a person should have to pedal less times to get up a hill, not more. Maybe I've got the wrong idea of what gears are all about. I just thought it was supposed to make less work for a person. I think it's easier to pedal hard once around than to pedal easy 5 times around to do the same work.

I wonder if anyone has the model with only one speed and how well it works for them...??

crackerdog

Yes it has a canopy and the fancy steering wheel and the four seats are the comfortable ones. It has all the options and crating it up to ship by truck would be the only way I think.
Check your state laws, in many states a bicycle is defined as having 2 or 3 wheels not 4, so you could be in limbo land, if that matters to you. I am quite sure that most of these four wheeled bikes are made for tourist places off road. So slow and wide is fine. Great for parades, which is what I was going to do with mine but not without brakes all around, we've got hills here.

Floyd

Another thing I remembered about mine...the seats were at leat part aluminum and they were "broken back" from the weight of a person or were not strong in the first place.

Elkhound

Riding on the 'wrong' (left) side of the road is not only dangerous, in most jurisdictions it is illegal. All 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico define bicycles as vehicles, and state that they are bound by the same Rules of the Road as cars.

BlazingPedals

I believe you're referring to JesPiddlin; and he acknowledged the law in the same sentence as he stated his preference for wrong-way riding:

The attitude is troubling, because being hit from behind only accounts for something like 7% of all bike accidents; and to avoid this, he would feel more comfortable doing something that is 2nd on the overall list, right behind riding unlit at night. But, at least he is deferring to the law. Personally, if I wanted to ensure being seen, I would get a Dionotte tail light and use it every time I rode. Those things cannot be ignored, even in bright sunshine. They're plainly visible for over a mile.

gseisele

My wife and I test drove a Rhodes Car 2 seater three years ago at the factory in Tennessee. We found it very hard to shift, with levels inconveniently placed, and the deluxe seats were too upright and not really designed well for pedaling. I think they're actually some kind of boat seats, and are an effort to improve the horrible rigidity of the plastic standard ones. We did not like the leaning feeling when turning, either. Just an awkward experience. Many people have written reviews praising the Rhodes Car, though. People are comlex and varied creatures, and you may love the RC. We certainly did not. I would look into Lightfoot's Micro Car. More expensive, but appears to be very well made. See the Lightfoot site. Personally, I would opt for a Lightfoot tricycle over a quad.

gseisele

Sorry, I meant levers inconveniently placed....not levels.

Ajenkins

I think JesPiddlin would fare much better by investing his money in a safe cycling course. Much of what he believes to be true about safe cycling is not based in fact, and it sounds as if the Rhoades car is a poor choice given his stated needs.

BlazingPedals

Don't waste your time. I didn't even go that far; my suggestion was to get what you want but take the course. The attitude I got back was, "Cars are big. Be very afraid," and was labeled a bully for hassling them. I'm sure the Rhodes Car will do very well on the MUP, as long as everyone else gets out of its way. I still believe that better riding technique will enhance safety more than simply riding something that's bigger, but... ya know what they say about leading a horse to drink...

- BP
(Road I certified)

JerriAnn

Would this car/bike be allowed on a bike trail? I have a trikke but after 2 miles I am ready to go home. I like you can have a seat with a back on it. Did you look at the GoBoy z1 ? It is cheaper
but the seat look cheap.