Globe199

Seems the search function is broken, so I'll start a new thread.

Has anyone tried an adult tricycle or adult "training wheels" for winter riding? I'm really leery of riding on ice even with winter tires and taking other measures. I think I'd feel more stable with three or more wheels. Schwinn makes a mass market tricycle, but it's single speed. Maybe that would be OK. There are a number of adult training wheel or stabilizer systems on Amazon, but a lot of the reviews aren't great.

Any thoughts?

shepherdsflock

Unless you don't already know how to ride a bike, I wouldn't bother with training wheels or a trike. Just get some good studded tires. Much cheaper than a trike, possibly cheaper than training wheels, and more than adequate to keep you upright on ice and snow. Heck, I've had pretty good luck with soft compound mountain bike tires without studs on ice and snow. Studded tires make ice like bare pavement. After a while you don't even give ice much thought.

Globe199

Interesting. What do you think of Nokian studded tires?

https://www.treefortbikes.com/#navbar...22349285___544

shepherdsflock

I've never used the W106/Mount and Ground tires, but I have a set of Nokian Extreme 294s and they are amazing. On polished ice I can slam on the front brake and bring the back tire off the ground. I'm sure the Mount and Ground tires would be more than adequate for your commuting needs. The key to riding in ice and snow is just riding sensibly. Just remember your physics lessons from school: a body in motion tends to stay in motion until a force acts on it. When you're going in a straight line, you don't need to worry. When you involve the dynamic forces that come with turning or stopping, that's when you need to be careful. Just take it easy turning and stopping and you should be fine. Studs and soft compound tires just give you a much wider margin for error, just like snow tires on a car. Push it too hard through an icy turn and you can still fall, just like on dry pavement.

cplager

If you were interested in a trike, I would definitely go the route of recumbent trike (as opposed to the beasts like the Schwinn adult trike you mentioned). I don't believe the adult stabilizers would work well for winter riding...

chandltp

I would think something like the Rover Path 8 would be a good choice, because I think they have good ground clearance. The issue would come with deeper snow, you have to find 3 paths instead of one.

jim hughes

I've used Nokian W106s for 3 winters. Compared to riding on ordinary tires - night and day. You could still go down on ice (I haven't, yet) but it's a lot less likely and you'd go down slower because these tires won't shoot out from under you as fast. They actually give you a lot of confidence. I haven't tried a trike in the winter but I see 2 problems: lack of traction, and the increased width of the bike -in the winter the streets inevitably get narrower. I like recumbent trikes but would not want to be that close to the water and slush, especially from passing cars.

chriskmurray

Training wheels will not work with any derailleur bike. A trike can still have issues on ice and needs studded tires. If you are familiar with understeer, when your car just pushes forward on ice no matter how much you turn the wheel, trikes will have an even bigger problem with it considering how little weight is on the front end.

Studded tires really are amazing, even glare ice you can just ride over easily. Naturally you don't want to ride super aggressive on ice but you can easily navigate even on pure ice without issue on them. Give it a shot, you won't be disappointed.

fietsbob

Yes Studded tires.FTW! I've ridden my bike on days that the sidewalks were so iced over
it was hard to walk.

upright trikes still drive only 1 wheel, and you probably need studs on 2 wheels
or chains to go forward, or stop, anyhow.

really if you are going to go top shelf.. Velo-mobile , you can move inside it's body
and be in out of the cold..

jawnn

I used to have a recumbent trike, and it was realy fun on ice. but I sold it to build the bike of my dreams, see my avitar.

LarDasse74

Even if you could mount training wheels, which you likely can't, they are virtually impossible to use on uneven surfaces. The ability to lean a bike is what makes it stable, ironically.

StephenH

I don't normally monitor the "winter cycling" but ran across this thread.
If you have a tricycle, try it out in ice or snow, lots of fun.
Whether it's worth buying for that is a different issue.
I've ridden my Worksman front-loading cargo trike on ice and snow some. See the videos below. (This is a trike with two front wheels, one rear wheel.)
Observations:
In a couple of inches of snow on level ground, it works great, lots of fun.
If the snow is a little deeper, you can't get enough traction on one wheel to propel the whole thing forward, so you just spin. I think some of the regular tricycles just drive one of the rear wheels, and they'd have a similar problem.
The tricycle works great for keeping you upright (within limits). On a turn that would turn a trike over normally, it'll just slide along with you so it's actually harder to turn it over in some conditions, exactly the opposite of a bicycle on ice.
But, if the road or trail is sloped, it doesn't keep you from sliding off if it's icy enough.
Upright trikes in general are heavier and slower than bikes, so if you actually need to get somewhere, a bike with spiked tires might be a better choice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jA_I6jH7DY8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57P-OhgxulM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgbIG1FUB2o

Hezz

You need a recumbent tadpole trike for winter. Or better yet a velomobile. I'm planning on building one next year if possible. Look up Utah trikes quad. They have some videos of riding in snow with the quad. Also there are a couple of Youtube videos of Velomobile riding in snow.

Hezz

Check out these video's on Youtube.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrOHt...yer_detailpage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cA8Sz...yer_detailpage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cA8Sz...yer_detailpage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cA8Sz...yer_detailpage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gnhF...yer_detailpage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gnhF...yer_detailpage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ayWP...yer_detailpage