Originally Posted by
VegasTriker
It is no mystery to me as to why I see so few adult (non recumbent) trikes ridden in my area even though the weather is conducive to year around riding. The cost isn't prohibitive. I can go on Amazon and buy one for $300 or less and have it shipped to my door for free. It is all about the weight and inefficiency of the trike. $300 gets you a 70 pound one-speed trike. Even a slight hill is a challenge for a rider with a trike that heavy. No gears means you have to pedal really hard up a hill and really spin going down the other side if you want to go any distance in a reasonable amount of time. You have to factor in that a fair number of adults are overweight (69%)* or even obese (35%)* which makes it even harder to ride such a trike. Then, there is the general laziness factor for a lot of folks. Ride a bike? Why should I when I have a car?
I've seen a fair number of recumbent trike riders recently. Far more than the few granny trike riders. We even have a trike dealer in town for the first time in years though it isn't a brand I would want to ride.
* obesity statistics from Center for Disease Control and Prevention 2011-2012 (most recent data)
Schwinn Meridian is 70 lbs even w/aluminum frame--higher-priced Town & Country (3-speed) doesn't even list the weight, prolly 70 # also. Oof. Sure a trike requires extra wheel & tubing but that much extra weight is absurd. I could see an industrial trike weighing that much but a light-use trike? So you're right, weight alone is a big drawback. & moving to a lightweight upright trike is probably a huge price jump. Still think it might be handy for commuting in snow though. A heavy trike is slow but locally when it snows car-commuting is a nightmare so even a slow trike will beat the cars/metro/buses. On local path there's a fair # of folks that bike commute even in snow/ice but it's tricky & stressful often.