Originally Posted by
Sirrus Rider
You should really check out some of the old trike threads which would answer this handily. From my standpoint, trikes are natural short distance grocery getters. You don't have to prop them up to load panniers you can carry a cooler without using a trailer. An xtracycle can be used for groceries with almost equal results; however, it's almost impossible to load one up with 4 or more bags of groceries and a standard 28 can cooler without a trailer..
Would you care to point out which threads are the good ones (the creation of the utility cylcing forum has made some of the older utility threads difficult to locate).
It's interesting that you mention a trailer though...if you think about it a two wheeled trailer is actually very similar to training wheels except the wheels are further back. Maybe a good implementation of the "suspended training wheels" I describe below would simply be a "trailer" placed as far forward as possible. In other words, simply turn the xtracycle's rear into a trailer with a center drive wheel. Of course there would need to be a mechanism to allow the sidewheels to twist, but a regular trailer needs that too except this would be less demanding because the centerwheel would keep the load off the sidewheels at speed.
Originally Posted by
gerald_g
Ever see a kid with a training wheel on each side of a rut, with the rear wheel in the air, spinning away and doing no good at all ? Three wheels are good due to the tripod always having each wheel making solid contact with the ground. Four creates the possibility of having one wheel in the air.
Originally Posted by
StephenH
Training wheels like you normally see are made for little kids, and are not intended to hold an adult's weight. The tires are not pneumatic, either.
A bigger issue is that if you put three wheels on an axle, and only the center one gets power, you're going to be stuck on occasion. And if you put the training wheels higher up, then it lets the bike rock from one side to the other.
My perception is that a lot of the trikes sold for adult use are used by people who either would have problems handling a regular bicycle, or who think they would have problems handling a regular bicycle. If that gets somebody out riding that wouldn't otherwise, that's a great thing.
Trikes can be easier to load. With my Worksman reverse-trike, it actually handles better with more load than when empty, unlike a bike. It's easier to start and stop and get on and off. Theoretically, they can handle more weight due to the extra wheel.
What it all boils down to, though, is using whatever seems best to you. If everyone thought trikes were better, there wouldn't be any bicycles, and vice-versa.
Both of you have good points. However, from a design perspective why not have training wheels designed to be like "landing gear"?
Two wheels are lighter, more maneuverable, and more efficient. Although the Xtracycle obviously proves that two wheels are plenty at speed, the achilles heel of two wheels seems to be keeping the bike upright when stopped or moving at a snail's pace (both of which are exacerbated by loads which may be too heavy too keep from tipping while stopped and may be too heavy to move any faster than a snail's pace).
Since the Varna Diablo velomobile (fastest bike in the world at 82mph) recognizes and addresses this issue with landing gear I was thinking, why not have the same on a utility bike?
To get the best of both worlds it seems the wheels wouldn't necessarily even have to be completely retractable; Just having them suspended or spring loaded so that a rut could push them out of the way to maintain the contact of the drive wheel while still preventing the bike from tipping over too far would be enough.
Just some food for thought.