Retro Grouch 

I bought a brand new +1 yesterday. It's a catrike 559. I'm happy with the trike but, in a way, I'm mourning the purchase.

Yesterday morning I met Mrs. Grouch at The Bike Stop Cafe for breakfast. While there we struck up a conversation with a woman who knows several of our acquaintances. It turns our in the past month or so we've had 3 friends who have suffered serious injuries in bike related incidents. Those of you who know me know that I've had more than my share of those myself. It's actually gotten to the point where I'm judging the success of a ride by not having fallen. I haven't had a serious fall this year, but I've had more of them than I can count. I decided that it's time to make the adult choice.

I don't picture myself riding my new trike on the roads very much so I think that I'm going to become a MUT trike rider. It's only 2 miles from my condo to the Katy Trail so we'll see how comfortable I am with that. For the most part it's pretty wide and friendly but there are a few jerks who don't think I should be riding on their road. I'm thinking the ride back up the hill on the trike will feel more secure than on either of my 2-wheel recumbents. I'm not entirely happy about this whole thing but it's a lot better than not riding or having to sleep in a rented hospital bed in my living room.

kevindsingleton 

This is slightly more ironic when your sig line is taken into account.

Do what you must. I suppose we'll all make that choice, if we're lucky enough to survive.

Retro Grouch 

You have a point but I'd at least like to delay that conversation.

kevindsingleton 

Maybe it's just a bout of anxiety? Don't do anything rash, like offering all your bikes for sale, really cheap, to me!

jppe

I'll admit to haven given more thought to the safety aspects of riding than I've done in the past. Drivers just seem to be much more aggressive than they used to be, and it only takes one nut case.......

Mountain Mitch

I've given this issue a lot of thought. On the one hand cycling brings me a lot of pleasure and fitness. On the other hand, I hate jerks on the road or trail and injuries are common. I have sustained one life changing cycling injury (dog attack - but he was a 'rescue dog' -translation: too out of control for the original owners) and at any given time I can name 2 or 3 acquaintances who are injured (currently one broken shoulder, one broken neck (no cord damage)). But still I ride - and I love it. Life doesn't come with guarantees no matter which path you choose: one guy I know of was walking down a small town street and a helicopter fell on him!

I have found that a change of scenery is the best remedy. I'd prescribe a couple of weeks cycling in a totally new location. My favourite is Ishigaki (tropical island, very safe, quiet roads, pineapple stands, great snorkelling) but I've seen the photos posted on here recently of Italy and I'm sure that would be almost as good. I also love Utah off road riding (on the roads, not so much). Great looking new MUP up by Bryce. I'm going to ride Idaho's Trail of the Couer D'Alene's this year; but first I'm off to Wakkanai (Hokkaido) for some light (Credit Card) touring.

Shake off the funk and have some fun.

tg16

We always make the best decision we can with the information and attitude we have at hand. The wondrous thing about a decision like the one you're making is you can change it anytime.

Retro Grouch 

That's on our to do list for early August.

Biker395 

Yea, me too.

The fact is that cycling can be a very dangerous sport. As a good friend of mine once told me:

"Vic, you'll live forever if you don't kill yourself first."

I figure that I have a choice of either an certain unrelenting (and fairly rapid at this point) descent into bad health and a sedentary lifestyle, or a possible serious, life changing injury. I don't know how the actuarial numbers work out, but I think I'd rather risk the possible than accept the inevitable. Especially when I have some control over the risk by modifying my behavior.

I've told family and friends that it wouldn't surprise me at all if all the health benefits of cycling are completely offset by the increased risk. And I don't care. Whether I live longer or not, I sure feel as if I'm living better. And I'd rather go out with a bang than a whisper.

Wildwood 

I'm coming off a strained shoulder muscle and, being a physically healthy person in general, the anxiety suffered by being/feeling inadequate to perform my normal routine has me in a 'vulnerable' state of mind. Not sure how to fix it other than compensate and carry-on, and hope for the best.

Good luck, Retro.

Retro Grouch 

Just got back from a 12 mile spin around Creve Coeur Park with Mrs. Grouch. I realize it's still pretty early but I was generally delighted with the trike. I was definitely faster than I would have been riding my Rans Rocket. That surprised me. I have no more reservations about making the trike my primary scoot. It's a lot more secure pedaling down by the beachfront with all of the dog walkers and little kids.

Brought it home to start the fiddling. Arms had felt a little cramped so I moved the hand grips to open up my elbow joints. I couldn't see anything out of the rear view mirror so I moved that. Changed the Welgo pedals for an old set of Shimano 747's. Haven't taken the reflectors off yet, but that's coming.

h2oxtc

I share the sense of concern with respect to traffic in general. Not nearly at the point where getting off the road is an option - but I did buy a couple Nightrider Solas40 rear lights.

A trike is on my collection list - assuming that I can add on to the garage to store more bikes.

catgita

I have read several studies comparing the risk of dying in a given year while commuting by bike vs. by car. They put your chance of dying between 10 and 30 times greater for drivers. The negative health effects of driving are huge, compared to the death rate from crashes.

Sometime you just need a change. Glad to hear the decision is growing on you. Recumbent trikes actually seem to get a free pass in traffic, almost like a wheelchair might. So maybe in time it will work out in other ways.

Mobile 155

I have flirted with the idea of a Cat trike or even a good Delta a time or two. I once even mentioned to my wife that if my balance ever gets too bad rather than give up cycling I would consider a Bent trike. I don't think that will change anytime soon. However that being said I did have a momentary reality check the other day when driving home with my wife.

It should be noted that I own a small Honda Fit so the story makes more of an impact. There is a gentleman in our neighborhood that rides a hand crank Trike all over town. I have seen him while out riding my bike and we have talked several times.

Anyway we were sitting at a stop light about a mile from home and I was looking at my wife waiting for the light to turn green. As I turned back to watch for the light change I caught movement on the right side of our car that looked for all of the world like a fishing pole passing our back window. I didn't see a flag nor a helmet or anything just this stick or pole. It wasn't till we started moving that I noticed the hand trike in my right side mirror. The rider was not in my way nor did I come close to hitting him but I was disturbed that I didn't see him. The flag was higher than my roof-line and the rest of the trike and rider were lower than my door frame.

Like I said there was no problem with us but I wondered about others drivers knowing how many I have seen that at the last minute will make a right turn without signaling. I have since adjusted my mirrors so I can see closer to the side of my car than I used to.

B. Carfree

And yet cycling carries about the same risk as driving a car on a per hour basis. For some reason, we rarely hear people go on and on about how dangerous driving is or hear people tell other motorists to "be safe".

I don't know where the notion that cycling is so dangerous comes from, but I've broken a lot fewer bones in my 600,000 miles of cycling (one off-hand pinkie) than I did during the years I played basketball (both ankles multiple times, a nose, almost every finger).

Retro Grouch 

I'm really grooving on the trike. I'm much happier with it than I anticipated. I think that over the last few years my balance has deteriorated but it happened so gradually that I didn't notice. I was talking to some long term bicycling friends this morning and shared that I've probably had 10 falls so far this year. Most of them happened at zero MPH and didn't amount to anything but that's still a lot. I used to avoid riding next to anybody because I felt a little wobbly. This morning Mrs. Grouch and I rode side-by-side for several miles on our trikes and felt stable as rock. The old carefree joy that I used to feel while bicycling is coming back.

OMG, I'n turning into rideabent.

rydabent

Since our city has over 130 miles of hard surface MUPs a majority of my trike riding is on them. But I do not hesitate riding on hiways with the bike club. And-----------the fact is that trikes that cant fall over are a great way to cycle for older people. Then you have all the other plusses of a trike, like the view, and it makes a great destination ride, since you have your own seat to watch an event when you get there.

I might add that it took 2 years of lobbying with a friendly legislator to get this passed, but laws friendly to cyclist can be passed. BTW it didnt hurt that the Governor is a cyclist too.

bransom

Hey, Retro, riding the trike is nothing to be ashamed of! I fully expect that I'll buy one when my balance begins to fade. And the one you bought looks pretty cool. Did you get it in orange?

Retro Grouch 

It's Hyper Yellow, just like Mrs. Grouch's Catrike Trail. (I looked up the color on Catrike's site). I was waiting for my balance to fade but it happened so gradually that I didn't notice so I think that I waited too long.

baron von trail 

I hope to make it to an old enough age and remain fit so I too can ride a trike one day.

I read somewhere something about balance and old age. Pretty much once you hit 80, it's probably best to be on a trike, no matter how fit you are.

Who Dey3334

For what its worth, I think trikes are pretty damn cool. I dont own one but id like to someday. I certainly dont look down on someone or laugh at them for riding a trike, I actually like looking at them and find them interesting.