BlazingPedals

I've seen videos of trikes like this in a race. over in GB somewhere. So I know they're 'a thing.' they looked kind of tricky to ride, as the riders were leaning hard on turns to keep the trikes from tipping to the outside. I don't expect they're cheap, as they're probably hand-made. Yeah, recumbent tadpole trikes are much more stable since the rider's center of graviity is just behind the two front wheels. The problem with them is, they're slower than an upright, and they're fairly expensive. You can look into Performer recumbents; they have a less-expensive line-up. Over here in the states, Trident Trikes lets you control your options for a small cost savings. Visibility is what it is. I see stories all the time of 8-foot-long bright yellow velomobiles getting hit because nobody saw them. Probably because the car drivers were on their phones. You can't see stuff if you're not looking.

CliffordK

I have one. It is fun to ride, but I don't think I ever quite got the same power as the road bike. Different position dynamics.

There are some velomobile trikes that are supposed to be quick, at least as long as you don't have too many hills.

terrymorse 

This tilting trike with two wheels up front looks pretty fun. And it appears to be quite stable. The riders come to a stop without putting a foot down.

VegasTriker

Why would you trade a standard recumbent trike seat for the one shown above? One of the benefits of the recumbent is that your ass is not sitting on a hatchet but you are more like sitting in a lawn chair. I sometime don't get right up out of my Catrike 700 sear after a ride because it is so comfortable.

As to speed. Forget achieving the same speed as on your road bike. My CT700 is spec'd at 33 pounds but is no match for my 23 pound mountain bike equipped with city tires. Maybe if you were competing against a 50 pound Huffy road bike? Friends who ride with me on their road bikes just realized it is going to be a more leisurely ride.

terrymorse 

Not a ride goes by that I don’t wish that my road bike riding felt more like relaxing in a lounge chair.

/s

easyupbug 

Terry, do not try a Catrike or others who have figured cornering geometry with the two wheels up front and bonus comfort or your Scott is history as I had one back around 2010 I think and it was a jewel of fast handling and seemingly fast for an old man.

terrymorse 

No worries, I have zero desire to ride a tricycle, and I don't anticipate I will change my mind.

Strange that I've never seen one of these trikes on our local mountain roads. How does your tricycle climb and descend? Tell you what. Ride your trike from the top of Mt. Hamilton, with its 365 curves. Post your time on Strava, and see how it compares to cyclists on road bikes.

BTW, I don't descend "seemingly fast for an old man". I descend fast, compared to other cyclists.

easyupbug 

Well done! I can speculate why you don't see a trike on your mountain roads. I am relatively new to trikes this being the first year to bring a trike up to our cabin for bad arthritis days but we are in the Bighorn foot hills not in the mountain range. I did a lot of study and some testing before purchase especially around steering where Catrikes do well. While I have found with my low CG it must be near impossible to tip it has an inherent problem with declines let alone anything near what you are doing in that the steering front wheels toe in pushes crosswise to the direction of travel, like understeering in a auto, scrubbing the tires. Even on our slight incline/declines in southern AZ I have already replaced the front Schwalbe Marathon Racers and the back Racer still looks good.

VegasTriker

As stated previously, trikes are slower than DF with the same rider so you can expect the trip up the hill to be slower as well. If you buy one with a decent gear range, there is no hill you can't climb. I never walked a trike up a hill but remember doing that occasionally with a road bike. You can also stop any time and take off again. They are fast downhill, limited only by your own sense of safety. I and a friend both riding older Australian-made Greenspeed trikes could easily get them up into the 40+ mile range. He was willing to do that on the twisty road downhill from Dante's View in Death Valley (mid 40s mph) but my sense of safety had me using the brakes to not go faster than the upper 30 mph range. My Greenspeed trike was designed for touring so had a gear range of 14 to 132 gear inches and was equipped with two internal drives as well as a 65 tooth chainring. It might be slow uphill but it always got there, sometimes faster than my road bike riding friends who walked a ways.

When it comes to tire wear on a tadpole recumbent trike, the toe in on the front wheels is very important. If it deviates from the correct factory setting, front tires will wear faster, handling may be worse, and it is harder to pedal. The front tires do all of the braking and steering so might wear faster than the rear. I don't care for Schwalbe tires. especially the ones Catrike sent out with the trike when new, so use much less expensive tires by Tioga and Kenda that serve me well and last about 3K miles (Tioga Powerblock 406 on front and Kenda Kadence 700CX23) on my Catrike 700. If you ride aggressively with fast turns and quick stops, tires wear faster too.

BlazingPedals

Terry, this thread didn't start as a way to convert you to trike-dom or even recumbency. If speed is your primary concern, then stay away from trikes. Problem solved!

peterws

Trike- Dom! That sounds quite exciting . . . .anyone care to elaborate? It takes all sorts y'know . . .

Tony Marley

As stated by others, a recumbent trike is heavier than a road bike, as well as slower and quite a bit more expensive. But they are very stable and a lot of fun to ride.

BlazingPedals

LOL now that I've let you ponder a bit, it's nothing more than the kingdom of the trike. (You don't have to wear black leather but you do use chains.)

oldbobcat

Before going the full trike route, consider a flat-foot technology city bike like the Electra Townie. Years ago I sold one to a potential trike customer because, while his balance was good, his coordination was off and he was concerned about being able to get his landing gear down fast enough. One ride on one around the parking lot and he was sold.

peterws

That riding position would be anathema for me, though perhaps I cold or should get used to it.
I tend to ride forwards on the seat; at the gym, my seat is pushed max forward and like, I'm almost leaning over it. It's great for sit-down speedy stuff.
I sit almost upright on my road bike (ugly handlebar arrangement permits this) but the cranks on such, are lower to the ground.than on your picture, and indeed, on my shopper-bike.
Was talking to a guy on the Promenade a few weeks ago who'd bought a nice tryke at a nice price locally purely because he'd had an unexpecgted stroke. He'd been hand building a road racer.
It's so hard when stuff like that happens. He'd be about my age . . . but .it ain't no use worrying over something that might never come to pass.

oldbobcat

Old habits die hard. All I know is, if it takes a Townie to keep me riding past 85, bring it on. I've ridden them and they're well-made and a fun ride.

peterws

A good, good thought! Ive just arranged to buy a used road bike similar to my own, and plan to adapt it for the shopping run.
It'll look so cool with a shopping basket at the handlebars.
I'd sensibly (thought me) given up on the idea of a three wheeler, when I saw an elderly lady pedal one onto the cycleway.
She looked so relaxed! I could do with a dose o' that . . . .

cal45

Agree - wish there were more of this design available in the market today.

peterws

Well! To resurrect this, I actually bought one! Takes some getting used to, the 20" wheels looked great but I've ordered a longer seat post. And decent brake levers, h'bar grips and a somewhat larger front gear,
I got a propretary un-named little black beast with 8 gears which ,with its 20" wheels looks pretty darn good imo. All of the gears are of course low.
And the dreaded one-wheel drive like most of this type.
Now I'm not aware of mine pulling to one side or the other except where a pronounced camber is evident, but a solid axle driving both rear wheels would seem to have its advantages. Would the disadvantages hold sway? A bit more tyre wear and a fight betweeen tyres for supremacy on those bends, which the outside wheel would always win, doesn't sound so bad, y'know!.
I been thinkin' of cheap innovative solutions to achieve this, without wrecking the trike in the process.
A big washer and Loctite superglue on the free wheel hasn't quite worked . . . .

BlazingPedals

Wait... what? You got a 'standard' adult trike? Let us know how you like it after you've put in a few miles. Driving both rear wheels would necessitate a differential. Which might be hard to retro-fit.

Robvolz 

I think you all don't know about the racing trikes. Google: Jack Taylor for some examples. Stunning. Reynolds 531. Campy parts.

Ill edit this and post some pics from my phone in a bit.
Robert
Portland

peterws

I gave up on the fixed axle bit; I knida accept it for what it is. I'm awaiting a slightly longer seat stem before she's ready for the cycletrack shuttle service to either the gym, or City Centre to the right of me) or the promenade (to the left). This was an old electric railway, no less. Artifacts are still in evidence from when it was ripped up around mid sixties.


There she blows! Stripped down for speed, lol.

I have a 40T chainwheel which replaced the 36T one, taking up little extra space, or strain on the gear change mechanism.

It's not too obvious from this that the frame seems designed for a standard 2 wheeler, and has been adapted, with the addition of an extension set up, for 3 resulting unfortunately in a lack of rigidity. This is the small wheeled version, since it looks a lot better to my eyes.

Overall the trike is a bloody pig to ride but when you adapt to the different techniques required, it's fine and smile-worthy. A fun ride, and I can get a fair ole bit of groceries in that basket which will stabilize it greatly.
The main problem is buying anything better. Upright tadpoles are very thin on the ground here, very expensive, and would certainly attract the thieving fraternity. Maybe some day, but not yet!

Kabuki12

I’ve seen a few road type trikes from the seventies . They are lugged steel with drop bars. I’ve never ridden one but they look cool as heck. I have a friend wh has a couple in his vintage racing bike collection.

peterws

I always thought they looked odd, and that ony odd people rode them!

peterws

Just to finalise this, supposing someone's interested. (Yawn) OK, I'll keep i short!
Having had it a few weeks now, I've persevered with The Pig and grown to love it for what it is - a Chinese generic trike, built to sell cheaply. Or perhaps they haven't been selling at all, so they're now cheap.
They're popular in Australia, I believe. Anyway, I've replaced the 36T crankwheel with a 40T instead,which raises the gear profile slightly. This crankshaft was the last one (from Amazon) and more of this type are not expected, so I got lucky there.
The riding experience might be described as total, or immersive and in no way resembles that on a two wheeler. The road is the best place to ride it; traffic appraises me with good humour, and give me space which is unusual for autos these days, so that's most welcome.
The single wheel drive (RH) would be better on the left for us Blighty-ites, though I still will persevere with the non flexible two wheel drive arrangement soon.
The caliper brakes are real old school, and despite the new levers I now have for them, stopping is much improved but still rather inferior to modern braking on a 2 wheeler, but I expected as much. It's acceptable for the situations I'm likely to find myself in.
Standing up on the pedals is a no-go; unlike a standard bike, the lateral forces would be transferred to the lighter parts of the framework at the rear, since the rear wheels stay firmly in one position. Stress would ensure a short life. But the 8 gears are great. Similar to what I'm used to, the ratios give you the gear fyou want or any occasion.
But it is great fun on cambers, wondering if you will or if you won't. I haven't so far, touch wood. Nor have I done wheelies, or turned corners on two wheels like I did when I was 4 or 5. I remeber it well.
So there you have it. Fun on 3 wheels! I just love bikes.




This one's gone on twice