Recumbent Tricycles?
 

Hi, Lets try this again. My wife and I are both 50 years old. We presently have Schwin Custom Cruiser coaster bikes. Yes complete with the chrome fenders and the Baskets to boot. We are looking for a road bike that has comfort, reliability, and one that does not take a great deal of balance. We have thought of the Sun EZ-3SX trike by Sun. Price and no balance required make this unit interesting. has anyone purchased this type of bike and let me know what you think. Thanks Peabob

I have a trike. It's not a Sun it's Catrike Road. I only got it in November. I've ridden about 50 miles so far this year. So I don't have a lot of experience on it, but I suspect that it's gonna be one sweet summer for riding. Man is this trike nice. It's not as fast as my EZ Sport, but I can climb hills very easily and so far this trike is the best thing since sliced bread.
I suggest you try riding several different models before deciding on what to get. When I did I found some interesting differences. I didn't ride a Sun EZ-3SX however. I tested the Catrike, Greenspeed, and Wizwheelz. The thing is you may be able to find a better trike used. That would help keep the cost down.

For a less expensive option, also check out the ActionBent trike, at www.actionbent.com . It got a very good review on BentriderOnline, and seems to be a very good deal for the money.

Peabob-if it's comfort on a trike that you want, check out the Wizwheelz trikes made right there in Hastings, Michigan. They have recently offered a lower priced trike, which is just as nice as any of the higher priced ones. You can visit Hastings, tour the factory, test ride some trikes. I suggest calling them and setting up a visit. Here's the link:

www.Wizwheelz.com

I LOVE my WW Terratrike 3.6!

This trike is made for "older" folks to ensure that they
both can ride and ride in supreme comfort. For
what they are they represent a whale of a bargain!!
Most other trikes are road scrapers being so low or
are upright import junk. This trike is made to your
order in New York city!!!!!!!!!

I just bought a stretch version and could not be happier.

http://www.worksman.com/pav.html

If you need the height of the delta style trikes and have budget limitations, you might want to look at the USX in the Sun line. Most find that model more comfortable and a nicer ride. If you have more that you could spend, Hase Kettweisel is the way to go. If you can get down onto a tadpole, the new WizWheelz Cruiser is a much sportier ride and still on a budget. The previous poster referred to "older" folks which I guess I am and I ride a tadpole. One of my more recent sales was to a husband and wife team--he 72 and she "less than that". I met a triker on the road (me in the van) on a five day/five hundred mile ride who was on a WizWheelz trike with his 72 year old engine. My point is "old" doesn't mean that the configuration of Granny's Schwinn is the only choice--you can add many very sporty trikes to that style, most of which are far more comfortable as well.

I ride a trike (Logo and others) because I can pay attention to the scenery or my workout and forget about the road conditions. I bought my first trike sight unseen by mail order because that was the only way I could do it--no place to even go and look at one much less ride one. Now, I sell trikes if that is an indication of how well that worked out, and there are dealers scattered throughout the country. (And I no longer own ANY two-wheelers.) You will be doing yourself a favor if you make a concerted effort to test a number of different brands and styles of trikes. As I usually advise people, I must caution you, too--don't test ride trikes unless your checkbook is full.

Chip
www.recumbenttrikestore.com

tightwad,

How heavy is that trike? The Worksman page lists weight capacity, but not the weight of the actual trike. It looks like a very robust design.

A very wise statement.

The PAV is about 75lbs dry. However, please remember the gearing is spot on for a 3 speed for
"relaxed" riding. Since this is a variant of the Worksman Mover industrial trike it is VERY robust
which is a good thing really as it is , for all intents and purpose, bulletproof in everyday use
yielding almost zero maintaince. Think of it this way.......Cadillacs and Rolls Royce ride like
clouds for one reason.......weight. My PAV is silky smooth as trikes go with a truly comfy ride.
We still drive a 93 Chevy Suburban due simply to the super comfortable ride. It's a poor mans
limosine if there ever was one.

Can you take a "road trip" with one? Sure, just don't get in a hurry. This is leasure super dependable
riding at it's best. One you can take without the worry of a breakdown. :D :D

The PAV is built only when you place an order so it truly is your "trike" because YOU tell Worksman
what you want when you place an order. Never will you get a "one size fit's all" trike off the shelf
as Worksman does not hold ready built inventory. It took abut 6 wks for my trike to get built and
shipped to me. It's so sweet!!!!!!!

Thanks everyone for the info, i appreciate your time. I have looked at the trikes by greenspeed and cattrike etc.. i have two very bad knees and i would need a crane to park my but in the cockpit of one of those low ridin trikes. the sun ez 3 are 18 inches off the ground and to me that would be easier to get on and ride. we arent into speed versus distanc we just want the exercise have some fun and meet some new people. thanks for the info.. later .. Peabob

Chillidog,, thanks for the info on Hastings. I have really bad knees so getting one of them low riders would be next to impossible to get in. but the wiz factory is about 1 1/2 hours from me i might go check em out thanks pal.. later peabob

I have two knees replacments so I can relate to the concern. I worked with the folk's at Worksman
to design the trike for my needs at no extra cost. They do a lot of 'special" needs work because
they are a small company. The seating position is chair high with the pedals out in front for super
easy mount & dis-mounting.

Like you I'd need lots of help to get up out of one of the pavement scraper trikes that are so
popular today (why**********?) The PAV comes to your home ready to ride if you decide to buy one.

Tightwad, In reviewing your suggestion my wife and i came up with some questions. We dont want the work environment per see but we want to be able to cruise the roads and trails we do find. With the three speed bike in the workman brand do you find you get tired pedaling like you do in a coaster bike? Or can you zip along enjoying nature without the need for oxeygen? Thanks for the info ill check into it. Peabob

tightwad see the reply in the forum under peabob thanks

Yes, I beieve what you want to do is very possible as long as the paths and roads do not have
steep hills to pull. Hills take a wider gear range. However, even that is possible with a smaller
front chain ring. As far as "work environment" goes I stressed that heritage to make the point
that the PAV will be way understressed in all that you need it to do so it should last almost forever.
It's really not much fun to breakdown due to light weight underbuilt components ..right? That should
never happen with a PAV unless you abuse it very badly.

If you are giving serious consideration to a PAV then call the company and tell them your needs so
they can help you match the gearing and other equipment. These folks' do lots of special needs work
with cycles so they will listen to what YOU need to build a PAV that will work for you. I spent an hour
on the phone with Wayne Sosin President of Worksman selecting just the right components for my
riding needs and style. Give'm a call mate. They are nice folk's.

At 75 pounds, they must make them out of leftover bridge girders. Better suited for completely flat trailer parks in Florida or on factory floors, I would think. I've seen one exactly twice: Once in a GM factory, where workers used it to transport loads of small parts rather than waste gas using a fork lift, and one for my nephew who has cerebral palsy. Only the starboard wheel was driven, which made it extremely inefficient - something that is unacceptable (IMHO) on something so heavy and hard to move to begin with!

With apologies to our former troll Spuds, another possibility if you can find one, is a ReTrike. They have been out of production for about 5 years, but you might find one used at a very good price.

Mate, you are being both opinionated and unfair. I've delt with and rode Worksman for over 30 yrs
both at home and in the factory where I work. Worksman has been in business for over 100yrs which
is more than any bike company can say today. They also build products that are well engineered for
all including handicapped or older folks.How many other builder even compete in that market?
Worksman leaves the weight weenie stuff to the other flyby night builders.

The reason you don't see many Worksman is that those that own them won't part with them. They
also enjoy a very long life due to the robustness of the build. If it's one thing that ticks me off big
time its buying a product that was built to break and then does. Worksman are almost bulletproof.

As to the drive method......you couldn't be more wrong. One drive wheel is what you get in weight
weenie stuff or import junk NOT Worksman. Both wheels are driven on a solid 7/8" axle. How much
the PAV weighs is an educated guess on my part. However, since they are made of mild 16ga steel
tubing they will weight more than "blink and you beak it" weight weenie stuff. The weight that you are
so roundly critcal of is the main reason the PAV rides like a cloud. The same as a Cadillac or Rolls.
I feel the bumps on my PAV as little thumps not teeth jarring thuds.

There is also the fact that Worksman is a small AMERICAN family company of about 50 employees
in the heart of NYC building AMERICAN products one at a time for each customer at fair prices all
can afford. We need to support AMERICAN businesses like Worksman not poke fun at the quality
products they build. Shame on you...........

Tightwad, I to believe in buying American, I found out here that the sun ez bikes are imported from asia. No thanks. I am looking into the workman and i do appreciate your information. Thanks so much. I filled out a the form on the web site and hopefully ill be contacted soon. or i will call them soonest. thanks again your true red white and blue pal Peabob.

Tightwad, you sure have a short fuse, my man! Nothing in BPs post was unfair as far as I can determine, but it was intended as an opinion, which is specifically what PEABOB solicited. This is a FORUM and surely you understand that some will have opinions that differ from yours. Your tirade concluded with your own opinion piece, a "buy AMERICAN" plug, and PEABOB responded favorably. How does any of that make PB's opinion less valid? Buy the trike you want - if it's personally important to buy an American-made trike to the exclusion of all other factors, then do so. Just don't wrap yourself up in my flag to slam others opinions, please.

I could add that this list isn't restricted to US residents, so the old 'Buy American' line doesn't mean a thing to them. If you want CHEAP, then you have a choice: Pay some Chinese laborer $0.50 per day to make you a trike with quality materials and good parts, or pay a US laborer more but using cheaper materials. Chromo steel is hard, strong, and somewhat rust-resistant. Mild steel is not, which is why it must be used with such huge wall thicknesses; but at least it's cheap!

If you want US-made trikes that are't as low as a Catrike or Wizwheels, then check out Turner Recumbents and also Angletech Cycles.

Edit: I couldn't see that Turner makes trikes, but angletech has a quadracycle which, if memory serves me, can be ordered as a standard trike. Rotator also has a trike. Check the buyer's guide at http://www.bentrideronline.com for a more inclusive listing of trikes that are available. Note that 50 isn't old. I'm 50 and ride a lowracer, and another guy in my club is 65+, has two titanium knees, and rides a GRR.

On the subject of strength, typical yield strength for hi-ten a.k.a. 1010 steel is about 36,000 psi. OTOH, Chromoly has a typical yield strength of 110,000 psi (it can be made as strong as 225,000 psi; ) so a hi-ten frame needs at least 3 times the material to match the strength of what tightwad refers to as weight weenie stuff.

A third cheap option- buy materials, buy tools, put in some workshop time. By springtime I hope to have completed my recumbent trike- cromoly with decent components, total budget under $500.

Sorry, guys. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I know that this forum is not North American exclusive
but Peabob asked for a Trike for a 50 yr old body.
Not knowing Peabob personally I erred on the side
of caution with Worksman as I know it will work for
him.

As to "wrapping myself in the flag" what citizen worth his
salt would not do that no matter where he lives. If the
citizens do not care for their homeland then they should
move on. I'm an American and damn proud of it. French
,British, Russian, Etc. should also be proud of their
countries. Are you proud of your country??

A man without a country is lost indeed.

You missed my point entirely. I love my country and flag. I just don't feel patriotism should blind one to open discussion of opinion, nor should it be used to sanctify one's own personal view. I believe in tolerance, open discussion and reasoned opinion. That's freedom. It's the American Way and I'm sticking with it.

Back to the subject: Trikes have many design and price variations. With so many valid factors to consider in selecting one I assume PEABOB really does want a variety of opinion to better make an educated choice. Sorry I don't have personal experience on trikes, but my friends (in their 40's, 50's and 60's) who ride trikes seem to prefer Catrikes and Greenspeeds. Those companies might be worth considering along with the others previously mentioned.

"With so many valid factors to consider in selecting one I assume PEABOB really does want a variety of opinion to better make an educated choice."

To this point I'm sure we all can agree which was the point of my offering
Worksman trikes for consideration. You're right that I have a very short
fuse when it comes to comments about Worksman from riders who only
"think" they are not worth consideration due simply to the fact they are heavy
duty macines. All this weight weenie stuff is just so much crap to me as
I believe to help one must put ALL the brands on the table to allow a poster
to decide for themselves with NO negative comments on any one brand without
hands on experience with THAT brand.

Please note that I say nothing about Catrikes or Greenspeed other than they
are to low for me. Why? That's all I can tell from a picture. I know Worksman
where very few others here do but yet they offer negative comments about them.
I try to stick to the facts as I know them and I wish others would too.

As a 45 yr old with 10 years in the saddle of 'bent tikes, I can personally vouch for the durability and dependability of Greenspeed trikes. Currently a GTT & a GTX. As for the "crane needed" to mount the steed, that may be the case. Once aboard though, the speed & comfort are second to that ever present "recumbent smile". Of course the tandem (GTT) is the perfect "date mobile" as your signifcant other is never left behind. Anywho, my $.02 would be to check out;
Kettweisle trikes from Germany. They are Delta trikes (one wheel in front, 2 in back) with a fairly high seat height. The front wheel can be removed and the fork attached to the hitch on the back of a second Kettweisle trike, effectivly making a tandem from two singles. They are not inexspensive, as they are also very well built.
If Worksman could incorporate using a Rholoff 14 speed internally geared hub on the drive wheel. I have friend who has one of these hubs on a Greenspeed GTR. The front shifting is a Schlumph Speed Drive crankset. This is the simplest form of 28 speeds available and offers a fairly wide range of gears. I must admit that shifting is definetly "unconventional" to say the least. You just keep twisting the grip shifter until you reach the desired resistance. It almost seems like it's broken because it never seems to reach the end. 'Round & 'round that shifter goes! And then to shift the front, you whack the crank with your heel and BOOM! Big change of gears! 14 NEW gears to twist through!
Of course neither of these shifting units come cheap, but the best things rarely do.
Good luck in your quest to get "'bent"!
Dr. D