The one time I rode a recumbent trike it was a HPM Tritan. It was comfortable and well constructed, but when I started getting it up to speed it developed an uncomfortable shimmy; also, in cornering it felt rather 'tippy' due to the high COG.

However:

1. The Tritan was designed for elderly and handicapped persons to toodle about their neighborhood; I was definately pushing its intended use.

2. I realize that not all recumbent trikes have that particular issue.

Oh! I forgot about that one. I think Costco sold those for a while, and Christmas is coming..... :roflmao2:

I think you are confusing the Tritan with the Triton. Two very different machines.

This is a Tritan:

http://catoregon.qwestoffice.net/ima...mtritanbig.jpg



It is not "sold by Costco" (which we don't have here, but I take it is something like Wal-Mart or K-Mart?) but is a hand-built semicustom machine.

This is a Triton:

http://www.rcutah.com/images/Img45.jpg

As you can see, it is very different, in spite of the names being quite similar.

How right you are. Sorry 'bout that!

An easy mistake to make, the names being so similar and all.

Looking back, my post was a little snippy, and I apologize.

The Tritan certainly looks fairly unstable, delta wth a vveerryy high seat.

If you try to push it fast, yes. However, it is supposed to be for elderly/handicapped persons to toodle about their neighborhoods, not for young atheletic types to race. As long as you remember not to push it to high speeds and not to take the corners sharply, it is OK. It is certainly a very well-made machine, and very comfortable.

Not yet :(, due to the fact that my wife just returned to work this week. (After leaving her previous employer the same month that I started this thread...)

I am obsessed with my Trice
 

It was spendy but in the long run you will get a lot of use out of it because it is a dream to ride. Between the cro mo cruciform and the elastomer suspension it treats you way better that a Catrike.

I'm not really a trike person, but I'm interested in them, have test-ridden a few, and there are quite a few in my club. Regarding the skittishness issue for tadpoles, I think there's two issues, neither of which would have to be that way. First, the ones I've test-ridden have had insufficient trail. Rake the steering angle more to make them less squirrely. Secondly, the wheelbases are too short! The center of gravity is where it is so they don't flip as easily in corners, but 35-39 inches is just too short for good high-speed handling. Make it 43-44 inches, which would also make room for a full-sized rear wheel.

If someone did both of those things, the result wouldn't dart around an open car door so fast it'd flip the rider off, but it'd be stable at 20-25 mph cruising and still track around corners like it was on rails.

(edited to fix spelling)

I suspect BlazingPedals was thinking about delta trikes while his fingers typed tadpoles.

Do you know of a delta trike with a 35" wheelbase?

Actually, yes.... but they stopped making the Brike in the 1980s :lol: Brike and trailer:

I agree with you........Have you ridden a Catrike 700?
http://www.catrike.com/700.htm

Have you ridden an indirect steer tadpole? they are not particularly skitish compared to a direct steer, I like slightly longer wheel bases myself but a short wheel base such as a GT3 handle fine at 90 plus kph once you have got used to them.
As for the larger back wheel, what is wrong wih the smaller one other than percieved, more than measurable differences in rolling resistance (assuming a reasonable road surface). The draw backs of a larger wheel are tight high speed handling (flex), reduced recline angle on the seat (aero), and weight distribution issues.
I have not ridden a trike that is not rock solid at the low speeds you mention, I will allow I have only ridden a selection of indirect steer trikes, all GreenSpeeds

Buy a trike that won't flip over. My trike flipped 3 times with me, then I sold it. You have to learn to take EVERY CORNER very slow to reduce your chances of flipping. I road mostly in town, make a shape right turn or sharp left turn at an intersection next thing I knew I had all the skin ripped off my elbow, hands, knees, twisted knee, twisted wrist, twisted ankle. If the bike won't lean into a curve I don't want it.

Not yet, but I'd like to try one. Unfortunately, a trike isn't high enough on my priority list to justify spending $2700, either. But the price wouldn't be out of line if it rides as good as it looks.

What kind of trike? doesn't sound like a tadpole.

Leaning trikes exist. The problem is, all are home-built, AFAIK. They are a LOT more complicated to build than a non-leaning model. This one actually rode pretty well - once it got moving 5+mph, it felt just like riding a SWB 2-wheeler.

edit: hmm... for some reason the image isn't posting. Here's the URL of the image -- http://tinyurl.com/6e8ngk

Hi Crash2Much...which trike did you say you had?
No1Mad...What were the reasons for staying away from a Sun trike?

Because they are heavier compared to the competition, and quality has been a mixed bag at best. And in true BF fashion, I'm merely repeating what others have said, though I have no direct experience.

That's true enough. Mine was app 56lbs out the door. Certainly more now. As far as reliability, I've seen some positive and negative on the web. I've had some minor issues, but then I've always tinkered with my bikes(trike!) so overall it's a non-issue.

Earlier frame have been know to break at the cross bar joint, not that rare either.

Buy one with roll bars and a 5 point hitch seat belt for when it flips over.

" Earlier frame have been know to break at the cross bar joint, not that rare either."

geebee, are you referring to the EZ3's?
I hadn't heard about that one.