Well I do admit that I don't have the "Trike snob appeal attitude" that tells people if they don't spend $3,000 on a trike, that they won't like it. And by the way, I would bet that I ride my Rover at least as many miles a month as you ride whatever you own, and maybe more. I would also guess that your experience riding a Rover is probably zero.

So I see the Rover wars have moved over here from BROL. Funny, but it all sounds like sour grapes to me.

MCharlie94, take my advise and ride a variety of brands and models of trikes before you make your decision.

If you have any concerns regarding a TerraTrike product, feel free to call me directly.

1-800-945-9910

First, CaptainBob, I would bet that you know doodley squat about my riding habbits..... And second, my experience of riding a Rover will have to remain as zero! And no I haven't ridden any Wallmart shopping cart trikes either...nor do I intend to.

Now that is the right advice!

I notice that you don't want to tell us how much you ride.....That would be embarrassing wouldn't it to find out you can't even match the mileage with a Rover owner, which is a distinct possibility.

Now you're trolling! But your bait is getting stale .....pfff!

Perhaps, because one of the individuals involved in BOTH 'wars' was recently banned from BROL... and he is a Rover owner. Go figure,

Since you offered, please share with us how many Rover 8 speed Sturmey IGH failures (specifically the XRF8 (W)), have been reported so far?

..........and now the BROL nonsense is here too!! Can we please keep the Rover wars over there

.01% failure rate.
And they are usually bad right from the start. We catch them before they even make it to the customer. But we really don't want to start the whole SA debate again do we?

Are you referring to ME?

There has been, at least, 8 confirmed XRF8 [W] failures publically reported since the hub was introduced less than two years ago. Notice I said "publically reported". Not reported in your evasive numbers, are dealer replacements who verifiably by-pass you, the trike manufacturer', and communicate directly with Sturmey. Not only is this evident in several forums, but I've confirmed it personally. In the small town of 20k that I live, there was a Path 8 (w/XRF8 [w]) IGH replacement just 45 days ago - and when I talked (in person) to the shop owner, he admitted dealing ONLY with Sturmey... NOT Terratrike.

Ironically, Terratrike's own forum has seen, at least, two, publically reported, Rover XRF8 [w] hub failures... just in the last 3 months.

https://www.terratrike.com/forum/view...php?f=29&t=581
https://www.terratrike.com/forum/vie...hp?f=29&p=2796

While your warranty is commendable and said to be responsive, this doesn't appease those who experience a failure and are forced to either push their machine untold distances or resort to cell phone help.

Do not confuse the opinion above with anything approaching fact. Many savvy riders are happy with their Rovers. I suggest anyone interested, try one and make up his or her own mind.

Seriously? I truly appreciate all the informative posts / suggestions I am getting, and I hope to continue to receive more as well, but I could do without the Rover Wars. Some folks drive a Focus, others drive a Lamborghini, most something in between. What we drive is usually based on either what we can afford, or what we are willing to spend and what our priorities are. Regardless, its all personal choice, something we are all entitled to. Do we really need to argue over it? And if the answer is yes, then please go hijack someone else's thread

So I guess WE DO want to start the SA debate again. I'll get the horse carcass - you get the stick.

Well, I find that rather odd that a dealer would not call us first since we have the hubs in stock and would send a new one out same day versus him talking to SA directly, dealing with their return red tape and then waiting several weeks for a replacement. Which dealer was this?

As for my EVASIVE numbers, I've been totally honest and consistent with my response time and time again. Although I haven't calculated THIS years numbers (because we're too busy SELLING TRIKES and TAKING CARE OF CUSTOMERS), I must also point out again that Sturmey Archer has been in business for 100 years and we've been using the internal hubs on a variety of trikes for the last 4+ years. Don't you think if there were issues with the hub we wouldn't use them? Yeah it's not the super-cool Nuvinci - I get it. But for most people, especially those on a budget, it's a great workhorse with an impeccable reputation.

For those of you that know me, I'm a pretty laid back guy and I try to stay out of these types of threads. But when someone starts stating biased mis-information about our products, I have an obligation to correct them.

Again, and as always, ANYONE can feel free to email me directly or call me if they have any questions about a TerraTrike product.

Test ride, test ride, test ride. Don't buy a lesser machine than you'll be happy with, just because it's cheap; that's false economy. But if the inexpensive machine makes you happy and fits your needs, why would you need to spend more?

Please no more Rover wars. I think everyone here understands that the Rover makes some compromises in order to come in at half the price of its competition. So do the low-end Sun bikes, and I don't hear everyone dissing them. They fill a market niche.

Well said... I dislike having to sift through 3 pages of petty bickering to discover whether or not the OP has had his question answered. Let's keep to the subject, people, so that the OP and others like him (i.e., me) can make an informed decision based on real-world experience from actual owners.

TY, I am subscribed to this thread so I receive an email when someone replies. Not real pleased to come here only to find it was hijacked for some stale debate.

Blaze, and all others suggesting I test ride, and test again, and then again, I heed your advice and plan to do just that. I am waiting for the 2011 Catrike Trail to arrive at the dealer and then I plan to go on a road trip to give em all a try. I'll keep you posted.

Mcharley94, I think you're doing a great job of trying stuff out. And hopefully it's fun, too. Don't be afraid to try out *anything,* even if you know it's not what you're after. In fact, trying the extremely un-mcharley-ish (is that a word???) stuff will help you even more to zero in on what you really want.

One of the failures you posted was probably do to the owner letting someone borrow the Rover and forgetting to tell him that an IGH can't be shifted when you are pedaling under power. In both cases, the rider was able to ride it home, no long walks, no cell p[hone rescues.

Chonk, I am thinking about taking a ride to Kentwood to check out the TerraTrike showroom. It is less than a 200 mile jaunt for me, straight across I-69/I-96, so I could do it in like 2.5 hours, and a night in the GR atmosphere sound like fun too....haven't been there in a while. Would I be able to give a few trikes a test ride were I to make the trip? As I've stated in my first couple of posts, I live in a rather rural area with some smaller hills, both paved and gravel roads, and a well groomed gravel rails to trails which I would like to frequent. I hope to transport to areas with more adequate bike trails as well, so a versatile model would suit me best...perhaps the Sport? Though keep in mind I am 6'4" with a 36" inseam. I am not really interested in the Rover or Path as I want the option to shift on the fly and have access to 24-27 speed.

Sure come on over. We usually have one of every model and size on the floor, and an in door track to ride them on and a nice rail trail 2 blocks away.

mcharley94, since you are going to be trying things out, and you indicated an interest in a serous combination of gears rather than some simplified scheme for the mechanically inept, I would suggest you compare the bar end shifters and the rotating ones - I suspect a big guy like you is going to prefer the bar ends- I have large hands and the rotating shifters are a real nuisance, the bar ends can be easily shifted back and forth, with the thumb and index finger ... and although you didn't mention your weight , at that height you can't be too light so look for a stiff frame. Also, consider the size of the rear wheel, despite what some geniuses here will tell you, a larger wheel on the back will give you more speed! I just converted my wife's Trail to a 26 rear with narrower tires and now she flies!But the cost of upgrades can really put a dent in your budget and leave you with a lot of useless spare parts. So try both 20 and 26 rear wheels and try to decide from the beginning.
For what free advice is worth, try the Catrike Expedition - it's much more suited to your size and already has a pretty good set up of gears right from the start. Whatever you choose , Enjoy!

"Rotating shifters are a real nuisance".. I guess that is why most bents and recumbent trikes come standard with them......

You are right Most cheap ones do.....And besides, what do you know about it? You have apparently never had anything but that industrial strength tank of yours....
But in either case, the OP already said he wasn't interested in either your tank or the associated wars. So why don't you just stop it, CaptainBob? Or are you trying to get your argumentative self banned from this site as you were from BROL? We are supposed to be helping the OP not annoying him !!!
So stop it !

Velomobiles are an aerodynamic body around a trike,
the aerodynamic body makes going in any weather practical and quick..

Rohloff's grip shifter is decidedly not cheap, Sram Is.