Riding Tricycle Downhill - Any Safety Tips?
 

Let's say that I'm heading out of 445 Appleyard Dr. (apartment complex) and I'm going to Tallahassee Mall which is about 6 miles away.

I have a disability (visual impairment) so I do use sidewalk for riding my tricycle. I'm carrying my phone to use it as a GPS so I can stop in the sidewalk to have a look at where I'm going versus in the road (I don't have a universal cell phone mount). So, what would be a good route to try and avoid steep hills?

I do not like going 30+ miles per hour as I feel that it's too dangerous, so if it's impossible to avoid steep downhills, what would be a good way to keep my tricycle under control?

I could take a bus, but the bus routing system is very confusing.

I've already spent $700 for my 3-Speed White Frame 2011 Pure Trike and I really want to get the most use of my tricycle while in Tallahassee.

Well, since this is a world-wide forum, not local to your area, I have absolutely no idea what route to recommend. Hopefully of all the thousands of participants here, there might be someone familiar to your area. You might try a local source though.

I wonder why the avoidance of hills? Doesn't the trike have good brakes? Just go slow and don't let your speed get out of hand.

Another idea: look up a couple of potential routes on a map and take an exploratory cab ride - and/or ask that cab driver if he/she can recommend the best non-hilly route from point A to point B and give the recommendation a try.

Also, don't you think it would be wise to get some sort of mount for your gps so you don't have to use your hands? If the screen is too small, why not get a real navigation GPS with a larger screen instead of the smart phone (which I've personally found to be pretty inferior to real GPS's in features and usability) Also, those larger ones (like my Garmin Nuvi) talk to you, don't need a cell phone network, and if kept updated, I've found to be excellent in getting me places in unknown cities. Might be better for someone with a vision impairment?

Keep a some pressure on the front and rear brakes as you coast down a hill.

Nice bike.

http://****************/wp-content/u...-city-bike.jpg

Though my trike is different from yours I share your reservations about doing out-of-control downhills. I second the suggestion on using your brakes. Applying them early and gently should do the trick for anything that route can throw at your. What gets us in trouble is going way too fast and trying to reduce speed too rapidly.

As you may already know riding on the sidewalk subject us to some extra hazards primary because motor vehicle drivers do not expect to see us there. I think going slowly on the sidewalk - uphill, downhill and flat - is an extremely good idea.

Just living in Florida is one way to avoid steep downhills. :)

By the way, you can probably get better local routing advice in the Regional Forums for your area. You may be surprised at how familiar some are with your neighborhood:

http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdispl.../234-Southeast
http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdispl...des-and-Events

Moved from A&S to Southeast regional.

Thanks, guys. I'm having a moderator move my thread to the southeast forum. I thought I might get safety tips for riding downhill with my trike, but oh well.

Here's my post containing photos:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-N...24Tricycle.jpg

Edit: Thanks, CbadRider.

Well, it's going to rain anyway by 4:00 with a 50% chance of rain (32304).

Well, Tallahassee sucks anyway due to the confusing bus system and I'm not going to take my chance in getting used to it. Last time, when I took a bus, there are some places that are unknown to me and sometimes I got lost trying to pick a next bus stop to transfer. And when coming out of Tallahassee Mall after I watch a movie, I had to use a trip planner in my smartphone (very hard to navigate as a web page) to figure out how am I suppose to get back home so that I can pack up and be ready to head to Altha (west of Tallahassee where my mom lives there). But then I got stuck at the mall, so I had my mom pick me up from the mall as the bus stop is inconveniently half a mile south. So my mom called Star Metro and said that I could have taken the bus to the bus station and I did not know why I'm making this so complicated.

Anyway, as soon as my mom and I finish school (I'm getting a Web Development Certificate by May and my mom is completing the nursing program by end of next year), I'm going to find a city with flat lands. I'm thinking about Houston, TX but I'm unsure if it had steep hills like in Tallahassee. It will be somewhere west of The Galleria (mall).

I got tired riding up the hill and I headed back home. Oh, well.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=271587

Hello Grayson. I know there are lots of hills in Tallahassee. Never ridden there, just driving through going to and returning from St. George Island.
Have you tried planning a route with www.mapquest.com or www.mapmyride.com?
Mapquest my be easier if you're familiar with the streets that are less hilly. The ride to the mall may be a little farther but if you can plan the streets to ride on it will be flatter and more manageable.

Maybe some of the FL folks can help you.

So the question is, how do I know which streets are flatter and which streets have steep hills? *sigh*

I'll have to wait for forum users in Tallahassee to answer.

Thanks for your help.

UPDATE: Are there any bike trails for getting around Tallahassee like if I need to head over to Tallahassee Mall or maybe Best Buy?

Guys, I found something that can prove useful.
http://www.biketallahassee.com/map/map.html

For those who use Firefox (NoScript) or Chrome (NotScript), make sure you enable the following: biketallahassee.com, arcgisonline.com, leoncountyfl.gov, and arcgis.com.

My mom will help me out with the system.

Any BikeForum members who live in Tallahassee? No?

I live in Tallahassee, but mostly ride rural roads east of the city. It's pretty much impossible to avoid all hills here. Tennessee St. is the least hilly, but not a good road for riding (I wouldn't ride it in the city). From where you are, I'd take Pensacola east to Ocala, north on Ocala to Tharpe, east on Tharpe to John Knox. Take a left on John Knox and it leads to the Tallahassee mall.