A good recumbent trike for arthritic knees?

[StormGriffin]

Like Squeaker my immediate thought was a Kettwiesel for ease of on and off thanks to its relatively high seat.

And if you want fun, they are.

is it easier to get on and off the trike with one wheel at the front or the ones with 2 wheels at the front. logic would suggest the one wheel at front like the kettwiesel as opposed to the Ti-Fly say....

[StormGriffin]

Oh good point! yes, the getting up from low places is an issue, so you've got a neat solution. thanks for the input....

did you try the other syle of trike with single wheel at the front? from the point of view of ease of getting in and out.....

[StormGriffin]

thanks people, lots of good stuff here for me to be getting on with. will let you know how my visit to the dealer goes!

[pjclinch]

Ease of in/out is, IME, far more a function of seat height than whether it's delta (one wheel ahead, two behind) or tadpole (two leading sheels, one trailing).

A relatively high one is easier in, and much easier out, than something just about on the ground. In either case you'll have to get a leg over a frame tube, though there's a generally bit less mechanical geography to negotiate with a typical delta. A parking brake can be quite a useful extra if you'll be using the cycle as a support getting in/out.

Pete.

[Cyril Haearn]

There are plenty of other threads about "'bents" on here, must be thousands of posts

Apparently reselling is quite easy, prices are high and the market is small. But there are so many different types and bents are more complicated than ordinary bikes
I would try to hire or borrow different ones before buying

D-Tek HPV in England is a popular supplier apparently
I think I read something about a manufacturer in Australia too

You could spend a few happy hours googling these fora for more info

BTW we call a standard bike an UpWrong

[PDQ Mobile]

It's sort of been touched on already but just to spell it out clearly. The recumbent position can be very hard on the knees. This is on account of the back being solidly braced and large forces can be generated- potentially more than one's body weight delivers.
Knee problems are not a given - one must spin (or learn to spin), but I have had in the past more tenderness in the knees after long hilly recumbent distances, more so than on an upright. Partly extra weight I think.

It is probably all down to technique though.
All IMHO.

[Lodge]

My wife has a Kettwiesel and absolutely loves it. She did have a seriously arthritic knee but fortunately has now had it replaced. I'm still the fitter party and have an ICE Sprint. But there again I borrow her Kett when it snows as it has two wheel drive therefore better traction. Her Kett is definitely the more comfortable of the two thanks to its suspension and wide tyres.

As regards perceived danger my experience in over 12000 km on the two trikes is that I feel safer than on conventional upright bicycles. The weirdness or W.T.F factor plays a big role; motorists pass with much bigger gaps. And neither of us bother with flags. When I do use a DF bike it's rather more frightening how often there are close passes (defined as being able to touch the passing car). On the trikes vehicles will often go way over the centre line to the other side of the road.

And by the way I'm also in France. Motorists, at least in the Haut Rhin (and across the border in Germany and Switzerland) do seem, in general, to be quite considerate to cyclists.