UK Tricycle Riding

drossall
Posts: 6115
Joined: 5 Jan 2007, 10:01pm
Location: North Hertfordshire

Re: UK Tricycle Riding

Post by drossall »

[XAP]Bob wrote:One theory is that motorists overtake the outside wheel of a vehicle, which is actually a foot inside your shoulder on a bike, but is outside your shoulder on a trike.

I subscribe to that theory. Driving a car trains you to see the vehicle, not the operator. Although it does seem as though the surge in cycling in the lockdown has brought more awareness that the vehicle in front could be ridden by your neighbour, relative or friend, and that the pedestrians around may need to step out to avoid each other.
Trikegirl
Posts: 18
Joined: 25 Apr 2020, 12:23pm

Re: UK Tricycle Riding

Post by Trikegirl »

I am very grateful for this info. There are bike paths all around me, it seems, but I would have to go on the road for about 50 metres to get to it so this makes me feel better.

I have been looking at trikes for days! I looked at the Pashley Picador and the Pashley Tri-1. I like both but thought the tri-1 might be better but it is out of stock! Mission have nice trikes, too. I looked at the Trilogy but it only goes up to a 24-inch wheel. In fact, many that I looked at have smaller wheels.

I phoned a local cycle shop and they suggested Jorvik. I called Jorvik and they suggested I get a folding bike. Is that wise, given I know nothing about bikes or trikes? They have apparently stopped making ones that don’t fold. Here is the foldable trike in a 26.

https://jorviktricycles.com/jorvik-aluminium-folding-tricycle

Would love some feedback.
hercule
Posts: 1156
Joined: 5 Feb 2011, 5:18pm

Re: UK Tricycle Riding

Post by hercule »

It sounds like Jorvik suggested a folding trike because they don’t make anything else!

Two things I’d consider for an upright trike are the width of the rear axle - as wider generally means less tippy -and height of the bottom bracket (where the pedals/cranks go) - lower means easier to get on, and weight generally a bit lower so stability improved. It doesn’t look like the height of the Jorvik trikes goes up with the increasing wheel size but it might be worth checking with them.

Another thing to consider is the number of gears, but that will depend on your local geography.

I wouldn’t get too hung up on the size of the wheels. I’ve done thousands of miles on bikes and trikes with 20” wheels and smaller and have never really thought it much of an issue. I’d even suggest that 20”, being stronger, are more suitable for the side loads trikes impose on the wheels.

I’ll admit a bias towards the Pashley. Two front brakes work better - the rear wheels of a trike are so lightly laden that a rear brake is pretty much useless. The Mission and Jorvik machines have front suspension forks, I can’t really imagine the circumstances that they’d add much to the machine apart from adding weight, especially if you’re keeping to roads and bike paths and similar. A Pashley dealer might have a Tri-1 in stock, might be worth phoning around. Pashley are a well known brand and resale will be easier if you ever come to sell it.
Cyril Haearn
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Joined: 30 Nov 2013, 11:26am

Re: UK Tricycle Riding

Post by Cyril Haearn »

A folding machine is heavier and more complicated, do you need it to be foldable?
Entertainer, juvenile, curmudgeon, PoB, 30120
Cycling-of course, but it is far better on a Gillott
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Trikegirl
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Joined: 25 Apr 2020, 12:23pm

Re: UK Tricycle Riding

Post by Trikegirl »

Not really. I will only be using it for recreation - meandering in my home village for a bit of exercise.
Trikegirl
Posts: 18
Joined: 25 Apr 2020, 12:23pm

Re: UK Tricycle Riding

Post by Trikegirl »

This is awful, but what is a front suspension fork?

In the USA, I rode on flat ground, except for a few very gentle hills. My Schwinn was fixed gear. I imagine that living in the Central Lowlands of Scotland and being in my 60s, I would need gears but not sure. It is quite flat where I live but I imagine there are a few gentle inclines in places on the cycling paths. I found my Schwinn easy to ride because it was fixed gear.

The Pashley Picador is 3 speed. https://www.pashley.co.uk/bikes/tricycles/picador.php

The Pashley Tri-1 is either fixed gear or 7 gear. https://www.pashley.co.uk/bikes/tricycles/tri-1-fixed-gear.php

Really like both of these but expensive!

Just checked Jorvik again and I see they DO have a non-folding tricycle BUT it is out of stock until the end of July. Maybe dealers have it, though. https://jorviktricycles.com/jorvik-aluminium-tricycle
Cyril Haearn
Posts: 15215
Joined: 30 Nov 2013, 11:26am

Re: UK Tricycle Riding

Post by Cyril Haearn »

A front suspension fork has springs like on a motorbike. Not necessary IMHO

Did your Schwinn really have a fixed gear, no freewheel? Some of us including me ride fixed, I can manage moderate hills up and down
Entertainer, juvenile, curmudgeon, PoB, 30120
Cycling-of course, but it is far better on a Gillott
We love safety cameras, we hate bullies
hercule
Posts: 1156
Joined: 5 Feb 2011, 5:18pm

Re: UK Tricycle Riding

Post by hercule »

It might be worth pointing out that fixed gear means there is no freewheel mechanism... if the trike moves, the pedals do too. If you speed up going down a gradient the pedals go faster! “Single speed” denotes a machine with a single gear and a freewheel. Apologies if you already knew this...

Fixed gear trikes can be used where someone has a motor disorder of their legs and needs to keep them moving all the time, they’re intended more for rehab than everyday use.

If you’re in the Central Belt then it might be worth checking with the likes of Bike for Good in Glasgow or the Bike Station in Edinburgh. People often buy trikes, discover that they are very difficult to handle if you’ve only ever been on two wheels, and they end up for sale again with minimal use. You could save a lot for a very good condition (and reconditioned) machine. My local bike recycling project (Bike Revolution in Lossiemouth) had two Pashley Picadors in last time I visited. Often these machines aren’t advertised on the projects’ webpages because they are so niche.
Trikegirl
Posts: 18
Joined: 25 Apr 2020, 12:23pm

Re: UK Tricycle Riding

Post by Trikegirl »

From Schwinn’s website there is this statement about the Meridian - “ Its single-speed drivetrain, front linear pull brake, and rear drum brake make it simple to use”.

I am confused about fixed gear, free wheel and single speed. I thought they were the same thing, so I have to be sure I know what I am buying.
tatanab
Posts: 5033
Joined: 8 Feb 2007, 12:37pm

Re: UK Tricycle Riding

Post by tatanab »

Trikegirl wrote:I am confused about fixed gear, free wheel and single speed. I thought they were the same thing, so I have to be sure I know what I am buying.

Fixed gear usually means a single gear and you cannot coast.
Freewheel means any number of gears and you can coast.
Single speed means a single gear and you can coast.
drossall
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Joined: 5 Jan 2007, 10:01pm
Location: North Hertfordshire

Re: UK Tricycle Riding

Post by drossall »

tatanab is right about common parlance, although marketing literature might be a little more precise. Essentially, what's not said is significant.

Single speed means just that - there is only one gear, which could strictly be either fixed or freewheel. We used to talk, for example, about a "10-speed" racing bike, which literally had 10 gears available in total (using a freewheel). But if a bike is said to be single-speed and no fixed wheel is mentioned, a single-speed freewheel is being assumed.

Fixed wheels were universal before freewheel mechanisms were invented. Essentially, the sprocket (round which the chain runs) is just a piece of metal bolted to the wheel hub. So, when the wheel turns, so does the chain and therefore the pedals and, as tatanab says, you can't stop pedalling as long as the bike is moving. With some very, very rare exceptions, fixed wheel bikes are single-speed - it's tricky to make mechanisms to change gear and (almost) no-one does. Fixed is comparatively rare now, but some of us like it and still ride it (and couriers in cities also have something of a cult around it).

If you mention a freewheel, in the absence of any other information, and don't say that it's single-speed, you probably mean a multiple-sprocket freewheel that screws onto the wheel, which is how sports/racing and many touring bikes were done until the late 20th Century. Just to complicate it, there are now freehubs; in essence, that's the same as a freewheel, but the actual freewheel mechanism is part of the hub and, as a general statement, is a stronger way of building things and far more common now.

Marketing literature is always likely to mention how many gears/speeds there are. If it's more than one, there's no chance of a fixed wheel. If it mentions a freehub as distinct from a freewheel, there are definitely multiple gears, and the manufacturer has probably used slightly better parts, but it's not a show-stopper. If it only talks about a freewheel and gives no evidence of multiple gears, there may be only one. But when cyclists talk about freewheels in isolation, we normally mean ones with multiple sprockets (gears).

tatanab's version was simpler.
Trikegirl
Posts: 18
Joined: 25 Apr 2020, 12:23pm

Re: UK Tricycle Riding

Post by Trikegirl »

Okay, I think I will go with Pashley. They get good reviews and I like the look of their bikes.

Again, I will most likely only use it for local meandering on cycle paths and a little on road cycling (not too busy street) to get to the bike paths.

They have two models, the traditional 3-speed Pashley Picador and also a non-folding, 7-speed Pashley Tri-1. Would either one do?
tatanab
Posts: 5033
Joined: 8 Feb 2007, 12:37pm

Re: UK Tricycle Riding

Post by tatanab »

Either would do. I find the Tri-1 more pleasing to the eye, but you might prefer the basket on the Picador. It might just come down to what is available.
Trikegirl
Posts: 18
Joined: 25 Apr 2020, 12:23pm

Re: UK Tricycle Riding

Post by Trikegirl »

I think the wire basket would be useful. It looks better without it, I know. The Tri-1 is shown without it but it shows a platform ready fir the wire basket to be added.

The Tr-1 is supposed to have updated technology but I can’t see much difference, other than it is 7-speed while the Picador is 3-speed. Not sure which is better.
tatanab
Posts: 5033
Joined: 8 Feb 2007, 12:37pm

Re: UK Tricycle Riding

Post by tatanab »

For what I think your usage might be, neither is "better" in any quantifiable way. The 3 speed hub gear will be maintenance free for many decades, while the 7 speed might like a bit of maintenance in a few years. The usual market place for either of these machines is made up of people who do absolutely nothing and they still keep going.
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