Practicalities of living with a trike

[Marc]

So there's another potential issue regarding the practicalities of a trike - tram tracks. They are becoming more common these days as UK cities re-install them. Yes, one does have to be very aware especially if your trike is wearing narrower tyres (e.g. my ICE Sprint). Those with wider touring or balloon tyres should be fine (wife's Hase Kettwiesel).

Good point! One of the reasons I first mounted 55mm wide tires on my commuter Sprint and later even switched to 24" front wheels with 55-507 tires, where the six train tracks and two flap bridges I had to cross on my commute.

They are also one of the main reasons I choose to mount the widest tires possible (40mm) in my velomobile.

But them tram tracks are an issue for two wheelers as well. Easier to avoid with one track vehicle versus three. One third the risk of dropping in but greater injury hazard by falling off.

Especially when its wet and the train tracks cross the street at an angle, I'll rather take the trike, than any two wheeler. With a trike its just inconvenient to cross train tracks, but with a two wheeler it can be really dangerous.

[UpWrong]

I've always liked the idea of a 'bent trike,but everytime I've considered one I've come out of it realising it's not a practical vehicle.
My reasons against are :-
1) Potholes on small roads that I could struggle avioding compared to a two wheeler that I simply flick around.
2)Camber,on heavily cambered roads and lanes I'd be constantly leaning to the right and steering out of the gutter.
3)Traffic jams that I can slip down the outside of on a two wheeler are far more difficult on a trike and I'd end up sitting behind someone's exhaust pipe at low level.
4) Storage is more difficult,not insurmountable but it's much easier to store a two wheeler.
5) Most cyclepaths in my neck of the woods have anti motorcycle gates that are difficult enough with a two wheeler that would be nigh on impossible on a trike.
6)Generally more limited use than a two wheeler
7)sloowwww climbing.

Briefly, my perspective:
1) Passive suspension, mesh seats and wide tyres are pretty effective. There's also the suspension option ...
2) Really, really not a problem on most recumbent trikes with seat around 12" height or less. I can't say for taller trikes.
3) Filtering is an issue. Getting too close to the car in front is not a good idea anyway.
4) True but they don't need to lean against a wall. I prefer the more compact 3x20 configuration.
5) Not a problem here. Access to the new shared paths that have proliferated haven't caused me problems.
6) In terms of route choice, yes I prefer to aviod roads with higher speeds
7) yes but easier

I should add that for me they are significantly slower, so not good for social rides with friends. Might be worth watching this though:
[youtube]NAzAlh0FCtM[/youtube]

[hercule]

Thanks for the video. His experiences are pretty much the same as mine, I didn’t expect to find the VTX not only much faster than my QNT, but faster (and less scary in the corners!) than my Fuego.

[Marc]

I should add that for me they are significantly slower, so not good for social rides with friends. Might be worth watching this though:
[youtube]NAzAlh0FCtM[/youtube]

The combination of the pretty nice hard shell seat at a low decline with the VTX (or the older Vortex) adds significantly to the amount of power you can put on the pedals and results in better aero position of the rider. I'm also noticeably slower with the more upright mesh seat on my Sprint 26 (its more comfortable on rough roads, or high temperatures, but the mesh seat robs a bit of power). While you can put the same hard shell seat on the Sprint, you are not able to set it at the same low angle as the VTX, since the Sprint cruciform is 8cm shorter than the VTX cruciform.

[reohn2]

I've always liked the idea of a 'bent trike,but everytime I've considered one I've come out of it realising it's not a practical vehicle.
My reasons against are :-
1) Potholes on small roads that I could struggle avioding compared to a two wheeler that I simply flick around.
2)Camber,on heavily cambered roads and lanes I'd be constantly leaning to the right and steering out of the gutter.
3)Traffic jams that I can slip down the outside of on a two wheeler are far more difficult on a trike and I'd end up sitting behind someone's exhaust pipe at low level.
4) Storage is more difficult,not insurmountable but it's much easier to store a two wheeler.
5) Most cyclepaths in my neck of the woods have anti motorcycle gates that are difficult enough with a two wheeler that would be nigh on impossible on a trike.
6)Generally more limited use than a two wheeler
7)sloowwww climbing.

Briefly, my perspective:
1) Passive suspension, mesh seats and wide tyres are pretty effective. There's also the suspension option ...
2) Really, really not a problem on most recumbent trikes with seat around 12" height or less. I can't say for taller trikes.
3) Filtering is an issue. Getting too close to the car in front is not a good idea anyway.
4) True but they don't need to lean against a wall. I prefer the more compact 3x20 configuration.
5) Not a problem here. Access to the new shared paths that have proliferated haven't caused me problems.
6) In terms of route choice, yes I prefer to aviod roads with higher speeds
7) yes but easier

I should add that for me they are significantly slower, so not good for social rides with friends. Might be worth watching this though:
[youtube]NAzAlh0FCtM[/youtube]

1)Suspension adds weight to an allready pretty lardy machine
2)I'll take the point about camber not being a problem.
3) you don't need to be too close to the car in front to get the fumes from it's tailpipe as you're sat low enough to get more of it than filtering down the outside of a line of traffic and able to see over most vehicles on a DF bike
4)I can fit three two wheelers in the same or less space than one trike.
5 and 6 would be a huge problem for me.A further problem for me would be any kind of off road riding on unsurfaced tracks and trails,though I agree that's not a problem for most people.
7)I disagree about climbing,at 67+ and not as fit as I once was I can climb 15%+ inclines on a 20inch gear on two wheels without a problem.

[belgiangoth]

I see a lot of pictures of trikes with rear but not front mudguards. Is it because a rear mudguard is about £20 and front are £150, or is it that the rear is essential as it protects your head whereas the front ones protect your hands only?

[UpWrong]

I see a lot of pictures of trikes with rear but not front mudguards. Is it because a rear mudguard is about £20 and front are £150, or is it that the rear is essential as it protects your head whereas the front ones protect your hands only?

Both. I don't find front guards to be essential. Also I am convinced they operate as air brakes.

[Tigerbiten]

It's a bit on cost and a bit on aerodynamics.
The rear mudguard is tucked behind the seat so doesn't alter the aerodynamics.
The fronts are out in the air flow so to maximize speed they are left off.

On a tadpole trike it's not only the water thrown backwards off the front wheels you have to watch out for.
Above around 15 mph if you hit a puddle then the sideways spray off the front wheel starts to hit the back of your legs near the seat.
The faster you go and/or the deeper the puddle then the higher up the spray reaches.
Misjudge the depth of a puddle at around 30 mph and it can even hit neck height. Been there, done that, got the wet T-shirt ........

Luck ...........

[belgiangoth]

At their cost you would think that a more wrap-around (as in forward) mudguard would exist that would be a static object the size of your wheel and therefore less of an aero penalty.

I had read that front mudguards on a tadpole still allow quite a bit of sideways spray.

[UpWrong]

i believe the HPV front mudguards for their trikes are particularly good.

[Tigerbiten]

I had read that front mudguards on a tadpole still allow quite a bit of sideways spray.

I get wet one of three ways .....
1:- Sideways spray up off the road when you hit a puddle.
2:- Spray thrown back off the wheel. Without mudguards you can get a face full when you lean into a corner. A good mudflap on the bottom of the mudguard stops most of this.
3:- Water dripping off the front inside corner of the mudguard. A low speed this drips down onto the disk rotor if fitted. At high speed this is blown back onto your hand.
Putting a fairing on may only keep you dry from roughly your ankle to your knee. Everywhere else WILL get wet.

Luck .............

[belgiangoth]

i believe the HPV front mudguards for their trikes are particularly good.

Thing is, these will still act as sails since they run from 8-1 O'clock. If they ran from 8-4 they would catch a lot less air.

[[XAP]Bob]

I had read that front mudguards on a tadpole still allow quite a bit of sideways spray.

I get wet one of three ways .....
1:- Sideways spray up off the road when you hit a puddle.
2:- Spray thrown back off the wheel. Without mudguards you can get a face full when you lean into a corner. A good mudflap on the bottom of the mudguard stops most of this.
3:- Water dripping off the front inside corner of the mudguard. A low speed this drips down onto the disk rotor if fitted. At high speed this is blown back onto your hand.
Putting a fairing on may only keep you dry from roughly your ankle to your knee. Everywhere else WILL get wet.

Luck .............

I sometimes wonder about a fairing with an inside “splitter” as seen on high performance cars - that should catch most of the inwards directed spray.

[Tigerbiten]

I sometimes wonder about a fairing with an inside “splitter” as seen on high performance cars - that should catch most of the inwards directed spray.

The way I've seen it done was to build a splash tray.
Start with a sheet of Coroplast, rigid longitudinal and flexible laterally.
It fits from the cross frame to under the seat.
Then use the handle bars to hold the edges up in a U shape, this is why it needs to flex laterally as it gets narrower as you turn the handlebars.
This will stop a lot of the spray from below.
Then use my steamer fairing as the front support for a body sock to fit outside my handlebars.
This would stop a lot of water from above.
But everything would rub/catch on my cables/hydraulics, so never tried it.

Luck ...........

[drossall]

I see a lot of pictures of trikes with rear but not front mudguards. Is it because a rear mudguard is about £20 and front are £150, or is it that the rear is essential as it protects your head whereas the front ones protect your hands only?

Rather depends on the trike

On upwrongs, front but no rear is common, because the front wheel sprays the rider, the rears don't, and it's harder (but not impossible) to fit rear guards.