Quadracycles?

[Grandad]

They are still in business,

Or perhaps not - just noticed that their very extensive Price List is dated 2007

[pwu]

The Chuckle Brothers had a 4 wheel bike

[hercule]

Utah Trikes in the US (yes, a bit far away from the UK) do conversions of recumbent trikes. The Greenspeed Anura delta style recumbent is also available as a quad - Westcountry Recumbents in the UK are Greenspeed importers.

One of the potential issues is that unlike the stable tripod form of a trike, a quad is going to need some form of suspension or at least articulation to keep all the wheels on the ground on anything less than a completely smooth surface (think of a wobbly table caused by an uneven floor), which means that aftermarket bolt on solutions might not work too well.

A Newton style front axle appeared on eBay a few years ago, I briefly fantasied about adding it to my Ken Rogers trike but sanity intervened in time!

https://www.utahtrikes.com/SEARCH-0:999 ... uad.search

http://www.greenspeed.com.au/Anura.Quad.html

http://www.wrhpv.com/

[[XAP]Bob]

I don't know if they are still in business, but there was a company called Roman Road, who did a tricycle conversion for bicycles. The difference was that it was a front-wheel conversion (Newton conversion). They converted solo and tandems




I vaguely remember a conversion of a tricycle using this method to a Quad

Presumably Roman Road because they were generally straight. I wouldn’t fancy cornering that at speed.

Why not? Inherently more stable configuration than a conventional trike.

[nez]

I wouldn’t want to corner one of those at speed either. The low slung tadpole type look very stable, but the big wheel trike look like they might be a bit tippy for my low level of trike skill. But what would I know? I’ve just worked out I haven’t ridden a trike since 1956, when my parents bought me a red scooter. Metto or some such engraved on the footplate. Does anyone remember them?

[tatanab]

Why not? Inherently more stable configuration than a conventional trike.

Afraid not. Ask anybody who has owned an upright in that configuration and you will find 99% will tell you they are frightening at speed and cornering is more difficult than on a delta. Reasons being - this config works well with low centre of gravity and comparatively wide vehicles like cars, but not with comparatively narrow ones with high centres of gravity. The usual method of cornering, hang off the side and move the weight down and back, will put your c of g outside the very narrow triangle of stabilities. On a delta of course this triangle is wider at the rear which is why it works. When I had one I tried throwing the weight forward instead of back, but that is a very difficult thing to do. The pros and cons have been discussed many times in the last 150 years, but for sporting/clubman type riding the delta has always come out as the preferred type. For utility purposes and utility speeds it is fine because no athletics are involved. I have 50 years of trike experience, but only had a tadpole configuration for about 7 years, the current owner calls it "the pig".

Roman Road cycles has not been in business a couple of years. The owner moved to be closer to family and had no room for the business, and he has since died.

[Cyril Haearn]

I wouldn’t want to corner one of those at speed either. The low slung tadpole type look very stable, but the big wheel trike look like they might be a bit tippy for my low level of trike skill. But what would I know? I’ve just worked out I haven’t ridden a trike since 1956, when my parents bought me a red scooter. Metto or some such engraved on the footplate. Does anyone remember them?

I remember a blue one with direct drive to the front wheel, fixed of course

[freiston]

My last experience of four-wheeled cycles was about the same time as when my avatar photo was taken.

Bigger version:

[nez]

I wouldn’t want to corner one of those at speed either. The low slung tadpole type look very stable, but the big wheel trike look like they might be a bit tippy for my low level of trike skill. But what would I know? I’ve just worked out I haven’t ridden a trike since 1956, when my parents bought me a red scooter. Metto or some such engraved on the footplate. Does anyone remember them?

I remember a blue one with direct drive to the front wheel, fixed of course

I expect you mean the trike. With a proper lid for the ‘boot’. Lovely