Tricycle help

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
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andrewk
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Location: SW London

Tricycle help

Post by andrewk »

A friend who doesn't and won't cycle because she is adamant that she can't balance on a bike would like to accompany our small group on day rides. (Forget about attempting to teach her to ride a bike, she's one of those people who decides that she can't do something and that's the end of it). She has expressed an interest in getting a tricycle to this end. I have trawled the net trying to find a suitable trike without success. Can someone help please?

Basic requirements:
26" or 700c wheels
straight bars
good gear range, preferably an 8 or 11 gear hub
mudguards, rack and lights (preferably dyno hub)
budget about £1000
NOT Chinese!
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geomannie
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Re: Tricycle help

Post by geomannie »

Pashley?

http://www.pashley.co.uk/lists/tricycles.html

My disabled dad used to have one. The weirdest thing I have ever ridden. You physically have to steer.

Cheers

geomannie
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Tricycle help

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Question - Has she considered and dismissed recumbents?
'bent trikes are a great deal of fun ;)

If you are reasonably central I could offer a test ride of both an upright (although small wheeled) trike and a recumbent (tadpole) trike.
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
andrewk
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Re: Tricycle help

Post by andrewk »

Pashleys were one of the potentially viable options I had found. The Picador and Tri 1 models.

Question: The Picador has a 3 speed SA hub, how viable would it be to replace this with a 8 or 11 speed Nexus or Alfine hub?

In the case of the Tri 1 which has a 7 speed derailler, I guess it would be easy to fit a triple up front to extend the gear range.

I don't know her views re recumbents, I'll ask her. Ground clearance is important as we prefer cycle paths and trails to the road. Is this an issue with recumbents?

BTW we're in Wimbledon.
teh

Re: Tricycle help

Post by teh »

A few weeks ago, a friend showed up with a tricycle frame wanting to raid my garage for tools and parts. After building it up, neither of us could ride it. That's not quite true, he could achieve slow walking pace and I could go round in a circle in precisely the opposite direction to the way I wanted to go.

I think you have to be a very experienced and expert rider to handle an adult trike at speed or round corners.

How about taking your friend out on a tandem?
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andrew_s
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Re: Tricycle help

Post by andrew_s »

I'd recommend a recumbent trike if you can find one at the right price
eg http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/catri ... 1020507247

The pashley is designed for short around town trips, to the shops etc, and on a leisure ride with others there may be problems keeping up, or others getting fed up with regularly waiting.
The large wheel upright trike has always been a built to order item, and is consequently rare, and may be either expensive or need a lot of work doing. There is also the matter of stability on corners or road camber, with the rider having to lean well to the side to keep all the wheels on the road.
rjb
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Re: Tricycle help

Post by rjb »

teh wrote:A few weeks ago, a friend showed up with a tricycle frame wanting to raid my garage for tools and parts. After building it up, neither of us could ride it. That's not quite true, he could achieve slow walking pace and I could go round in a circle in precisely the opposite direction to the way I wanted to go.

I think you have to be a very experienced and expert rider to handle an adult trike at speed or round corners.

How about taking your friend out on a tandem?


+1 A friend of mrs rjb brought round a Ken Rogers trike conversion on a dawes drop bar bike for me to get back on the road again after being stored for several years. I have ridden a trike before so knew what to expect when I rode around to her house to deliver it. Despite this I lost it on a couple of occasions on the journey of only 1 mile. The combination of the road camber and the thought of falling off due to the lean had me sharp left into and up over the pavement on 2 occasions. :shock: It does take a while to "unlearn" the fact that you don't need to keep your balance and stop worrying about falling off. :oops:
At the last count:- Peugeot 531 pro, Dawes Discovery Tandem, Dawes Kingpin X3, Raleigh 20 stowaway, 1965 Moulton deluxe, Falcon K2 MTB dropped bar tourer, Rudge Bi frame folder, Longstaff trike conversion on a Giant XTC 840 :D
Elizabethsdad
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Re: Tricycle help

Post by Elizabethsdad »

I guess if your friend has never riden on two wheels she won't find an upright trike quite so awkward to adapt to - I have riden a couple of upright tandem trikes and they really took a bit of getting used to. A recumbent trike would be a much better choice I think. Perhaps check out KMX trikes, a lot of them will be in your friends price range and are intended for trail riding. They will all have deraileur though.
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Tricycle help

Post by [XAP]Bob »

For someone who doesn't ride a bike there is no unlearning, so that will be an improvement over most people's experiences here.

A trike is a different beast however, it doesn't lean, but you do have to steer and move your weight inside on the corner (else you'll potentially end up falling off the top of it)

Ground clearance on a 'bent isn't necessarily a problem, just don't go for a Vortex ;) The ICE Explorer or (I believe) the Kett (and it's little brother, the Lupus) all have decent clearance. If you know where there are "dangly bits" then you steer round obstacle (I put rocks etc. under my left foot as I go over them).
The KMX range is within budget, and they are basically "A cross between a BMX and a go cart", so should handle rough stuff. 2nd hand prices are always good to check out - DTek is the "place to go", although there is a London based 'bent retailer which does test rides around the park (can't recall who/where though)).

The "issue" with an upright trike on paths rough enough to be concerned about clearance is that they get tipped by uneven ground - to *me* that would feel disconcerting, and I really wouldn't want to be doing it at any speed, but I don't think you're aiming to break any records...


http://www.kmxkarts.co.uk/Recumbent-Tri ... Trike.aspx (£900).
I'd instantly want to add:
- cleats (or some other positive foot retention),
- and the mudguard set (£90), assuming you ever go out when the floor is damp of course,
Then, if required at a later date, get a hub gear (7 speed should be OK) laced into the rear for another £100-£150.

It's not the rolls royce, or ferrarri of the trike world, but it is rugged and should do the job well, as well as holding value (although 2nd hand always beats new on that count)



Found: http://www.londonrecumbents.com/
Dulwich and Battersea parks - neither are a million miles away!
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
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squeaker
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Re: Tricycle help

Post by squeaker »

andrew_s wrote:I'd recommend a recumbent trike if you can find one at the right price
eg http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/catri ... 1020507247


Er, not the ideal 'bent trike for any off-road (or speed bumps IIRC) :roll: Something like a Trice 'T' mostly works on Sustrans offerings IME.
"42"
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Tricycle help

Post by [XAP]Bob »

squeaker wrote:
andrew_s wrote:I'd recommend a recumbent trike if you can find one at the right price
eg http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/catri ... 1020507247


Er, not the ideal 'bent trike for any off-road (or speed bumps IIRC) :roll: Something like a Trice 'T' mostly works on Sustrans offerings IME.


It would do speed bumps - if only when taken straight on....
The "low point" is between the front wheels ;)
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
hercule
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Re: Tricycle help

Post by hercule »

Upright big wheel trikes aren't *that* difficult to ride with a bit of practice (well, I managed...) but off road they can be a bit of a handful, tossing you from side to side. In that respect a recumbent trike is far better. And actually much more common these days.

Nice lightweight trikes were always a bit of a niche market. I have both a Ken Rogers big wheeler and a Pashley Picador, the latter inherited, and I have to say it is an evil beast compared to the rather more predictable KR. Recumbents seem to be moving ever so so slightly mainstream, and indeed to read the US forums recumbent trikes are flying out of bike shops faster than they can make them.

I'd head over to Dulwich Park (as alluded to above) and try out what London Recumbents have to offer. They specialise in Hase trikes and both the Kettwiesel or Lepus would work well for your friend's needs. People do fret about being "so low down" but I've not met anyone who doesn't realise it's a non-issue after a couple of miles. Second hand you should get either a Kett or Lepus in good condition, one of the older steel models, and it will keep its price should you want to upgrade later. I bought my first Kett, rode it extensively for three years, and sold it to buy an newer model for exactly the same price I bought it.
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Re: Tricycle help

Post by Vorpal »

andrewk wrote:I don't know her views re recumbents, I'll ask her. Ground clearance is important as we prefer cycle paths and trails to the road. Is this an issue with recumbents?

BTW we're in Wimbledon.


Any trikes may be a problem with cycle paths and trails. Check your routes for barriers. :evil:
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Tricycle help

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Vorpal wrote:
andrewk wrote:I don't know her views re recumbents, I'll ask her. Ground clearance is important as we prefer cycle paths and trails to the road. Is this an issue with recumbents?

BTW we're in Wimbledon.


Any trikes may be a problem with cycle paths and trails. Check your routes for barriers. :evil:

Whilst that is true to an extent I can get round most barriers (although the stiles on one sustrans route locally were stupid for anything...
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
Vorpal
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Re: Tricycle help

Post by Vorpal »

A few routes in Essex have bicycle kissing gates. There's only room for a single standard bicycle and a person in them. Many have A-frame gates; some recumbents and uprights trikes fit through those, but not all. Some barriers are just a hassle, but some are obstructions.

The numbers and types of these tend to vary from one area or local authority to another. Some places are relatively free of obstructions. IMO, they are discriminatory, but I haven't yet convinced anyone who matters.
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
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