Rhoades Car

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Has anyone ridden a Rhoades Car?

At close to 100 lbs they must be a bear to get up hills. On the other hand,
the idea of a side by side tandem is somewhat appealing. I would love to try
one. I'm sure they are not built for speed. There was one on ebay once that
was quite cheap ($450) but it would have cost me that much again to get it
shipped here.

I'd love to hear about these from anyone with actual experience.

Search for "The Soul Of A Pedicab Driver". IIRC it contained a wealth
of information about why said pedicab driver /didn't/ buy a Rhoades.

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
Like Kant, it is my wish to create my own individual epistemology. But I
also wish to find out what is for pudding.

Height and weight bug me, along with the lack of aerodynamics; so I
have not ridden one. The main thing to many people is speed, and I
have not been passed by a human powered quad yet; and I am NOT a speed
fan. I do have experience of passing surrey tourist quads and human
powered business quad.

Jeff Grippe said:

Has anyone ridden a Rhoades Car?
I'd love to hear about these from anyone with actual experience.

Jeff

I purchased a modified Rhoades Car 4 seater six months ago and have had absolutely nothing but problems with it. I've experienced everything from broken drive sprocket, broken tailgate, and wheels folding while carrying a load which was less then half of the rated capacity.

The drive train sprockets on a Rhoades Car are Chinese made and will not stand up to heavy use. The Rhoades Car aluminum cargo waggin' cannot handle any frame torsion as the plastic connectors will easily break. It should be noted that the Rhoades Car does not have any suspension which makes for a rough ride on uneven surfaces.

The position of the rear axle in the Rhoades Car is too far forward which causes steering problems with the vehicle; i.e., the Rhoades Car wants to continue in a straight path even though the front wheels are turned.

Replacing the front wheels on a Rhoades Car is quite easy - replacing the rear wheels on a Rhoades Car is a nightmare. The left-rear drive wheel on a Rhoades Car is nearly impossible to remove/replace especially if you opt for dual disc brakes.

If you need a Rhoades Car for more than a Sunday afternoon drive then my advice is to explore other options.

It is a shame really, as the pedaled quadricycle is really a great idea. Unfortunately, after paying nearly $8000, my experience has been that Rhoades Car only wants your money.
Here are a few of the specific problems with my Rhoades Car:

• Broken drive sprocket;
  
  
• Broken frame connector;
  
  
• Wheels folding under load;
  
  
• Axle bearing failure.
  
  

There have been many other smaller problems.

I haven't ridden my Rhoades Car in nearly a month as I'm still waiting for the rear axle bearing to be replaced.

I then hope to sell it before something else breaks.