Trikes

[Mike Fox]

I'm interested in getting getting a trike and am amazed at the number
of brands out there, the variety of features, and the price ranges.

I'm a 70 year old biker (been at it for 15 years for recreation) who
recently had a bad crash, and that's why I'm interested in getting a
little closer to the ground.

I'm interested in safety, comfort and reliability. Reliability means
good components, good design, engineering, manufacturing and
materials. Safety requires good and predictable handling and braking.
Comfort needs shock absorbing seating.

Our club has 3 Greenspeeds and I've ridden one and like it. It's
quite pricey though. Also, I was surprised at how harsh the ride was
on a rough road since it looks so comfortable.

How do I figure what to get? It's not like I can go to any bike store
and try out 3 different brands.

Thanks for any help--

Mike

 

[Jon]

"Mike Fox" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> [trike]
> How do I figure what to get?

Research and ride, then ride some more! %^)

> It's not like I can go to any bike store
> and try out 3 different brands.

Depends on the bike store....

http://www.hostelshoppe.com/cgi-bin/search.pl?category=106000

How far are you from Stevens Point, WI? %^)

Bike shops in my area (DFW) don't have Hostel Shoppe's selection,
but they do have several different brands and models or trikes to test
ride. If you cannot find what you want locally, you'll have to weigh
the trade offs of buying something based on specs without riding it
verses the cost of travelling to try it out. You may decide it's worth
the trip to a bike shop with a selection of trike's you are interested in...

Jon

 

[Grolsch]

Try this site : http://www.bentrideronline.com/ lots of reviews on trikes
I have a Catrike Road and really like the quality and comfort, and only
31lbs. http://www.catrike.com/road.htm
I put 2" Schwalbe "Big Apples" tires on it to smooth out the roughness some.
There are suspended models available but at a weight, performance and cost
penalty.

Grolsch



"Mike Fox" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm interested in getting getting a trike and am amazed at the number
> of brands out there, the variety of features, and the price ranges.
>
> I'm a 70 year old biker (been at it for 15 years for recreation) who
> recently had a bad crash, and that's why I'm interested in getting a
> little closer to the ground.
>
> I'm interested in safety, comfort and reliability. Reliability means
> good components, good design, engineering, manufacturing and
> materials. Safety requires good and predictable handling and braking.
> Comfort needs shock absorbing seating.
>
> Our club has 3 Greenspeeds and I've ridden one and like it. It's
> quite pricey though. Also, I was surprised at how harsh the ride was
> on a rough road since it looks so comfortable.
>
> How do I figure what to get? It's not like I can go to any bike store
> and try out 3 different brands.
>
> Thanks for any help--
>
> Mike

 

[Peter Clinch]

Grolsch wrote:

> There are suspended models available but at a weight, performance and cost
> penalty.

Suspension reduces performance from weight, but increases it from
efficiency over rough surfaces (rather than moving the wheel, frame
and rider over up over an obstacle, all stealing energy, you only
need to move the wheel (and attached unsprung frame), so whether or
not performance will go up or down depends on what you're riding
over. Which is why track race bikes are all unsuspended and almost
all off-road race bikes are suspended. Rough roads are somewhere
between, and usefullness of suspension goes up with rougher
surfaces and more luggage.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Johnny Sunset aka Tom Sherman]

On Jun 27, 12:03 pm, Mike Fox wrote:
> I'm interested in getting getting a trike and am amazed at the number
> of brands out there, the variety of features, and the price ranges.
>
> I'm a 70 year old biker (been at it for 15 years for recreation) who
> recently had a bad crash, and that's why I'm interested in getting a
> little closer to the ground.
>
> I'm interested in safety, comfort and reliability. Reliability means
> good components, good design, engineering, manufacturing and
> materials. Safety requires good and predictable handling and braking.
> Comfort needs shock absorbing seating.
>
> Our club has 3 Greenspeeds and I've ridden one and like it. It's
> quite pricey though. Also, I was surprised at how harsh the ride was
> on a rough road since it looks so comfortable.

With three wheel tracks, it is almost impossible to avoid potholes,
particularly with the rear wheel on a tadpole (2 wheels in front, one
in back). Suspended trikes are very comfortable, assuming the shock/
spring settings match the rider's weight reasonably well.

> How do I figure what to get? It's not like I can go to any bike store
> and try out 3 different brands.

If you can afford them, you would not go wrong with either a Trice
(Inspired Cycle Engineering) or a Greenspeed trike, but neither will
be inexpensive with suspension.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful