Frank Krygowski said:Perhaps the [tadpole trike] hanging in my garage isn't
well designed... but the original owner rode it on only
a few occasions before giving it up for his normal bike.
The next owner took only a couple test rides... The guy
he gave it to passed it on to me. My wife, a couple
friends, and I each took our turns at test rides. For all
of us, it failed the test.
I was reminded of a similar incident about 25 years ago,
when someone I knew bent the stays on a Schwinn Varsity to
allow mounting of a BMX cruiser tire, then added a cheap
cruiser fork, wider rims and KMart tires. In short order,
he noted that compared to his road bike the whole concept
of mountain bikes (MTBs) was a hopelessly flawed design,
a dead end side trip in cycle development, a short-lived
passing fad. The rest is history...
The moral of this short tale may be something like: you
get what you pay for, or quality of design and construction
are fairly critical elements for any type of cycle.
Quoted message said:The low-racer configuration [of a tadpole trike?] seems
good only for "toy" use... you can't do a U-turn on a 20'
road and getting in and out of the trike is an extreme
yoga exercise... its low visibility seems risky for the
roads, and the extra width makes it inconvenient on MUPs
[mysterious unexplained phenonema? Mission to Unreached
Peoples? Multiple-Use Paths?] And of course, you'd better
have a pickup truck to take it anywhere. It's interesting
as a design exercise. But that's its only virtue, from
what I can tell. So I suppose the whole crew of us are
lost causes!
Most modern trikes will U-turn within a width of 15' or
less. Mounting and dismounting aren't real challenging
for anyone who has mastered a patio or poolside lounge.
Low visibility is only a valid concern for cross traffic
when surrounded by high profile auto traffic; most autos
overtaking a trike on narrow roads allow a much wider
clearance than they would for bicycles. Extra width is
only an issue for ground tracks - e.g., where a single-
track bike might skim the pavement edge, allowing it to
move an extra foot or so out of the path of an overtaking
vehicle than a typical trike. Two tadpoles travel quite
nicely inside a modern minivan or station wagon, sitting
simply and politely on their wheels, rather than being
piled in on their sides with pedals and chains ruining
carpets, or bars, levers and cables tangling during
loading and unloading. Trikes ride nicely on their own
wheels on top of autos with standard roof racks, or on
special purpose hitch mounted racks.
Among the virtues of a tadpole trike I'd list: optimal
low-speed stability, outstanding comfort, incomparable
braking performance, hill climbing capability for less
athletic riders, lack of susceptibility to headwinds,
and its amazing adaptability for carrying heavy loads
or pulling a trailer. It is almost surely the best
choice for a serious cyclist looking for relief from
back, neck, wrist or 'seat' discomfort, or for those
folks struggling with balance issues. Clicking out of
pedals when stopping on a trike is a casual non-traumatic
event, requiring no sense of timing or coordination. You
can park one anywhere you can ride it, with nothing to
lean on and no klugey kickstands.
However, the outstanding virtue of a tadpole, based on
feedback I've heard from the few hundred folks I've seen
try them, whether they bought one or not, is: sheer,
simple FUN! Basically, I guess I'd have to agree that
anyone who has ridden a quality, modern tadpole but
doesn't get that is - well, pretty much a lost cause.
Tadpoles are obviously and clearly not the ideal choice
for every cyclist. Road bikes are likely to be the
vehicle of choice for folks who like to ride very fast
in tight groups, or to whom sheer speed is the primary
criterion for a ride. MTBs work much better for rough dirt
trails. Probably most importantly, this year at least
still, moderate quality road and mountain bikes are much
less expensive than roughly equivalent tadpole trikes.
Finally... as Tom noted:
Quoted message said:Almost all recumbent riders started out on uprights. The
reverse case would be rare indeed.
At times I sometimes idly speculate on this interesting
what-if: If things had evolved so that most four-year-olds
graduated directly to modern adult recumbent sports
touring tadpoles rather than two-wheelers, what would be
the typical reaction of someone initially introduced to a
contemporary road bike design when he was forty years old?
Would most enjoy - maybe even survive - their first panic
experience with hard braking?
Regards,
Wayne Leggett
3-2-GO
The Trike Store
Ventura CA