Date: Sun, 14 Sep 1997 20:44:40 +1100
From: Ian Sims
Subject: [trikes] BIKE or TRIKE???? (long)
Hal Davis wrote: (private message)
> Also, I'd like a compare and contrast of 'bent bikes vs. trikes. I've read
> a few of the trikes digests, but can't find a real dissertation on them in
> any FAQ.
BIKE or TRIKE??
One of the most interesting questions I get asked is "Should I buy a
trike or a bike?" Many people coming to recumbents from riding
upright bikes automatically think about a recumbent BIKE, and find
riding a trike "strange". I started off building short wheel base
(SWB) recumbent bikes, but was not really happy with them, as they
seemed to require a little more concentration to balance than an
upright, and I worried about hitting something on the road and
falling off. Then a cycle shop owner showed me a road test of a UK
recumbent TRIKE in a UK magazine. This looked me like a good
idea, and having built 150mph road race side-cars, I was sure I could
do a bit better.
When I got my 1st trike on the road, I found it was a delight to be
able to just concentrate on pedalling and not have to worry about
keeping the thing upright! At 1st I just rode on bike paths, but
eventually found them too limiting, and ventured onto the roads.
Here I found an extra bonus! Whereas before the cars had cut me
fairly close as I wobbled along on the SWB, now that I could ride as
straight as an arrow, they gave me much more room! And the big
trucks were the best, always waiting for a full, clear, lane before
overtaking - at last I felt safe cycling on the roads!
However as bikes seemed more popular OS than trikes, I expected to
sell more bikes than trikes, when I started selling Greenspeeds in
1991. So I offered the SWB 1st to people who visited my shop to buy
a recumbent. I found that many people were most impressed with
the SWB, but usually once they got a ride on the trike, they forgot
about the SWB. Thus we have ended up building and selling about
TEN TIMES as many trikes as bikes, and now people coming here are
often surprised to find there are two wheeled recumbents as well as
three wheeled recumbents!
So why are the trikes so popular? What advantages do they have?
For me it's mainly the stability. For some it's the FUN - like riding a
GO-KART with pedals - no need to bank the machine over like a bike
- -just move the handle bars and you get an instant change of
direction! No more worries about coming down riding over a
dropped water bottle, or shoulder on the road - touch one wheel
against a kerb and it rides up effortlessly. Want to go touring? No
worries - load it up and it's still quite easy to ride. Have a balance
problem and can't ride to two wheeler? - just get on a trike and ride
straight off. And those traffic lights - no need to unclip, attempt a
track stand, or find something to lean against - your are as steady as
a rock, comfortable, all clipped in, and ready to GO with both feet!
And when you get to the end of your trip, or just want a rest, no
need to get off the machine - you have a stable chair for a rest or
meal.
Like to STOP quickly? Well with a Greenspeed trike you get TWO
front brakes, and you will find you can stop as quick as a car. Need
MORE speed? A trike allows you to use a fairing without worrying
about being blown over in a wind.
OTOH, **all things being equal**, the bike will be faster due to lower
weight and less aero drag, cost less, be easier to store and transport,
and for some, give that extra feeling of freedom, as it banks for one
side to another.
Some people worry that a trike is so low you will be run over by the
1st truck which comes along. As far as I am concerned, low is safe -
it means I am LESS likely to go under a truck because the lower the
trike, the less likely it is to turn over and dump me on the road,
where I could get run over. I believe I am also FAR safer than on a
bike, where all you need is a patch of oil or sand/gravel to bring you
down and under someone's wheels. I feel MUCH safer on my trike in
peak hour traffic than I do on a bike, where IMHO the height merely
gives an illusion of safety.
Some say the trikes don't win races. At last year's national HPV
Challenge in Canberra, Greenspeed trikes came 1st and 2nd overall
(GS SWB 3rd) - you can go a bit faster when you are confident of not
going down :-)
The only time I ride a SWB now is for demos and road testing - we've
just built a new SWB prototype with a lower seat, and are still
searching for a design that's as easy to ride as a trike - an impossible
dream???
Regards, Ian.
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