Author Topic: Tricycle for Adults?  (Read 6720 times)

badassprof

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Tricycle for Adults?
« on: April 24, 2013, 02:40:09 PM »
I wondered if anyone has had any experience with three wheel bikes.  I'd like to bike more, but I get really nervous about my balance (accident in my 20s that makes my balance somewhat poor). Traffic really exacerbates that unease. Any disadvantages to these that I should consider before purchasing one? Thanks in advance.

fnord

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Re: Tricycle for Adults?
« Reply #1 on: April 24, 2013, 03:51:21 PM »
My family has two. They are pretty simple devices. What would you like to know?

CNM

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Re: Tricycle for Adults?
« Reply #2 on: April 24, 2013, 04:43:57 PM »
I don't have experience with them personally, but I have seen a couple of people around town with three wheeled bikes.  One looked like it was custom-made so a large dog could sit in it.  So, I know they're out there. 

Vilx-

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Re: Tricycle for Adults?
« Reply #3 on: April 24, 2013, 10:45:10 PM »
Have you seen "balance bikes" for kids? You could easily make one for yourself - just remove the pedals from a regular bike. It's (nearly) impossible to fall off from it and it might even improve your balance over time!. :)
« Last Edit: April 24, 2013, 10:46:44 PM by Vilx- »

superheropunk

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Re: Tricycle for Adults?
« Reply #4 on: April 25, 2013, 09:45:40 AM »
There are trikes and such as well. Just do a search on google....

The issue is where to ride them... The bikes take up more room on the road and some are really low to the ground making it difficult for cars to see them.

I gave up cycling mainly due to back issues and was going to get a recumbent but still havn't due to the high volume of cars driving that are impatient and don't always want to "share" the road....


TrumanGrad

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Re: Tricycle for Adults?
« Reply #5 on: March 28, 2015, 07:23:05 PM »
I know this is an old thread...

I am new to the forum and DH and I are both reading our way through MMM and are really excited and intrigued by the ideas of FIRE and reducing our consumption.

Anyway,  I have never been good at riding a bike (for several reasons) and have started to research adult tricycles because I would like to start using a bike to get places (and we have an excellent walking/bike path where we live so I can ride or walk to many stores - three grocery stores, Target, etc. - via the path without any major car traffic).

Do any other forum members have experience using an adult trike to run errands?

If so, is there a model or brand that you would specifically recommend?

Retired To Win

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Re: Tricycle for Adults?
« Reply #6 on: March 28, 2015, 09:33:54 PM »
I thought this thread was about MOTORCYCLE trikes.  That is one toy I come close to wanting to throw a bunch of my discretionary money at.  Maybe I should start a thread on that topic. (??)

Zikoris

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Re: Tricycle for Adults?
« Reply #7 on: March 28, 2015, 10:59:40 PM »
My boyfriend is a big fan of them, and has ridden a couple different types. We'd almost certainly get one if circumstances were different - we live in an apartment building and the bike room requires carrying your bike up stairs, through three doors, and around a corner, which would just be either extremely difficult or impossible with a trike due to the size and shape of them.

They would be fantastic for grocery shopping though - you'd have unbelievable carrying capacity with some of the baskets those things have that go between the back tires.

Melody

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Re: Tricycle for Adults?
« Reply #8 on: March 29, 2015, 05:05:43 PM »
Trikes are heavy. The one my friend had didn't have gears so with he high weight and lack of gears even the smallest hill was a challenge... Luckily we live somewhere flat. Also his was from a thrift store, so you might be able to get a lighter one these days, but I imagine it would still be heavy compared to a normal bike. His trike was the same height as a normal bike, and given the width cars had to go around him on the road, so to my mind it seemed safer than a normal bike.

I'm a red panda

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Re: Tricycle for Adults?
« Reply #9 on: March 30, 2015, 07:40:14 AM »
Have you seen "balance bikes" for kids? You could easily make one for yourself - just remove the pedals from a regular bike. It's (nearly) impossible to fall off from it and it might even improve your balance over time!. :)

Balance bikes are terrifying if you don't have a very flat surface.  No brakes! 
The poster also says they are nervous about traffic- which makes it sound like they are wanting a bike commute. A balance bike wouldn't be very efficient for this.

MrsPete

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Re: Tricycle for Adults?
« Reply #10 on: March 30, 2015, 07:51:14 AM »
I've seen a couple of these around.  Somehow I have the idea that they'd be slower and more cumbersome than a traditional bike.  Is it realistic to plan to pull this larger bike up to a bike rack and lock it in?  I ask because I wouldn't want to leave it unattended while I went into the store or a library.

2ndTimer

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Re: Tricycle for Adults?
« Reply #11 on: March 30, 2015, 08:42:18 AM »
I have spent some time looking into this, by which I mean whenever I saw a three or four wheeled bike on the trail I would chase down the rider and ask questions.  Based on my talks and the kind people who let me try the bikes I plan to go with a four wheeled recumbent.  They are expensive but a good one feels like a bike when you pedal.

jengod

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Re: Tricycle for Adults?
« Reply #12 on: March 30, 2015, 09:51:40 PM »
Oh, thank you for this thread! I just realized I've been mentally looking for a "granny trike." I want to start biking to more errands (library and new grocery store are in perfect biking distance/route), but I was concerned about storage. I'm the kind of gal who treats her car like a giant purse, and I wasn't excited to spend a lot modifying a regular cruiser with tons of rickety, rust-prone baskets.

Granny trike seems like a more-affordable cargo bike option.

Gimesalot

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Re: Tricycle for Adults?
« Reply #13 on: March 31, 2015, 08:11:36 AM »
I have a tricycle and I love it! 

They are a lot slower than a bicycle mostly because there are no gears.  I use my trike for hauling but not for commuting.   Also, they turn different than a bicycle.  You need to go somewhere to practice before you take one out on the road.

They are a lot easier for people with balance issues to ride. 

They don't take up that much more space than a bike.  I can still get through traffic easily, even through the narrow streets of the French Quarter during mardi gras.

Trikes draw a lot of attention.  People love them so you get a lot of photos, stares, questions.

One last thing to consider is that they do take up a lot of room to lock up.  Sometimes I struggle to find a good place to leave the trike because regular bike racks don't always work.

2ndTimer

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Re: Tricycle for Adults?
« Reply #14 on: March 31, 2015, 08:25:02 AM »
One last thing to consider is that they do take up a lot of room to lock up.  Sometimes I struggle to find a good place to leave the trike because regular bike racks don't always work.

Even more so if, like me, you are attracted to the four wheelers.  You can get them with just as many gears as a regular bike which is one of the things that interests me but they do take up space.