rwing93

Do I really need more than 8 gears? I am thinking of purchasing my first trike. I'm trying to stay around $1000 for my first trike. Looking at the Terra Trike Rover and Trident Spike. I live in Florida so most of the terrain is pretty flat.

fietsbob

Think of the range of the gear ratios , rather than Just the cog count?

Maybe the NuVinci 360 CVR hub will be just right. Its Continuously variable within a 360% range

Hubs (N360(tm) and N330(tm) | Fallbrook Technologies Inc.

you just turn the twist grip until the effort feels right .
the relative placement of that gear range is dependent on the external gear Ratio of the cog in back and the chain ring in front.

Moe Zhoost

In Florida, you could get by nicely with a single chain ring and a 9,10,or 11 in back (or an IGH). My ICE Sprint has a triple crankset with a 9 speed cassette in the rear. With all of the overlap, I effectively have only 12 discrete gears, but as fietsbob points out, it's the range that matters. Without many hills to deal with, you don't need as wide a range.

Retro Grouch 

There are no bad trikes, there is only use other than intended.
First trike + living on flat terrain + budget restrictions = 8 gears is plenty.

AccuNeal

8 gears are more than sufficient here in Florida. I live in southwest Florida and ride 30 to 35 miles every day. My TT Rover had an 8-speed SturmeyArcher hub. It now has a Nuvinci 360 that I installed last week. My road bike is 7 speed derailleur system and my Giant Revive DX is 7 speed also. I have not yearned for higher or lower gears. My cruising speed is 12MPH in 7th gear with a cadence of 70 RPM.

DJH8098

Agreed with @fietsbob, the Nuvinci hubs are perfect for what you are looking to do. I grew up in Louisiana and am now in Austin, went from flat as a pancake to rolling hills now and the Nuvinci step-less shifting is amazing for the majority of people out there. Especially in a trike set up the weight is negligible to the weight of the trike and gives you much more seamless shifting for a variety of landscape. The other IGH's that are on the market are great, the ratio ranges are anywhere from 220-400% which is great, you just miss a lot of the ratio due to the way these work. i.e. (Nexus/Alfine 8-speed hub gear range: 1st gear = 0.527, 2nd gear = 0.644, 3rd gear = 0.748, 4th gear = 0.851, 5th gear = 1.00 (direct drive), 6th gear = 1.223, 7th gear = 1.419, 8th gear = 1.616). About a 307% ratio range where as the N330 or N380 would have much more range starting at .57-1.65, for the 330, and .57-1.9 for the 380. Both models you are looking at offer a Nuvinci, the Spike 380 and Terra Trike N330. I would assume they will be in the same ballpark $1500, worth the extra $500 if you can manage to swing it over the other IGHs.

rydabent

As pointed out it makes a big difference in where you are, and how level the roads are, and if there are any hills. Probably for flat areas like Fla, 8 speeds are fine. Here in eastern Neb where there are moderate hill, I find the 24 speeds on my Trike and 27 speeds on my bent bike are just about right. Remember tho you have to throw into the mix the number of teeth on your chain rings.

I for instance when I upgraded my trike to a 26" rear, I went to a 34 low in the rear and dropped the middle and large chain rings down 2 teeth on both.

jebofabo

Definitely here in Topeka, Kansas, we aren't San Francisco but we do have hills large and small, considerably more so than when I was growing up in suburban Maryland. I like my 21 speeds a lot (probably 15ish after overlap), would not want to go fewer. But have thought about NuVinci.

Leisesturm

Florida has bridges, overpasses, roadkill... Gears, lots of them, are rarely IMO overkill. 1x?? is all the rage in both the DF and recumbent camps because it is a cheap way to save a few bucks, convince the buyer that less is more, and pocket the difference (profit). 360% isn't all that much. What does that convert to in teeth? I speak teeth. I'd want nothing less than 46/30 x 11/12 - 32/34 for Florida, and 52/39/30 x 11-36 for the kind of riding seen here in Portland, OR. A trike is heavier, so even a bridge approach can be daunting if you don't have the gear inch spread to deal. IGH wipes out any cost advantage of the 1x?? format. I would avoid it. I would also avoid the low end TT's and Tridents myself. If on a budget I'd be looking at Performer. You need more wrenchin' skillz but you get a better quality of trike at a more reasonable weight for your $1500. Yes, $1500. If you really only have $1K it's time to look on Craigslist to see who has made a bad decision to purchase a trike and wants to get out of the commitment. FWIW.

BlazingPedals

It's hard to find a decent trike, even used, for $1000. They're out there, but you have to look a while. Only you can answer the gear question. There's no standing with a recumbent, so you need more low gears to get up hills. A single chainring might be OK if you only do flat MUPs; but bear in mind that it may not be able to handle terrain if you take it on a trip. I would be bored out of my skull if I was limited to riding nothing but the same out-and-back trail.