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Adult trike for teen with anxiety

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Adult trike for teen with anxiety

Old 07-25-18, 05:24 PM
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Cam1230
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Adult trike for teen with anxiety

First time posting here and I have no knowledge of any biking lingo so I apologize in advance if I sound stupid!
So I’m a senior in high school and I have generalized anxiety. I technically “learned” to ride a bike years ago but I never really got the hang of it and my uncle’s instructing techniques, which involved pushing my bike over while I was on it, wasn’t exactly helpful. As such I’ve experienced a lot of anxiety when it comes to biking. My boyfriend, Micah, loves biking and encourages me to join him but to be honest, I’m just too nervous. While I was looking to purchase him a new seat cover, I came across the Schwinn Meridian and my interest was piqued. I feel like an adult trike will eliminate a lot of my fears when it comes to biking and might even allow me to enjoy riding for once. So now I’m looking to purchase a trike but I’m absolutely clueless as to where to begin. Micah isn’t much help since he’s had the same bike for years so I figured I might as well ask here. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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Old 07-28-18, 11:04 AM
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Have you been able to see that Schwinn trike in person? Do any shops near you stock it?

Another style of bike you might consider are the so-called crank-forward models that let you easily put both feet on the ground. For example:

https://www.electrabike.com/way-to-r...oot-technology

These feet-on-the-ground style bikes provide a different experience from the more racing style bikes that have you leaned way forward. My daughter rides something similar from a different brand. She likes the upright position, and being able to quickly put both feet on the ground helps w/confidence.

Visiting some bike shops to see what's on offer might be a good way to begin.
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Old 07-28-18, 11:24 AM
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As @JonathanGennick suggestests, the crank forward bikes are worth looking at, or even a class called semi-recumbent bikes which are a bit lower. A bit different beasts, but you might find them comfortable.

For experienced cyclists, the upright trikes can be a bit disconcerting as they don't lean like a normal bike leans, and they have a reputation for being unstable with high speed turns. Most of them are also 1 speed or 3 speed.

There are two styles of recumbent trikes that can be a blast to ride. The lowest and probably most stable are the tadpole trikes, two wheels in front, one in the rear. These usually have multi gears, and are very nice riding machines, albeit a little low to the ground. Get good mirrors, lights, and maybe a flag.

The other style of recumbent has one front wheel and two rear wheels. Not as low for getting on/off, but perhaps a mix of costs/benefits.

The trikes can be a lot of fun, but I'm not sure I'd be so quick to give up the upright bikes.

Perhaps get some good knee and elbow pads, and of course a helmet, and go to a deserted shopping mall parking lot and practice riding, stopping, turning, slaloms, etc. Balance is always better when moving at a pretty good clip than going slowly.

Also, try some less busy off street bike paths and parks.
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Old 07-28-18, 01:12 PM
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It's refreshing to see a senior in high school who doesn't know everything. Unfortunately we weren't born with innate knowledge of everything we need to know in life. You are not stupid! The trike you mention is affordable and readily available but unless your boyfriend is willing to ride extremely slowly, it will not work as a trike to ride along with him. It has only one speed and the weight is 70 pounds. That works great for someone in a retirement community who wants to ride around the complex but doesn't intend to ride it any significant distance. These adult trikes also come in 3-speed models but still weight a lot more than I would ever be willing to pedal. You can read the specifications here: https://alladulttricycle.com/26-schw..._Specification. Price is a tad over $300. The one answer in Q&A that caught my eye:
Q:Will I be able to carry it upstairs? The trike weighs in at 70 pounds, which is quite heavy, and it would need the combined effort of about 2 people to carry it. Given its width, it might not be able to go up a flight of stairs in the case of narrow stairways. That goes the same for lifting it off the ground too.

A recumbent trike would serve your needs much better but I am afraid that the price would be way outside of what a high school senior could afford. Even the cheapest ones are over $1K and used trikes rarely go for less than half of that.
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Old 07-28-18, 03:14 PM
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Another thing I was going to mention. Perhaps try a tandem. Both you and your BF ride together at the same speed.

Presumably most of the time he would be steering, but it may help you get used to and comfortable being on the bike.

Some couples love their tandems... Others have troubles getting it to work for riding together. But, you certainly will learn a lot about each other.

There are cheap tandems available for less than $500, and used, maybe $100 to $200. That would allow you to just try it out, then if it works... the sky is the limit.
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Old 11-09-20, 08:56 AM
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I'm not sure if you can access Cam1230's profile with just one post of your own but that is a way of determining how active he has been on Bikeforums since posting the original question. You also can't send him a private message being a newby to the site as that takes 10 posts before you are allowed to send them. I looked at his statistics under his profile. He never signed in again after this one post on July 2018. That doesn't mean he didn't read the messages. You don't need to sign in to read them but it is a pretty good indication he did not follow up on the suggestions.
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