Moonman802

I have restored about 30 or 40 Sports as a hobby after numerous emails with Sheldon (RIP). He helped me understand the intricacies of SA hubs. But as I age I have found balance to be an issue with some of my friends. And I have been searching for either outriggers (training wheels) or trike conversions that I could integrate onto the old frames. Any workable leads would be greatly appreciated.

veganbikes

A recumbent tadpole trike would be the best solution. An upright trike is less stable and training wheels by and large are for parents who don't understand how to balance and force their kids into the same. There are some I have seen for older kids with developmental delays but nothing I can recall that I would put on a 3 speed SA hub and have it work well.

alcjphil

Agree with this. Upright tricycles are less stable than bicycles. I have seen pictures of racing tricycles cornering and the riders have to lean out past the rear wheel to keep themselves upright. The same thing would happen with "training wheels". For safety you need a much lower centre of gravity

Andrew R Stewart 

Heavy-Duty Stabilizer Wheels for Adult Bicycles, The Original Training Aid fo... | eBay

I agree with the trike suggestion. However they tend to cost a few times what a "normal" bike costs for the same grade of equipment/parts, just like tandems do too. The link I provided is for an "adult sized" training wheel version. I've sold and installed a few years back (when i still ran Bike One), mostly for riders with various challenges. They do work but are nowhere near as "nice riding" as a trike is, or stable either. One nice design difference with these stabilizers is that they don't attach to the rear axle, thus when used with a IGH or der system don't interfere with axle nut engagement on those short SA axles Andy

Moonman802

Not looking for new. I was looking for info, not debate thank you. Raleigh retrofitted some sports into trikes in the late 50’s early 60’s with a bolt on conversion. Looking for something similar. Also, as a footnote, an upright trike would be much easier for my friends (85+ in an elderly community) to mount than a recumbent. Maybe I should just look into a longer replacement axle for an SA to mount on a Sun trike.

grumpus

Agreed that most "training wheels" are junk - they don't teach kids how to ride a two wheeler, and don't provide improved stability at any speed (there have been sprung pivoting versions that are less bad, or even a bit useful). Upright trikes aren't terrible, just disconcerting if you're used to bikes, and do require more rider input at speed or on uneven surfaces. With a delta you have the problem that only one wheel drives unless you're going to fit a diff of some sort; the easier version is a double freewheel but that's sub-optimal for low speed turns, and a full diff has the classic spinning-one-wheel issue that must be countered with a LSD (which then makes it a solid axle, so still crap for turning) or differential braking which requires user input (or some form of traction control system). So keep the single RWD and double up on steering: double forks is possible, but alternatively you can bolt on what is effectively the middle section of a tadpole recumbent, there are even leaning versions of this layout for cargo trikes, albeit not bolt-on conversions. But I wonder ...

grumpus

There are some really cheap Chinese trikes on the market now, selling new for the price of old used trikes but they are predictably heavy and low quality. I think if you could source just the axle assembly you could bolt it into a regular bike, like the old Holdsworth conversions. But worth the effort? It would require some bracketry and maybe welding, particularly if you want to use existing SA gears. I sympathise, my balance is not as good as it was, but I have a recumbent trike for the days I choose not to ride a bike (or drive a car). There are tadpole recumbents with higher more upright seating, built more for comfort than speed, that might be the sweet spot for your friends, if someone else could be persuaded to pay for them.

alcjphil

Debate isn't necessarily a bad thing. You will get information and opinions in a thread like this. Don't think of any of this as negative. I saw a thread a few years ago about a tricycle conversion kit installation by a long time member. His reaction was that the kit made the bike/trike unrideable and dangerous, and he is an experienced cyclist. One downside of stabilizers/"training wheels" is if you set them to hold you up on flat ground, without wobbling, irregularities in the road surface can lift the rear driving wheel off the ground. Just something to consider. If you are thinking about setting bikes up for seniors in their 80's please consider the consequences if those setups create extra danger

Crankycrank

There are also lots of conversion kits available with some including everything you need including the wheels but I don't have any experience doing one of these or have any knowledge of the quality of any of the kits. bicycle to tricycle conversions - Search (bing.com)

FBinNY 

The stability issue of upright trikes is being a bit overblown here. Yes, higher means more tippy, but at the speeds these tend to be used, they're more than adequately stable. Upright trikes are SOP in retirement communities all over Florida, so I doubt your clients would have issues.

There are various conversion kits made for exactly what you have, allowing use with the existing IGH hub.

Andrew R Stewart 

I've sold, assembled and serviced a number of "adult trikes" (including Sun brand) and most brands have had a IGH 3 spd option (which I strongly recommend). All but a few old Schwinns had a right rear wheel drive (better to counter the road's crowning). Some of the customers were elderly, most were somehow "challenged" (not sure what the PC term is today...) and used their trikes for transportation. Stability hasn't been a mentioned issue for both groups IME.

One customer of ours (Allstar Bike Shop in Raleigh, NC) would get a new trike every few years when he was hit by a car pulling out of a parking lot, not bothering to look both ways for our customer on the sidewalk. The driver would show up at our shop with the trike "in tow" and just pay for a replacement it in full to avoid any insurance or police involvement. Andy

grumpus

Some of those results are the rear axle assembly from the cheapo Chinese trikes. Of the better looking kits, they're mostly for derailleur gears or coaster brakes, neither of which is suitable for retaining the IGH drive system on the 3 speed transplant-candidate bikes, at least without some metalworking.