zjrog

Congrats 3wheelgranny, just for getting out there! I am always amazed the respect shown my wife on her trike on paths. She has a Sun Miami 3 speed. She only rides flat ground, but even a quick turn will upset the trike. She has adapted well, but hasn't been on it this past year due to repeated illness. We do have her on a womens frame bike on a trainer that also clamps the fork. Makes for a sturdy unit for her. Hoping next spring to look atva tadpole trike for her. Balance issues...

tcs

Whether the two wheels should be in front or back is a debate that's been going on since the late 1870s



with no clear winner yet. Two wheels in front more stable? Hmm.



I will say that I'm confused that most adult upright trikes appear to sit as high as a similar bicycle. It seems that the BB could be ~5 cm lower on the trike (no leaning in corners --> no concern over pedal strike), lowering the CG of the rider+machine.

fietsbob

'Mr Bean' on his British comedy shows made fun of one particular lightweight 3 wheel car , 1 in the Front..

by showing it tipping over , often .. they were cheaper to register and licence being classified with Motorbikes.

[edited to move the wheel around]

2manybikes

Smaller high pressure tires will make the trike a little more stable. They don't crush as easily, and this eliminates some of the wobble. As high pressure as you can get, but check to see if your wheels will take the high pressure. The crown in the road is something you can get used to just by doing it. Keep your body straight up and let the trike tip to the angle it needs to.

If you load the LEFT side of the basket, it will make the trike turn more to the right, not the left. Stand behind the trike put your left foot on the trike and push down, it will want to go RIGHT. If that is difficult just put a car battery on the left and ride it, it will want to go right. Load a heavy item as close to the middle of the basket as possible. I learned about this when using car batteries to power my trike when I had a motor on it. Go slow on corners and keep your body straight up.

If you really want to keep the kids occupied, get a little dog in the basket. Be prepared for lots of people wanting to see/pat the dog on every ride.

tcs

And on Top Gear they made fun of the instability of a three wheel car with one in the front. As you alluded in post #12, it's a C/G & stance & tire thing.

One in front, one in back.

fietsbob

They aint got Doors and a Heater , of course neither does the Morgan , as they got older, as a company,
Morgan Added that 4th Wheel and called it the +4.

the Steering wheel attached to the front openingDoor of the Isetta Had 2 rear wheels though width was quite narrow,

https://www.google.com/search?q=Iset...UYIkogwVg2M%3A

BlazingPedals

Reliant Robin?

https://youtu.be/QQh56geU0X8

fietsbob

Loved It ! Dymaxion car was Bucky Fuller's offering to the world of tripod motoring ..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dymaxion_car

Maybe that was what I was thinking of before..

osco53

My wife started out buying a trike like yours, they are lovingly referred to as 'granny trikes' or 'trailer park trikes' down here.
She hated the tall center of gravity tippy feel you speak of. Also your knee's can be easily Injured pushing/mashing down on the pedals when you need power from that seated position..
On the Recumbent EZ-3 you push power into the pedals from your hips using the oh so comfortable mesh seat back to push against.
Your Knee's will thank you,, The cost and pain of knee replacement makes the EZ-3 cost a non Issue..
We took it back to the bike shop and paid the extra coin for this Sun EZ-3

It will tip if a wheel falls off a sidewalk or you jerk the bars to one side above 4 or 5 mph and on fast sweeping turns I can rail it up on two wheels,, when my wife's not looking
It's her's but I ride it now and then, Both of us can keep up with regular Hybrid bikes. Even around the corners In our subdivision speed can be held just fine. Very Stable and visibility is just fine.
The seat cushion is 22 Inches above the ground and this makes the center of gravity much lower.
This effect would be the same as you modifying your up right trike by pushing the rear wheels about TWO feet farther apart...
making the trike dangerously wide and super heavy.



The Other factor, the longer wheel base, working in conjunction with the lower center of gravity means that any tipping motion happens rather slowly giving the rider plenty of time to correct.
The trike is so stable and medium speeds I can hike it up on two wheels and ride down the street like a two wheeled bicycle. (Only on one side) because it has only one drive wheel.
I have done this to show others it's stability a few times but only because I am not a large person, don't want to damage the wheel..

Unlike the Tadpole trikes I can see right over most car's hoods or trunk lids, I feel completely safe riding this Delta Trike.

We test rode a Tadpole and for us It was not the right trike.
We didn't need It's better performance,

Didn't like the tadpole's because of:

Invisible to cars when In close proximity, we ride near traffic.
Hands IMO dangerously close to spinning spokes~n~ tires,
Rocks and sand in the face, Our streets are not the groomed subdivision type ,,think Inner city.
Very Hard for my wife to get 'Down' Into and 'Up' out of......

tcs

There are of course relatively high tadpole recumbent trikes (examples: Terratrike Rover, Greenspeed Magnum) and relatively low delta recumbent trikes (examples: Jouta XX, Rans Trizard).

Paired wheels in front or back - the eternal question:

OldsCOOL

If I had to ride a trike, this would totally be on my list. Shoot, I would love to ride this downtown and show off to my C&V buds

erileykc

Have you looked at either a cargo bike or a trailer for an ordinary bike? Every morning a young mom bikes her two toddlers past my window in helmets and kiddie seats. I've become a fan. I take it your load of nanny supplies doesn't lend itself to being broken into two bags that would fit in a pair of panniers. I do all my shopping on my bike with a pair of large panniers and it's work well for years, they are easy to take off when not needed.

skye

You'd be better off with a trike from the experts, like ICE, Catrike, or TerraTrike. Your problem is the very high center of gravity -- it's built in, no amount of playing with air-pressure or suspension will change it.

Visibility is NOT a problem with the lower trikes, don't let anybody fool you. I've ridden 7,000 miles on mine, I can think of only one close call, and that's because I wasn't paying attention.

smoore

'


Bill,
Im up in Gainesville, GA. Since my heart "episode" a couple of years ago I don't ride as far or as fast, but if you want to get up to some nice country roads the next time you're in the Atlanta area, look me up.

blisandt

Hallo!

I picked up one of the Schwinn adult trikes already pedal assist installed... it has a 48v 20aH Li ion and veritably FLIES for speed.. and I am not a light passenger!

I DO need to tighten the "binder bolt" however! The handlebar are slipping up and down (not left and right)!! There's a puzzling cap covering access to this bolt... any tips on getting under it?? It's so smooth, I could not see an edge to pry it off by!

Thanks in advance, and here's a picture of it!!

VegasTriker

Try posting a closeup picture of the handlebar. Most of us have never been close enough at a Schwinn trike to know what it looks like.

PaulH

Years ago, on an island with no rental cars, I rode one of those because it was the only transportation device available. I found it nearly unrideable. I think the problem is that, on a normal bicycle, one initiates a turn by leaning. Trikes don't lean, except when tipping over. I found my bike riding reflexes worked against me as I forced myself to think "car with handlebars." When I was very young and before I learned to ride a bicycle, I rode an upright geared trike and found it quite pleasant. I think that when you develop new habit patterns, the thing will become much better. Have you considered a bicycle? I think a fat-tired e-bike would be pleasant to ride -- I see a number of them on my commute.

blisandt

LOL.

I was brave this morning and pried off what turned out to be a plastic cap. Needed underneath: an Allen wrench.. Job done! (working around the front basket (half removing it) was the hardest and most time-consuming part of the job!

Maelochs

I praise your adventurous spirit and honor your success.

2manybikes

That's a nice looking trike. I think you will enjoy it. One minor suggestion, if those are red reflectors on the front of the basket, I suggest you switch to white on the front and keep the red on the back. A bike shop might have some white ones removed from peoples bikes. Possibly free.
My Schwinn trike is the one above in this thread with the dog in it. It was made in 1973.

Flip Flop Rider

find some places to ride with low amounts of traffic and get some good lights and reflectors

Retro Grouch 

Nope. When there are scoffing comments made, that is the demographic they are most likely to come from.

Maelochs

Were those 7,000 miles of touring, rural roads, or urban commuting. I have been in love with tadpole trikes since I first saw one, but i ride in traffic too much, ,... and those trikes are below the hood line of normal cars ... and where I live huge SUVs and giant pick-ups are considered "normal."

beach_cycle

Hi 3 Wheel Granny; I like that username. My basic backstory; a couple decades since my last motorcycle accident, I started riding a trike. In 2016, I was 48 and my first adult tricycle was an iGlobalBuy 24" 7 speed. Rode it 1,800 miles in Long Beach, CA; including some hilly areas with crowns. May 2017, I broke my hip in a mountain bike crash, and had total hip replacement surgery. I did not ride for 6 months while recovering from surgery.



However, on Black Friday 2017, I purchased a Velor 24” 6 speed adult tricycle. Because I was living in Orange County and attending college in Los Angeles County, I’d ride 32 miles a day several times a week in addition to shorter rides throughout the week. I put 2,800 miles on that trike and now use it as a spare in emergencies.



In June, last year, I purchased and assembled a Schwinn Meridian 26” single-speed trike. Today, I have logged 3,762 miles on it, and it is still rolling smooth. I’m also 51 now; the years pass by and I gain experiences as they do. Releasing air from the tires is not a good idea on street bikes; in fact, keeping them inflated will allow for smoother rolling. Check them daily by touch, and with a gauge once a week – mine lose ~10 PSI/week, so I put it back in because it makes riding in the wind and on hills easier to peddle. Road crowns are a challenge to avoid but I ride them as slowly as needed and always look for leveler road surfaces; but only ride on them if it is safe. With practice, it gets better.



Congratulations on riding, and I hope you find a solution to riding road crowns.




June 28, 2018; Surf City beach bike path riding Schwinn Meridian (Olivia)


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VegasTriker

Do you realize 3wheelgranny hasn't posted on Bike Forums since October 2015? She is not likely to see anything you post here. Apparently she learned what she needed and then went away.

I really get a chuckle about the comments about not being seen on a recumbent trike. It's not wise to slide up alongside a vehicle that might be turning right at a stop sign or a traffic light but that is true for any bike as well. If a driver can't see this trike he ought to turn in his drivers license and buy a white cane.