Rajflyboy

Would someone who rides trikes on roadways please explain to me the safety of a trike compared to a 2 wheeled bicycle?

obviously wider for 1

Marcus_Ti

123456

livedarklions

I'm old enough that if I switched from my DF to a trike, I'd nod off while riding.

Retro Grouch 

A whole new troll.

Depends on which roadways and which riders. There are a lot of riders who feel unsafe riding DF bikes on the roadways. My guess is they'd be uncomfortable riding a tadpole trike on the roadway too. Mrs. Grouch and I ride our tadpoles on the streets regularly but we're selective which streets we ride on.

FWIW, although my tadpole is a little wider than a DF bike, my personal experience is that I get a wider berth from passing motorists. I have never, not even once, been passed uncomfortably closely while riding my tadpole.

wolfchild

No I haven't ridden one and I don't even want to try riding a trike. I prefer normal bicycles. Trikes have too many limitations which makes them useless for commuting and recreational riding.

wolfchild

Better get used to it, bikeforums is full of these types of threads...Trike vs regular bicycle...clipless pedals vs platform pedals...drop bars vs flat bars...steel vs carbon vs aluminium...cycling clothes vs non-cycling clothes...geared vs singlespeed...shaved legs vs non-shaved legs...real cyclists vs bike riders... skinny tires vs fat tires...disc brakes vs rim brakes...backpacks vs panniers......and on and on it goes.

Notso_fastLane

Maybe not here, but I get questions all the time riding my trike (velomobile).

I'm also probably the most photographed/video'ed person in town when I ride it.

I still prefer two wheels, but my bike is also recumbent. It's impractical to try to ride in the winter here (for me) on two wheels. I got the velo mostly for winter commuting.

On level ground, the bent is ~2-3 mph faster than my bike was, and the velo is 5-6 mph faster. The bent isn't much slower going uphill, but I've never been the best climber. The velo is quite a bit slower (it weighs 70 lbs), but since I don't have to worry about balance, I just gear down and spin as well as I can.

StanSeven

This thread is about a legitimate subject. Let’s avoid insults and troll accusations, please.

Darth Lefty 

It doesn't fall over. And some people need that. That's really it, everything else is guff.

I had open heart surgery in February. I wanted a recumbent because of the sternotomy and I chose a trike because I imagined the learning curve of the handling of a 2 wheeler recumbent might result in me falling over, and that would really be bad. I commuted with it for two months. (Turns out it's not impossible, at least not in the burbs.) It was heavy, slow, and had a terrible ride due to the seat stays going right from the shoulder blades to the rear axle. I was very glad to get back on a regular bike once I was healed enough.

There are ways it's less safe. It's hard to avoid anything on the road since you have three tracks (a lesson I first learned pushing a BOB stroller a few years ago). They do not like to turn at speed - the steering takes a lot of effort and then you're likely to either slide out or traction roll. You cannot pop it up a curb, and the small wheels make that impact much worse. The first part of a tadpole to hit any obstacle is your own foot. Clips or toe straps are recommended on tadpoles because if your legs drag it's possible to get them folded under the bow and - snap! goes your fibia and tibula.

Some stuff that's been stated here is just argumentative counter-guff. It's really not significantly wider than a regular bicycle other than those with drop handlebars - they have a track width similar to wheelchairs and double strollers. My MTB has 750mm handlebars (29.5") and 800 is now common, some cruisers are very wide too. It's sort-of possible to get out of the saddle by planking, but it's not as good as standing on the pedals. I didn't feel visibility was a problem because it seems like drivers don't see anything

njkayaker

I don't have this issue. Many people don't have this issue.

This is another example of "doing it wrong".

Rajflyboy

Trikes are lower to ground. I’m guessing people will use flags to help with the visibility?

shelbyfv

Well, since they are letting you run with this yet again, maybe you can provide some evidence that lungs are "compress from being hunch over." This sounds dangerous and unhealthy!

FiftySix

Hey, now. That trike makes you look like a Racer Boy.

wolfchild

What is it that makes a regular two wheeled bicycle impractical for winter commuting ??….The reason why I ask is because I've been using a regular bicycle for the past 13 winters here in Canada and I just don't see what makes your velomobile any better or more practical than a regular bicycle ??....I personally believe that a velomobile or recumbent would be at a huge disadvantage for winter commuting or recreational riding.

tomato coupe

Okay. No one here is asking that question. Seriously.

livedarklions

Why a duck?

Next up--- should I buy a trike at Wal-Mart?

Steamer

It's true that I ride it as fast as I can, not caring a bit about enjoying myself. And I refuse to wave, too.

livedarklions

I haven't done any serious winter riding in years, but where I have, being up high enough to see around snow banks has been essential.

Notso_fastLane

For me, the cold. I'm from AZ, and I find anything below about 40F absolutely painful to ride in. No amount of gear really helps. Being enclosed and out of the wind does.

Also, studded tires (again, here, where I live) are impractical because 99% of my commute will be ploughed and dry, but that 1% where there might be ice is not worth the risk, and not worth trying studded tires (which are worse on the dry parts). Having three wheels makes this more or less moot. It doesn't matter if I slide the rear or even front on a small patch of ice.

I could potentially see using a fat bike or mtn bike if I was actually riding in snow and studded tires if it was icy (I lived in Wichita, KS for 8 years, studded tires worked great in their winter conditions).

But mostly for me, it's a matter of comfort and getting out of the cold wind.

indyfabz

Greenspeed Magnum XL is 910mm wide. SD is 860mm wide.

AlmostTrick

downhillmaster

I have a lot of respect for anyone out on the road at 81 years of age.
That being said I am 54 years old, can balance myself on two wheels, and my lungs work just fine in any position so I would punch myself in the face(twice)before I would be seen riding a recumbent

livedarklions

Which raises the question, do you ride saddle down or saddle up?

livedarklions

Me too, but that's just because I found out a bashed in face makes me more aero.

NomarsGirl

Maybe he meant it exactly as he wrote it. Cu cu ca choo Mrs. Robinson.