bicyclridr4life

Anyone else use a Miami Sun Trike?

I have mine set up to pull a 4 wheel (44 inch X 36 inches, 1,000 pound capacity) lawn tractor /garden cart.
Cart pulls straight, carries a weeks worth of groceries or all bivouac gear needed for a month, plus rods, reels, and tackle boxes for fishing.

I prefer the Miami Sun trike and cart to the car, or even my 21 speed mountain bike pulling a 2 kiddie trailer modified for hauling cargo and not kiddies.

vik 

Never heard of these trikes....sounds interesting do you have any photos you could post?

Phatboi

yeah that sounds kinda cool can we have some pics?

StephenH

Just do a google search for them- more or less a conventional upright adult trike.

My impression is that they tend to be underused due to being viewed as an old person's bicycle, although I've seen a couple set up as lowriders, too. They should make one that is about a foot longer on the rear, with a huge basket, and that might pick up interest as a utility bike.

Ashen

One reason trikes are not appealing to me, is that it seems like every time I look at one it is either a one speed or a three speed. Just not going to happen in Seattle. I need full mountain bike gearing if I'm going to be hauling a large load.

vik 

Greenspeeds and Catrikes are geared well, but they aren't cargo trikes - although they can be used to pull a trailer.

Ashen

I love the design of those too, almost bought one a few years ago and I still drool over the Windcheetah. But it is definitely apples and oranges when comparing with cargo trikes

StephenH

They make some recumbent cargo trikes, but that's a lot different from the upright trikes. One reason for not having more gears with them is you don't want to go too fast.

bloompedal08

seconded!

CW Spook

Right here...they show all the Sun trikes.

https://www.sunbicycles.com/sun/index.html

bloompedal08

I'd like to see the setup pulling the cart...

Sirrus Rider

No.. I use an '07 Schwinn Town & Country Trike which has a bigger basket then the conventional Sun trikes. Other than that I agree with you. I find it to bet THE best grocery getter. A long bike might be faster over the road, but a trike doesn't need to be propped up to load..

Nightshade

I ride a Worksman PAV (a yellow one like the photo) with a few mods
to make it really useful.

https://www.worksman.com/pav.html

Lamplight

Do you ever have trouble with the inside wheel coming off the ground when turning? My dad used to work at a factory that had some industrial trikes of some sort, and he said they did this very easily. But I've never tried one myself.

StephenH

The PAV is a little lower. My reverse trike (two front wheels, bicycle rear end) is in fact very tippy. You have to take curves slower, almost have to stop to turn a sharp corner. Additionally, if you try to ride on a sloped surface, the thing is going to lean and you just have to deal with it. Pulling out of my driveway onto the alley almost turned me over- the alley is lower in the middle, so I was turning on a slope that sloped the wrong way.

The orignal poster asked if they were the only ones using one- and just this week I saw a guy riding one here in my town- youngish guy, too.

bicyclridr4life

I bolted a piece of 3/4 inch plywood under my rear basket. Drilled a 1/2 inch hole for the pin. the trailer/cart I have has a handle that lets you pull it bu hand, or take the hand part off and hook to a ATV/ Riding Mower, etc. with a single pin.

When I get back to FL, I will take and post a pic of the trike and cart together.

Works great.

bicyclridr4life

Oh yea, inside, outside, sometimes intentionally! That is 1/2 or more of the fun! (And helps avoid the potholes)
If you lean the right way though, all three will stay in the ground.

sing_1

I'm getting ready to buy a Miami Sun Trike. I found it on craigs list, brand new never used, and I think it would make a lot more sense to ride it to the grocery store than the car. But I'm wondering about locking it. What kind of lock do you use? Thanks

bicyclridr4life

"I'm getting ready to buy a Miami Sun Trike. I found it on craigs list, brand new never used, and I think it would make a lot more sense to ride it to the grocery store than the car. But I'm wondering about locking it. What kind of lock do you use? Thanks" sing_1

I use a 12 mm diameter Kripton bike cable, (12 foot length) and a big Master Lock "Contractor Grade High Security" padlock. I wanted to be able to lock all three wheels as well as the frame to the rack/ street lamp pole/ tree, etc. hence the 12 foot cable. I also use a one of the combination retractable "helmet" locks for the seat and my helmet.

The FIRST thing you will want to get (in addition to the cable and lock) is a cruiser type saddle. The "tractor seat" that comes standard on the Miami Sun trike is the most UNCOMFORTABLE thing you have ever sat on while pedaling, since it hits the back of your thighs.

You will also want to add a cycle computer. Great to know how fast and far you have gone, because (presuming you change the seat) you will not believe you only went that far (if you don't change the seat, you will swear you went at least 100 times farther than you actually did).

Are you getting the single speed or 3 speed version?

The owners manual says you should not go over 7 MPH, but I have no problems at up to 15 MPH on the flats.

Jagee

I used to ride cargo trikes (front and rear loaders) for work at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. They were great to get in and around the crowds with and another bonus was they were fixed! I think they were Worksman--older ones originally made in Hoboken I think. I'd love to get my hands on one now. At lunch break, there was one corner heading back to the shop that if you took it just right, you could be on two wheels for quite a while--fun with a fixed gear. As long as there were no hills, they were great for moving gardening gear, etc. around. Easy to load up.

chipcom 

My 70ish yr old mother-in-law has one.

old_alfie

Here is a photo of a SUN recumbent SX3 trike set up as a _serious_ cargo hauler.
alf

PS: if the owner of the photo is reading this, thanks and I mean no infringement of your rights. I got it who-knows-where off the internet.

dwnptrl_777

Looks like freedom to me...

sing_1

I was replying to a question from someone who rides a Miami Sun trike, and I was in the process of buying one. Nobody asked for comments from the peanut gallery.

As to the other comments, I'll reply when I have more time. Thanks again

dwnptrl_777

(stows peanuts behind gallery)