PhatTrike

Ok I'll get to the point... I've got a sun ez3 trike that I'm looking to modify for myself. At this time im currently around 360lbs and looking to bike to lose more weight (used to be even bigger ) the trike i got needs to be more or less rebuilt so yeah

i think the frame is tough enough, it's the wheels and tires I'm concerned about. I looked but i haven't found a really sturdy 20in trike wheel, i thought about going 24in but i don't know if that helps. feels like the bike/ trike industry doesn't really care for larger riders, unless they have really large wallets to go with...

anyway, just looking for some advice modding my trike

fietsbob

one of these?

PhatTrike

exactly that

VegasTriker

Sun does in fact make a trike that has a 400 pound weight limit so the industry does care about making trikes for heavy riders. Their model is the EZ-3 USX HD. https://www.utahtrikes.com/PROD-11617617.html


Note the use of 48 spoke wheels. Smaller wheels are inherently stronger than larger wheels for the same spoke count. I once dropped my Greenspeed GTO off at least a 10" drop on to bare concrete with nary a problem with the 20" wheels. I'm not in your weight class but if I tried that with the 700CX23 rear wheel on my Catrike 700 it probably would mean a trip to the bike shop to have the wheel serviced. I see this version of trike come up fairly often on Craigslist and it gives me the impression that some people buy it only to discover that pedaling a 65 pound trike takes a bit of perseverance and willingness to suffer a bit. It's twice the weight of my CT700. Wheels aren't cheap. It probably would be better to look for one of these trikes on the used market and sell the one you already own. In the meantime if you are very careful your current trike will probably be OK. There is a bit of slop built into the 300 lb weight limit for the standard EZ3. Ride on smooth roads, avoid potholes, and don't go fast when you come to a rise in the pavement (like entrance to a bike path where the pavement forms a lip).

donald_s

Yeah, the wheels are the key. Go to a bike shop that knows wheels and talk to them about heavy duty spokes. They can build something that will support you no problem.