Need advice on new recumbent
 

Hi all. Ridden bikes all my life, and now I want to get a recumbent for mostly touring and some commuting. Should be best for touring, with bags ect.
I think I want a trike, but not sure a 2 wheel bike is better.
If I get a trike I kind of like how the Hase kettwiesel is set up, but since I have never ridden one, or any recumbent for that matter, I dont know if the kettwiesel is a good choice for me.
Any thoughts on the kettwiesel?
If I go for the other trike setup with 2 wheels out front, is the 26 og 20 back wheel best for touring?
Any advise? Oh and Im not looking for electric bikes 😊

Get ready for some sticker shock with the Ketterweisel trike compared to an upright bike. The Kett is a first quality trike. I had some local friends who owned a pair of them. The bought them more than 10 years ago and even back then they were $$$. They were very enthusiastic about riding them. Enough so that when they bought a house in my area, it was located about 3 minutes away from the entrance to a 40 mile trail near Lake Mead, Nevada so they could ride often.

Any trike is likely to be slower than your current bike. I've owned only tadpole trikes (2 wheels in front), but never a delta trike (2 wheels in the rear). The advantage of a larger rear wheel on a tadpole trike is a higher gear range. My Catrike 700 has the gear range of a 700C road bike (21.9 to 124.2 gear inches) while my first trike with standard gearing and a 20 inch drive wheel had a much more limited gear range - 19 - 98 GI. Since you live in Europe, your likely choices are Hase, HP Velotechnic, and ICE (Inspired Cycle Engineering, GB). All three companies make great quality trikes.

I have a TerraTrike that I bought used. Not sure about the availability for you but I would consider a used trike and see how you like it. They are quite a bit slower, can climb anything but slowly. Right now I am still riding my 2 wheel recumbent, saving the trike for when I get really old and lose my balance.

While many trike owners love their machines, I'm not a big fan. Trikes are significantly slower than 2-wheelers, which translates to more work per mile to ride them. That's not exactly an attribute I'd want for a touring machine! My trike is used for short, slow rides, and I can't imagine wanting to use it for a long multi-day tour.

Hase Kettwiesel is a really nice recumbent trike. If speed or traffic is not a concern, Kettwiesel can work well.
I have ridden one for about 60 miles, connected to another Kettwiesel that my wife was pedaling.
It will likely suit your purpose, but keep in mind that it will always take up more space than a compact recumbent bike, ridden or in storage.
It will likely weigh more than a compact recumbent bike, and more difficult to transport.
If you can balance yourself on a two-wheel recumbent, I would recommend two-wheel recumbent instead of recumbent trike; even for the purpose of heavy load touring & commuting.

Trikes with two wheels in back are great if you want to hook two together for a tandem. Tadpole trike are generally the way to go. For touring if you go to a 2 wheel, a long wheel base is better IMO, since it is easier to have feet down on a stop, and easier to get started.

Time for some Test Rides. Then you will know much more.
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You can tour on either a 2-wheeled recumbent or a trike. If it is a 2-wheeler, I recommend a long wheel base. It soaks up road shocks better and is easier to start (especially with the weight of a touring rig. I have successfully toured with my Ti-Rush. My Catrike Expedition would, I believe, be great for touring, although I have not yet done so with it. It is slower than the Ti-Rush, but when you are touring comfort is more important than speed.

I've never toured so I may be overestimating the value of being able to use front panniers and shift some of the load forwards of the cog. Seems a benefit though. Trikes kind of force a reliance on rear trunks and panniers. In Europe they tour on Lowracers and Highracers but in the U.S. most touring is done on LWB bikes. Performer makes a nice Kettweisel copy. I'd buy one if I wanted a trike. Not yet. The Greenspeed Anura is another nice Kettweisel copy and was around long before Performer decided to produce a Delta Trike.

when I get rich I have been thinking of two of these as a tandem with a shimano motor. my wife is blind so it would work well.

Use two of these and you won't have to wait until you get rich. Even if you know exactly when your ship is coming in, I'd still advise going with Performer. Greenspeed Anura's aren't too shabby either. I'd buy either kind and call it very good.

If you feel comfortable touring on a trike and don't mind taking the scenery in, it is a very comfortable option. Personally, I like the option of being able to go fast on a tour in the event that you end up in traffic or just less than pleasant scenery. I also don't like being that low to the ground. I would recommend 2 wheeled bikes, but definitely try them before you decide. Being on a trike is a little addictive when you first try it, but being on a high racer is much more practical.

I tour on an M5 Carbon High Racer with a tailbox. Very easy to take it up to 27MPH and hold that for a few hours when in traffic.

Regarding the 20-inch vs 26-inch issue, generally 26-inch will do two things for you: 1. get the rear derailleur further off the pavement and out of the dirt, and 2. be a little faster. Having 20-inch wheels all around simplifies carrying spares.

That is not necessarily correct that the bottom of the RD will be further from the ground than on a trike with 20" wheels. Depends upon the way the trike was equipped. The distance between the ground and the bottom of the RD on my Greenspeed GTO with 20" drive wheel and a gear range of 14 to 132 GI (3X8X2) and using a short cage Shimano 105 RD is almost exactly the same as my Catrike 700 with a gear range of 28.5-124.2 GI (3X10) and using a long cage RD.

Just remember that if you get a Hase Kettwiesel to get the one that "drives both the rear wheels"! The delta's can slip in some circumstances if only one rear wheel drives on one side, FYI. Let's face it YOU can TOUR on ANY bike or trike, it's up to you to know the SPEED you want, etc. Trikes are VERY comfortable which is great for touring, their not FAST, if you not the Smell the Roses type of rider a BIKE might be more to your liking! I too recommend the Long Wheel Base recumbent bike for touring! There is one more point to think about IF your ROAD touring, a trike (either style) is WIDER than a bike, if your roads have the dreaded " serrated emergency lanes (ie. the multi-bumps to WAKE up sleeping drivers), the ride could be rough on a TRIKE but a BIKE would be able to just miss most of them with it's thinner track, JMHO. Yes, TEST RIDES are worth a couple of days car ride to a multi-line recumbent dealership, even with a overnight stay, again JMHO, YMMV! :)

That's a big "duh." Derailleur clearance may or may not be a concern, but a larger diameter wheel will give more room to mount a long cage derailleur capable of handling wider gearing. Ironically, small drive wheels require wider gears to obtain the same range - although trike riders are usually more concerned with getting lots of low gears rather than getting the widest range.