charly17201

I have both a swb uss 2-wheeler and a tadpole trike (almost the same model as you like). I moved to bents because of shoulder and neck pain from riding DFs.

1. how do you decide between a 2 wheel and a 'trike'? just personal preference? personally like the LOOK of the trikes.. but, being so new... i don't know any better.

Personal preferences is the biggest reason for choosing a 2 or 3 wheeler. There are riding differences. The best recommendation on how to choose is to test ride anything and everything you can.

2. with a two wheel... seems like it would be hard to actually start pedaling... is it easier than it appears? i know... i need to actually test ride one.

It takes getting used to taking off (and stopping) on a 2-wheel bent. After putting my first together I spent the evening just trying to take off and stop for a couple of hours. Same thing the next morning. It took me several weeks before I stepped up to putting the clipless pedals on, then getting the loose enough to be able to get out quickly.

3. for those of you that have the trikes... do you ride on the road just like anyone with a regular road bike would? or do you ride at designated areas, like parks? i mean... they seem really wide.

Yes, I ride on the road. In fact I have done my commute on my trike, but mostly on the 2-wheeler. The biggest drawback to riding the road that I never noticed on a 2-wheeler is the road crown and gutter angles. On a 2-wheeler, you naturally maintain an upright position. With 3 wheels you will definitely feel the sideways slope of the road. Luckily on my commute I only needed to endure a couple of blocks of some what steep gutter angles. The rest was much nicer.

4. during my research... i've seen several models that look like the boom is fixed, and i don't see 'size' options... do the seats move or is sizing not that important like it is on an upright bike?

Most bikes either make their size adjustments through either the boom sliding in and out, or through seat adjustments. Most web sites will tell you somewhere in the description of the bike which method is used on which bike. Most ActionBents the boom moves. The descriptions should give you an "X-seam" which is the size range. Not measured like a DF bike (or your pants 'inseam'. I'll try and find you a link and post it here on how to figure it.

5. is there that much of a difference between the suspension models and non-suspended? i'm thinking the suspended models would be great for my back... but, then again... i think the recumbent itself would great for my back.

My 2-wheeler is fixed, but the trike has rear suspension. Again this is more to a persons tastes. Next trike I get will not have the suspension. I feel like I loose too much power to it. Could be my imagination, but I've really got it as tight as I can and can still draw the tire into the rear rack when I'm trying to power through an intersection.

6. other than having an SUV to transport.. how do you carrry recumbents(trikes)? I have an FJ cruiser... but, i don't think a trike would fit inside.

I've seen some car-top and rear racks on the internet. I rarely drive and mostly ride.


I will also say that at first I was absolutely in love with both bikes. First ride out the drive on the 2-wheeler and I had that silly "bent rider's grin" all day. Danged if I didn't have the same thing again with the trike. And I still love riding both.

But after a week on the trike I started having severe neck pain. Didn't notice it when riding, but I was placing pressure on my neck and coupling it with some neck strain too. Took me a good month or so to get it sorted out so I was happy and truly comfortable. I am on the short-side at 5'4" and it took a combination of boom adjustment, seat adjustment, headrest removal and a curved sponge in just the right place where my neck makes contact to sort it all out.

Some out there will say ActionBents (or any Chinese/Asian) bikes are junk because they are imports/low quality. I think the ActionBent is a reasonable starter bike for bents. As long as you are handy and knowledgeable or willing to pay your LBS to work on it. And, know that you will need to replace/upgrade some components. But who out there doesn't do some sort of mod/change to any bike that they've bought over the years? I haven't had any frame problems on either of mine in 5 years. Components wear out no matter how good they are.

Okay, that's my 10-cents worth. Hope it helps some.