Originally Posted by
Leisesturm
So I read every post and part of the problem is the lack of specific terminology (if not pictures) in the o.p. but some of the respondents have overlooked the o.p. stating that the current derailleur issues did not exist before the flat tire. I would be all over that factoid. I don't know about the newest axle technolgies but even vertical dropouts allow crooked installation of a wheel. I don't believe the o.p. said the chain is actually coming OFF the active chainring during its oscillations but that seems to be the conclusion of at least two respondents. I hat e to say 'I told you so' but I was skeptical about the Trident for what you needed and now you want to consider a drivetrain upgrade that will cost more than your entire trike (without e-assist). Even the Efneo. I don't know how much they are, but I doubt they are priced like square taper triple cranks. Don't do it. You'd never be able to sell it for what you invested. A Sturmey-Archer CS-RF3 (RK3 if disc) does exactly what the IGH cranksets do and retail under $100. You'll need to get it built into your rear rim and it probably will need new spokes.
The problem is pretty much resolved with some additional adjustments. There's nothing wrong with the Trident, it's a perfectly fine trike. There's just a tiny bit of noise and the guy who installed my e-assist said that's because he took the 8 speed cassette off and put on a wheel with a 7 speed so the chainline is not quite perfect (I called him about this). My interest in the Efneo (which is only five hundred bucks, 1/3 of the cost of the trike without assist) is partly to be able to shift while stopped, and also to get a bigger gear range because when I ride with assist I can top out. Neither of those has anything to do with it being a Trident trike, lol, and would have been the same issues with any other brand. I don't want a rear solution, that's not going to address these issues. I don't care about getting back what I put into it; it's not an investment It's my car - literally - and no one expects to get anything close to what they paid for a used car. I'm very happy with it and just would like to be able to use the higher levels of assist without spinning out and would like to be able to shift at stops when I forget to do it ahead of time. It's absolutely worth $500 to me to be able to do that and there's a $50 off deal, too.