AlexZ

Toothpaste?! You are way too kind sir....That really looks like crap.

Brickguy

I bought an electric assisted recumbent tadpole from China.
Recumbent Tricycle - Shop Cheap Recumbent Tricycle from China Recumbent Tricycle Suppliers at Merck Cycle on Aliexpress.com

It is an excellent trike. Everyone that has test rode it loves it. The assist helps you get up a grade or pull away quickly at a stop sign. I am 63 and enjoy the ride. It has all the options I think you can get on a trike.

JanMM

Looks as if the OP bought a trike for his wife four years ago but I don't see a recumbent in his list of current bikes. Still looking? (This Zombie Thread has been asleep four years.)

gbalke

I'm here, I'm here. Saw the thread had been resurrected, so time for an update. Home built trike I bought for the wife was given to my son. I did buy a Path, from mobilemiall. Great deal as he installed a Patterson drive up front. Trike is generally used on bike paths, paved as well as compacted limestone as with the Katy Trail.

Thinking of adding some type of electric assist, just not sure which one. Looking at either a Ridekick trailer or a self contained hub motor. The Ridekick is less expensive at around $700 and I can use it on my trike or any one of my vintage British bicycles. The two hub motors are $1,000 plus and will need to be permanently installed on the trike, so I loose some flexibility as far as what I choose to ride.

I also need to check out that Chinese E trike Brickguy mentioned. At $1,500, I could buy that and keep the Path for my wife.

VegasTriker

I went and took a look at the trikes that showed up on the Alibaba link above. The best word for these trikes based upon the specifications listed is OBESE. Here's the comparison for three of the 8 at that link
Best Seller: $1,444 + $595 for shipping Stated weight 28 kg which converts to 61.6 pounds
Least Expensive: $829 + $595 for shipping Stated weight 28 kg which converts to 61.6 pounds
Model with 500W motor: $1,559 + $669 for shipping Stated weight 33 kg which converts to 72.6 pounds
The others aren't any lighter or cheaper to ship. Note: The shipping weight is listed separately.

You can make fun of the Stowaway II which costs $1,800 + $125 for shipping but at least it has decent components and weighs 38.8 pounds (17.6 kg). The drive train components on the China trikes are the lowest, entry level Shimano parts. The cost of shipping from China is the real killer. I don't hesitate to buy stuff from China sellers but wouldn't consider anything so heavy and expensive to ship. I've seen a Stowaway I up close and rode with the owner. It was pretty impressive, considering the low cost compared to comparable trikes. If you have a problem with a Stowaway, the seller is here in the US (NC). Thom Flor has a good reputation for dealing with customers after the sale. Try dealing with sellers half a world away. These trikes all have a rear brake. Very few trikes come with rear brakes that are not parking brakes. For good reason as applying a rear brake can cause the rear wheel to slide sideways while stopping.

rydabent

Being generally at the lower end of the cost scale, one of the Terratrike models probably has the best bang for the buck. I ride a 4 year old Terratrike Cruiser, and it has been flawless, and great fun to ride.

mobilemail

You can score some pretty good deal by watching the classifieds at Bentrider Online. (and Craigslist). I would buy a good used trike over a low end or unknown trike any day.

10 Wheels

Agree....got one from them, 11 years old with only less than 400 miles on it.

Seller included 3 New Tire and tubes

dit

I did both....bought new and used and I have no complaints about either. I ended up with a used Greenspeed GT3 and it is a fine machine IMO. I then bought the wife a new Stowaway II and she just loves it. I also considered a Performer but I liked the idea of the seller of the Stowaway being here in the states and Tom did do us a real favor. He suggeted a 154mm set of cranks and they been great for the wifes bad knees

7up

Just ordered a Sun EcoTad from Utah Trikes.Cant wait to get on it and ride to see what all the fuss is about with these bent trikes.lol

teddie

I have a Sun Eco Tad SX i can not say enough about it, I ride just about everyday and it's a pleasure to ride, I'm not sore when I get home, one has to get use to it, it uses different muscles than the traditional bikes, but this is way better for me! I'm the one saying c'mon son lets go for a ride!

Best investment in my health I've ever bought! You won't be sorry

7up

Thanks Teddie I just received the trike last night and took it out this afternoon.Its a nice trike and already I'm starting to outfit it with a rack.It will take me a little bit of time to adjust to since I noticed it does work a few different muscles then usual.I find I can't cheat by standing up on the crank and giving it the old heave-ho lol like you can with a regular bike. How have you outfitted your ride so far?

mriley

I have ridden a Terratrike Rover 8 for several years and am very happy with it. Less expensive than most as well. If you and your wife have much different leg lengths, sharing any trike will be a problem. Seat adjustment is not as easy as on a DF bike.
M Riley

Guntrainer

Being an old Roadie, I decided to "Buy once, cry once" and bought a new Catrike 700.

Speed is close to my old Cannondale and is a lot more fun. I can go off into woolgathering mode or crank it up.

Won't ride the DF bikes again. No complaints, the trike exceeded my expectations.

Brickguy

I am very satisfied with my trike from ZZMerck.com. It has electric assist and has been very dependable. For a 63 year old guy that needs exercise, this is a good buy. $1,500 total price, delivered in 48 hours to Missouri.