JadeVamp1986

I've never ridden a recumbent but I'm willing to go see it and try it if they don't mind. Yes please send me their info.

JadeVamp1986

I'm very disappointed at the attitude towards me from some of you. I'm not trolling. I'm very serious. Yes I am new to all of this but I came here asking for help and expected advice from experts not rude jeering at my lack of knowledge. Very snobby gate-keeping like attitude.

To those of you who offered help thank you. I've decided to return the trike and I'm now looking into other options. I am terrified of cars and honestly can't afford it at this point.

VegasTriker

Pardon us for being skeptical. I looked at the trike without e-assist and saw that it is a $250 Walmart granny trike. If you have a death wish, go ahead with putting a gasoline powered motor on it. The handling characteristics for one of these is limited by the high center of gravity which means it can easily be tipped over if you take a turn too fast. It would be far better to put what money you have toward one that was designed with better handling.

chaadster

I sent you a PM with the contact info. I hope something beneficial works out.

Koyote

You claimed that you are fearful of cars and don't want one, and then asked for advice on turning a trike into...a car. Complete with gas engine, climate-controlled cabin, alarm, etc.

Any such car you could put together like this would be a really, really bad car, and would be far less safe than an actual car.

Here's the best advice you'll get: if you want something that works like a car, looks like a car, and can haul cargo like a car, you should buy a car.

cxwrench

Buy. A. Car. If you think cars scare you now just wait til you get on that silly trike and get over 10-15mph. You'll **** purple twinkies.

Herzlos

You need to see how it looks to everyone too. We're all for helping you out and will do so, but what you're asking for is basically impossible.

It sounds like your core requirement is a mini car that you can drive on bike paths and sidewalks because you are scared of cars.

Having a trike is fine, but you'd be better off with a regular bicycle and trailer for the most part as it'll give you a more stable ride and the ability to cover much further distances. But you're not going to be able to add heating, aircon, indicators, or a shell to either of them without it costing a fortune. Air conditioning units that actually do anything will weigh more than your stock trike and will need a power source.
To handle the extra weight alone you'd need to replace pretty much everything apart from the saddle and handlebars, would make it significantly larger, it'll sound awful (because there won't be any sound insulation) and will cost you easily $10,000+.

You'd be better off with a quadracycle/minicar like the Renault Twizy. It'll do pretty much everything you need except for the cycle path / sidewalk requirement, which isn't going to be legal or possible, and will be much cheaper than trying to convert a bi/tricycle into one.

Ultimately you'd be better off trying to get over the fear of cars and get a car. If you're born in 1986 then you'll have been old enough to drive a car for about 20 years now and they've become much, much safer in that time.

70sSanO

Returning the trike while you can is a smart move.

You should consult the Michigan laws concerning any motorized device, (bicycle, scooter, etc.), and where they can be operated before making the next purchase.

Good luck in whatever solution you end up with.

John

probe1957

Harley-Davidson probably builds something that would suit your needs.

BlazingPedals

Cost is an issue, too. That blue WAW shown will run $10,000-15,000 depending on options. And looking up at cars while driving it will likely be terrifying to someone who is afraid to even drive a car. OP wants something less than a car but wants to go long distances without arriving at her destination all sweaty. That 3-wheeled scooter looks like an option, although it won't have climate control or even weather protection. I don't see a complete solution.

CliffordK

Not for the feint of heart....

You might look at the "Advocacy and Safety" subforum.

https://www.bikeforums.net/advocacy-safety/

Cycling on roads puts riders right next to cars. I've been riding on public roads since I was in first grade, and have gotten used to it. I've ridden in several states, and three countries.

But one also realizes that it can be terrifying for newbies.

It is hard to say whether cycling is more or less dangerous than driving. Cyclists tend to travel for fewer miles than drivers so overall accidents per vehicle day may be similar. But, for those that do get in accidents with cars, the cyclists are ALWAYS WORSE OFF.

Not saying you can or can't do it. But it does take a certain amount of bravery. And probably would be much better to start with an experienced riding partner to show you the ropes.

As mentioned above, if you don't have balance issues or any physical limitations, then a 2 wheel bike should be fine, and will be more comfortable for cornering.

I've tended towards commuting on racing bikes, but there are others that have very different definitions of commuter bikes.

A unique thing about bikes is they have built in air conditioning and heating.

big john

For your purposes, traveling distances, carrying heavy cargo, traveling in snow and ice, performing Door Dash, etc., the only reasonable answer is a car. Trying to modify a trike or even a recumbent trike will net you an expensive, low speed machine full of safety and comfort compromises. Do you imagine traveling to other states during winter while carrying cargo on a trike? There has to be another solution.

CliffordK

There are valid bicycle based delivery services. Some with electric assist.

Often delivering legal documents for lawyers or courts. Perhaps one could use a bike for pizza delivery on a very small community or on a college campus.

It takes a lot of work to build a company like that from scratch, and one needs to be able to cover the client needs during the advertised work hours. I.E. Likely several riders and multiple shifts. However, there may also be companies that are hiring workers.

It may well depend on your community. In some places the delivery cyclists are a unique breed of cyclists that may be faster than cars, sometimes with questionable safety practices.

"Cargo Bikes" aren't cheap. But, one may not need anything real fancy for document delivery.

Maelochs

@JadeVamp1986 ---Sorry. What you want is impossible.

For slow, around-town use carrying a very small suitcase (like a carry-on for an airline) you might be okay .... as a model you might need to carry make-up, several outfits, and shoes, and you can't necessarily roll up and squeeze those outfits .... which means now you are talking about a couple garment bags. And if you ever plan to go overnight, you will need a whole 'nother suitcase for personal gear .... it all adds up.

If you built a gas-powered trike to carry all that, it would not be allowed on a sidewalk---it wouldn't Fit on a sidewalk---and if you think driving in cars is scary, try riding a bike or trike in traffic. When you realize cars and trucks are passing you three feet away at 50 mph and you have Zero safety gear or protection ..... Also, not every town or city has bike lanes leading to every location, so you would have to ride on the side of the street---with cars, trucks, and buses passing three feet away at 50 mph.

As for riding to other cities .... even at highway speeds it can take a couple hours to go from one major city to another .... and if you are traveling at half that speed, you will be spending all day on a little scooter negotiating totally unknown roads through endless small towns and cities getting to where you are going. If you get a call saying, "Can you be in X city tomorrow morning to do a photo shoot or film a commercial," you would have to explain that you needed more time for travel ... and the next girl on the list would get the call.

And if you needed to fly ... where could you safely park your scooter? Imagine coming home form a two-day shoot, getting off the plane exhausted, towing a couple suitcases, and going to the parking garage to find you had no way home. Your Only option would be to call a cab or Uber .... a car. Well ... you could camp in the airport parking lot I guess .....

It is your business. Can you build a trike which can haul 500 pounds? Sure. Can you add a motor so it can haul that weight without you doing any work? Maybe, but it will cut into your payload. Can you then operate such a vehicle on sidewalks or MUPs? Not legally. No gas-operated vehicle of that size and weight and speed potential would or should be allowed where people are cycling and walking, with children and pets. And even if you could find MUPs to most jobs or cheat and ride on sidewalks and not get ticketed---eventually you would have to drive into a gas station, whether there was a sidewalk or not, because if you run out of gas, you are really in a bad spot.

Can you build what you imagine? Sure. Would it do what you want it to do? Nope.

Would such a vehicle be in any way comfortable in cold weather or rain? No. There is no material both strong enough to withstand the wind, insulating enough to preserve heat, and light enough to make a shell, and if you did build a weatherproof body for your trike, i t would weigh so much that it would cut your payload to a toothbrush and a towel.

And how would you feel, in a tiny fiberglass or carbon-fiber eggshell, with wind blowing you sideways, rain obscuring your vision, and semi-trailers blowing by a few feet away?

I have done a couple cross-country tours and I commuted daily in an urban area for about 15 years. it takes a huge amount of courage to mix it up with automobile traffic on the open road ... when a truck approaches it actually pushes you to the side and then sucks you back over as it passes .... sound like a good time? While you are going 30 mph in a tiny plastic shell in a hard rain and can barely see?

The field you have chosen--modelling---really requires mobility. I would never suggest you give up your chosen career, but you have a serious handicap and you need a serious solution. ANY sort of transport is going to put you on the road, in traffic, competing for space with cars and trucks. it is just a fact. And if you cannot handle being in traffic, you are not going to be able to make your career work.

The safest way to negotiate roadways is probably a minivan, SUV, or pick-up truck. Big, easy to see, lots of metal around to absorb impacts, and room to carry all the gear you will need to carry. Any regular car would also do the job, but the pick-up truck would probably make you feel safer.
@darth_Lefty, in post #24, hits it. You absolutely will need to ride buses---which will necessitate some sort of vehicle to get you to and from the station---or drive a car or get driven in a car if you want your career to work. If you cannot afford to pay a driver then you will need to pay a therapist. I am not being rude (at least that is not my intention. ) But what you want and what you can do are not corresponding. You are like a person who wants to be an athlete but doesn't want to exercise or practice---sorry, can't get there by that method. What you are in fact, is a model who doesn't want to go to photoshoots ..... not going to work.

The simplest and best solution is to get over your fear. if you cannot your one teenage trauma will dictate the entire course of your life. Everything you want to do will be compromised or prevented by the accident you had however many years ago.

In today''s world you can probably be homebound better than at any time in history, due to delivery services and online shopping---but your whole life will have to be lived in a few square miles which you can cover walking. I don't see how that is going to be satisfying for you.

No matter what, unless your husband drives you everywhere or you can afford a driver or car service, your whole life will be limited by one incident many years ago.

Look I am a huge proponent of cycling as alternative transport, but it demands huge sacrifices (offset by huge benefits but you have to pay up-front) and it simply will not work in a lot of situations.

If you can make your modeling career work with the limitations you have, bravo. I love seeing people overcome difficulties. if you can build the vehicle you are describing, and it is practical and functional, you could forget modeling and just sell your vehicle---there are a lot of places where it would be popular.

But the hurdle which seems so big you don't even discuss it is the one with the greatest reward---that is, beat the fear. lots of others have done it. You can do it too. And once you get past that incident---and I know it might be a long hard struggle, but if you don't quit, you will win---once you are past that fear, the whole world will open up for you.

After modelling, or concurrently, you could become an awesome motivational speaker, telling others how they can overcome whatever problems they face and be the people they really want to be .... just like you did.

You got this. it might not be easy, but it will be worth it. You know it. Go do it.

CliffordK

Don't forget BOLLARDS.

There is one that I had to disconnect my trailer and lift both the bike and trailer over the bollards. That trail is also annoying because it has locked gates and a small gravel area between boulders to bypass the gates.

Most bollards I pass absolutely terrify me, especially with my larger cargo trailer which frequently has just inches to spare on both sides.

For shoulderless roads, I can ride my bike within 6" of the edge when I have to. A trike or cargo trailer sticks out and always takes about 3 feet of road space putting me closer to traffic. My general rule is to ride where cars don't drive whenever possible. I've flipped my kiddie trailer (with cargo) several times, hitting curbs or potholes, and my trailer has taken me down once.

addendum8716

good one! good luck

Maelochs

If the OP is real, I would like to thank her.

I have a lingering hesitancy around fast corners, particularly on downhills, after a couple bad crashes .... after posting what i posted, I had to ask myself what lingering fears were limiting My life. Now I am very gently and very gradually pushing the lean a bit on some of the corners i round .... so, thanks.