E-assist Recumbent Trikes: Anyone have one?
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E-assist Recumbent Trikes: Anyone have one?
Interested in hearing about anyone's experience with E-assist recumbent trikes.
Do any manufacturers make E-assist recumbents or are they always an "add-on"?
Do you like yours - positives, negatives?
Thanks,
Scubaquarius
Do any manufacturers make E-assist recumbents or are they always an "add-on"?
Do you like yours - positives, negatives?
Thanks,
Scubaquarius
#2
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Since you already own a Catrike, check out the Catrike website. They now have the e-Cat available but expect to pay $$$$ https://www.catrike.com/
Just about every major manufacturer of trikes makes an e-assist version but you can also take and existing trike and add e-assist to most models.
Lots of good information at the Bentrider Power Assist subforum Power Assist - BentRider Online Forums
Just about every major manufacturer of trikes makes an e-assist version but you can also take and existing trike and add e-assist to most models.
Lots of good information at the Bentrider Power Assist subforum Power Assist - BentRider Online Forums
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I used to ride with a fellow that had a kit of some sort on his Catrike Expedition. I was riding a Road at the time and it certainly made it seem pretty effortless going up hills for him. We would regularly ride ~40-60 miles round trip and it would last the whole way along a rail to trail.
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A recently deceased friend who was an avid cyclist converted to trikes after a stroke and then to add on e assist for his
ICE trike. He did a number of 50 mile + hilly rides on this with the ride group and regularly went up 0.3-0.4mile hills with
6-8% grades faster than anyone else in the groups which included some strong riders. His battery consumption on these
rides was typically 50-70% of charge. Bike was transported in a pickup and needed two people to put in or remove from
the truck.
ICE trike. He did a number of 50 mile + hilly rides on this with the ride group and regularly went up 0.3-0.4mile hills with
6-8% grades faster than anyone else in the groups which included some strong riders. His battery consumption on these
rides was typically 50-70% of charge. Bike was transported in a pickup and needed two people to put in or remove from
the truck.
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I converted my Sunseeker EcoTad myself with a 8Fun Bafang 750 watt mid drive with a lifepo4 battery.No regrets.
#7
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I converted several bikes and trikes to E cycles using Tongsheng TSDZ2 mid drives, including a Catrike Trail I used to own and an ICE Adventure I now own. I've put several thousand miles on Tongshengs and IME motors are reliable, easy to install and versatile. The Tongsheng uses a torque sensor that responds to how hard you push and gives a kind of Superman effect, pretty cool.
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I'm thinking that the future is going to be electric assist, recumbent, cargo trikes. Looking to see a top notch manufacturer engineer and put something nice out.
franktheman
franktheman
#10
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I have 2 delta style recumbent trikes, both homemade. One has 20" wheels and rear suspension, the other has 26" wheels which makes it a bit more tippy so it is used as a cruiser type of recumbent. I am thinking of taking the part's from the 20" version and building a tandem. The 20" wheels are very strong so will be fine for the extra weight. The rear's are each built as an axle/rim combo and the front is a 48 spoke BMX rim.
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Sylvia Halpern aka Myrtle the Turtle has had an E-Assist trike for a couple years now. She documents her experiences on Facebook: Travels By Trike | Facebook
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