Chicago Al 

Hi all. My first venture into this forum. I'm a classic & vintage rider, and am used to working on conventional bikes. I have a neighbor with a teenage son who is special needs, I believe autistic. He is unable to ride a bike, but can manage a trike. This is a huge thing for him, gives him some little measure of independence, burns off some energy, and also gives his mom a break. Someone who knows the family gave them an old and kind of rough Trailmate recumbent trike and I'm trying to make it work for them.

This thing has a welded steel frame, a 12" front wheel (plastic!) and 24" chromed steel wheels in the rear. It is frankly quite crudely made and is heavy as hell. This one had both chains very rusted so I replaced them, put lube where I could, and got it more or less rideable. However I am pretty sure I'm going to see this thing again, and I'm stumped by the wheels. Only one gets power, the other spins freely; they are/were made by Sun. The non-drive side has no axle itself, it just spins on the solid axle and is held on with a cotter pin. The drive side appears to be the same wheel, only there's a long thin pin going through the hub that (I guess!) holds it to the axle.

Trailmate is only somewhat responsive to the questions I've had so far; they made clear that this is an old version.

Here's the recumbent--the current version, with what look like much lighter wheels: https://www.trailmate.com/product.cfm?proID=69

Here is what I think may be the rear wheel: https://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Master-.../dp/B005LY4UYC

I know it's a long shot that anyone knows this particular setup and can advise on how the wheels work, how I can service them, etc, but this is the only place I can think of to ask.

Also, the family is considering upgrading, but they've been disappointed in products marketed to the special-needs community. So a suggestion of a really *quality* adult trike would also be welcome.

Sorry for the long post! And TIA for any help.

BlazingPedals

Maybe someone here who owns a delta trike can explain how the drive wheels are *usually* handled, but I'm pretty sure that only having one drive wheel is the norm. Most new trikes are going to start at around $1000 and go quickly up from there. Sunseeker (formerly Sun) sells an ECO-DELTA SX which is just under $1000. The advantage of Sunseeker is that any bike shop can order it from their J&B catalog - no dedicated dealership required!
https://www.sunseeker.bike/index.php.../eco-delta-sx/

Another choice is Terratrike. They sell a 3-speed that is cheaper, but their Maverick model has 8 speeds and is $1199
https://www.terratrike.com/shop/maverick-x8/

Of course, there's also the used route - if you can find one. Trikes constitute 90% of the recumbent market these days, so theoretically there should be a few out there on the second-hand market. Brand names you're likely to see are Catrike, Sunseeker/Sun, Terratrike, and Trident.

Chicago Al 

Thanks, yeah, I get that only one of the rear wheels is a drive wheel, way too much pedaling effort otherwise. It just seems so crude that the non-drive wheel is simply spinning around a piece of steel rod, held on by a cotter pin, and the drive wheel is on the other end of the rod, but held tight to it with what amounts to a long nail driven through hub and axle! And for goodness' sake, why chromed steel wheels? They were quite rusty inside the rims, enough that it a rough edge in there seems to have caused a flat! Surely for a nearly-$1K bike (today's price) with no fancy components like derailleurs they could have gone alloy?

BTW the family is not necessarily looking for a recumbent to replace this, this one just happened to be dropped in their laps. A good quality adult trike would do just fine, and it can be single speed as it's flat as can be here. Possibly even a single-speed bike with stabilizer wheels.

BlazingPedals

Trailmate is nowhere near enthusiast level. Which you could probably guess by the plastic front wheel. Almost anything, even a Walmart trike would be better quality. Maybe an adult trike like this?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0872S3JLG...osi&th=1&psc=1

osco53

A simple approach :
https://www.fatwheels.com/Default.as...SAAEgK2mfD_BwE

https://hasebikes.com/104-1-Special-...-Handbike.html
https://hasebikes.com/110-1-Special-...rike-TRIX.html
Options,, are good

https://bikeportland.org/2017/01/19/...l-needs-213913
more can sometimes be better

Chicago Al 

Thanks! That is indeed another option the mom has been thinking about. I could certainly fit those on a decent single-speed city type bike for them.

osco53

If the boy winds up with His feet somehow strapped, clipped or otherwise secured to the trike made double sure he knows he needs a helmet at all times.
It's extra hard to tuck n roll with a trike secured to your feet,,
Trust me on this one ~