The Adult Tricycle

I'm trying to find a way to dump the truck most of the time. Walking is slow. Scooters hit every bump. Roller blades hit every bump. Bicycles go so fast they can be like non- electric motorcycles, which means a health hazard because they tip over and you are not very visible to the cars, but have to share the road with them. I just found out they make adult tricycles. Anyone use one? It seems like it could solve a lot of problems.

They can carry heavier loads, do hills better, don't tip, have greater traffic visibility, and sometimes have electric motors to assist with a full load. Seems easy to convert to solar powered and get around.

They have ones that fold: http://motorgenic.com/20-folding-adult-tricycle-trike-3-wheeler-bike-bicycle-portable-blue/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw9JzoBRDjARIsAGcdIDWYOf6ofzwW_UuhupJHB2xWFU6SxXxIHhd_xixhHzrZTd2Bgb9eajwaAkWlEALw_wcB

They have ones with front loaders for kids and other objects: https://bunchbike.com/products/family-cargo-bike?variant=7687836991539¤cy=USD&matchtype=&network=g&device=m&keyword=&campaign=1650227750&adgroup=pla-536005838388&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9JzoBRDjARIsAGcdIDVTCAB7G6nu2EbU2dTTilwFrEtwljkOAbXFpQ1_tc2EUNvdrfvhHOAaAjCxEALw_wcB

And they can be electric, which means they can be solar charged: https://www.bpmimports.com/shop/bikes/t-950a-passenger/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw9JzoBRDjARIsAGcdIDVFhaS1Ls0VGz_AVWZHOmxI5qXyiIXZS0nqFgC88c9YIFNf-CpEfnEaAlheEALw_wcB

My husband has an electric bicycle from Rad Power Bikes.  He really likes it for taking small packages to the post office two miles away.  They also make a cargo bike. https://www.radpowerbikes.com/pages/commercial-radburro . He thinks it is awfully expensive.

Here's a page reviewing different electric trikes:  https://electricbikereview.com/category/trike/

We have homebuilt one my father in law picked up somewhere.
The tires are rotted out,  but the frame and drive train are solid.
I hope to get my 11 year old on it for pedalling and peddling-selling off the back of an adult trike seems extra artisan,small batch,  organic and wholesome.

There are kits for building trikes, and even no weld builds.
There are recumbent trike builds out there,  but then you are back to being unseen.  

There are also a lot of DIY and kit options for electrification that seem worth looking into .
The prevalence of scooters makes their parts more available,so adapting them to use with a bike seems like a good idea.

Hey Tyler;   That is one cool cargo trike!  I agree with your husband about the price but...   up to 80 mile range... 2.5 hr recharge !    Way cool !  I like it !  Sadly wife is smiling and shaking her head no :(

C5, or Ross Raven here, has this excellent post on the value of trikes down in South America:

DGMSRC Trike Article (clean version)

I think it's well worth a read.

Solve traffic crowding problems:  https://lifehacker.com/a-pool-noodle-isnt-the-worst-way-for-cyclists-to-keep-a-1787965236

when i lived in japan we used to see people with tricycles all the time, i found it pretty comical to see an old lady on an adult-size tricycle. However, considering that bicycle was my means of transport there, it was pretty darn smart. You can haul a lot on one of those and not have to worry about the bike falling over when your sick-dog-in-a-kennel-going-to-the-vet or a propane tank is strapped to the back fender. Add a trailer to the back and you approach a car in terms of cargo capacity.

I used to work at a bike shop that sold tricycles. In my opinion, they are more dangerous than people think. People would often buy them for an elderly person or for someone with cognitive disabilities and the outcome was too common. The trike would tip on them while they were sitting in place and it would start to role backward on a slope, or the trike would tip on them as they tried to make a small radius turn on a slope.

I don’t know all off the values and considerations that lead you to wanting a trike but I think you may want to at least look at a step-through bike with a low angled seat tube like this pic below. Any shop worth it’s salt can set a bike like that up with large sturdy baskets and a sturdy kick stand. Also, I think most people find that these bikes are just as easy to ride up hills as they are geared properly for getting around and not geared for racing around.

Funny I saw this thread today, on the way to the shop today I passed a "trike" it was a push bike design but with two seats on the back next to each-other (and three wheels obviously) both people could peddle. Never seen anything like it before.

Funny that my grandpa didn’t like tricycle at young age. He tried to ride two-wheel bike after trying tricycle and he liked it after some falls and bruises. So his whole life he ride on average bicycle. But now he prefer tricycle because of his legs issue.

Now he even says  that trike has more advantages over two-wheel bike. And it easy to understand because a tricycle offers more stability than an average two-wheel bike; grandpa can't (almost) get out of balance on a tricycle, even if he cycle slowly;  а tricycle does not fall over when it is stationary; with a tricycle he can easily get on and off and a lot of other advantages.  

In my opinion if you need safe and healthy vehicle, tricycle - the best choice.

I like trikes, specifically the cargo trikes with the beds on the front. I also like recumbent trikes. For the visibility issue, I have always wanted to see something of an aerial spine from the front wheels to the back, especially on recumbents, with a brightly coloured, probably neon, fibre optic mohawk standing up from it. Good luck not noticing that coming up on your right.

-CK

Amit Enventres wrote:I'm trying to find a way to dump the truck most of the time. Walking is slow. Scooters hit every bump. Roller blades hit every bump. Bicycles go so fast they can be like non- electric motorcycles, which means a health hazard because they tip over and you are not very visible to the cars, but have to share the road with them. I just found out they make adult tricycles. Anyone use one? It seems like it could solve a lot of problems.

They can carry heavier loads, do hills better, don't tip, have greater traffic visibility, and sometimes have electric motors to assist with a full load. Seems easy to convert to solar powered and get around.

They have ones that fold: http://motorgenic.com/20-folding-adult-tricycle-trike-3-wheeler-bike-bicycle-portable-blue/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw9JzoBRDjARIsAGcdIDWYOf6ofzwW_UuhupJHB2xWFU6SxXxIHhd_xixhHzrZTd2Bgb9eajwaAkWlEALw_wcB

They have ones with front loaders for kids and other objects: https://bunchbike.com/products/family-cargo-bike?variant=7687836991539¤cy=USD&matchtype=&network=g&device=m&keyword=&campaign=1650227750&adgroup=pla-536005838388&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9JzoBRDjARIsAGcdIDVTCAB7G6nu2EbU2dTTilwFrEtwljkOAbXFpQ1_tc2EUNvdrfvhHOAaAjCxEALw_wcB

And they can be electric, which means they can be solar charged: https://www.bpmimports.com/shop/bikes/t-950a-passenger/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw9JzoBRDjARIsAGcdIDVFhaS1Ls0VGz_AVWZHOmxI5qXyiIXZS0nqFgC88c9YIFNf-CpEfnEaAlheEALw_wcB

By the way, at last week i googled some new tricycle for my grandpa. Maybe this article https://www.bestadvisers.co.uk/adult-tricycle  also will be useful for you.

Chris Kott wrote:I have always wanted to see something of an aerial spine from the front wheels to the back, especially on recumbents, with a brightly coloured, probably neon, fibre optic mohawk standing up from it.

Now i am wanted to see this trike too.

12 years and counting, I've been saddling the self-built, 3-wheeler pictured below. 95% of construction is discarded bicycles.
The 500w electrification was originally from a kid's kick scooter. Street legal WO/license, reg or insurance.
Top speed is 30MPH and range is approx. 12 miles.

Eugene, I love your trike!
I have a factory built one that we finally rehabbed for my (now) 13 year old.
Now my wife wants another one, and your design looks excellent.

I got an old electric golf cart and reengineered it as a farm runabout.
It works well, cost $150 complete with a burnt out speed controller..