Introduction To Trikes
Posted by Eric James on August 13, 2009
A trike is a motorized three wheeled vehicle, often with an appearance closer to a motorcycle than to a car. These machines have increased in popularity in recent years, being seen as an excellent alternative to motorbikes. There are strict definitions of what most owners think of a trike as being. A motorcycle with a sidecar is not, for instance, seen as being one, despite the fact that it has three wheels.
There’s a whole culture that goes with riding these machines too. That culture places trike owners in the same bracket as motorcycle owners, distinct from those of us who drive cars and other four wheeled vehicles.
Whether such models gain popularity will be interesting. One thing is for certain – trike owners will continue to enjoy the experience of riding these unique vehicles.
Children’s trikes are made of steel frames or plastic. One disadvantage of plastic frames is that they be more likely to tip over than a steel frame if a heavier child is riding. On the plus side, plastic frames will not rust like steel frames if the trike is left out in the rain. A good quality trike’s wheels will have treads, which provide better traction.
In the case of delta tricycles, the drive is often to just one of the rear wheels, though in some cases both wheels are driven through a differential. A double freewheel, preferably using no-backlash roller clutches, is considered superior. A jackshaft drive permits either single or two-wheel drive. Tadpoles generally use a bicycle’s rear wheel drive and for that reason are usually lighter, cheaper and easier to replace and repair.
The alternative is to use standard Ackermann steering geometry, perhaps with both front brakes operated by the stronger hand. While the KMX Kart stunt trike with this setup allows the rear brake to be operated separately, letting the rider do “bootlegger turns”, the standard setup for most trikes has brakes for each side operated by each hand.
An often-noted problem with recumbent trikes, much debated by trikers and recumbent riders of all kinds, is their poor climbing ability: the rider cannot get out of the saddle and stand up on the pedals to climb hills. Trikers argue that they make up the time lost going up hills by going much faster on the downhill side because of the low, aerodynamic riding position.
Freight trikes are most often of the tadpole configuration, with the cargo box (platform, etc.) mounted between the front wheels. India and China are significant strongholds of the rear-loading “delta” carrier trike. Freight trikes are also designed for indoor use in large warehouses or industrial plants. The advantage of using freight trikes rather than a motor vehicle is that there is no exhaust, which means that the trike can be used inside warehouses. While another option is electric golf cart-style vehicles, freight trikes are human-powered, so they do not have the maintenance required to keep batteries on golf carts charged up. For more information, see the articles on “workbike” and “freight bicycle”.
Makers of recumbent trikes include KMX; Hase (who make the Kettwiesel delta, improbably named after the British children’s programme Catweazle); Inspired Cycle Engineering, who make the Trice range of tadpole trikes; AVD, who build the record holding Burrows Windcheetah or Speedy, a design exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art (MoMA); Australia’s Greenspeed, one of the oldest manufacturers; Michigan-based WhizWheelz, which makes 10 models, including a sub-US$1000 model tadpole and a tandem; and Big Cat HPV which builds the 6 Catrike models in Florida.
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