Adult tricycle

[dlovett]

Hey there, I am after advice about adult trikes. My mother is turning 80 and gave up her bike this year as she fell off and lost confidence in it. I know she has talked about getting a trike as she would feel more confident on one.

I have seen a few listed used locally anything I should think about in what I should look for?

She will only be riding it locally to the village and back and perhaps into the next town, about 2-3 miles away and back so bit massive distances.

Tia

D

[Hyppy]

Perhaps worth getting in touch with someone from Wheels For All for advice. If there’s not anyone local to you, I can put you in touch with club mates round here who volunteer.

https://wheelsforall.org.uk/locations

[frogatthefarriers]

I borrowed my sister's trike once for a laugh. I found it almost impossible to steer at first. The thing is, when you ride two wheels - and this is counter-intuitive - if you want to go left, you turn the handlebars to the right to initiate the turn. A trike on the other hand, steers like a car - turn left to go left. It takes a bit of getting used to.

Don't believe me? Try it. Ride in a straight line and turn the bars to the left and see which way you go.

Anyway, the point I'm trying to make, is make sure your mum's first few rides are in a traffic free area.

On my sister's trike, at first the only way I could get it to go where i wanted it to go was to get it on to two wheels. It wasn't just me. My mates were just as flummoxed as I was.

[dlovett]

Thanks but I have to view it a 9am!!

quote=Hyppy post_id=330508 time=1733004518 user_id=5616]
Perhaps worth getting in touch with someone from Wheels For All for advice. If there’s not anyone local to you, I can put you in touch with club mates round here who volunteer.

https://wheelsforall.org.uk/locations
[/quote]

[Lazarus]

Try it. Ride in a straight line and turn the bars to the left and see which way you go.

is that not the.rule for high speed gentle angle road cornering.ie you turn out and lean in , to be stable and get round them.
Off road and at low speeds( i don't know the cut off point for the change) you go the way the bars turn. You will not make a 90 degree riad junctuon turn or a switchback with countersteering.

[frogatthefarriers]

Try it. Ride in a straight line and turn the bars to the left and see which way you go.

is that not the.rule for high speed gentle angle road cornering.ie you turn out and lean in…

That’s the point - on a trike you can’t lean, so if you turn out, you go out. Scary if you’re not expecting it. I couldn’t understand why I kept on mounting the kerb.

[dlovett]

Christ on a bike, well I need him it’s scary as ****. I had to ride it home on busy urban roads. Too fast in a bend and you pop the inside wheel up!

With some disassembly we got it in the car and drove it over to Sussex and it’s now in my parents garage ready for my mother to try it out tomorrow. I did find that by putting the handlebars pretty much in line with the forks, it’s not anywhere near as twitchy thank god.