Why Would You Want A Trike!?!
I want a trike. There, I said it, mean it and I’m not gonna apologize! I don’t mean some sleek and slippery aero recumbent (I have one of those; it doesn’t like snow) It doesn’t have to be fast. 15mph top speed is really moving on an upright trike. That’s okay, I’m pretty much retired, have no where to go and all day to get there. Still faster than most traditional bike riders average.
With a traditional upright trike I can carry almost anything and never worry about falling over. With all the black ice forming from our mist and cold lately, that’s a major benefit. In The Summer, my wife will ride it to The Farmers’ Markets, fireworks, fairs and festivals. We”ll finally be able to ride together. She can be the one to carry the goods, service parts and tools for repairs. I won’t worry about her limited skills causing her to fall over or the acceleration of the motor scaring her. Who knows, maybe I’ll even start a mobile repair service for the local MUP’s!
It needs to be upright so it is easy to get on and off. I need to be able to see ahead of me and around corners like on a traditional bike. This is important for the short way I ride on city streets going to work, church or the grocery store. That’s hard to do on an expensive, though admittedly far more comfy, ‘bent.
I’m only riding ten miles at a shot. My trike doesn’t have to be real efficient. I’ll build it to do an easy 40 just to be safe. It will be internally geared. I want to be able to shift to a proper gear while coasting or at a stop. That should make it extremely reliable.
I like the trike above. It has a coaster brake as well as that front brake. I already have a torque sensing mid-drive motor designed for a coaster brake. No worries about weather, bent rotors or pad contamination with a coaster brake. I might even design a little heated cab for Winter.
Today companies like Buzz and Addmotor are building good, mid-drive e-trikes. This can be still better and cost less. For $1395 I can offer them at our shop. Heck, if you have a trike already, just convert it! If not, any chance you might donate it to an old fat guy so he won’t have to risk riding his e-bike on the ice this Winter (the only things more fragile than this old man’s ego are his hips)?
What are some ways you might use a trike?