Trikes and learning to ride a bike....

Just zis Guy said:

On Sun, 1 May 2005 13:11:50 -0400, "Roger Zoul"
<[email hidden]> wrote in message
<[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

I have a friend...she claims she has no balance....she's interested
in a trike for this reason...

It's a skill, is all. Some people never do get it, but they are few
and far between. The main thing I believe holds adults back from
learning balance is trying to start in too high a gear.

Thanks for that info on gearing...I'll make use of it. I never seems wise
to start in a high gear, moreso for a noob.

Quoted message said:

My wife had never ridden a bicycle when we met. We bought her one
about four years ago; she now pilots our triplet (three-seater) with
two kids on the back. Your friend might be surprised :-)

That's what I'm hoping...but if it doesn't work out, it's trike city....she
can afford it.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Are there any upright trikes?

Yes, but usually made by craft cycle builders (read expensive). There
are some lovely trikes out there, Longstaff in the UK make them, noble
things beloved of their owners. Here is a site worth looking at:

http://www.tricycle-association.org.uk/

Thanks.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Are the any others (beside Wal-mart!) with two wheels in the rear?

Two at the front is usually called tadpole, two at the back is known
as delta, not sure if you'd picked that jargon up yet.

I had not....thanks. We discussed the pro/cons of front/back two
wheels....it seems steering is weird with two wheels at the front...but is
that so?

Quoted message said:

The above has several (but UK of course); you can also get the Hase
Kettweisel and Lepus recumbent deltas, which are excellent machines
and tremendously popular with their owners. There is also one called
the Pashley PDQ3 but that has a very high centre of gravity - several
reviewers have said it is unstable. I'd probably go with the
Kettweisel if I wanted a delta. They are sooooo comfortable :-)

You ride a recumbent, right? Not a trike, I assume....

On Sun, 1 May 2005 14:38:37 -0400, "Roger Zoul"
<[email hidden]> wrote in message
<[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

We discussed the pro/cons of front/back two
wheels....it seems steering is weird with two wheels at the front...but is
that so?

Not really. Tadpoles have Ackerman steering, it's very predictable.
I'm told the Newton upright tadpole takes a little getting used to,
but only a little. Recumbent tadpoles? No problem.

Quoted message said:

You ride a recumbent, right? Not a trike, I assume....

No, a bike. I'd like a trike but I park indoors and take the bike on
trains.

Do get your friend to try the Kettweisel, though, it really is very
refined and civilised. Hang on, I'll come along for the ride...

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

85% of helmet statistics are made up, 69% of them at CHS, Puget Sound

wafflycat wafflesATv21netDOTcoDOTuk said:

"Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have a friend...she claims she has no balance....she's interested
in a trike for this reason...

I found a website that sells a trike. This is it:
http://www.easyracers.com/ez_3.htm

Are there any upright trikes?

snippity

Quoted message said:

Do people do centuries on trikes?

Any comments welcome....

Indeed there are upright trikes and indeed, people do centuries on
them and race on them. In the UK there's a specific tricycle
association and trikes often feature in local time trials (but not in
any huge number). I know a couple of local guys who regularly race
trikes and tour with them.

The trike of desire for many a tricyclist over on this side of the
pond is a Longstaff.

See http://www.longstaffcycles.co.uk/

Cheers, helen s

Thanks, helen...Interesting stuff on that page...I had no idea, really. My
ignorance never ceases...I quit being amazed by it long ago, however.

"Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

You ride a recumbent, right? Not a trike, I assume....

Hand waves across the pond...

Please sir, please sir!

I ride a recumbent trike... when my teenage son isn't pinching it from me
;-)

One of these...

http://www.ice.hpv.co.uk/trikes_t.htm

Not the lightest & I want some slicks put on it for the summer. But it is
*fun*

Cheers, helen s

Just zis Guy said:

The above has several (but UK of course); you can also get the Hase
Kettweisel and Lepus recumbent deltas, which are excellent machines
and tremendously popular with their owners. There is also one called
the Pashley PDQ3 but that has a very high centre of gravity - several
reviewers have said it is unstable. I'd probably go with the
Kettweisel if I wanted a delta. They are sooooo comfortable :-)

Point of information, Mr. Chairman, the PDQ3 was a tadpole and is no longer
in production. And rightly so.

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
And then there was light and He thought it was good, so He threw the
receipt away.

pam_in_sc said:

Roger Zoul said:

I'm thinking I'd try to help her overcome this fear. I'd rent a
bike with fat tires (mtn bike) and have her ride in an open grassy
field. I'd move along beside her holding the bike as she pedaled
along. Whatelse might I do to help her?

Do people do centuries on trikes?

Any comments welcome....

How much can you afford to spend on a vacation to teach her? My kids,
who had trouble learning to ride bikes, finally learned several years
ago biking on the beach during a Thanksgiving vacation on Kiawah
island. The sand is really firm and flat, easy to ride on and you
don't get
hurt when you fall (unless you tangle with the bike). The bikes they
rent there are one speed--no confusion about gears. I suppose it is
not only too expensive in the summer but also too crowded, but in
winter the biking on the beach was great.

That's a great idea, Pam. In fact, it very likely will work out like this,
as she owns property in Myrtle Beach.

Hope I see you around this weekend! 🙂

Roger Zoul said:

I have a friend...she claims she has no balance....she's interested

in a

Quoted message said:

trike for this reason...

I found a website that sells a trike. This is it:
http://www.easyracers.com/ez_3.htm

Are there any upright trikes?

Regarding upright trikes: I had an opportunity to test ride one some
years ago. It was very similar to the Longstaffs trike someone pointed
to.

It was an _extremely_ disconcerting ride. I was astonished at how
unstable it made me feel. Every instinct I had seemed to work against
me. I was honestly glad to be off it, and had great trouble trying to
find some compliment to give the proud owner.

I mention this because I think using an upright trike to teach
bicycling would be seriously counterproductive.

Quoted message said:

For entirely selfish reasons, I'd like to try steer away from a trike

to a

Quoted message said:

bike.

I absolutely agree.

Quoted message said:

She says that as a kid her brothers tried to help her learn to ride a
bike, but she always fell over onto the pavement. I think she'd like

to

Quoted message said:

avoid that.

I'm thinking I'd try to help her overcome this fear. I'd rent a bike

with

Quoted message said:

fat tires (mtn bike) and have her ride in an open grassy field. I'd

move

Quoted message said:

along beside her holding the bike as she pedaled along. Whatelse

might I do

Quoted message said:

to help her?

As others have said, the "low saddle, pedals removed scooter" method
has a great reputation. Holding the saddle would be a hindrance, not a
help. You might test out the bike yourself first. I've not tried
this, but I assume if a bike were easier for a skilled cyclist to ride
no-hands, it might be easier for an unskilled cyclist to learn on.

Quoted message said:

Do people do centuries on trikes?

Heck, people do all sorts of thing that border on the unwise - or the
impossible!

(BTW, I take it this isn't the lady from the bike shop? ;-)

- Frank Krygowski

[email hidden] wrote:
:> Roger Zoul wrote:
:> > I have a friend...she claims she has no balance....she's interested
:> in a
:> > trike for this reason...
:> >
:> > I found a website that sells a trike. This is it:
:> > http://www.easyracers.com/ez_3.htm
:> >
:> > Are there any upright trikes?
:>
:> Regarding upright trikes: I had an opportunity to test ride one some
:> years ago. It was very similar to the Longstaffs trike someone
:> pointed to.
:>
:> It was an _extremely_ disconcerting ride. I was astonished at how
:> unstable it made me feel. Every instinct I had seemed to work
:> against me. I was honestly glad to be off it, and had great trouble
:> trying to find some compliment to give the proud owner.
:>
:> I mention this because I think using an upright trike to teach
:> bicycling would be seriously counterproductive.

Wow....amazing....it would seem to be more stable at first glance....Thanks
for the info..

:>
:>
:> > For entirely selfish reasons, I'd like to try steer away from a
:> > trike
:> to a
:> > bike.
:>
:> I absolutely agree.
:>
:> > She says that as a kid her brothers tried to help her learn to
:> > ride a bike, but she always fell over onto the pavement. I think
:> > she'd like
:> to
:> > avoid that.
:> >
:> > I'm thinking I'd try to help her overcome this fear. I'd rent a
:> > bike
:> with
:> > fat tires (mtn bike) and have her ride in an open grassy field.
:> > I'd
:> move
:> > along beside her holding the bike as she pedaled along. Whatelse
:> might I do
:> > to help her?
:>
:> As others have said, the "low saddle, pedals removed scooter" method
:> has a great reputation. Holding the saddle would be a hindrance,
:> not a help. You might test out the bike yourself first. I've not
:> tried this, but I assume if a bike were easier for a skilled cyclist
:> to ride no-hands, it might be easier for an unskilled cyclist to
:> learn on.
:>
:> >
:> > Do people do centuries on trikes?
:>
:> Heck, people do all sorts of thing that border on the unwise - or the
:> impossible!

🙂 Well, I was just wondering what the possibilities were for her to ride a
century with me one day on a trike. If that should ever happen, it likely
won't be on an upright...

:>
:>
:> (BTW, I take it this isn't the lady from the bike shop? ;-)
:>

No...the lady at the LBS has apparently moved on to new employment. I was
unhappy to learn that she no longer works there. I don't know what the
story is on that, but the LBS will not be the same.....