distributing luggage weight on a tadpole trike

[Peter]

Novice at recumbent trikes considering buying one, I'm wondering if theres a way of distributing
luggage weight on tadpole trikes so all the weight isn't on the back wheel. Anyone got links to
means of doing this? Thanks peter

 

[Risto Varanka]

peter <[email protected]> wrote:
: Novice at recumbent trikes considering buying one, I'm wondering if theres a way of distributing
: luggage weight on tadpole trikes so all the weight isn't on the back wheel. Anyone got links to
: means of doing this?

Maybe a bottom fairing. Or build a supporting frame and hang your luggage from that.

I put smallish bags just next to the seat - on the side, under it and behind it. The chain can
sometimes be a real problem. (Would need some kind of a casing or at least a tube.)

Maybe a bellybag too?

--
Risto Varanka | http://www.helsinki.fi/~rvaranka/hpv/hpv.html varis at no spam please iki fi

 

[Gary Mc]

Peter,

I can think of no easy to take the weight off the rear wheel on my Greenspeed but to add a trailer.

But, I am curious why that is necessary? I haul a lot of junk and have taken a couple very short
tours. The most weight that I have ever had in the rear might be a trip to the grocery store where I
bought two 12 packs of sodas. The load did not effect the performance of the trike except for the
additional weight slowing me down a bit.

The small wheels seem to handle the load well and they are suppose to be very strong. I found that
carrying the volume of things that I wanted more of a problem than weight.

Gary McCarty, Greenspeed GTO, Salt Lake City

"peter" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Novice at recumbent trikes considering buying one, I'm wondering if theres a way of distributing
> luggage weight on tadpole trikes so all the weight isn't on the back wheel. Anyone got links to
> means of doing this? Thanks peter

 

[Peter]

Hi thanks for the replys. Question was asked because I'm 16+ stone and do long tours loaded for
camping. On an upright I can balance the load 2 at the rear to1 at the front using a barbag or front
panniers. As I say I'm a novice, know the small wheels are strong especially as I'll be using an
internal geared hub with symetrical spoke tensions and length but,.......... Peter

 

[Dean Arthur]

Bought single axle stakeside trailer two foot wide by three foot long back in mid-nineties. Attached
piece of one inch wide by one-eighth inch thick by thirty-six inch long mild steel barstock to bike
seat post then a twist to carry bar over rear wheel thence downward to point just below rear axle.
Bar attached to bike with steel shelving support strips from axle up to point over rear wheel and
rearward to strap. Worked great!

Pulled trailer throughout Star Valley here in western Wyoming, USA for grocery shopping and doing
laundry as no room for machinery in trailer I'm in...all spare room taken up by Mac computers I
refurbish, max ram in and mate to monitors and cheap black ink printers before giving away to
families with more kids than spare money.

Keep the Macs alive!

Due to extreme muscle loss from ski bag impacts on legs at former airport job I converted to BikeE
winter of 2002 with limited success. Some muscle is rebuilding with intake of Shaklee Instant
Protein but balance still suffers.

Mother's Trike looking more and more like way for me to go. Article came out in 1983 edition of
magazine and claimed construction cost of 65$ [1983, mind you] using EMT [the tubing which carries
house wiring in USA] but I'm choosing smallest diameter auto exhaust pipe to carry my 6'4", 230
pound frame.

Construction article on Mother Earth News 2F1R home-brew trike with specs, parts list and drawings
is available online at the Mother Earth News web site.

Here's the link:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/menarch/archive/goto.asp?article=081/081-162-01&ID=2613&Num=4

 

[Dean Arthur]

peter wrote:
>
> Hi thanks for the replys. Question was asked because I'm 16+ stone and do long tours loaded for
> camping. On an upright I can balance the load 2 at the rear to1 at the front using a barbag or
> front panniers. As I say I'm a novice, know the small wheels are strong especially as I'll be
> using an internal geared hub with symetrical spoke tensions and length but,.......... Peter

Bought single axle stakeside trailer two foot wide by three foot long back in mid-nineties. Attached
piece of one inch wide by one-eighth inch thick by thirty-six inch long mild steel barstock to bike
seat post then a twist to carry bar over rear wheel thence downward to point just below rear axle.
Bar attached to bike with steel shelving support strips from axle up to point over rear wheel and
rearward to strap. Worked great!

Pulled trailer throughout Star Valley here in western Wyoming, USA for grocery shopping and doing
laundry as no room for machinery in trailer I'm in...all spare room taken up by Mac computers I
refurbish, max ram in and mate to monitors and cheap black ink printers before giving away to
families with more kids than spare money.

Keep the Macs alive!

Due to extreme muscle loss from ski bag impacts on legs at former airport job I converted to BikeE
winter of 2002 with limited success. Some muscle is rebuilding with intake of Shaklee Instant
Protein but balance still suffers.

Mother's Trike looking more and more like way for me to go. Article came out in 1983 edition of
magazine and claimed construction cost of 65$ [1983, mind you] using EMT [the tubing which carries
house wiring in USA] but I'm choosing smallest diameter auto exhaust pipe to carry my 6'4", 230
pound frame.

Construction article on Mother Earth News 2F1R home-brew trike with specs, parts list and drawings
is available online at the Mother Earth News web site.

Here's the link:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/menarch/archive/goto.asp?article=081/081-162-01&ID=2613&Num=4

 

[Carol Hague]

peter <[email protected]> wrote:

> Hi thanks for the replys. Question was asked because I'm 16+ stone and do long tours loaded for
> camping. On an upright I can balance the load 2 at the rear to1 at the front using a barbag or
> front panniers. As I say I'm a novice, know the small wheels are strong especially as I'll be
> using an internal geared hub with symetrical spoke tensions and length but,..........

I weigh more than that, and have done loaded tours on my Greenspeed GTO with no problems.

You might want to take a look at the GTE, which has a rack which can take two sets of panniers, and
stronger frame and rear wheel than the other Greenspeed models, in case you really are taking the
kitchen sink with you

--
Carol Hague Westcountry Recumbents http://www.wrhpv.com Feet first on three wheels.