Daniel Parry wrote:
> I guess not flawed at all, then? ^_^ I'm curious as to whether a front wheel drive would
> perform/handle better than a rear wheel drive recumbent trike. Are there parallels with front/rear
> wheel drive cars?
I think the main parallel is that it's intrinsically harder to drive a wheel that you have to steer
as well, especially where power comes from cranks that are ideally in line with both the rider's
legs and the powered axles. You could try rear wheel steering, but I recall an answer in C+ once
from a Mr. M. Burrows to such a question suggesting that (for various reasons I can't recall) such
machines tend to be the province of people with red noses called Koko.
An interesting solution for both bikes and trikes is the Flevo, which steers through a joint in the
middle of the frame. These can be ridden entirely hands free routinely, with the bars just somewhere
to mount brake and gear controls (if you can ride them at all!) Pretty much proof against
opportunist rideaway theft! See
http://www.flevobike.nl for more info...
Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net
[email protected]
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/