Need Advice on trike purchase

Hi everyone,

I need some guidance on the purchase of a new trike. I say trike because I have a bit of a balance
problem and don't think I would be comfortable on a 2-wheeler. My goal is fitness and weight
management. I am 59 years old and spent the last two years recovering from a motor vehicle accident.
All of that sitting around has me at about 240 lbs (I am 5"11"). I would like to be able to ride
both on the street and on our trail (I live near the KATY trail in Missouri). I have been
researching on the internet and like the looks of the Organic Engines Triclops and the Greenspeed
GTR/GTO. Any pros/cons and suggestions would be welcome.

TIA,

Tony

 

"Tony Tetley" <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:

> Hi everyone,
>
> I need some guidance on the purchase of a new trike. I say trike because I have a bit of a balance
> problem and don't think I would be comfortable on a 2-wheeler. My goal is fitness and weight
> management. I am 59 years old and spent the last two years recovering from a motor vehicle
> accident. All of that sitting around has me at about 240 lbs (I am 5"11"). I would like to be able
> to ride both on the street and on our trail (I live near the KATY trail in Missouri). I have been
> researching on the internet and like the looks of the Organic Engines Triclops and the Greenspeed
> GTR/GTO. Any pros/cons and suggestions would be welcome.
>
> TIA,
>
> Tony
>
>
>

You could spend a bunch of time sifting thru all the info here
http://www.ihpva.org/pipermail/trikes/

also, have a look at the new Terra Trike. The price is very good at U$1899, and quality top notch
http://www.wizwheelz.com/

rorschandt

 

Terrific, I had not bumped into this one.

Thanks, Tony

> also, have a look at the new Terra Trike. The price is very good at
U$1899,
> and quality top notch http://www.wizwheelz.com/
>
> rorschandt

 

Don't know how recently they've updated it -- you could email them and ask -- but the ultimate
source of trike information has to be http://www.trikescdrom.com.

WizWheelz is a great recommendation. The new Catrike Speed (http://www.catrike.com) also looks very
nice and is VERY reasonably priced.

Gary

 

Tony, I build a trike called the Spitfire. I am currently trying to close the build on my first
production batch and offering this trike at discount. Visit my website for details.

Respectfully,

--
Rickey Horwitz Hell-bent Cycle Works http://www.hellbentcycles.com

"Tony Tetley" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi everyone,
>
> I need some guidance on the purchase of a new trike. I say trike because
I
> have a bit of a balance problem and don't think I would be comfortable on
a
> 2-wheeler. My goal is fitness and weight management. I am 59 years old
and
> spent the last two years recovering from a motor vehicle accident. All of that sitting around has
> me at about 240 lbs (I am 5"11"). I would like to be able to ride both on the street and on our
> trail (I live near the KATY trail in Missouri). I have been researching on the internet and like
> the looks of the Organic Engines Triclops and the Greenspeed GTR/GTO. Any pros/cons and
> suggestions would be welcome.
>
> TIA,
>
> Tony

 

Tony Tetley wrote:
>
> Hi everyone,
>
> I need some guidance on the purchase of a new trike. I say trike because I have a bit of a balance
> problem and don't think I would be comfortable on a 2-wheeler. My goal is fitness and weight
> management. I am 59 years old and spent the last two years recovering from a motor vehicle
> accident. All of that sitting around has me at about 240 lbs (I am 5"11"). I would like to be able
> to ride both on the street and on our trail (I live near the KATY trail in Missouri). I have been
> researching on the internet and like the looks of the Organic Engines Triclops and the Greenspeed
> GTR/GTO. Any pros/cons and suggestions would be welcome.

Tony,

One thing to consider is that with a trike you have three wheel tracks, which means it is difficult
to avoid running over bumps and potholes. Usually what happens is the rider avoids the obstacles
with the front wheel (on a tadpole) and hit it with the rear wheel. Suspension can solve the problem
of ride comfort that some may otherwise find objectionable on a trike.

This may or may not be a problem depending on the quality of roads normally ridden on and the
individual rider's tolerance.

Currently rear suspended trikes are available from ICE/Trice (premium build quality and the price to
match), Stein (very small and relatively new manufacturer) and Optima (limited US distribution), and
probably some other that do not come to mind at the moment.

Tom Sherman - Earth Cycles Dragonflyer and other Various HPV's Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)

 

Tom Sherman <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:

>
> Tony Tetley wrote:
>>
>> Hi everyone,
>>
>> I need some guidance on the purchase of a new trike. I say trike because I have a bit of a
>> balance problem and don't think I would be comfortable on a 2-wheeler. My goal is fitness and
>> weight management. I am 59 years old and spent the last two years recovering from a motor vehicle
>> accident. All of that sitting around
>
>snip< Currently rear suspended trikes are available from ICE/Trice (premium build quality and the
>price to match), Stein (very small and relatively new manufacturer) and Optima (limited US
>distribution), and probably some other that do not come to mind at the moment.
>
> Tom Sherman - Earth Cycles Dragonflyer and other Various HPV's Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)
>

Here is one of the more complete lists, with pics. Many that are no longer available are included.
http://home.mindspring.com/~kb7mxu/index.htm

happy hunting, rorschandt

 

"Tony Tetley" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> Hi everyone,
>
> I need some guidance on the purchase of a new trike. I say trike because I have a bit of a balance
> problem and don't think I would be comfortable on a 2-wheeler. My goal is fitness and weight
> management. I am 59 years old and spent the last two years recovering from a motor vehicle
> accident. All of that sitting around has me at about 240 lbs (I am 5"11"). I would like to be able
> to ride both on the street and on our trail (I live near the KATY trail in Missouri). I have been
> researching on the internet and like the looks of the Organic Engines Triclops and the Greenspeed
> GTR/GTO. Any pros/cons and suggestions would be welcome.
>
> TIA,
>
> Tony

Tony: If you live near the St. Louis area you might want to consider going to Wicks Aircraft in
Highland, Illinois. They make a very nice tadpole trike similar to the Greenspeed called the
Trimuter. We extensively testrode the unit and found it to be a very well made and nice handling
trike and probably the most fun you could have on two or three wheels. However, for our mainly
city and open road riding we decided to stay with two wheels. That wouldn't be a factor with the
Katy Trail. One advantage, if you are close, is the ability to test ride to your heart's content.
Good luck.

 

Here's another interesting trike http://www.ezdenver.com/raptor/s

bill

"Tony Tetley" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi everyone,
>
> I need some guidance on the purchase of a new trike. I say trike because
I
> have a bit of a balance problem and don't think I would be comfortable on
a
> 2-wheeler. My goal is fitness and weight management. I am 59 years old
and
> spent the last two years recovering from a motor vehicle accident. All of that sitting around has
> me at about 240 lbs (I am 5"11"). I would like to be able to ride both on the street and on our
> trail (I live near the KATY trail in Missouri). I have been researching on the internet and like
> the looks of the Organic Engines Triclops and the Greenspeed GTR/GTO. Any pros/cons and
> suggestions would be welcome.
>
> TIA,
>
> Tony
>
>

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"Tony Tetley" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> Hi everyone,
>
> I have been researching on the internet and like the looks of the Organic Engines Triclops and
> the Greenspeed GTR/GTO. Any pros/cons and suggestions would be welcome.
>
>

Lots of good suggestions from others. I would have seriously considered the Terra Trike if it had a
lower gearing option. To get the gearing that I need to ride uphill, it would have brought the price
much closer to my Greenspeed.

I have a Greenspeed GTO and I am very happy with my choice. I was able to get the gearing that I
wanted (SRAM dual drive), disk brakes, and a record of durability. (I have about 3100 miles so far.)

I have tried the Greenspeed on a a rail trail and was not well pleased. The trail is dirt with a
light covering of gravel. It gets pitted in the spring and is fairly bumpy to ride on an
unsuspended trike.

Good luck with your choice.

Gary McCarty, Greenspeed GTO, Salt Lake City