paul,
It is true that when the trike is ridden on the side of the road that it was designed for it rides much better. I think Jackson will make one for riding on the right side if one wants it; which I highly reccommend if one opts for a new one. I actually ride down the middle of the road whenever I can get away with it and that works best I think. Low gears make a trememdous differance. Originally I had a standard double crankset on my trike and I couldn't get over a hill larger than a speed bump. Then I fitted a triple crankset and a larger FW and suddenly I could climb almost anything. Main reason is because with the lower gears one can sit on the climbs and control where ones weight is more easily.
My friends tell me it's scary to ride behind the trike when I'm going down steep hills with sharp curves. They say the wheels are bending all over the place! It doesn't feel like it on the trike but I've seen photos of them in turns and the wheels are shaped like "Pringles" in the turns! Just don't look at your own wheels at those times and chances are the urge to jump off to safety will not strike you.
Riding no hands on the trike; I forgot to mention that one. As we were rolling casually to the finish of our ride here in San Diego and riding down the middle of a nearly flat street I sat up, for about a millisecond. Within that time span the trike went from a stable ride to a bucking bronco. I think Chuck was right beside me at the time and probably remembers the unmentionable words that escaped my mouth as I instantly grabbed the bars for dear life! You can't imagine how violent and instantanious the shaking was. I was shocked, never having done that before. Trust me, when a bike practically dumps you on the ground when you're going about 5mph on a perfectly flat and straight road you don't forget that. And still, trikes are fun and a breed of their own.
Related to trikes; I had heard a rumor that there is such a thing as a Rene Herse trike. A short time ago I spoke to the person who actually owned one! Freddy Parr tells me he owned a full chrome Herse trike that was brought in by Dr. Graves sometime in the 60's I think. Can you imagine a full chrome Herse trike? Freddy sold the trike to someone in I think he said either Escondido or La Jolla (talk about opposites!) a long time ago and he thinks it's now probably being used to "pedal" tacos in Tijuana. Freddy tells me that trikes are highly sought after in Tijuana for these purposes. Can you imagine walking up to a streetside vendor of tacos and noticing that the rig is built around a chrome Herse trike? Staggers the imagination!
Brian Baylis
La Mesa, CA
Time to get ready for another night of Rock 'n Roll and left hand
conditioning.
>
> Harvey,
> When I first got my trike several fellow cyclists swore that the
> wheels would collapse on the first hard turn. Well as I have already
> said the wheels are now about 28 years old and they haven't collapsed
> yet. Which is not to say that it won't happen some day! I have also
> ridden the trike on two wheels for several miles when a flat happened to
> be on the right rear and I was close to home.
> your other comments about handling problems, i.e. the tendency to
> pull to the right are accurate. That is one reason beginners run off the
> road sometimes. I have found that this problem isn't as bad if you ride
> on the left side of the road as they do in the UK. So perhaps this isn't
> a problem for the English?
> Some trikes do have rear brakes in addition to the front brakes.
> Iffy braking? It isn't that bad; certainly better than a tandem without
> a rear drum or disc brake. I have never had even a close call while
> stopping the trike.
>
>
> Paul Patzkowsky Longmont, Colorado
> By the way, don't try to ride your trike with your hands off the
> handlebars. That won't work Clyde.