paul patzkowsky <atrikerider@juno.com> wrote:
Racing trikes are or have been made by quite a few builders; Higgins, Jack Taylor, Bob Jackson, Ken Rogers and George Longstaff for example. Several list members, including myself, own trikes. They can be a lot of fun but are definitely a different experience. Only a little slower than a bicycle but that also depends on the condition of the rider.
Now I have my own peculiarities and even nuttinesses. I love fixed gear and ride some 1970s bikes with Campag derailleurs that work nowhere near as well as run of the mill suntours and shimanos. I've built up triplets to ride with spouse and son .
But, each of us has to draw the line somewhere. I spent a lot of time with a Jack Taylor tandem I had ordered for a friend, and had fun with it. Like cornering on two wheels. But, unlike the simplicity and elegance of a fixed gear single, I have concluded that there is something fundamentally bad about conventional trikes. They ride badly BY DESIGN. In this country, where differential-equipped bikes are unknown, the drive wheel is unloaded on crowned roads. Because the head angle imitates a bike, when the road is crowned it will do its best to steer into the curb or worse.
If and when I can't ride a bike anymore, I'll happily ride a trike. A recumbent trike, with two wheels forward.
Glad that there are some folks out there who have the sense of humor to enjoy British trikes; they probably would enjoy British weather, too... :-) My sense of humor is warped differently.
Harvey Sachs
mcLean VA