>I don't have many miles on the Longstaff touring yet, but it is very stable
>compared to my 50's racing trike. The Longstaff was built for a woman (my
>height) who had balance problems & had never been able to ride a bicycle. I
>wonder if it was built extra stable especially for her. Not all trikes ride
>alike.
It would be interesting to compare the racing trike to the Longstaff. On the Longstaff, I was surprised how gently it handled. When it lifted onto two wheels, it happened almost in slow motion, so you always could compensate (decrease the radius of the turn, lean more) or brake - no risk even in the tight parking lot of hitting things or flipping over.
(The secret for me was to think I was driving a car, not riding a
bike. Once you get used to steering rather than countersteering and
leaning, the trike behaves as one would expect. Maybe not a car - an
SUV that will lean and tip over if cornered too hard!)
>
>The Longstaff also has a double freewheel so you have power to the rear even
>if one rear wheel is in the air unlike a differential where you don't have
>power if one rear wheel is off the ground. And then there are single wheel
>right or left wheel drive.
Yes, the dual freewheel makes a lot of sense. I wonder why cars don't
use that method to improve traction...
>
> Jan said he didn't see the point of a trike other than the novelty. I
>tried to give him an answer, but I gave up & just smiled.
I chose my bikes based on the performance, comfort, ease of use and beauty they offer. If I loved the old 1952 Rene Herse I got to ride, it was because it combined all these elements to a degree not found in modern bikes. (Apologies to modern builders here... who make great bikes, but for _me_, the old machine still works better.) While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I can see a trike as an added challenge more than as a superior form of locomotion. (The lady who could not balance being one exception. Icy roads could be another.)
In any case, the offers of trying different bikes (and trikes) were greatly appreciated. I got to ride a gorgeous Peter Weigle sport-tourer, a Daudon women's bike, the afore-mentioned Herse, the Longstaff trike, and a modern Ritchey break-away. Even so, I missed out on a few other offers because there was too much to do!
It was great fun - all of it. I hope to be back next year.
--
Jan Heine, Seattle
Editor/Publisher
Vintage Bicycle Quarterly
c/o Il Vecchio Bicycles
140 Lakeside Ave, Ste. C
Seattle WA 98122
http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com