I was on that ride and can attest Steven was having way too much fun. It wa s the first trike I had ever seen and watching him going around corners was really wild. Steven, if I recall there was another trike on the ride and no t a Longstaff?
Angel Garcia Verona, Italy
On 3/11/06, The Maaslands <TheMaaslands@comcast.net> wrote:
>
> As any of the people who came out to the ride I organized leaving from
> my house 18 months ago will attest, I love riding trikes. When you ride
> a trike with skill, you cannot resist smiling and chuckling to yourself
> (at least I can't). They also make great vehicles if your name is Curtis
> and you want your new nickname to be Ben Hur. I have owned quite a few
> trikes. The one in my garage now is a George Longstaff trike. The
> workmanship is absolutely beyond reproach, and it also handles superbly.
> It is not only a bit better than other trikes that I have owned, it
> seems to be from a completely different generation. The performance is
> truly that much better. I have also owned a number of conversion kits
> and while there is nothing inherently wrong with them, they do not
> handle as well as purpose-built trikes.
>
> Reading Dan's note about thinking about a trike as later life
> alternative to a bike, I cringed. Trikes are NOT safer or more stable
> than a bike at anything but at a walking pace. At speed, they are much
> more challenging and unstable than a bike. There is nothing more comical
> than to observe an experienced cyclist get on a trike for the first
> time. Invariably they point straight for the curb (kerb). This tendency
> is further aggravated if you ride one of the large majority of trikes
> that have a single left wheel drive. Having only a driven left wheel
> means that the trike will automatically further emphasive the camber of
> the road and push you towards the ditch or right-side curb. Making
> things worse and far more dangerous, you also have no meaningful 'get up
> and go' when turning left across traffic. As odd as it may seem, I have
> been known to make a 270° turn to the right instead of a 90° turn to
> the left (perhaps due to the fact that I live in New Jersey, the state
> of jug-handle turns). To ride a trike, you must learn to throw your body
> around to maintain a functional positioning of the center of gravity of
> the trike/rider. Think of riding a trike as a mild version of being the
> 'monkey' on a racing sidecar motorcycle.
>
> So my advice would be, by all means get a trike, any trike! All other
> things being equal, I believe it best to get the trike when you are
> young, fit and flexible. Where possible buy one that has either right
> hand drive or dual wheel drive with a differential. Again where possible
> try and get one that was purpose-built as a trike.
>
> I would like to hear from Mick about his long barrow and how it rides in
> comparison to a 'regular' trike. A long barrow is a tandem trike.
>
> Steven Maasland
> Moorestown, NJ