Oh my, did I set off that tricycle riding debate? Allow me to clarify and comment....
I wrote:
> And let's not forget Longstaff's ability and willingness
> to produce trike conversion kits, both braze-on and
> bolt-on. Although I didn't see this on their website, I
> spoke with the Longstaff crew about this at NAHBS
> (it's a strong possibility for an on-topic frameset
> now in hand, just for the fun of it). They also had an
> example on hand.
Folks had already mentioned Longstaff's trike building before I posted this . It seems pretty clear I'm talking about conversion kits. I'd love to have a purpose-built trike, but that's a bigger commitment than a conversion kit.
For those that are hankering for the full-on trike, it hasn't been mentione d yet that Longstaff wasn't the only trike builder at the show. Don Walker, the NAHBS organizer and a CR member (HEYA Don!) had a sweet lookin' trike frameset lurking in the corner of his booth. Gotta poke around online, but there's probably photos of it among the show pix somewhere -- although most photogs seemed to be distracted by the spectacular "Crime Scene -- Do Not Cross" track tandem that was parked in front of the trike. Wait -- DON! Are there shots posted where we can see them? And what else can you tell us about your trike set?
I also wrote:
> This ties in with one of the other groups of comments
> in the KOF strings lately: What about riders who are
> getting older? I was talking about the NAHBS weekend
> with my 60-something boss on Monday, a fellow who
> rides about 10 mostly-paved miles once or twice a
> week. He really enjoys it, but he's facing the fact that
> a fall will cause more problems than ever before. He
> was delighted to find that he could convert the bike he
> enjoys now into a trike and not look like a dork riding
> a "shopper trike."
I take well the comments regarding typical racing trike instability, and th e benefits of purpose-built trike framesets over conversions. On the other hand, I mean what I wrote in its entirety. Correct me if I'm wrong, but couldn't a talented trike designer build a conversion kit that emphasized stability if speed wasn't the rider's top concern?
My boss loves his bike for reasons I'm not fully clear on. He isn't much more interested in a commitment to a full custom build now than some of the other experienced riders who've been discussing this lately. He's also not riding for speed -- quite the opposite. And he's got a plain revulsion for the typical adult trike with a big shopping basket attached -- but he does kinda like the idea of having a trike that's unlike the sort most Californians have ever laid eyes on. That may be the biggest draw for him.
So, seriously, it's a question for the builders and trike experts: Is it ridiculous to request a custom made trike conversion kit that emphasizes stability for an older rider who doesn't need speed?
Dan Kehew
Davis, CA