Tricycles

tgame

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 6, 2007
284
1
90
Felixstowe
www.axst45.dsl.pipex.com
A few years back I thought I would not be riding on two wheels again and I looked at trikes. I never could feel that I would enjoy recumbents, but I always liked the look of this continental model the Trisalu. What a suitable frame it would be for conversion to a Panasonic driven electrotrike. What do you all think?

 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,260
30,648
I'd considered mounting an old Panasonic unit onto the front of the boom of a recumbent trike, but dropped the idea as the old unit wasn't powerful enough. Even with the newer unit with the high power mode, I don't think it's really up to it, given trike weight. The battery would need to be shifted rearwards, not because it would get in the way, but for nose weight reasons.

The chain drive Cyclone has been underslung on recumbent trikes.

Just seen your bike photo Tony. I don't like this kind of trike since they are inherently unstable, more than most since the large wheels put the weight too high for safe cornering, and the steering on the wheel pair instead of a front wheel on a conventional trike also upsets the stability, the geometry change on turning affecting two of the three wheels. Good for helmet testing.
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tgame

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 6, 2007
284
1
90
Felixstowe
www.axst45.dsl.pipex.com
trikes illogical but . . .

All you say is so true, Flecc. Cornering is a real problem. Here in Felixstowe many older roads have a heavy camber which is a sod on a trike. The tires scrub and wear quickly. You will gather that I rode one for a while. It was an ancient tatty affair with the one wheel in front and it took me a while to unlearn learning to ride a bike! And yet . . . For an inveterate potterer about the byways such as myself there is a quite unique sense of being at one with the road and the fields. Any speed or complete standstill. Look around with perfect confidence. It's hard to quantify but, although I didn't, I could have fallen in love. I never did get on a bent trike but feel confident I wouldn't have liked being down there. I like to see over hedges too much.
 

jac

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 1, 2007
315
0
hi helkama bikes in finland make a trike just like your picture using panasonic drive plus panasonic make their own trike but two wheels at back more conventional

jim