2 vs 3 wheels.

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byegad

Legendary Member
Location
NE England
I

'd guess someone has though!
 

starhawk

Senior Member
Location
Bandhagen Sweden
A narrowtrack delta like that could definitely roll over so the tilting is compelled, but rolling over in a tadpole is more a matter of really going over the edge
 

markg0vbr

Über Member
as a expert trike limit tester:B) i can tell you, at speed you have got to be really be extreme to get one on its side even a narrow track trike, you naturally lean in to bends the faster you go, on some of my 20+mph 90 degree turns i do out rig just have my head and shoulder hanging of the inside edge of the seat.
if you do start to lift a wheel it is very controllable and natural to lessen the degree of the turn and the wheel just drops back down, i quite often get a light wheel 1 or 2 mm off the ground but i am doing daft speeds in to 90 degree turns.

coming down from stump cross cavern in full camping touring kit at over 40mph i have had to do a evasive swerve around a car reversing on to the road, first the left wheel was up then the right one, no big deal every thing soon settled down and did not feel out of control.

it tends to be slow speed manoeuvring with cambers and daft sharp steering in puts that end up with you laying on your side laughing like a loony:rofl: they tend to be alcohol assisted.

i have flipped a trike over backwards; after pirouetting several times on water/ice and diesel down hill around 30mph, i hit a 9" curb rear wheel first, the wheel did not survive the impact but as in all my escapades sitting in a tadpole trike that hits every thing before i do, has saved me and i am made of glass apparently.

the average rider on any of the tadpoles, baring the really tall ones has to work hard to get one to lift a wheel never mind roll one.

the narrow tilting deleter trikes are for racing on very tight twisty tracks, you can really give them the beans all the way through the bends, other bikes even low racers have a hard time keeping with them. hear is the but for real life road use they are at best pointless at worst hard work.

rigid deltas with a higher centre of gravity on the other hand have to be ridden with a bit of respect, in a straight line or open sweeping bends they are faster than a tadpole but get in to the sharp tight turns and you can be off in a instant, to help with stability you will see the back wheels cantered in like on sports wheel chairs.


trikes are the ultimate touring bike long days in a comfortable chair totally relaxed looking around you.
 

arallsopp

Post of The Year 2009 winner
Location
Bromley, Kent
Are trikes easy to carry (without breaking them down)?
Depends on the trike, the obstacles, and the carrier.
  • Compared to a (lowish) two wheeled bent, its a lot easier to walk with the trike (just pull it behind you using the rear end).
  • When it comes to picking it up, an unfolded trike lets you put the CoG much closer to your body, which makes you less likely to topple over.
  • A folded trike can be easier to get through a gap than a two wheeler (especially if the gap is restricted in both directions, eg. into a car boot), but they do weigh a bit more than a cost equivalent two wheel non folding version.

Would a low trike be much slower than my high racer 2 wheeler overall?
Depends on the trike, the terrain, and the rider.
  • Compared to a fast two wheeler on flat ground, yes, it'll probably be a bit slower.
  • If you're unable to get the power down on the two wheeler due to instability / fear / surface, you may find the trike faster.
  • If you spend a lot of time climbing and already rip down the descents, yes.

The one thing I don't like about the Strada is setting off uphill (still wobble a tad). Obviously this wouldn't be a problem on a trike, but are there any disadvantages (other than weight/storage) to owning a trike over a 2 wheeler?
Depends on... oh.. .you get me by now :smile:
  • Some people find trikes awkward to get into, especially if you can't get your legs behind the cruciform and the trike is very low.
  • USS is more common on a trike, and tends to admit water into the brakes / gear cables. Nothing a bit of grease won't prevent, but hell to fix when it happens.
  • Trikes tend to ride a lot lower than two wheelers, so light placement and sight lines can be awkward. Not being able to see over the bonnet of a saloon car can be annoying when there's one to your right turning right, and you want to go left.
  • On a two wheeler, the wheels generally travel one behind the other, so missing a pot-hole / bottle / badger is simply a case of not steering directly towards it. Anything missed by the front will be missed by the back. On a trike, you've got THREE tracks instead of one. Getting around a pothole (which the rider in front might have dodged by moving 2" to the right) is a case of diverting a foot and half into the road, or putting it just inside your kerbside wheel and hoping it doesn't mash the back.
  • A trike is subject to tyre scrub if the alignment is out. Depending on the equipment (and camber of the road / wheels) you might find yourself getting through tyres quicker than you'd care for.
  • A trike is subject to brake steer. With the weight thrown onto the front wheels under braking, if you don't apply the anchors evenly, you can find yourself pulled to the side.
Other than the trikes I've mentioned above, are there any others that I should consider?
Probably. Consideration is cheap. :smile:
 

byegad

Legendary Member
Location
NE England
Neither of my tadpoles have brake steer. Both will pull up straight with only one brake hard on, the steering input to keep it straight is so light it's hardly noticeable. My Kettwiesel suffers much more! Stability wise the Kett' with inclined rear wheels is as stable as my QNT. It took me a long tine, 3/4000 miles,to become comfortable with this.

Scrubbing is something that can be adjusted out, neither of my tadpoles had it from new and the QNT, with well over 7000 miles on it is till scrub free, if it did develop scrub the track rod ends are adjustable, just like a car, so it can be dialled out. The Kett suffered scrub when new as when you move the boom, you change the effective angle of the rear wheels, it's all down to the angle of the inclined wheels and the boom not being parallel to the ground. Again there are adjusters and I was able to get the rear wheels parallel again.
 

spennie

Veteran
I've had the Baccetta Strada for a month now and done 450 miles on her. It's been a lot of (fast) fun. I have of course been pointed at, laughed at, and had a couple of car passengers film me on their mobiles.
It's a long way off (maybe Christams?), but I'm already thinking how nice it would be to add a trike to the collection. The thing that stopped me really looking into trikes was that one wouldn't fit down the side of the house, but looking at the weights of the sort of trike I'd be interested in (I like the Catrike 700/Ice Vortex/Windcheater Clubsport kind of machines) it wouldn't be a problem to carry it down the side or through the house?

Anyway since many on here seem to have loads of experience with 2 and 3 wheelers, can I pick your sizeable brains please?

1/Are trikes easy to carry (without breaking them down)?
2/Would a low trike be much slower than my high racer 2 wheeler overall?
3/The one thing I don't like about the Strada is setting off uphill (still wobble a tad). Obviously this wouldn't be a problem on a trike, but are there any disadvantages (other than weight/storage) to owning a trike over a 2 wheeler?
4/Other than the trikes I've mentioned above, are there any others that I should consider? I'm not bothered about off road ability, so I would be looking for fast, comfortable and 'nearly new' without spending silly money (under £2000).
 

spennie

Veteran
I've had the Baccetta Strada for a month now and done 450 miles on her. It's been a lot of (fast) fun. I have of course been pointed at, laughed at, and had a couple of car passengers film me on their mobiles.
It's a long way off (maybe Christams?), but I'm already thinking how nice it would be to add a trike to the collection. The thing that stopped me really looking into trikes was that one wouldn't fit down the side of the house, but looking at the weights of the sort of trike I'd be interested in (I like the Catrike 700/Ice Vortex/Windcheater Clubsport kind of machines) it wouldn't be a problem to carry it down the side or through the house?

Anyway since many on here seem to have loads of experience with 2 and 3 wheelers, can I pick your sizeable brains please?

1/Are trikes easy to carry (without breaking them down)?
2/Would a low trike be much slower than my high racer 2 wheeler overall?
3/The one thing I don't like about the Strada is setting off uphill (still wobble a tad). Obviously this wouldn't be a problem on a trike, but are there any disadvantages (other than weight/storage) to owning a trike over a 2 wheeler?
4/Other than the trikes I've mentioned above, are there any others that I should consider? I'm not bothered about off road ability, so I would be looking for fast, comfortable and 'nearly new' without spending silly money (under £2000).
 
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