First time on a trike today.

[johnnyb47]

Hi all.
I visited the Ironworks bike festival at Oswestry today were they had Penny Farthing racing as well a classic bike race around the grounds. One of the display stands from the llandrindod bicycle museum had a trike on display and the owner kindly let me have a go on it. Well what can I say apart from how hard I found it to ride. I would of never in a million years thought there would of been an art to riding one of these , but there certainly are for sure. Some how it wanted to steer me towards the curb ,and it was like having a wrestling match trying to keep it from doing so. I would of loved to spent an afternoon on it ,trying to master its weird handling. Later on in the afternoon I entered the classic bike race around the grounds of the festival. The race was only 1/2 mile long and was more of a fun run ,but as usual I was feeling a little competitive and put on a race with the others who felt the same. I was doing really well and was a comfortable 2nd when disaster struck and my tyre let go on the gravel section, so I ended up last, pushing my bike through the finishing line. There was a second race, but I gave it miss after replacing the inner tube because I personally thought the gravel section was a little to course for my fragile wheels.
All in all ,it was a thoroughly enjoyable day with some great weather thrown in. Tomorrows going to be another great day of cycling as I'm of on my holidays, cycling 70 miles along the coast of Wales to visit my dad ( wish me luck :-))
I can't believe that a bike that cost me a meager £70 last year ,has given me so much enjoyment over the months.
All best.
Johnny.

 

[biggs682]

I can't believe that a bike that cost me a meager £70 last year ,has given me so much enjoyment over the months.
All best.
Johnny.

its a shame more people dont enjoy the same feeling

sounds like you have had a great time hope the 70 miles goes well

 

[johnnyb47]

Cheers biggs682.
I've stocked up on plenty of energy drinks and food and will set off early tomorrow morning while it's a little cooler. I've got plenty of contingency plans in place just in case I don't make it all the way ,but I'm feeling pretty confident I can do it.

 

[midlife]

Hi all.
I visited the Ironworks bike festival at Oswestry today were they had Penny Farthing racing as well a classic bike race around the grounds. One of the display stands from the llandrindod bicycle museum had a trike on display and the owner kindly let me have a go on it. Well what can I say apart from how hard I found it to ride. I would of never in a million years thought there would of been an art to riding one of these , but there certainly are for sure. Some how it wanted to steer me towards the curb ,and it was like having a wrestling match trying to keep it from doing so. I would of loved to spent an afternoon on it ,trying to master its weird handling. Later on in the afternoon I entered the classic bike race around the grounds of the festival. The race was only 1/2 mile long and was more of a fun run ,but as usual I was feeling a little competitive and put on a race with the others who felt the same. I was doing really well and was a comfortable 2nd when disaster struck and my tyre let go on the gravel section, so I ended up last, pushing my bike through the finishing line. There was a second race, but I gave it miss after replacing the inner tube because I personally thought the gravel section was a little to course for my fragile wheels.
All in all ,it was a thoroughly enjoyable day with some great weather thrown in. Tomorrows going to be another great day of cycling as I'm of on my holidays, cycling 70 miles along the coast of Wales to visit my dad ( wish me luck :-))
I can't believe that a bike that cost me a meager £70 last year ,has given me so much enjoyment over the months.
All best.
Johnny.

Was it a trike like this?

 

[johnnyb47]

It was very much like that Midlife. I can't remember for the life of me the make of the trike now ( old age creeping in again )

 

[Smokin Joe]

All in all ,it was a thoroughly enjoyable day with some great weather thrown in. Tomorrows going to be another great day of cycling as I'm of on my holidays, cycling 70 miles along the coast of Wales to visit my dad ( wish me luck :-))
I can't believe that a bike that cost me a meager £70 last year ,has given me so much enjoyment over the months.
All best.
Johnny.

Anywhere near Pembrokeshire?

 

[Tigerbiten]

One of the display stands from the llandrindod bicycle museum had a trike on display and the owner kindly let me have a go on it. Well what can I say apart from how hard I found it to ride. I would of never in a million years thought there would of been an art to riding one of these , but there certainly are for sure. Some how it wanted to steer me towards the curb ,and it was like having a wrestling match trying to keep it from doing so.

A known effect caused by two of your actions.

To steer a trike no-handed you need to lean the opposite way you want to turn.
If you lean right you will turn left and visa versa. It's how I ride my recumbent trike hand off.
So on a camber, the trike leans but you stay upright causing the trike want to turn left.
Not what you expect because you ride a bike.
Now because you are sitting a bit crooked to the trike, this causes in effect your right shoulder to go forward and your left back.
This exacerbates any left turn and you panic and stiffen up more causing the trike to want to turn more and you end up fighting it into the ditch .....

Somebody who doesn't ride bikes, won't stiffen up and try to fight the trike, therefore has no problem steering one.

 

[johnnyb47]

No unfortunately. I'm heading off to Harlech tomorrow.

 

[Cycleops]

Forget the 'energy' drinks, just make make sure you have plenty of water and food.
Good luck.

 

[Cycleops]

A known effect caused by two of your actions.

To steer a trike no-handed you need to lean the opposite way you want to turn.
If you lean right you will turn left and visa versa. It's how I ride my recumbent trike hand off.
So on a camber, the trike leans but you stay upright causing the trike want to turn left.
Not what you expect because you ride a bike.
Now because you are sitting a bit crooked to the trike, this causes in effect your right shoulder to go forward and your left back.
This exacerbates any left turn and you panic and stiffen up more causing the trike to want to turn more and you end up fighting it into the ditch .....

Somebody who doesn't ride bikes, won't stiffen up and try to fight the trike, therefore has no problem steering one.

Too complicated for me, think I'll stick to bikes!

 

[johnnyb47]

A known effect caused by two of your actions.

To steer a trike no-handed you need to lean the opposite way you want to turn.
If you lean right you will turn left and visa versa. It's how I ride my recumbent trike hand off.
So on a camber, the trike leans but you stay upright causing the trike want to turn left.
Not what you expect because you ride a bike.
Now because you are sitting a bit crooked to the trike, this causes in effect your right shoulder to go forward and your left back.
This exacerbates any left turn and you panic and stiffen up more causing the trike to want to turn more and you end up fighting it into the ditch .....

Somebody who doesn't ride bikes, won't stiffen up and try to fight the trike, therefore has no problem steering one.

A Ahhhh, Now that explains a lot as to why the trike was taking me were it wanted to go. I was naturally trying to lean left ,when turning left and the trike was forcing me to the right. I also noticed that they had 2 sets of brake callipers on the front wheel. Obviously a brake on the back wheel is not really practical, but is it also a legal requirement if used on the road ?

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

Back in the 80's my club used to promote a tandems and trikes 25. I borrowed a trike off a clubmate one year. We went out for a practice run and I'd ridden off into the kerb 4 times in the first mile. Eventually got the hang of it by the time we got back to his garage. I swapped back to my conventional bike to ride home and found I couldn't ride it anymore, zigzagged from one side of the street to the other trying to get my balance back. A few days later I rode the 25, went round the roundabouts on 2 wheels on the verge of toppling over but managed to finish unscathed in about 1 hour 4 mins if memory serves.

 

[Tigerbiten]

A Ahhhh, Now that explains a lot as to why the trike was taking me were it wanted to go. I was naturally trying to lean left ,when turning left and the trike was forcing me to the right. I also noticed that they had 2 sets of brake callipers on the front wheel. Obviously a brake on the back wheel is not really practical, but is it also a legal requirement if used on the road ?

As long as a trike has two independent brakes, it's legal even if both work only on the front wheel.

 

[Welsh wheels]

Hi all.
I visited the Ironworks bike festival at Oswestry today were they had Penny Farthing racing as well a classic bike race around the grounds. One of the display stands from the llandrindod bicycle museum had a trike on display and the owner kindly let me have a go on it. Well what can I say apart from how hard I found it to ride. I would of never in a million years thought there would of been an art to riding one of these , but there certainly are for sure. Some how it wanted to steer me towards the curb ,and it was like having a wrestling match trying to keep it from doing so. I would of loved to spent an afternoon on it ,trying to master its weird handling. Later on in the afternoon I entered the classic bike race around the grounds of the festival. The race was only 1/2 mile long and was more of a fun run ,but as usual I was feeling a little competitive and put on a race with the others who felt the same. I was doing really well and was a comfortable 2nd when disaster struck and my tyre let go on the gravel section, so I ended up last, pushing my bike through the finishing line. There was a second race, but I gave it miss after replacing the inner tube because I personally thought the gravel section was a little to course for my fragile wheels.
All in all ,it was a thoroughly enjoyable day with some great weather thrown in. Tomorrows going to be another great day of cycling as I'm of on my holidays, cycling 70 miles along the coast of Wales to visit my dad ( wish me luck :-))
I can't believe that a bike that cost me a meager £70 last year ,has given me so much enjoyment over the months.
All best.
Johnny.

70 miles shouldn't be too bad, enjoy!

 

[Welsh wheels]

Forget the 'energy' drinks, just make make sure you have plenty of water and food.
Good luck.

+ 1 for this. Energy drinks are a bit of a marketing ploy IMO. I sometimes put a small pinch of salt in my water bottle if its hot though.