I've been on a learning curve the last two months when a friend in her late 80s bought an old trike. She has not even cycled much since her teens, when she did time trials. She says she is not ready for an electric mobility scooter yet. Her trike is only single speed and there is no possibilility of a rear derailleur. The gear ratio is very low and limits you to not much more than a fast walking speed. I have added an electric front hub. The low gear, combined with pedal assist, allows her to start up the steep slope at the entrance to her local park. But then she needs a higher gear. I've swapped the chainset from what I describe as 'kiddies cranks', with just 18 teeth and 110mm crank length to a temporary three ring set with 170mm cranks. The three rings combined with the electric hub should be adequate. Also added an old rear derailleur as a chain tensioner. There is no rear mount point so have improvised.
My original plan was to use a smaller rear cog (freewheel) but have no idea how to remove the old one. I wrote to the manufacturer, Teraplay, and was told that it may be possible to change the gear ratio and so I provided the serial number of the trike as requested. Since then I've had no reply. I would still like to replace the rear freewheel. The model is the Teraplay Tracker T5. This model has a fixed wheel device next to the freewheeI. You screw a bolt through the fixed wheel into the freewheel. The problem is that, with the bolt removed there is some friction between the fixed and the freewheel and so the rear chain tensioner does not operate once you stop pedalling. For that reason I wish to remove the fixie device and maybe then can replace the freewheel with a smaller cog. I would be very grateful if someone on Cyclechat can provide advice. Thanks.
My original plan was to use a smaller rear cog (freewheel) but have no idea how to remove the old one. I wrote to the manufacturer, Teraplay, and was told that it may be possible to change the gear ratio and so I provided the serial number of the trike as requested. Since then I've had no reply. I would still like to replace the rear freewheel. The model is the Teraplay Tracker T5. This model has a fixed wheel device next to the freewheeI. You screw a bolt through the fixed wheel into the freewheel. The problem is that, with the bolt removed there is some friction between the fixed and the freewheel and so the rear chain tensioner does not operate once you stop pedalling. For that reason I wish to remove the fixie device and maybe then can replace the freewheel with a smaller cog. I would be very grateful if someone on Cyclechat can provide advice. Thanks.
