Recumbent trike design questions

[ImperialBentDesign]

Hello Everyone!

I'm a mechanical engineering student at Imperial College London, and I'm currently designing a recumbent trike for my final year project.

I was hoping I'd be able to get some thoughts and advice on what people like in their trike, what they'd expect to see etc etc etc, and I've got a whole long list of questions that I'd appreciate any answers anyone feels able to give:

Commuting:
1) do you use your trike / bike to commute?
2) if not, why not? What would convince you to use a trike instead of your current method of transport?
3) why do you use a trike over a bike?
4) what size trike would you most prefer to use - i.e. wide enough for max stability or narrow enough to filter through traffic?
5) how high do you like the seat when commuting? Higher for better visibility or lower for better air resistance?
6) What sort of gear inch range / number of speeds would you expect on a trike designed specifically for commuting (i.e. road / paved use)
7) would you expect any kind of suspension?
8) What sort of seat do you find best for commuting?
9) Brakes: are front brakes alone enough, or do rear brakes make a difference to confidence levels? Disk Brakes vs V Brakes?
10) Steering Systems: Do you prefer Direct, Under Seat, Over seat or lever-actuated steering?
11) foldability: Is this a make or break feature?
12) how and where do you store your trike when you’re not using it?
13) do you lock it up?
14) would an integrated lock be a useful feature?
15) do you prefer wheels all the same size for convenience, or does having the third wheel larger (or smaller!) not matter?
16) How much cargo space do you need / want?

Maintenance:
1) how long do you spend on average maintaining your trike?
2) do you find this an irritation - would you prefer something that just keeps working?

Other:
1) How critical is the drive system? Would you trust anything other than a chain?
2) What do you do when your chain breaks?
3) If you were to purchase a trike for commuting, how much would you look to spend, and what would you expect to get?
4) would you be put off if you had to assemble the trike yourself?
5) Would a different handlebar position (i.e. moving from regular bike to USS) put you off?


Questions for sellers:
1) what do you find people typically come in to buy?
2) do they have a price range?
3) what are the most common looked for features?
4) do people have a specific type of trike in mind or do they allow themselves to be guided by experts?
5) What sort of volumes do you typically sell models in, or is it price dependent?
6) Do you ever get people unfamiliar with recumbents purchasing one, or is it all enthusiasts?
7) is there such thing as a true “entry level” trike at a price that would represent an “impulse” buy in this segment?
8) how much innovation have you seen in this segment? or are all the offerings variations on the same theme?

I know this is a lot, but any answers to any questions would be gratefully recieved!

Cheers,

David

 

[stuee147]

here goes

commuting
1 no
2 i dont commute
3 due to a disability i find it painful to ride a normal bike
4 around a 30 inch wheel track i find right for me
5 quite high my current trike has a seat hight of around 16 inch high
6 not sure on gearing sorry
7 rear suspension would be nice
8 i have found a solid base with around 40mm of high density foam and a suspended mesh or material for the back to be a good comfy seat
9 i prefer to have rear brake on the left and the front wheels braked with one lever on the right and i would prefer disk allround but disk rear and rim front would be good
10 direct steering
11 it can be i have to take my trike threw the house so i need to be able to fold the wheel track to bellow 28 inch to fit threw the door
12 if its dry it just sits in the hall at the bottom of the stairs but if its wet then it goes into the back room (tiled floor in there )
13 not in the house but always when out even if its infront of the house its locked to a lamppost
14 yes if it was a retractable cable type that stored in the frame of seat and would fit threw all 3 wheels then it would be very handy
15 i prefer the look of 20 inch fronts and 26 inch rear but its puerly visual
16 i have ridged lockerbal motor cycle panniers i find very useful

matanace
1 how ever long it takes to fix the problem
2 i hate it i dont do much matanace

other
1 i would be weary of anything other than chains
2 i normaly have a few links and a chain tool on my trike to get me home
3 for just comuting around the £500 to £800 and a basic simple setup maybe a couple of choices or things like gearing tiyers ect
4 not at all
5 maybe depends alot on the seat position comperaed to the handlbars

i hope this has helped a bit iv tried to answer what i would look for personaly if you have any more questions or anything i would be happy to help if i can

stuee

 

[starhawk]

Ok here it goes:
1. Yes sometimes
2. I have a very good commute line so I only use my trike wheen I feel the urge
3. Mainly comfort, an ordinary bike gives you a sour ass, shoulders and back, on the trike you get none of this, and the riding experience on the trike is wonderful there is just no competion.
4. I go for the wide one, you don't need a narrow one, the cars gives you more then enough space. Really surprising experience at first.
5. I like the lowrider, gives you a better position to the pedals and you can brake as hard as you want without risk of flipping.
6. You need som low gears for hills so go for 3x9 but when you get e-assist you only need 8.
7. My trike came with rear suspension only, which I hardly noticed, then I upgraded to front suspension and that was a huge advantage! So I say get one with full suspension.
8. I would say a web-seat as it gives more comfort, but I suppose it is up to the rider what he likes most.
9. Mine came with front drum brakes, with them you can stop on a dime, and they are virtually maintance free. Discbrakes are overkill, except on a parking brake which you can put on the rear wheel.
10. I prefer USS, you can steer with your pinkie. Direct steering is sluggish and odd, you move the handles to the left when turning right?!
11. For me it is totally without meaning, I never fold my trike.
12. In the private garage at home or in the semi-private garage at work or in wiev at the café.
13. At work I lock it up, not otherwise.
14. Not really, you need a cable to run through diffent parts of the trike and around some solid object and it is more convenient to use it with a sepatate lock.
15. It is more convenient with the same size on wheels, why clutter things up when you don't need to?
16. It depends, but riding to work I need some space but a pair of side pods can swallow a lot, or a pair of saddle-bags, MC-style.
Maintence
1. Not very much, the trike has maintence-free bearings and the drumbrakes are as said earlier virtually maintence-free.
2. Only the tires are a little irritating, you have to keep the pressure up.
Other
1. A good drive train is essential, many systems has been tried but the chain still reigns supreme.
2. What? can a chain break?? seriously I have had a number of bikes through the years and never ever have I experienced a chain breaking, but you can take a chainbreaker and a couple of links with you and the problem is solved.
3. Havent really looked at that but I had to spend around 4000£ to get my trike roadworthy as a commuter.
4. I got my trike in parts and had to put it together myself, I did enjoy it very much.
5. Direct steering would definitively put me off

 

[arallsopp]

Commuting:
1) bike yes. Trike no.
2) Trike was too wide to negotiate traffic jams, tended to put me at exhaust height. Got written off by a driver.
3) I don't.
4) Narrow.
5) I'm not sure low is better for air resistance. Centre of gravity, maybe. I'd like it higher. Easier to get on/off. Easier to peek over bonnets and see what's coming.
6) 21 speed. 7 speed chains are bulletproof.
7) Yes. Having three wheels create three different paths means you will hit the pothole with one of them.
8) Something firm, cool and which doesn't pool water.
9) Discs. Rear brake is handy. My front rotors used to get up to warp temperatures on big descents, and having a rear brake means you can let the fronts cool unrestricted whilst holding the bike in place at the lights.
10) Direct underseat. Linkages develop play and flop.
11) No. Folding makes things heavier, and is too much of a faff on a trike to do daily.
12) Shed. On its wheels.
13) Yes.
14) Only against casual thieves.
15) Prefer same size for ease of keeping spare tubes, but prioritise conventional gearing. Big rings and small cogs are hard to source and derail.
16) Enough for a change of clothes and a laptop.

Maintenance:
1) one morning every six months.
2) a little bit.

Other:
1) Not yet. Belts could be a winner eventually.
2) Fix it at the side of the road with a quick link.
3) 2,500ish. Something robust.
4) A little.
5) No.