Recumbent trikes

[CopperBrompton]

I agree with the need for defensive riding, a significant part of which is being aware of who cannot see us (as well as the people who could but may not), but the van scenario is the same on a two-wheeler - we just need to be riding towards the centre line and ready to stop, as you say.

I've had my trike for 11 months now, and I can honestly say that I've only found a single scenario where I would say I'm more at risk than on a two-wheeler, and that's in car-parks where you have cars reversing. In that situation, we can be totally invisible, which is the main reason I have a flag[1] and am extremely cautious in car-parks.

Ben

[1] The other one being it stops people asking 'Where's your flag?'
as if it were some legal requirement for a trike

 

[byegad]

As an ex motorcyclist I suppose I automatically position myself for good visibility in traffic. xpc316e has it right that we should mention this when writing about the trike experience for potential users.

That said, I still feel safer on my trikes than I ever felt on two wheels.

 

[BentMikey]

I've seen the sort of situation that xpc describes, but I think the problem is road positioning - when it's happened to me, I've been too far left. It's also happened to me on my upright bike, so it's not something specific to low recumbents (and my Hurricane is very nearly as low as a trike).

 

[xpc316e]

I agree that the problem I quoted might well have been solved by taking up another, better position, but in the case I experienced it was not possible to move around much because of the road width. I was forced to compromise on speed because I was not able to be where I wanted. This is a fundamental principle of defensive driving/riding - if you have to take anything other than the best position, then something else needs to be sacrificed, and it's usually speed. I write as a former Police driving instructor, Class 1 driver, Police motorcyclist, HGV driver, Fatal Collision investigator, County Council Road Safety Officer, and cyclist trainer, so I have a fair experience base. I wouldn't want anyone to jump on a trike, think they are bullet-proof through reading others' experiences, and then have a nasty crash. At any time you are on, or near, a road you are at risk; the only person who can be trusted to manage that risk is you.

 

[CopperBrompton]

I agree with all of that, but exactly the same applies to conventional bikes.

I think all we're saying is that most diamond-frame riders assume trikes are more dangerous, when in fact that definitely isn't the case, and I would say that in 99% of situations they are notably safer.

Ben

 

[xpc316e]

I would agree with Ben Lovejoy's post in that trikes are much safer than most non-trike riders perceive them to be (and a whole lot of fun too). I have found that most car drivers seem to give me so much more room, and this is valid proof of the theory that the more room you take up, the more room they'll give you. I have problems trying to get youngsters to stop riding along in the gutter - they do that because they think it is safe, and then drivers whiz past with inches to spare. Trikes by their very nature take up commanding positions on the road, and this when combined with their high WTF factor does result in enhanced safety (I reckon).

I think everyone ought to try three 'bent wheels at some stage in their cycling life. I have and there's no going back now; I have seen the light, brothers.

 

[BentMikey]

Yes, Ben's right - I was only trying to point out that this problem occurs to me just as much on an upright as on my Hurricane. I agree on compromising speed - once in a while I'm forced to ride in the door zone, so I slow right down.

 

[byegad]

...edit..... Trikes by their very nature take up commanding positions on the road, and this when combined with their high WTF factor does result in enhanced safety (I reckon).
...edit...

I think you are making a fundemental error here. My QNT is only marginally wider than my shoulders and narrower than my elbows as I ride. I take up the same width of road (give or take an inch or two at the most!) on my trikes as I did on my DFs. The perceived difference in width is what gains me more room from motorists. The 'commanding position' is as much a matter of rider choice as on a DF. The WTF reaction may well act to allow a triker to use road position to better effect with less negative reaction from drivers.

The question of safety in traffic is not so much tied to the drivers behind a recumbent trike than the drivers ahead. In busy traffic in town the main danger is from the driver who pulls across a cyclist's line of advance without seeing the bike and rider. This could be the driver pulling out from a junction or turning right into a junction.

In heavy traffic I ride further out from the kerb/parked cars in order to be seen. This is, in me, instinctive having been trained by the excellent RAC/ACU motorcycle training scheme back in 1969. If there is no motor traffic going your way then, as a cyclist the primary position gives you a better view of junctions ahead and makes you more visible to anyone trying to pull out from that junction. If there is a constant stream you can afford to ride in a high secondary as most drivers do not pull out into a steady stream of traffic so you are 'protected' by the passing traffic stream.

As BentMikey says sometimes you can't do this and the only alternative is to ride in the door zone. So a slow and steady approach is needed particularly at any point where a driver could be about to turn across my line of advance.

This is, in my opinion, one reason why a recumbent trike is somewhat slower in traffic than a DF. The other would be the need to be more circumspect in pulling out at junctions.

 

[CopperBrompton]

The perceived difference in width is what gains me more room from motorists. The 'commanding position' is as much a matter of rider choice as on a DF.

My standard-track Q is significantly wider than my shoulders, but in a sense it doesn't really matter whether the width is real or perceived: traffic is more accepting of a trike being further out in the road, and thus trike riders feel more confident taking a more commanding position more of the time.

And, as has been said, the WTF factor is incredibly strong, especially the confusion about whether it is some kind of disabled vehicle. No driver wants to risk hitting someone in a wheelchair, or to be seen to be bullying one.

Ben

 

[Riding in Circles]

You do take a more commanding position on the road than a two wheeler because you tend to ride with the nearside wheel where your two wheels would be therfore the rest of you is further out.

 

[byegad]

You do take a more commanding position on the road than a two wheeler because you tend to ride with the nearside wheel where your two wheels would be therfore the rest of you is further out.

I tend to disagree, it's a personal thing but my body position in relation to the kerb is the same on the trikes as it was on a DF. There again, I never did ride in the gutter.

 

[Mr Magoo]

I have only had my trike for a short while.

What trike is it and how does it compare with the C4 or have you sold on the Radius 2 wheeler ??

 

[xpc316e]

It is an Action 'Bents tadpole that I bought as a used demonstrator from a dealer in the Highlands of Scotland for what I considered a good price. As a trike virgin, I did not want to spend a huge sum on something untried. I love it, basic as it in the world of expensive bespoke trikes.

I did roughly the same with my C4 which was bought secondhand as it was my first foray into the 'bent world. I am very fond of riding both machines. They are as different as tea and coffee, but serve the same purpose, and you know how it is, somedays you want one and not the other. The engineering of the C4 appeals to me, and it is more of a quality product than the trike. The trike does exactly what it says on the tin, and doesn't have the frills such as USS, hydraulic brakes, suspension, etc.

I got into 'bents because I can no longer ride a DF because of arthritis in major joints and a replaced shoulder which prevents any weight being taken through the arms. I did wonder whether they'd be suitable for my needs, and they are tremendous. I could not ride my DF more than a mile or so without real pain; either of my 'bents is good for twenty plus miles without a twinge. The trike is preferable for me in town, and is a better hill climber, but the C4 is good on rural rides. I shall never ride a conventional bicycle again, unless it is to check adjustments made to the family's bikes, such is the comfort of 'bents for me.