Face to face: Trike vs. standard bike on expedition
 

Hi,

I do loaded touring on my regular standard bike (sitting upright,
Brooks saddle, Aero bar) using panniers.
I'm interested in buying a tadpole trike for my next "expedition" being
roughly 4000 mi/6000 km. I'm not interested in recumbents - only
trikes.
My main reason for buying a trike would be the speed increase. But
browsing various forums and newsgroups it turns out that the speed
picture is different.
So I have a question for those who ride both a trike and a regular
bike: Without talking about weight, rolling resistance etc, I would
like to know if you go faster on a trike (with or without panniers).

On my loaded touring bike I go 125mi/200km a day, even in mountains
like the Rockies. Usually I'm only limited by the daylight hours. I
average at 15 mph/24kmh.
I know it's a bit extreme, but it would be cool to go even faster.
Feeling that my power is used efficiently is VERY important to me -
this is why I don't have any bike generators (like the ones in the
front hub) or internal gear hub systems on my touring bike.

I know recumbents and trikes call for a much more relaxed driving style
which eliminates soar etc. But if I ride from dusk til dawn on my
regular touring bike (and not biking when it's dark) I do those 125 mi
averaging 15 mph (loaded with 35 pounds of gear) and that's it. The
values are, of course, without hourly brakes, eating, shopping etc. If
I cannot go faster/longer I will not buy a trike. This is crucial.

I must admit that I'm the stamina type of rider - I don't like to waste
excess energy because I know the wind resistance is squared, so I ride
at 15 mph but for a LONG time. I would adapt this riding style to the
trike.

On my regular bike I usually bike 1 hour, make a 10 min break, ride one
hour, 10 min break, at noon shopping, eating for 1 hour and so forth.
I'm only making breaks to give my butt some rest (it might irritate a
bit) and eating snacks. So, if I could eat snacks while riding the
trike, because I would't get soar at all anymore - it would of course
be interesting.

So what are the experts saying? Can I gain 1-2 mph compared to a
standard bike (we're talking loaded bikes here)?

Thanks in advance, Lucas Jensen

Face to face: Trike vs. standard bike on expedition
 

If you want to have a special trike made for you out of carbon fiber
and totally stripped,,, you could beat the time on the upright but
most trikes are just too heavy. Your best speed would probably be on a
tadpole, deltas are just too massive. A Greenspeed or a Cat trike
would be the type to check.

I own a Penninger recumbent trike that weights 53 pounds and it
take a lot of effort to get it to 15-17 miles per hour, My wife can do
that speed on her Penninger for about a mile(flat ground, no wind)
before starting to slow down.. We normally ride along at about 8-10
miles per hour.

Now as for riding time/ riding comfort, my wife and I have ridden 8-10
hours many times with very little discomfort. After a couple of hours
the endorphens kick in and we just don't want to stop.

Now, a Penninger that weighs in at 20 lbs would be a dream to ride..

Anyone else have any comments???

Jim Andrews Columbus Phoenix




On 1 Nov 2005 00:30:23 -0800, wrote:

Hi,

I do loaded touring on my regular standard bike (sitting upright,
Brooks saddle, Aero bar) using panniers.
I'm interested in buying a tadpole trike for my next "expedition" being
roughly 4000 mi/6000 km. I'm not interested in recumbents - only
trikes.
My main reason for buying a trike would be the speed increase. But
browsing various forums and newsgroups it turns out that the speed
picture is different.
So I have a question for those who ride both a trike and a regular
bike: Without talking about weight, rolling resistance etc, I would
like to know if you go faster on a trike (with or without panniers).

On my loaded touring bike I go 125mi/200km a day, even in mountains
like the Rockies. Usually I'm only limited by the daylight hours. I
average at 15 mph/24kmh.
I know it's a bit extreme, but it would be cool to go even faster.
Feeling that my power is used efficiently is VERY important to me -
this is why I don't have any bike generators (like the ones in the
front hub) or internal gear hub systems on my touring bike.

I know recumbents and trikes call for a much more relaxed driving style
which eliminates soar etc. But if I ride from dusk til dawn on my
regular touring bike (and not biking when it's dark) I do those 125 mi
averaging 15 mph (loaded with 35 pounds of gear) and that's it. The
values are, of course, without hourly brakes, eating, shopping etc. If
I cannot go faster/longer I will not buy a trike. This is crucial.

I must admit that I'm the stamina type of rider - I don't like to waste
excess energy because I know the wind resistance is squared, so I ride
at 15 mph but for a LONG time. I would adapt this riding style to the
trike.

On my regular bike I usually bike 1 hour, make a 10 min break, ride one
hour, 10 min break, at noon shopping, eating for 1 hour and so forth.
I'm only making breaks to give my butt some rest (it might irritate a
bit) and eating snacks. So, if I could eat snacks while riding the
trike, because I would't get soar at all anymore - it would of course
be interesting.

So what are the experts saying? Can I gain 1-2 mph compared to a
standard bike (we're talking loaded bikes here)?

Thanks in advance, Lucas Jensen

Face to face: Trike vs. standard bike on expedition
 

Now, a Penninger that weighs in at 20 lbs would be a dream to ride..

I just saw that one of the catbikes is 28 lbs only.

Lucas

Face to face: Trike vs. standard bike on expedition
 

wrote:
Now, a Penninger that weighs in at 20 lbs would be a dream to ride..

I just saw that one of the catbikes is 28 lbs only.

In addition, some of the Trice range might be worth considering, though no
idea if the current low-dollar/strong pound makes them too expensive in the
US. Trice have made a one-off super light test model, but their regular
models are over 30lbs.

On your original point about speed, I think you may have to trade
speed/comfort a little.
The faster trikes I've tried have rigid seat shells, the more comfortable
(particularly cooling!) have mesh.
That said, a Trice Ice-QNT (mesh seat, probably one of the Trice models to
start your inspection) is very quick on a short test run; I was spinning out
of gears on the flat with a very minor tail wind, so would specify it with a
higher top gear than the standard option. I cannot comment on long
distances.


- Nigel


--
Nigel Cliffe,
Webmaster at http://www.2mm.org.uk/

Face to face: Trike vs. standard bike on expedition
 

Hi, Lucas:

You'll have to skip the trike. Although you would almost certainly be
more comfortable--and probably enjoy the view and riding experience--if
speed is the most important factor, you will be a bit slower. Almost
all trikes are heavier, have more rolling resistance, and climb hills
more slowly. For hill climbing especially, you'll be hard-pressed to
beat a good upright bike--or a really high end recumbent (think Ti and
carbon). Some recumbent bikes (not trikes) can be very fast,
especially something like a body-socked Gold Rush, but you'd be on two
wheels.

Have you considered slowing down and getting more in touch with the
places through which you ride? Then you can ride whatever is the most
FUN and not worry about the miles so much. A fine gentleman, whose
name I can't recall, kept cutting back on his daily mileage to
experience more closely the land and people around him. He called it
"learning to linger." He believed 30miles a day was about perfect.
Now that's a bit on the short side for most days for me, but the idea
is generally sound. Why turn a bike tour into a job?

Anyway, for what it's worth, that's my philosophy these days--always
subject to revision, of course!

Good luck on your search, wherever it leads.

Cheers,

Scott



wrote:
Hi,

I do loaded touring on my regular standard bike (sitting upright,
Brooks saddle, Aero bar) using panniers.
I'm interested in buying a tadpole trike for my next "expedition" being
roughly 4000 mi/6000 km. I'm not interested in recumbents - only
trikes.
My main reason for buying a trike would be the speed increase. But
browsing various forums and newsgroups it turns out that the speed
picture is different.
So I have a question for those who ride both a trike and a regular
bike: Without talking about weight, rolling resistance etc, I would
like to know if you go faster on a trike (with or without panniers).

On my loaded touring bike I go 125mi/200km a day, even in mountains
like the Rockies. Usually I'm only limited by the daylight hours. I
average at 15 mph/24kmh.
I know it's a bit extreme, but it would be cool to go even faster.
Feeling that my power is used efficiently is VERY important to me -
this is why I don't have any bike generators (like the ones in the
front hub) or internal gear hub systems on my touring bike.

I know recumbents and trikes call for a much more relaxed driving style
which eliminates soar etc. But if I ride from dusk til dawn on my
regular touring bike (and not biking when it's dark) I do those 125 mi
averaging 15 mph (loaded with 35 pounds of gear) and that's it. The
values are, of course, without hourly brakes, eating, shopping etc. If
I cannot go faster/longer I will not buy a trike. This is crucial.

I must admit that I'm the stamina type of rider - I don't like to waste
excess energy because I know the wind resistance is squared, so I ride
at 15 mph but for a LONG time. I would adapt this riding style to the
trike.

On my regular bike I usually bike 1 hour, make a 10 min break, ride one
hour, 10 min break, at noon shopping, eating for 1 hour and so forth.
I'm only making breaks to give my butt some rest (it might irritate a
bit) and eating snacks. So, if I could eat snacks while riding the
trike, because I would't get soar at all anymore - it would of course
be interesting.

So what are the experts saying? Can I gain 1-2 mph compared to a
standard bike (we're talking loaded bikes here)?

Thanks in advance, Lucas Jensen

Face to face: Trike vs. standard bike on expedition
 

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,

I do loaded touring on my regular standard bike (sitting upright,
Brooks saddle, Aero bar) using panniers.
I'm interested in buying a tadpole trike for my next "expedition" being
roughly 4000 mi/6000 km. I'm not interested in recumbents - only
trikes.
My main reason for buying a trike would be the speed increase. But
browsing various forums and newsgroups it turns out that the speed
picture is different.
So I have a question for those who ride both a trike and a regular
bike: Without talking about weight, rolling resistance etc, I would
like to know if you go faster on a trike (with or without panniers).

I have yet to see a fast trike

Face to face: Trike vs. standard bike on expedition
 

Mark Leuck wrote:

I have yet to see a fast trike


You have evidently not seen one going downhill. As the speed goes up, a
trikes advantages (low drag) overcome it's disadvantages (high rolling
resistance and weight).

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I only road one once but it was FUN. (it's primary advantage)

Rich

Face to face: Trike vs. standard bike on expedition
 

Mark Leuck wrote:

I have yet to see a fast trike[.]

See http://home.pacifier.com/~jwills/vector/vector.htm for a fast
trike.

Of course the Vector would be practically unusable anywhere outside an
oval track or closed highway. :(
--
Tom Sherman - Fox River Valley

Face to face: Trike vs. standard bike on expedition
 

OK, I don't thinik it makes a whole heck of a lot of difference what
you ride on a tour as long as you are comfortable on the bike and you
enjoy it. From your post, your tour sounds more like work than fun.
125/mi per day. an hour on the bike 10 min off, and hour for lunch.
Gimme a break! Most of the people I have been on bike tours with have
an agenda something like this: Well we really need to travel about 125
miles today and we might just do it if we have a good tailwind and
there is nothing else to do. However if we meet some really neat people
or find a very fine place to stop and only make 30 miles well that
will be just fine too. If you only have a limited amount of time,
take a shorter tour.

Face to face: Trike vs. standard bike on expedition
 

Mark Leuck wrote:

I have yet to see a fast trike

The Lands End to John O' Groats distance record is held on a
Windcheetah. I guess with 41 hours 4 minutes total time including
breaks the extra stability does start to count for something in an
endurance event like that, and the OP is looking at a big tour.

But overall a trike won't get you many places faster.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/