Suspend or not? Plus trike q's.
 

I have been riding a rear suspension only Challenge Wizard for a couple of
years, but due to an old knee injury am switching to a trike, I already have
a non suspension Kett Weizel and find with the mesh seat that this is more
comfortable than the 2 wheeler even though I then had a rear shock.
I plan on going for a tadpole trike, what are peoples thoughts on suspension
on trikes?

Also it may be my imagination, and it may only be here in the U.K. but it
seems that the general reaction to a recumbent trike is better than a
recumbent bike, on the Wizard I got mixed responses from pedestrians, from
very positive right through to very negative, however since switching to the
trike I have experienced no negativity, at church on Sunday morning in fact
I was giving rides to all and sundry.

I am planning to start selling trikes as a business, I used to work as a
cycle engineer years ago and do all my own servicing, repairs etc... as well
as a lot of other peoples, I think the resistance to adult trikes is more or
less non existant in the U.K., how are they viewed in the U.S.A.?

Ian

Suspend or not? Plus trike q's.
 

Ian wrote in :

I have been riding a rear suspension only Challenge Wizard for a


Rear suspension gets my vote. There are very few tadpole trikes with front
suspension, for several good reasons.
Response to my trikes has been good overall. Tadpoles don't appear to
suffer from the geriatric stigma deltas might. In the U.S.A. , DF
performance trikes never really caught on. When I mention trikes without
mine present, the image called up appears to be the "retired Aunt Gladys in
Florida" type of trike.

Recumbent folk (so far) seem very willing to entertain thoughts about
recumbent trikes.

I am planning to start selling trikes as a business, I used to work as
a cycle engineer years ago and do all my own servicing, repairs etc...
as well as a lot of other peoples, I think the resistance to adult
trikes is more or less non existant in the U.K., how are they viewed
in the U.S.A.?


I do wish you the best in your endeavor.

rorschandt
http://pictures.care2.com/view/1/174801833




--
A ]"

Suspend or not? Plus trike q's.
 

Ian wrote in :

I have been riding a rear suspension only Challenge Wizard for a


Rear suspension gets my vote. There are very few tadpole trikes with front
suspension, for several good reasons.
Response to my trikes has been good overall. Tadpoles don't appear to
suffer from the geriatric stigma deltas might. In the U.S.A. , DF
performance trikes never really caught on. When I mention trikes without
mine present, the image called up appears to be the "retired Aunt Gladys in
Florida" type of trike.

Recumbent folk (so far) seem very willing to entertain thoughts about
recumbent trikes.

I am planning to start selling trikes as a business, I used to work as
a cycle engineer years ago and do all my own servicing, repairs etc...
as well as a lot of other peoples, I think the resistance to adult
trikes is more or less non existant in the U.K., how are they viewed
in the U.S.A.?


I do wish you the best in your endeavor.

rorschandt
http://pictures.care2.com/view/1/174801833




--
A ]"

Suspend or not? Plus trike q's.
 

Ian wrote:

I have been riding a rear suspension only Challenge Wizard for a couple of
years, but due to an old knee injury am switching to a trike, I already have
a non suspension Kett Weizel and find with the mesh seat that this is more
comfortable than the 2 wheeler even though I then had a rear shock.
I plan on going for a tadpole trike, what are peoples thoughts on suspension
on trikes?

Also it may be my imagination, and it may only be here in the U.K. but it
seems that the general reaction to a recumbent trike is better than a
recumbent bike, on the Wizard I got mixed responses from pedestrians, from
very positive right through to very negative, however since switching to the
trike I have experienced no negativity, at church on Sunday morning in fact
I was giving rides to all and sundry.

I am planning to start selling trikes as a business, I used to work as a
cycle engineer years ago and do all my own servicing, repairs etc... as well
as a lot of other peoples, I think the resistance to adult trikes is more or
less non existant in the U.K., how are they viewed in the U.S.A.?

My Sunset and Dragonflyer have identical seats, approximately the same
seat recline, the same drivewheel size, and fat rear tires with similar
inflation pressures. Bumps that lift me off the seat on the Sunset are
hardly worth noticing on the Dragonflyer.

In addition, I can mash a big gear uphill with no noticeable suspension
pogo on the Dragonflyer despite its simple design (just a spring with no
shock absorber). I believe that this is due to the use of a step-up
jackshaft on the same axis as the suspension pivot. [1]

If I were building a trike, it would have a step-up jackshaft and rear
suspension.

[1] The step-up also allows for wider range gearing and small
chainrings, since it increases the effective rear wheel size for gearing
purposes.

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities
Red Sunset and Blue Dragonflyer :)

Suspend or not? Plus trike q's.
 

Ian wrote:

I have been riding a rear suspension only Challenge Wizard for a couple of
years, but due to an old knee injury am switching to a trike, I already have
a non suspension Kett Weizel and find with the mesh seat that this is more
comfortable than the 2 wheeler even though I then had a rear shock.
I plan on going for a tadpole trike, what are peoples thoughts on suspension
on trikes?

Also it may be my imagination, and it may only be here in the U.K. but it
seems that the general reaction to a recumbent trike is better than a
recumbent bike, on the Wizard I got mixed responses from pedestrians, from
very positive right through to very negative, however since switching to the
trike I have experienced no negativity, at church on Sunday morning in fact
I was giving rides to all and sundry.

I am planning to start selling trikes as a business, I used to work as a
cycle engineer years ago and do all my own servicing, repairs etc... as well
as a lot of other peoples, I think the resistance to adult trikes is more or
less non existant in the U.K., how are they viewed in the U.S.A.?

My Sunset and Dragonflyer have identical seats, approximately the same
seat recline, the same drivewheel size, and fat rear tires with similar
inflation pressures. Bumps that lift me off the seat on the Sunset are
hardly worth noticing on the Dragonflyer.

In addition, I can mash a big gear uphill with no noticeable suspension
pogo on the Dragonflyer despite its simple design (just a spring with no
shock absorber). I believe that this is due to the use of a step-up
jackshaft on the same axis as the suspension pivot. [1]

If I were building a trike, it would have a step-up jackshaft and rear
suspension.

[1] The step-up also allows for wider range gearing and small
chainrings, since it increases the effective rear wheel size for gearing
purposes.

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities
Red Sunset and Blue Dragonflyer :)

Suspend or not? Plus trike q's.
 

"Ian" wrote in message
...
I have been riding a rear suspension only Challenge Wizard for a couple of
years, but due to an old knee injury am switching to a trike, I already
have
a non suspension Kett Weizel and find with the mesh seat that this is more
comfortable than the 2 wheeler even though I then had a rear shock.
I plan on going for a tadpole trike, what are peoples thoughts on
suspension
on trikes?

I ride a Greenspeed GTO (non-suspended tadpole), and IMO it's not usable on
gravel roads. The occasional pothole on a paved road is acceptable, but the
corduroy or gravel roads just shake my eyeteeth out and rattle them together
with my eyeballs in my brain case.

For the time being, I'm sticking with the GTO and the paved roads, but my
next trike will be suspended. If I built my own, I would suspend at least
the rear, and I would design a clamp that would (optionally) disable the
suspension. (I hereby place that terrific idea in the public domain.)

Too, I'd look hard at some way to get traction on gravel. I've had to walk
the GTO up many hills. Anti-squat in the rear, especially in the lower
(bigger rear) gears would improve it. Based on a casual inspection of
photographs of trike rear suspensions, I have the suspicion that builders
err on the wrong side when they go for 'anti-bob' suspension geometries.

HTH,
Fred Klingener

Suspend or not? Plus trike q's.
 

"Ian" wrote in message
...
I have been riding a rear suspension only Challenge Wizard for a couple of
years, but due to an old knee injury am switching to a trike, I already
have
a non suspension Kett Weizel and find with the mesh seat that this is more
comfortable than the 2 wheeler even though I then had a rear shock.
I plan on going for a tadpole trike, what are peoples thoughts on
suspension
on trikes?

I ride a Greenspeed GTO (non-suspended tadpole), and IMO it's not usable on
gravel roads. The occasional pothole on a paved road is acceptable, but the
corduroy or gravel roads just shake my eyeteeth out and rattle them together
with my eyeballs in my brain case.

For the time being, I'm sticking with the GTO and the paved roads, but my
next trike will be suspended. If I built my own, I would suspend at least
the rear, and I would design a clamp that would (optionally) disable the
suspension. (I hereby place that terrific idea in the public domain.)

Too, I'd look hard at some way to get traction on gravel. I've had to walk
the GTO up many hills. Anti-squat in the rear, especially in the lower
(bigger rear) gears would improve it. Based on a casual inspection of
photographs of trike rear suspensions, I have the suspicion that builders
err on the wrong side when they go for 'anti-bob' suspension geometries.

HTH,
Fred Klingener

Suspend or not? Plus trike q's.
 

Fred Klingener wrote:
: Too, I'd look hard at some way to get traction on gravel. I've had to walk
: the GTO up many hills. Anti-squat in the rear, especially in the lower
: (bigger rear) gears would improve it. Based on a casual inspection of
: photographs of trike rear suspensions, I have the suspicion that builders
: err on the wrong side when they go for 'anti-bob' suspension geometries.

Hmm can a trike slide backwards on gravel slopes? :p

--
Risto Varanka | http://www.helsinki.fi/~rvaranka/hpv/hpv.html
varis at no spam please iki fi

Suspend or not? Plus trike q's.
 

Fred Klingener wrote:
: Too, I'd look hard at some way to get traction on gravel. I've had to walk
: the GTO up many hills. Anti-squat in the rear, especially in the lower
: (bigger rear) gears would improve it. Based on a casual inspection of
: photographs of trike rear suspensions, I have the suspicion that builders
: err on the wrong side when they go for 'anti-bob' suspension geometries.

Hmm can a trike slide backwards on gravel slopes? :p

--
Risto Varanka | http://www.helsinki.fi/~rvaranka/hpv/hpv.html
varis at no spam please iki fi

Suspend or not? Plus trike q's.
 

Joshua Goldberg wrote:
: Having NO suspension on a Tadpole is a waste of a Tadpole, your frame won't
: ssurvive the abuse from the roads and Rail Trails.

Are tadpoles very fragile because of their geometry then? I'd
guess frames on bicycles (upstraight and bent) often last decades
and hundreds of thousands of kilos.

What kind of roads do you ride? :-)

--
Risto Varanka | http://www.helsinki.fi/~rvaranka/hpv/hpv.html
varis at no spam please iki fi