Recumbent trikes for trails also Schlumpf drives?

Considering getting a recumbent trike probably a Greenspeed or Trice
for next year, doing a UK end to end and then going on to Bergen in Norway
and riding the bit of the North Sea Route I didn't manage this year, before
getting a Ferry to Denmark for a while.

Im about 16 stone and not superfit, know trikes are not ideal for the
steep climbs in Norway, but I'm not in a hurry and if pedal comes to push
I'm happy to walk and push the trike on the bits I can't manage.

My concern is that parts of the route are on fairly rough trails with
loose stone surfaces and I wonder how trikes cope with this. I'm also
interested in the durability of Schlumpf drives fitted on trikes. Anyone
with experience of riding trikes in these conditions and/or of using the
Schulmpf drive care to comment?
Thanks
Peter

On Sun, 16 Nov 2003, peter wrote:

steep climbs in Norway, but I'm not in a hurry and if pedal comes to push
I'm happy to walk and push the trike on the bits I can't manage.

Pushing is not that easy, certainly with a trice. Everything is low,
so you have to bend over or crouch a bit, and the handlebasr are even
lower, so you need to crouch a lot. If you need to push, you need to
do so on teh seat back or rack, and doing that and keeping a hand on
the steering means you have to crouch and sort of walk crabbing
sideways.

If you need to shift a trice other than by riding, picking it up by
the luggage rack and dragging seems best. If the toe-in is true it
will then follow reasonably docilely. Trouble is, if doing this with
luggage on teh rack you're lifting the luggage, and that can get hard
work.

However, with a trike and suitable gearing you can go up hills as slow
as you like (no risk of falling off). If you're prepared for teh
slowness of teh ascent I can't see any steepness of hill stopping you
entirely.

My concern is that parts of the route are on fairly rough trails with
loose stone surfaces and I wonder how trikes cope with this.

That could be a problem. I occasionally ride my trice on off-road
(unmetalled) routes. On steep loose material, you can lose traction
quite easily. A touring load of luggage might help a little (since
all teh weight of that will go down the back wheel), but gradients
that on a mountain bike just need a bit of shifting your body-weight
around are unrideable on teh trice - teh back wheel just spins.

Having said that, I've never had to get off on any route intended for
motor vehicles. I don't know how steep / rough / unsurfaced your
tracks will be, so can't actually confirm if it will be a serious
problem or not.

regards, Ian SMith
--
|\ /| no .sig
|o o|
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peter scribed with passion and wit:


Considering getting a recumbent trike probably a Greenspeed or Trice
for next year, doing a UK end to end and then going on to Bergen in Norway
and riding the bit of the North Sea Route I didn't manage this year, before
getting a Ferry to Denmark for a while.

Im about 16 stone and not superfit, know trikes are not ideal for the
steep climbs in Norway, but I'm not in a hurry and if pedal comes to push
I'm happy to walk and push the trike on the bits I can't manage.

My concern is that parts of the route are on fairly rough trails with
loose stone surfaces and I wonder how trikes cope with this. I'm also
interested in the durability of Schlumpf drives fitted on trikes. Anyone
with experience of riding trikes in these conditions and/or of using the
Schulmpf drive care to comment?
Thanks
Peter


Trikes climb fine if you get the right one and practice, the Trice range is
good, as is the Greenspeed, but have a look at the Catrike Trail as well,
Schlumpf drives are good units and very durable.

--
Ian

http://www.catrike.co.uk

Thanks for the info
peter

Peter,
Having been to the Trice factory and met the guys I am sure that the
Explorer or Classic would fit the bill.
My Classic NT climbs most with a 14" bottom gear without resorting to
anything other than a triple chain set 20/32/42 and a max of 34 on the back,
keep it simple for reliability.
There is an occasional problem with traction but this is mostly resolved
with weight in the panniers.
Pushing is not too bad because you can steer with sideways pressure on the
rear rack whilst you are pushing.
Another option you can try is to tow it with a thin nylon cord. It will
follow easily.
You can collect the Trice and you are only a few miles from the start of
your UK E2E !
Good luck whatever you choice.

SW in the UK (simply a biased and happy owner)


"peter" wrote in message
...

Considering getting a recumbent trike probably a Greenspeed or Trice
for next year, doing a UK end to end and then going on to Bergen in
Norway
and riding the bit of the North Sea Route I didn't manage this year,
before
getting a Ferry to Denmark for a while.

Im about 16 stone and not superfit, know trikes are not ideal for
the
steep climbs in Norway, but I'm not in a hurry and if pedal comes to push
I'm happy to walk and push the trike on the bits I can't manage.

My concern is that parts of the route are on fairly rough trails
with
loose stone surfaces and I wonder how trikes cope with this. I'm also
interested in the durability of Schlumpf drives fitted on trikes. Anyone
with experience of riding trikes in these conditions and/or of using the
Schulmpf drive care to comment?
Thanks
Peter

If you have to push, turn the trike around and pull (assuming you have a
rack over the rear wheel). It will follow like a lost puppy and ya don't
have to bend over.
"peter" wrote in message
...

Considering getting a recumbent trike probably a Greenspeed or Trice
for next year, doing a UK end to end and then going on to Bergen in
Norway
and riding the bit of the North Sea Route I didn't manage this year,
before
getting a Ferry to Denmark for a while.

Im about 16 stone and not superfit, know trikes are not ideal for
the
steep climbs in Norway, but I'm not in a hurry and if pedal comes to push
I'm happy to walk and push the trike on the bits I can't manage.

My concern is that parts of the route are on fairly rough trails
with
loose stone surfaces and I wonder how trikes cope with this. I'm also
interested in the durability of Schlumpf drives fitted on trikes. Anyone
with experience of riding trikes in these conditions and/or of using the
Schulmpf drive care to comment?
Thanks
Peter

Ian wrote:
Trikes climb fine if you get the right one and practice, the Trice range
is good, as is the Greenspeed, but have a look at the Catrike Trail as
well, Schlumpf drives are good units and very durable.



Are they more durable than a 3 speed SRAM hub? I ask because I am
hoping to get a trike and wonder what to use to compensate for the
smaller wheels.



--
Derek,
Burley Canto

--------------------------
Posted via cyclingforums.com
http://www.cyclingforums.com

I've had a Greenspeed now for about a 18 months. It has the Tioga
Comp Pools and a Schlumpf mountain drive.

The rear wheel will slip on gravel roads, dirt roads, etc. with steep
grades.

The Schlumpf Mountain drive is a good idea. At the time of purchase I
questioned the need for it because of the cost. In retrospect I
couldn't image life without it. I've put 4500 miles on it and have
had no problems. Lubed it with MoSu2 (sic?) at 3000 per
manufacturer's instructions.

YMMV.


"peter" wrote in message ...
Considering getting a recumbent trike probably a Greenspeed or Trice
for next year, doing a UK end to end and then going on to Bergen in Norway
and riding the bit of the North Sea Route I didn't manage this year, before
getting a Ferry to Denmark for a while.

Im about 16 stone and not superfit, know trikes are not ideal for the
steep climbs in Norway, but I'm not in a hurry and if pedal comes to push
I'm happy to walk and push the trike on the bits I can't manage.

My concern is that parts of the route are on fairly rough trails with
loose stone surfaces and I wonder how trikes cope with this. I'm also
interested in the durability of Schlumpf drives fitted on trikes. Anyone
with experience of riding trikes in these conditions and/or of using the
Schulmpf drive care to comment?
Thanks
Peter