Leisure Machines
Trikes are not sexy. There is no way to look cool if you are riding on three wheels with a giant day-glow flag fluttering away above your head. As a matter of fact, many people have mistaken us as disabled people who ride on fancy wheelchairs.
Surely you will attract a great deal of attention with the novelty. During our test drive in Taiwan, trikes were our unfailing conversation starter, and our key to 5-minute fame. A woman took a photo of me with her baby on my lap as if I was a celebrity, and we received plenty of cheers from total strangers along the way. The odd appearance of the trikes also works for our safety – many drivers unaccustomed to such vehicles slow down to figure you out, and they always give you a wide berth while passing.
As many of you know it takes few weeks before your sit bones become accustomed to the pressure of a bicycle saddle. However, with a trike comfort is immediate. It’s akin to sitting in a lounge chair, and you can’t help yourself from giving out a satisfying “aw…” whenever you sit down. You can go without riding for a month and sit on a trike seat for 6 hours, 5 days in a row without pain. There is no pressure on your wrists, as the steering is beside the seat. If adjusted properly your elbows are at a right angle and your arms are parallel to the ground, (the optimal arm position physiotherapists recommend to avoid injury sitting at a desk). Your feet, locked into your clipless pedals, allow your legs to hang when they are tired. For those of you who would like to describe your journey as a trial where you overcame constant adversity and physical torment the trike is not for you.
Despite all the positives, recumbent trikes are not without their downsides, and number one is weight.
It is noticeably heavier, which makes it different than a diamond frame when climbing hills or accelerating. Our trikes weigh about 40 pounds each, without loaded panniers. However this is balanced by the fact that when climbing a hill you don’t have to maintain speed to avoid wobbling, which means we never have to get off and walk. We move slowly but steadily. Regarding weight, we will be traveling for a year plus and rock climbing, so our gear is already quite heavy by itself. The additional weight is negligible, especially considering the advantage of the low profile and decreased wind resistance afforded by the recumbent trike.
What isn’t easily overlooked is the price. For the price of a fully loaded folding trike with suspension, mudguards, and luggage racks you could buy two top of the line touring bikes. We’ve rationalized this in all sorts of ways. Instead of expensive wedding rings, we got trikes. Having a comfortable and expensive ride raises the probability that we won’t quit traveling when things get tough. For the amount we would pay for bus tickets we could buy trikes. In the end the most important factor is that we are both happy with it. I haven’t even talked about the thrill of slaloming down a mountain at 30 mph with your ass only 4 inches off the ground, snug in your cockpit, as your trike tracks like a go-kart and you grin from ear to ear. So for those of you old or wise enough to not care about what anyone else thinks, and who realize that comfort is nothing to be ashamed of, a trike is for you.
