I am past 70 years old so I have to think back a ways to remember as a child growing up doing various things together as a family. Still I have fond memories and appreciate those times we spent together. We didn’t have tadpole trikes then. We did have bicycles and motorcycles which we rode together. My parents may be gone but friends are still around and almost daily I am making memories with them riding our trikes. When I look at videos online showing families/friends riding together it brings back those memories. Perhaps it will for you as well. And if you are younger than I am perhaps you are still making memories with your own children. Anyway, here are some videos of families enjoying riding together.
Steve Greene recently posted an article on his Trike Asylum blog about tire sealants where various brands were tested and compared. I have never been a fan of Slime and the article isn’t very flattering for Slime as it states and shows exactly what I have observed and experienced with it. In short, it is very messy and only works on very small punctures. As you can see the top performers are: Orange Seal, Stan’s NoTubes and Schwalbe’s Doc Blue product (which is made by Stan’s). Interestingly the Schwalbe product scored better than Stan’s NoTubes. None of the sealants could stop a leak of the largest size hole in the test. The Orange Seal did the best however and might have allowed the tire to be pumped up as necessary to make it home. If someone insists on running tires that easily get flats a sealant may be practical to use. As for me I think I will stick with Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires as they have never failed me. I have never had an externally caused flat tire nor a glass cut in the tread … and I used to get both all the time when I ran other tires.
Since Orange Seal scored the highest I offer this video demonstrating how well it works.
I reckon it comes down to personal preferences and the environment one rides in. I know I much prefer to ride my trike than work on it … especially alongside the road or trail. Yep, I like to …
A few tadpole trike manufacturers are offering electric motorized models. One of them is TerraTrike. I applaud this as having a BionX unit installed on my Catrike I really love having it. I have a friend I ride with who has a BionX unit installed on his TerraTrike Rambler. The BionX unit is a great unit as long as everything works right (mine doesn’t), but it is expensive. This E.V.O. model is far less money although feature-wise I much prefer the BionX unit. That being said, this Falco unit is 750 watt vs. the BionX 350 watt and it offers a 2 mph reverse as well as a crawl forward from a standstill. BionX has neither.
UPDATE: When I first wrote this article TerraTrike was offering only the Falco hub motor but later they also started offering the Bosch crank drive motor and upped the price to $4500. That is a thousand dollars more for a higher cost motor. HERE is their webpage for this model.
Now on with my original posting … (Please note – from here on everything which appears in this article is someone else’s writings and not mine.)
Specification Description:
Drive System Derailleur, Falco 750W 5 Phase Motor
Battery Type/Weight Li-Ion / 36V / 11.6 Ah / 417 Wh
Max. Assisted Speed 20 mph
Range 97 km (60 miles)/Charge
Frame Chromoly steel
Rims/Wheels TerraTrike Black Double Wall
Tires Schwalbe Energizer 20 X 1.75
Crankset Driveline Durabi 400 170mm
Chainrings 52/42/30
Bottom Bracket RPM Sealed Square Taper
Chain KMC Z72 8-speed
Front Derailleur MicroSHIFT Triple
Rear Derailleur MicroShift 8-speed
Cassette/Rear Cogs SRAM PG-830 11-30, 8-speed
Shifters Microshift Mezzo Trigger
Brake Levers Promax Linear Pull, Locking
Brakes Avid BB7 Mechanical
Pedals Comfort Pedal
(subject to change without notice)
TerraTrike’s Electric Vehicle Option (or “E.V.O.” for short) will transform the way you ride and will increase your range by degrees of magnitude. It will allow you to climb hills that were previously daunting, it will keep you spinning through rolling terrain. The Rambler E.V.O. is not intended to be an electric trike. The E.V.O. was designed to help you along your journey while you still get the cardio benefits of trike riding. You will hear and feel the motor turning on and off as it senses your need for assistance. You will still be shifting the trike as you normally would; as the hills get steeper or as you come to a stop.
With a generous range of up to 60 miles per charge, you will have nearly limitless potential. The lithium ion battery can be charged overnight with the included “smart” charger. Simply plug the charger into a nearby outlet, or the battery can be easily removed from its case for charging in a different location.
TerraTrike figured out the ideal torque sensor setting and assist level so that it is very predictable and optimized for assistance and range. The top speed is governed at 20 mph. The Rambler E.V.O. motor control accessories available are ‘Wired Plus Minus (WPM)’ ‘Wired Console’ and ‘Wireless Console with Plus Minus’. The trike will still be limited to 20 mph, but you will be able to adjust the level of assist (low, medium, or high) or you can put it into one of three regenerative modes which actually charges the battery on long descents.
The optional Wired Plus Minus (WPM) switch also adds a reverse gear. You will need to back pedal while it is backing up due to the drivetrain of the trike. But don’t worry, max speed in reverse is 2 mph. The WPM accessory can also help climb hills by providing a “crawl” feature. It too is limited to 2 mph and is merely intended to get the trike rolling so that you can begin your pedal stroke. After the trike starts to move and you start to pedal you can let go of the plus button and the motor assist will kick in as appropriate.
– Electric Assist Hub: The E.V.O. is available in a traditional deraillured system external hub with electric assist
– Direct steering: Horizontal handlebar position provides responsive leverage to steering inputs, and provides a tight turning radius
– Steering stack with bushing/bearing combination for smoother steering
– Chromoly steel frame is lightweight, smooth riding, and capable of supporting up to 300 pounds
– Comfort mesh seat for extra lateral support
– Simple operation, seamless experience
– Powerful 750W direct-drive hub motor
– No pedal resistance when battery isn’t used
– 5 phase motor provides more torque & power
– Up to 1000 recharge cycles per battery
– Industry-leading 5 year motor warranty
What more could you want in an off road human powered vehicle? This beauty is nearly unstoppable. It is an L Trike or Camel Trike made in China and sold from China thru ZZMERCK (Zhengzhou Merck). I find their media coverage a bit confusing. One place they call it an L Trike and another place they call it a Camel Trike. It is not even a trike so I don’t know why they would call it either one. Googling “L Trike” turns up nothing, but Googling “camel trike” gets results. It doesn’t come cheap … $7500-$8500. It looks nice, but I don’t trust the quality of Chinese products. Hopefully this is well made. I will say though that this trike is definitely complex in its design which translates into … “there is a whole lot of stuff that could go wrong and cause problems”.
I said it is rear suspension and it is, but at first I thought it was full suspension, but after taking a closer look at it I guess it is not.This quad weighs approximately 110 pounds (50kg) so it is not light. The wheels are laced rather uniquely. Although I have seen this before I don’t think it is all that common. They are laced only on the inside of the rim. No spokes attach to the other side. This is covered in one of the videos further below.
The one thing I noticed is that the cables are hanging way down low where they could easily snag of lots of stuff riding off road. They created lots of road clearance only to place the cables way down low. That makes no sense! I see it all the time on people’s trikes. Some people just don’t seem to care about such things even if you point it out to them. I wonder if they would change their tune if a drooping cable ruined their day causing a bad wreck. At the very least it could cause serious damage to the cable and possibly other things.
4×4 Fat Tire Recumbent Quad
Model/Price: Model: MF426E, Price: US $7,500-8,500
Brake system
Front brake: Avid E3 hydraulic disc brake
Rear brake: BB7 disc brake
Wheel system
Rim: Alloy
Spokes: 304 stainless steel
Tires: Vee 26-4.8 foldable tires
Front hub: Novatec customs hub
Rear hub: Customs shaft hub
Suspension system
DNM air spring suspension (double chamber)
Electric system
48v 500w mid drive motor
48v 20ah lithium battery
Light system
Led headlight
Frame: Aluminum alloy 6061 T6
Seat: Nylon mesh
No way could I do this on my tadpole trike. I would find myself in a real predicament. This quad goes right up it …
The next video definitely demonstrates that it is all wheel drive …
This next video is suppose to be a demonstration of the quad riding thru snow, but there is very little snow on the ground so it isn’t much of a test. A standard trike with standard tires could go thru most of the snow shown, but probably not all the uneven ground, etc. as there would be traction problems …
The next 4 videos are about the design and bulld of the quad. You may have to pause them to read the English captions in order to follow what is being said.
That is a lot of money to lay down to attempt some off road fun, but hey, if you have it to spend you might as well go for it. You can’t take the money with you when life is over. BTW, you can’t take the trike with you either. We can only enjoy them here in this life … so do your best to …
As many of you know a fellow tadpole triker by the name of Matt Galat is currently on a 5 year long trike journey around the world which started in China and is to end in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
UPDATE — Due to the Deep State’s fake pandemic (which I refer to as plandemic since it was all planned) Matt’s World Tour has been interrupted and he has had to make some major changes in his plans.
Matt is a videographer and creates excellent videos of his journey and life. He posts them on various social media … Matt’s FACEBOOK page, JaYoe FACEBOOK page, Matt’s YOUTUBE channel, Matt’s JaYoe website, and more.
Sometime back Matt added a drone to his video taping and it has added a lot to the quality of his videos giving them an altogether new perspective. His videos were always good and interesting, but with the drone footage added in they are even better.
Most of us could never take such a journey, but thru Matt’s videos we can truly enjoy and “live” his adventurous journey vicariously.
Matt rides a yellow HP Velotechnik Scorpion FS20 recumbent tadpole trike. He started out pulling a trailer, but decided to discontinue that and just haul those things he needs on his trike.
Matt had a set back in his trike journey. He had started it as planned riding a different trike pulling a different trailer when while still in China he was hit from behind by a big truck. He received a broken shoulder (collar) bone as a result and his trailer and trike were pretty much totaled. He had to convalescent for quite some time during which time he got reoutfitted in preparation of starting his world journey all over.
Matt has also experienced some knee joint pain which threatened his journey causing him to interrupt his ride for awhile. Fortunately now that he is back underway so far his knee has held up pretty good and he has been able to continue his journey.
Matt has coined the Chinese words (phrase) “JaYoe” for his journey … as it means “to add fuel”. As time goes along more and more people are discovering Matt and his trike journey. Great interest is building and his story continues to capture the attention of local news media.
HERE is an interview with Matt on Laidback Bike Report’s YouTube video which was streamed live on July 16, 2017.
If you have never watched any of Matt’s videos I invite you to do so as they just might grab your attention and not let go. That is the effect they have on me. Like Matt, we all need to …
With ongoing eye sight problems I am forced to end my writing new articles … at least for now. I am not saying I am leaving forever, but I need to give my eyes a break in hope of adding time to their usefulness. Looking at a computer screen as much as I do is very hard on my eyes. This will be my last posting. I can’t say what the future holds. I may be back, but I may not. I have enjoyed the journey thus far and trust many of you have as well. Thanks to all of you who have helped make this blog as successful as it has been. I will miss participating in this blog, but as the saying goes … “all good things must come to an end”. Perhaps we’ll meet up again. Goodbye for now my friends. Happy trails to you … maybe we will meet up again. I hope so.
Tadpole Rider 