On rare occasion I have been known to venture off of the beaten path riding my trike on various terrain and back roads like these people are doing in this video. They have FAT tire trikes though which are better suited for such ventures. I have ridden off road several times but I find a tadpole trike rather impractical for off road riding. They tip over too easily on uneven surfaces.
In this next video you can see how easily and quickly things can go wrong when suddenly this trike tips over spilling the rider out. Fortunately he did not get hurt nor did the trike. And this happened on a dirt/gravel trail … not while riding truly off road where there is no trail.
In this last video they don’t look like they are enjoying themselves at all. That ride looks to be quite miserable and quite frankly I don’t know why they would choose to do it. It is rough on them and their trikes and definitely rough on the tires.
KEEP ON TRIKIN’
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Why wish upon a star when you can talk to the One (Jesus) Who created them?
TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU’VE EVER BEEN, YET THE YOUNGEST YOU’LL EVER BE SO – ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS FOR THIS IS A DAY THE LORD HAS MADE! REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT!
FAT tired tadpole trikes are a nice innovation but not practical for most of us. I consider them a luxury type item. I would like to have one but I realize I have little need of one. A standard tadpole trike serves my needs as I just don’t ride anywhere where a FAT tired trike is needed . I suppose it makes a big difference where a person lives and rides. I ride mostly on paved streets, paved roads and paved bike trails. FAT tires are expensive and they wear out much quicker than standard tires. I doubt if I could afford to keep good tires on one.
Here is a video of a couple riding their FAT tired trikes. Where they live they can probably find places to ride them.
KEEP ON TRIKIN’
You are invited to come join the Tadpole Rider Facebook Group. Please note that in order to join you must first answer the three membership vetting questions.
Why wish upon a star when you can talk to the One (Jesus) Who created them?
TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU’VE EVER BEEN, YET THE YOUNGEST YOU’LL EVER BE SO – ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS FOR THIS IS A DAY THE LORD HAS MADE! REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT!
This is a topic I have written aboutseveral times. For those of us who live and ride in areas which have snow it is something we must deal with unless we hibernate thru the winter months. Our trikes in some ways are better than bikes for winter weather but we dare not fool ourselves as they do have their limitations. The depth of the snow as well as the snow’s wetness and weight definitely play a big part in whether or not our trikes can ride thru it. A light dry show is much easier to ride in than a wet heavy snow. With standard wheels and tires I have found that about 3 inches of snow depth is about the limit I can ride thru … and that is when it is a light dry snow. Personally I think skinny tires on the front and a wider tire on the back is probably the best combination for riding on snow.
Have you noticed that I have used “in”, “on” and “thru”? Which is it? I think all 3 are correct. If we can stay on top of it then “on” it applies. But if our tires go down into it then “in” applies. If we are fortunate enough to be able to ride along with our tires down into it then “thru” it applies. All too often we find ourselves unable to progress forward. We just spin our rear tire having lost traction.
That is where the type of tire comes into play. A standard road tire is not much good when it comes to traction in the snow. We need a good aggressive tread like a BMX knobby tire. Such a tire makes a world of difference.
I have not touched on FAT trikes which are definitely superior for riding on snow. I have also not touched on tire pressure which also makes a big difference. Lowering the air pressure in the tires, especially the rear tire, helps a lot increasing traction when riding on snow.
The use of skis on the front sounds great, but there is a problem with that. Our braking is on the front wheels so with skis our brakes would not work.
Lastly, when riding on virgin snow we need to keep in mind it covers over the surface we are riding on effectively hiding it from our sight. We need to be careful as we can easily ride off the edge of pavement and get ourselves in trouble.
One thing I have observed over the years is that most videos about riding in snow show very little snow on the ground. Well, yeah, anybody can ride in those conditions just using a standard trike with road tires.
For what it is worth I think having e-motor assist is very helpful when riding in snow. And if you are like me it helps immensely to be able to slide around having fun. I love controlled skids. Just try not to wrap yourself around a tree.
Here are several videos about riding in the snow …
To the next video all I can say is “stupid is as stupid does”. I think he has a death wish.
Next video … no front fenders. I bet this guy got quite wet.
KEEP ON TRIKIN’
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Why wish upon a star when you can talk to the One (Jesus) Who created them?
TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU’VE EVER BEEN, YET THE YOUNGEST YOU’LL EVER BE SO – ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS FOR THIS IS A DAY THE LORD HAS MADE! REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT!
Trident Trekker has been around for a few years but there are some upgrades and new models available this year including regular tadpole trikes, quads and E-FAT quads (for $6470). I would take the latter. if I were in the market for another trike. A quad is more stable than a trike and I like the e-motor setup driving the rear axle rather than the chain like crank drive setup does.
BTW, Trident is now offering a quad conversion kit to change their trike into a quad. The cost is $1674 including shipping.
New this year is a suspension model. They have placed the suspension in the frame as shown in the picture above (bottom two images) and the enlarged images below.
I am sure Trident won’t appreciate my saying this, but in my professional opinion as a metal fabricator and weldor what I see here is likely frame failure in all of this complexity which looks under built and under welded. Sorry, but I have a lifetime of repair welding products that were not built strong enough to begin with. I would be very surprised if this does not fail on these trikes and quads. I hope I am wrong.
Buyers have a choice of 160 or 170 mm crank-arms.
Both Trekker 20 Models and Trekker 26 Models are available in either Wasabi Green, Wolfpack Red or Carolina Blue. They sell out of these choices so you may have to select another color or wait until they get more in stock.
Trekker models (except Fat Trekkers) come with all the “extras” at no charge- a rear rack, rear lights, a full set of 3 fenders, a mirror, an accessory mount, and a safety flag are all included in the price! Fat Trekkers come with a rear rack, pedals and a flag.
HERE is a review of the Trident Trekker on Recumbent & Tandem Rider magazine.
Below are the two videos Trident has on their website. Please be aware that both videos are several years old so they are not showing their newest trikes/quads.
KEEP ON TRIKIN’
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Why wish upon a star when you can talk to the One (Jesus) Who created them?
TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU’VE EVER BEEN, YET THE YOUNGEST YOU’LL EVER BE SO – ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS FOR THIS IS A DAY THE LORD HAS MADE! REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT!
It is not easy to keep coming up with something to post about. I am thankful for YouTube and their many videos as a source of material to post about. Here is a video about riding a fat tad recumbent tadpole trike on the Stillwater Minnesota Loop Trail. Stillwater MN on the St Croix River. The Loop Trail has a steep hill on the north end. If you ride the Loop counter clock wise, the hill will surely test your brakes. It is a nice gradual climb up the bridge on the south end. Do a little site seeing. Head up the grade on the Brown’s Creek Trail.
Here is a satellite image showing the location of this area …
If you like this man’s videos and would like to see more of them click HERE.
KEEP ON TRIKIN’
You are invited to come join the Tadpole Rider Facebook Group. Please note that in order to join you must first answer the three membership vetting questions.
Why wish upon a star when you can talk to the One (Jesus) Who created them?
TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU’VE EVER BEEN, YET THE YOUNGEST YOU’LL EVER BE SO – ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS FOR THIS IS A DAY THE LORD HAS MADE! REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT!
Here is a video of a fat tad trike riding on a bike trail in Wisconsin. From TrailLink.com …
“One of Wisconsin’s earliest rail-trail conversions, the 14.5-mile Red Cedar State Trail is built on the former corridor of the Red Cedar Junction railway, which served Knapp, Stout & Co. in the 1880s—then the world’s largest timber producer. Since the late 1970s, the trail has offered a serene experience for trail users from Menomonie to Peru, where it meets with the southern end of the Chippewa River State Trail, just south of the Dunnville State Wildlife Area.”
Here is a map showing the location …
If you like this man’s videos and would like to see more of them click HERE.
KEEP ON TRIKIN’
You are invited to come join the Tadpole Rider Facebook Group. Please note that in order to join you must first answer the three membership vetting questions.
Why wish upon a star when you can talk to the One (Jesus) Who created them?
TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU’VE EVER BEEN, YET THE YOUNGEST YOU’LL EVER BE SO – ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS FOR THIS IS A DAY THE LORD HAS MADE! REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT!
You may be asking … “is a recumbent trike for me”? Keep in mind that one does not have to be old or disabled to ride a tadpole trike. But if you happen to be old or disabled recumbent trikes are likely your answer. They are highly modifiable and can be equipped to meet the needs of nearly everybody. From a basic tadpole trike to a FAT trike to a sophisticated velomobile there are lots to choose from. When it comes to riding on thru the winter most definitely 3 (or 4) wheels are far better and safer than only 2.
That is how I got started with tadpole trikes. Winter was fast approaching and I wanted to keep riding … riding safely. I knew 2 wheels were unsafe as a bicycle goes down readily on slippery surfaces. I had already experienced that more than once. Fortunately I never received any serious injury, but I was well aware it can happen. So I built me first tadpole trike and rode it thru the winter. I fell in love with riding a tadpole trike. It is so much more fun than riding a bicycle and it is much much safer. When Spring time finally came around I tried switching back to a 2 wheel recumbent bike, but quickly discovered that I much preferred riding the trike so I sold my bike which I didn’t care to ride anymore. That was in the winter of 2007-2008. So for 16 years now I have had the infamous “recumbent smile” on my face and never a moment’s regret. Recumbent tadpole trikes are difinitely for me. I bought a 2009 Catrike Trail and sold my homemade tadpole trike. I now ride a 2013 Catrike Trail.
Recumbent trikes come in two completely different design builds … a Delta with one wheel in the front and two wheels in the back …. and a Tadpole (originally called a Reverse trike) with two wheels in the front and one wheel in the back.
Although my personal preference is a Tadpole design you may find you prefer (need) a Delta design. A Tadpole is like driving a sports car (Corvette) while a Delta is like driving a family sedan (Rambler). Not everybody is able to get in and out of the low seat of a Tadpole trike so for them the Delta is the only way to go. In all fairness there are some Delta trikes which are made low to the ground and built for speed and cornering.
These videos address these subjects:
As shown in the video above there is a lot of difference between a Delta recumbent trike and a Tadpole recumbent trike. I fully agree with the thumbs down for the Delta and the thumbs up for the Tadpole.
One last comment … I have found that riding a tadpole trike brings a whole lot more respect from motorists than one gets riding a bicycle. That, of course, adds greatly to the safety factor.
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I came across this brand of electric trike as the result of the owner of the company requesting to join the Facebook Tadpole Rider Group.
Unfortunately their website does not offer English. However, the Google Chrome browser will translate it. I don’t normally use Google nor do I recommend it as they are just too big for their britches and are up to no good with all their power and money.
To the best of my understanding Dekers presently produces 3 models and they custom build trikes to meet their customer’s personal needs. They cater to those with disabilities.
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If I were asked what tadpole trike would I get if money was not a factor. Well, IF I WERE A RICH MAN … Ya ba dibba dibba dibba dibba dibba dibba dum … Here is what I would buy … Ta Da … a highly customized UTCustom Catrike Fat Cat-4 Quad which the total cost would be nearly $10000 with shipping. It would have the Bafang Ultra 1000 watt e-motor with torque sensing. Ideally though I would much prefer it mounted behind the seat instead of on the boom and using its own chain to drive the rear axle so it doees not use the quad’s drivetrain.
Utah Trikes offers a custom quad utilizing the Catrike Expedition model and with 20 FAT tires in the front and 26 inch FAT tires in the rear.If I were a rich man that is probably waht I would want. Otherwise I would go with 20 inch tires all around.
I love the idea of having a quad vs. a trike … mainly because it would be more stable and not tip over as easily as a trike does. Riding off road would be a safer venture.
Yep, if I were a rich man and money was not a factor that is what I would have. But, alas, I am not a rich man and so I will stick with my 2013 Catrike Trail and consider myself richly blessed to have it. Ya ba dibba dibba dibba dibba dibba dibba dum and all that jazz!
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Many people are looking for tadpole trikes for a lower price. If you do an online search for “tadpole trike” guess what happens … at least on some search engines. Up will pop images in ads for tadpole trikes offered by Mobility4less. They are paid ads . They offer several different products and I noticed that they also offer financing and layaway.
If you are looking for non-motorized don’t look here as all of their products are motorized. They offer two tadpole trikes (one regular and one FAT tire) and one FAT tire quad. The frames are made of mild steel. The e-motor systems on the regualr tadpole are 36 volts. It is a crank drive motor. The FAT tire tadpole trike and quad are 48 volt. Strangely the safety flag is not included. The product arrives at your door shipped on a pallet. It comes with a full fender set and a neckrest. A rear luggage rack is provided which holds the 36 volt 12 aH lithium ion battery which is included. Mirrors are also provided. Below is a picture of the regular tadpole trike model they sell. It has 20 inch wheels on the front and 26 inch on the rear. Disc brakes are found on the two front wheels and a V-brake is on the rear wheel to be used as a parking brake. The trike has rear suspension and the trike folds up for storage and transportation. My guess is that the boom will need to be set for the rider’s x-seam and the chain adjusted to the correct length. I see in one of the pictures they show on their website the chain is way too long and the rear derailleur is not able to handle all the chain.
The trike comes with a hand throttle.
Main Technical Parameters:
Top Speed:26 MPH (pedaling increases speed)
Top Range:25 miles/charge (pedaling increases range)
Chain: 21 speed chain (NOTE – their ignorance is showing as there is no such thing … it is 7 speed chain)
Mirrors: Aluminum alloy blue plated
Pedals: VP500 aluminum alloy
Max Weight Limit: 400 Lbs
Crankset: Shimano TX71 48 teeth
Front derailleur: Shimano TX51
Battery Charger: Included
Foldable: Yes
COLORS: Red
MOTOR TYPE: Brushless motor drive
VOLTS: 36 volt
TIRE SIZE: Front: 20 * 1.5: Rear: 26 * 1.5
SHIPPING WEIGHT: 100lbs
TRICYCLE WEIGHT: 54lbs
They are currently offering free shipping according to their website.
Your Purchasing Options:
Electric Recumbent Tricycle with Lithium battery: $2,495.00**Optional PowerBooster to get the 1500Watts: $289.50
Here is the trike folded up ….
I chose not to cover the FAT tire trike and quad here. If you are interested you can check them out on their website. I will say this much … they don’t come with fenders and they are a 48 volt e-motor system..
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There is just no end to the products the craftsmen at Utah Trikes produce. They have been making quads for several years now. Their Catrike quad is very popular. Of course, evolution is involved. For instance they went from using a hub motor on the rear axle to a Bafang crank drive motor behind the seat. I would prefer the hub motor as I am not a fan of crank drive. As I understand the hub drive is still available but only in a solid steel axle with no differential. That would wear out rear tires quicker.
For those wanting to know what my objection is to crank drive e-motors it is simple enough. Cycle drive trains were not designed to handle the extra power a motor puts on them. Of course, the same thing could be said about a wheel but I think a wheel can better handle a motor than a drive train (chain and sprockets) can. Crank drives are known to destroy drive trains and replacing various sprockets, idlers, and chain is expensive.
Understand that Utah Trikes manufactures this quad from the ground up. They are not taking a pre-manufactured tadpole trike and converting it into a quad like they have on some of their other offerings. Starting price is $6599 plus $599 shipping. It is what I call a rich man’s toy. That is more money than I paid for one of my toys in years past … a 1968 Dodge Charger R/T 426 Hemi. 555 horsepower according to the dynamometer of ground shaking window rattling brute power.
“The UTCustom Revolution eQuad is the culmination of nearly 15 years of building custom quads. The Revolution eQuad has been designed to get you where you want to go on road or off.”
Mind you I have not as much as seen one of these much less sat on one. Never the less for what it is worth the handlebars look so high to me that I would think they would be uncomfortable. That is probably because I am a short person. For a taller person that may not be true at all.
There is a choice of two different seats. One has it own seat frame which slides back and forth. It sits up right. It is shown in the picture above. The other is a fully adjustable recumbent seat with mesh material pictured below as well as most of the other pictures.
Quads are definitely more stable than trikes but as can be seen in the video below this rider is able to lift a rear wheel off of the pavement. So if one worked at it hard enough a quad could be tipped over.
I have to admit there are times I would like to have such a toy. My trike is just not practical to take off road riding. I have discovered a few off road dirt trails just off of a paved trail I ride nearly everyday (the paved trail, that is). I have been riding on them a little bit but I would ride on them a lot more if I had a quad like this.
Let’s go off roading …
Looks like fun indeed. But at my age (mid 70s) most of my off road fun is behind me. It is probably just as well. I would probably find myself wrapped around a tree or worse. They say with age comes wisdom. I know better but dealing with temptation is hard. Here is a picture of me just a few days ago …
A trike does fine on this trail as long as it is not muddy or uneven ground. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have ridden on it 3 or 4 more times since the first time I tried it. These dirt trails were bullt for motorized 4 wheel ATVs by a guy who lives nearby and a couple of his friends who ride with him. I have only checked out a couple of them thus far. I would love to ride on all of them but I am concerned about my trike not being up to it. I would most likely get stuck as well as tip over. I am sure over time curiosity will get the best of me. Hopefully I will be able to …
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If only I would have known about this e-motor sooner it is what I would have bought instead of the much lower powered Tongsheng unit. This Bafang is twice as powerful (twice the torque) .
Many of us have electric motors on our trikes. And they require batteries to provide the electrical power to run the motors. Lithium batteries have a deserved reputation of being capable of being quite hazardous, but that does not mean they are particularly dangerous. Never the less, it is important that we know some things about our batteries and understand some basic fundamentals. It is always best to buy quality lithium cells such as Panasonic and Samsung. The much cheaper batteries likely use no name Chinese cells and with some of them come an increased chance of something going wrong … especially if the batteries and/or chargers lack good battery manangement electronics built in. Any more, that isn’t much of a concern either. Basically lithium batteries are safe in my unprofessional opinion.
The video below shows a battery on a bicycle catching fire and the guy dealing with it. It is quite likely that he did something he should not have done that caused all this.
This man is living dangerously approaching the burning battery that close and spraying water on it. With the explosions taking place it could shoot out and hit him. And as you can see spraying water on a lithium battery is not exactly safe or effective.
This next video educates us some about lithium batteries and helps us to understand “proper battery management”.
BMS … BATTERY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM is the all important element of safe operation. Batteries must be properly managed. Most of us pay no attention to the recommendation to only charge our batteries to 75% instead of fully charging them. The man mentioned fully charging our lithium batteries limits them to only about 300 charges while charging to only 75% will increase their life to around 12,000 charges … some 4 times longer. I have known this for sometime but I admit that I charge my batteries to a full charge everyday. The good news is both the batteries and the chargers have built in BMS to ensure battery safety. In the early days it was not always so. Things have improved considerably since then.
I have done a lot of off road riding when I was much younger … both on bicycles and motorcycles, especially motorcycles. I had a lot of fun doing so. I have had my tadpole trike off road several times but I don’t have a FAT tired trike and probably never will so I can’t go off road and “go anywhere” like a FAT trike can. I said “go anywhere” but I am not dumb enough to believe that as I know FAT trikes have their limitations. However they definitely easily out perform a standard tadpole trike. Here is a video of a rider having fun on his FAT trike off road riding.
I have written about one or more of the trikes/quads offered by this company before but as time goes by they keep coming out with more offerings. They always look interesting. I won’t elaborate on them as I really don’t know much about them as far as their quality and customer service.
Chinese made trikes have, of course, been around for awhile. And they are known for low cost. Again, I have written about them previously. And HERE is another past posting on them.
TrikExplor is a Chinese company which is something which personally bothers me as I don’t believe we as Americans should be buying all the products we do from China. In doing so we build them up while greatly damaging our own country. Besides that they are a Communist country and I think it is morally wrong for us to do business with them. Please understand I have nothing against the people of China. It is the Chinese government I have an issue with. Furthermore the Chinese are well known for totally ignoring the law and manufacturing copies of well known products selling them at a much lower price.
I truly wish we had such products being offered right here in our own country … made in the U.S.A. … and at a competitive price. I suppose however that the market is lacking for that to happen. Even some of these Chinese offerings are quite expensive … over $7000.
Right now as far as I know such products are not being offered here in the U.S. with the exception of certain offerings from Utah Trikes. I guess only time will tell as to whether or not these somewhat special trikes and quads will catch on and be sold in sufficient numbers for other manufacturers to offer them.
Have you noticed the increase in FAT trike riders over the last several years? Yeah, I am messin’ with ya again. I am not talking about people being overweight. I am talking about people riding FAT tire trikes. What brought this up you ask? Well, it all started on the Facebook Recumbent Trikes Group. One of the administrators posted a picture of several trikes all riding together and everyone of them was a FAT tire tadpole trike. If I were a rich man I no doubt would own a FAT tire tadpole trike. I don’t know why. I don’t have much use for one … just like I don’t have much use for a Jeep or pick up truck all jacked up with large wheels and tires on it. I really don’t have any desire for the Jeep or truck, but I think I would ride a FAT tire trike some if I had one. They not only look neat but I am sure they would be fun to ride some places … particularly off road.
Of course, some people live where off road riding is more available and prevalent. In fact, for some that is all that is about all that is available to them. I guess it is all a matter of perspective. I am sure some consider themselves blessed to have the off road scenario while others might very well consider it more of a curse. I have to admit I much prefer riding on nice smooth paved trails with lots of green trees and what I consider beautiful scenery. Most of the western United States has absolutely no appeal to me. I am not even interested in visiting there much less living there. To me it is just barren wasteland … ugly and just of no appeal. That’s me. I am sure there are those who like it … even love it … wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. Anyway, as the saying goes … different strokes for different folks. And again as they say … it is what makes the world go around. I mean … some people even like eating oysters (and many other foods I and many others find repulsive). Regardless of one’s position on these various things one thing is for sure … FAT seems to be here to stay … both when it comes to body weight and recumbent trikes. Regardless of what we ride may we always …
Tadpole Rider 