Category: trike brands

DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERNT FOLKS

I can remember as a kid growing up some families had Buicks, Oldsmobiles, Cadillacs, Lincolns, Imperials, etc. while others had Ramblers or similar bottom of the line orferings. And it is not always about what they can afford. Some people just went with the “entry level” offerings even though they could afford something more. It is the same with buying a tadpole trike. I have a friend who bought  a TerraTrike Rambler. For only $300 more he could have bought a Catrike Villager and had a much better trike. He realizes that now and regrets that he didn’t. Oh well, what has been done has been done and can’t be changed.

There are just so many people who end up with buyer’s remorse after buying a trike that lacks quality and good engineering design. They end up buying a better quality trike and wasting good money going thru this process. Of course, some folks are satisfied with a Nash Rambler.

I had a Rambler once. It broke down little by little. First both shocks on the rear quit working at the same time and the back of the car would bounce up and down like crazy. I was in the navy at the time. I had orders to go out to Mare Island, California from Norfolk, VA … a drive from the east coast to the west coast over two ranges of mountains. The night before I left the overdrive went out on it resulting in the inability to get the gas mileage I had been getting. While driving out there the engine developed a leak in the headgasket resulting in engine coolant water mixing into the engine oil and the engine overheating. Steam came out of the exhasust. I had to carry lots of water with me to keep filling the radiator up. I started sleeping in the day time and driving at night time when it was cooler. This coolant leaking was a common problem on Rambler’s aluminum 6 cylinder engine. My dad had it happen on his Rambler. Upon getting out to California the shocks on the front end quit working and the entire car would bounce like crazy while driving down the road. Needless to say,  I never bought another one. It pays to buy quality.

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IT PAYS TO BUY QUALITY UPFRONT

Having a frame failure or some other component failure leaving you broken down while out on a ride would be quite frustrating. I knew a guy who bought a low cost Taiwanese made tadpole trike which I won’t name. (It no longer exists.) He rode it until the frame broke and left him with a pile of chrome-moly tubing. The manufacturer had gone out of business so he could not get any help from them. He probably could have taken it to a good weldor to have it repair welded, but he didn’t. Finding someone who is qualified and capable of repair welding it would be challenging. If he had bought a better quality trike to begin with it would probably still be serving him today.

I understand that money is an issue for many. It was for me. However, I learned long ago in life that it is best to buy quality … even if you have to delay to save up more money or buy used to get more for your money. It is well worth it. There are lots of really nice used trikes for sale which you could take advantage of. If fact, I would have to say that the majority of used trikes I see are still in very good condition. And sometimes you can get a really good bargain.

I waited for awhile until I had saved the money needed to make my purchase. I am not a rich man so I knew I would probably only have this one opportunity to buy a trike. I chose Catrike. It is American made which meant a lot to me. That was 2009. I now have over 106,000 miles on it and am well pleased with it’s quality with the exception of the stock wheels which I have replaced with heavier duty BMX wheels. I have all of the confidence in the world that it will keep on serving me as it has thus far. Without doing one thing to it I would not be afraid to take off on a cross country journey.

I have a webpage with trikes listed according to their price. It is a very handy resource. However, be aware that it has not been updated since I first published it in 2014 with the exception of just a few brands which I updated in 2019..      TRIKE PRICES

There is an old saying that rings true …

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.” ― Benjamin Franklin

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AFFORDABLE VS CHEAP TRIKES

There are both affordable trikes and cheap trikes. My advice is to buy the best you can afford even if you have to delay to save up. There are also dealers who offer financing enabling customers to buy a better trike paying for it over time. I definitely caution people not to by a cheap trike as you get what you pay for. Fortunately there are not very many “cheap trikes” being manufactured. I personally would suggest a Catrike or an ICE or HP Velotechnik or an Azub. I think you would be happier with your purchase as the quality is so much better.

You might be wondering why I did not include TerraTrike or Trident. Well, defintely they are more affordable, but I personally don’t think they offer the quality found in these others I have listed. I think you would be more content with one of the other brands I mentioned even though they cost more. Certainly there are a lot of testimonies to back this up. It is true that both trike manufacturers offer good customer service but that does not equate to product quality.

I left out Chinese trikes. The trikes themselves may be alright but customer service can be a major concern. If components parts fail and you can’t get them it would probably mean you would have to replace them with brand name parts which cost a lot more. Over time you will probably spend more than what you saved and deal with down time where you can’t ride.

Definitely avoid Mobo and Kent.  In my opinion a reputable dealer who cares about their customers won’t sell these cheap trikes.

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2023 TERRATRIKE MODEL LINEUP

TerraTrike boasts that they are the largest manufacturer of recumbent trikes. Certainly they are popular and sell a lot of their trikes. And they have acquired Australia’s Greenspeed trikes  as well as the North American distributorship of Great Britain’s KMX trikes. Here is a video sharing their 2023 model lineup and a bit about future plans.

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MATT GALAT EXPLORES 2021 TRIKE BRANDS

Well known tadpole trike rider, Matt Galat, shares a video of him visiting a trike dealer and taking test rides on various trikes.

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REVISTING THE LOW COST KENT TADPOLE TRIKE

A little more than 2 years ago I posted an article about a low cost tadpole trike called Kent Cavalier. They are sold thru Walmart but were out of stock when I posted the article. Apparently they have been selling them and even though they are a cheap entry level trike they seem to be getting pretty good reviews (which I find very hard to believe). I am not here to promote this trike as I am relatively sure I would find one a great disappointment. Today is Sept. 28th  as I compose this posting and I checked on Walmart and they show if I ordered one today it would arrive shipped to my home by Oct. 11th. That is fast service. And I am amazed that the price has not gone up … it is still $698 and free shipping. If I were made of money I would have gone ahead and ordered one just so I could check it out With a 16 inch seat height for sure it won’t be a trike one could feel safe on and be able to ride very fast. Nope, I could not and am not recommending this entry level trike. I am afraid it would be all too much like the quality of Walmart’s cheap bicycles. In my opinion it is Chinese junk and I am not talking about a type of ship. I think this video below confirms it …

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MOBILITY 4 LESS

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)
Power: 550 watts or 1500 watts with PowerBooster**
Battery: Lithium 36V 12 ah
Re-charges in: 4 hours
Tricycle Length: 81″ Tricycle Width: 34″ Tricycle Height: 29″
Seat width: 15″
Ground clearance: 7.5″
Wheel base: 40″
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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TrikExplor

Notice: This article may contain commentary that reflects the author’s opinion.

By now many of us have seen and/or heard of TrikExplor, a Chinese manufacturer of tadpole trikes. They have come up with some interesting models over the years. They have an online store on AliExpress.

Their prices used to be quite appealing but with inflation and the world economy they are now about the same as what we are used to seeing for tadpole trikes being sold here in the U.S.

I find their motorized FAT quad most appealing. It looks truly to be a vehicle which can go just about anywhere and handle about everything. For $8000 it ought to. I much prefer this e-motor setup over a crank drive.

I really don’t know where I would ride it so I don’t have a need for it. I could not justify it. I could not afford it anyway. It is what I consider a rich man’s toy. I am sure it would be great fun if you can afford it and have someplace to ride it..

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TERRATRIKE SPYDER MAKING ITS DEBUT SOON

TerraTrike is coming out with a new model they call Spyder.  Using their own words to describe it ..  “designed for performance, the Spyder is stiffer and aerodynamic where it needs to be for acceleration and sustained speed, and yet compliant for comfort. All elements of the trike converge to deliver a performance machine which will satisfy your inner speed freak.” It will be interesting to see how this model measures up.  I see it has a 19 foot turning diameter.

This model costs almost $4000. For that amount of investment one could get a much higher quality better engineered trike such as a Catrike. It says it is designed for sustained speed.

Here is Larry Varney’s review of the TT Spyder …

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CATRIKE DISCONTINUES THEIR EOLA MODEL

BOO HOO !!! This news really bums me out. I really like the Eola model and probably would have bought one in the future for my wife when she retires.  That being said it is uncertain whether I would give it to her or keep it for myself and give her my Catrike Trail model.

Below is a news article about the decision to discontinue this model.

Catrike Eola discontinued

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BACCHETTA CT 2.0 carbon fiber tadpole trike

 

Thru the years there have been a few carbon fiber trikes manufactured and sold. None of them have ever seemed to go over all that well and most of them disappeared from the market. The latest one to appear that I am aware of is made by Bacchetta, a company well known for its bicycles. Their trike offering is the Bacchetta CT 2.0  and it lists for $5995 which is not inexpensive but then carbon fiber never is. I consider them to be a “rich man’s toy”.

To my way of thinking making a bike or trike out of carbon fiber is not at all practical. As stated it is expensive and when damaged it is pretty much junk. So why make a trike out of carbon fiber you ask? Mainly because carbon fiber is light in weight while being strong. But not many people need a trike that weighs 1 to 4 pounds less than one made out of aluminum. For those who qualify to meet the restrictions of physical size and body weight the Catrike Pocket only weighs 28 pounds … only one pound more than this carbon fiber trike.

Here are some specs on this trike:

Frame Full Carbon Monocoque w/Internal Storage. 28 Degree Seat Angle.
Idler Alligt 68mm w/Aluminum Drive Teeth
Seat Integrated Carbon w/Vertical Seat Back Adjust
Seat Pad BCT Custom
Handlebar BCT Custom Aluminum
Rear Derail Shimano XT 11 speed, RD-M8000-SGS (extra long cage)
Front Derail Microshift FD-R58-B with 31,8mm clamp, black
Shifters MicroShift BS-M11 11×2 speed for Shimano DynaSys
Crankset SRAM Force 22, GXP, 50-34T 170mm
Bottom Bracket SRAM Force, GXP, BSA68
Headset Tange Seiki 1 1/8″
Cassette Microshift, CS-G113, 11-42 T
Front Brake Tektro M521 Gemini SL Hydraulic, black
Rear Brake N/A
Brake Levers Tektro Gemini SL Hydraulic (with parking brake band included)
Front Wheel 406 BCT Lightweight Disc, Tubeless Ready
Rear Wheel 700c BCT Lightweight Disc, Tubeless Ready
Front Tire 406 Schwalbe Pro One Tubeless, 28c
Rear Tire 700c Schwalbe Pro One Tubeless, 28c
Chain KMC X11 11 Speed
Pedals N/A
BB Height 14 1/4″
Seat Height 7 3/4″
Wheelbase 47″
Weight 27 lbs.
Weight Limit 275 lbs.
Gear Range 21″-120″
Color Matte Black w/Clear Coat- Red or Blue Stripe/Decal Option
Frame Size Standard Only
X Seam 37″-48″
Overall Width 29″
Overall Height 27″
Overall Length 65″-76″
Turning Circle 19′
Track Width 27.5″
Ground Clearance 3″

Looking thru the specs I see some which would greatly concern me and be a real turn off. The fact that is has a very large turning diameter(19 feet) would be problematic as well as the ground clearance of only 3 inches. It could and would get easily damaged. And with only an overall width of 29 inches I would be a bit concerned as to how it corners compared to a trike of 32 or so inches. As you can see it comes with a partial rear fender .

I was just looking at the various options available when placing an order for this trike. Several hundred dollars could be saved by selelcting some of these options. In doing so weight is added to the trike resulting in it weighing as much as some of the lighter weight aluminum trikes such as a Catrike 700. With all the various options they offer one could change the final price considerably … especially upwards. The pictures show a neckrest but I noticed that it is a $130 option. I would think that at $6000 they could include a neckrest which is a necessity in my way of thinking since the seat is 28 degrees.

Naw, I prefer the Catrike Pocket … not a prema donna like this carbon fiber build. It might be a beautiful machine but not at all practical in my opinion. I only need to lose about 50 pounds to qualify for the weigh limit of the Pocket. I  reckon time will tell whether or not this Bacchetta trike remains on the scene or disappears like all the others that have come along in the past. Hey, whatever you choose to ride …

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AeeDEA E-TRIKE … INDIA’S FIRST OFFERING INTO THE RECUMBENT TRIKE MARKET

 

The Aeedea Company in India is now offering a tadpole trike. It is available in both a manual version as well as an electric motorized version. My first impression of it is summed up in two words … ugly and crude. But hey, maybe it will grow on me.

HERE is their web page. This trike has a 250 watt motor. The starting price is 113,312 Indian rupee which is currently $1,526.36 US dollars. The top price is 176,750 Indian rupee which is currently $2,380.84 US dollars. There is no further information on their website explaining these prices. My guess is the lower price is for the manual (non-motorized) version while the higher price is for the motorized version. Their website , like their trike, isn’t very professional looking.

As you can see, it has a very wide wheel base. The steering is somewhat unique as to turn the wheels the rider moves the handlebars forwards and backwards vs pivoting them around a central axis. You can see this in the video below. The handlebars are way too high for my liking. I would find them uncomfortable compared to if they were about a foot lower. The seat material looks like it would be quite hot to sit on. I much prefer a mesh seat like most trikes have. Again, this looks like something put together by an amateur builder.

Their website does not provide much useful information such as seat height, seat back angle, turning radius,  wheel base, number of gears, gear inches, tire sizes, included accessories, etc.

Specifications and features:

1. Made of light weight aluminium
2. Highly engineered indirect steering system
3. Digital pedal assist modes 0 to 100%
4. Range varies between 100 to 160 kms on one full charge, varies based on work derived from the motor
5. Maintenance free Brushless DC motor
6. All rain proof
7. 20 amps 36 volts 3c high quality Li-Ion cells, with water proof encasing
8. Comes with a 5amp high speed charger, full charge in 3 to 4 hours
9. All wheels with disc brakes
10. Adjustable seat with recline and position adjustment
11. Adjustable pedal boom to accommodate rider height between 5 ft  6 inch to 6 feet 2 inch
12. Electric variant comes with water proof saddle bags
13. Direct throttle to bypass pedal assist
14. Motor power cut off with 15. Street legal with a 250 watts motor
16. A 5 amp wall plug high speed charger

Color options :

1. Matt Fluorescent yellow and Matt Black
with Blue and Black upholstery

2. Matt white and Matt black
with White and Black upholstery

That definitely looks like a very high boom yet with a rider seated onboard it doesn’t look all that high.

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A Review of an Azub Touring Setup

From the “land down under” (Australia) comes this video I share here. This triker,  Darren Broadhurst, is among the few who is on an ongoing trike journey around the world. He rides an Azub Ti-Fly 20 inch  … which is a fully suspended model.

His video channel description … “After retiring from a full military career I’ve been cycling and travelling around the world for the past 4 years. These are the videos along the way.”

Other videos available from this fellow triker.

His website … every which way but lost.

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TRY BEFORE YOU BUY

Face it, there is simply wisdom in trying as many trikes out before purchasing one. They are not cheap to buy and once they leave the store their value usually drops off considerably. Some dealers will work with customers if they are dissatisfied with their purchase but there is no guarantee of that. It can be risky business to buy a trike you end up regretting and facing the aftermath. So common sense dictates that we do our homework or should I say leg work (actually both) and go check trikes out riding as many as you can and if possible any you find yourself interested in taking a much longer ride on them as it may help you discover something that wasn’t noticed on a short ride. I don’t know how many dealers there are around which are willing to do this, especially if they don’t have easy ready access to someplace customers could ride from their store and be gone for an extended ride. I don’t know what their policies are as far as requiring a security deposit to take a trike out for an extended ride. That reminds me of a true story of a business neighbor I once had. I had a welding shop and he had an automotive transmission repair business. A guy came into his place of business asking to borrow a log chain. The business owner told him it would require a security deposit. The guy told the business owner if I had that much money I would just buy one. The business owner told him that if he didn’t bring the chain back he did just buy one. I fully agree with the business owner in his practice of requiring a security deposit of a sufficient amount to cover replacing the chain. So I don’t know if any trike dealers require a security deposit to cover the cost of the trike but I can’t say as I blame them if they do. Anyway, good hunting and may you find the trike that is just right for you.

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CATRIKE 700, ANOTHER FAST ONE

Catrike 700 … well known and quite popular. I have always wanted to ride one and finally I did a few months ago. Would I want one? No, they are not for everybody and I found they are not for me. But at least I can say I rode one. I have to admit I am rather amazed when I come across people older than me who ride one. One guy I saw riding one recently was well into his 90s. And he was moving right along too.

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SPECBIKE TECHNICS

SPECBIKE TECHNICS is a German company which manufactures tadpole trikes in  Latvia. HERE is their Facebook page. The frames are made of steel. They offer  galvanized coating inside and outside of the frame for corrosion protection. The frame is powder coated. All models but one have full suspension. The company guarantees their prices to be the lowest. Their base model for adults starts at about $1544 but it has no suspension but it does fold. It also has three 20 inch wheels instead of a 26 inch on the rear. Before you get overly excited know that shipping to the United States costs from nearly $700 to nearly $1000 and takes about one week. Please note that import taxes may apply.

To make matters worse I just read on their Facebook page that they have increased their prices by quite a bit … they say due to demand … which makes no sense to me. If sales are good I would think they should be able to maintain or even lower their prices instead of raise them.

 

The model shown above is full suspension with a 250 watt 36 volt Shimano Steps electric crank drive motor for about $4576. It is 27 speed. The seat height is about 12 inches. The shock absorbers are adjustable and various springs are available to accommodate the weight of the rider.

They offer a 2 year warranty on the frame. The seat is adjustable for angle and has a built in adjustable headrest. A built in rear rack comes on all models. Brakes are installed on all three wheels. All models are available with folding frames as an option for additional cost of about $331. The same is true of hydraulic brakes (a $221 option). Three fenders come on all models. 20 inch wheels come on the front with Schwalbe Crazy Bob 20 x 2.10 tires. With the exception of their base model on all other models the rear wheel is 26 inch with a Schwalbe Crazy Bob tire 26 x 2.35. Shimano components are mostly used thruout the trikes.

The electric motor can be added to any model for about $1764 additional charge.

I find their website somewhat confusing. They show a model I was looking at as having a folding frame and then a little ways down the web page they show it as an option for additional cost. Another problem I found on their website that makes no sense is they show a model without the motor for 2145 Euro and with the motor for 4150 Euro. That is a difference of 2005 Euro. Yet they state that a motor can be added to any trike for 1600 Euro. That is 405 Euro more. Something is very wrong in this.

 

The company’s email address is specbiketechnics@gmail.com

They also show sales@specbiketechnics.com as a contact email address.

BTW, Specbikes Technics also offers children’s tadpole trikes which list for about $921. I assume the price has gone up on these as well but thus far the website does not show the price increases … only their Facebook page stated it.

Specbike also has a store on Amazon.

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CATRIKE DUMONT FULL SUSPENSION FOLDING TRIKE

The Catrike Dumont model has been around now for a few years. It is the top of the line for Catrike and is quite popular. Here is a video chucked full of information about this model …

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