I know it's not a unicycle, but...

it’s cool. My dad got a CaTrike today and it is so ridiculously cool. Anyone have any bikes/trikes/quadricycles they’re particularly proud of?

http://www.catrike.com/2004.asp#Speedinfo

Sweet!

My dad ordered a Rans Force Five. We expect it to come in some time this month. It’s a recumbent with a 26 inch wheels up front and in back.

Enjoy.

Cool!

i love recumbents!

I will never be able to afford one for ages, so am thinking of making one once ive learnt to weld. It wont be great, but it should be fun. The hardest part I find is ‘designing’ a simple steering mec. I would much prefer a 3 wheeler to a 2 wheeler, but the steering is more complicated.

If/went I make it, expect to see a thread about it in the Just Convo forum…

Enjoy the ride

Joe,

Challenge your dad to a bunny hopping competition. You on your unicycle and him on his new bike. The unicycle is clearly superior. :smiley:

Why a three-wheeler? You lose out on all the grace of leaning through turns, plus you add an element of danger due to the fact that the cycle doesn’t lean when you turn. We talked to a guy with a similar 3-wheeled recumbent when we were halfway up Mt. Diablo the other weekend. He apparently owns several different configurations of bikes. The recumbent was slow. He got up there about a half hour after the slowest of us. Of course he may have just stopped more…

So what’s the draw for a three-wheeler?

I used to have a DeFelice recumbent. That’s a 26" rear, 20" front, and handlebar under the seat. Long frame. But I wasn’t riding it much, and it didn’t fit in my car, so I sold it before moving to CA (to a guy in CA). Now Jacquie has a Rans recumbent, long wheelbase with handlebar on top. She loves it. No more crotch problems on rides! Now we just have to get out and use it more…

Hey John,
Just like the 3 wheelers. I like the idea of not having to balance when out on a ride… lol
Dont get me wrong, 2 wheeled recumbents are also cool…

Come to thing of it, I’m not sure if I would like a two or three wheeled one. The two wheeled one would be much easier to make!

Also, I much prefer under seat steering. I dont know what it is, but I just dont like recumbents with the bars above you. Makes you feel trapped maybe… :roll_eyes: :thinking:

Joe,

As soon as you sit in one you’ll know. They’re ultra-cool. I sat in my dads (he wouldn’t let me pedal it) but it was mad cool. Wicked, even. As for being slow, most recumbants are slower uphill because you can’t stand up. But they are crazy fast downhill. Didn’t they outlaw them for racing? A guy with a Catrike like my dads was paced by a Corvette and clocked at over 50 miles an hour on a gentle downhill. Did I mention the accessories make them cool too? Carbon fiber wheel disk inserts and partial fairings DROOL. :astonished: :astonished: :astonished:

Re: I know it’s not a unicycle, but…

MuniTune wrote:
> it’s cool. My dad got a CaTrike today and it is so ridiculously cool.
> Anyone have any bikes/trikes/quadricycles they’re particularly proud of?

Yes indeed. My main transport is my Street Machine GT:
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/stable/helga.html>

I hope to make it to York Rally next year, in which case Joe should be
able to try it out then.

(That gives him a year to wait - that’s the way to keep a cycle nut in
suspense) :slight_smile:


Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/>
“He who dares not offend cannot be honest.” - Thomas Paine

Re: I know it’s not a unicycle, but…

joe wrote:
> i love recumbents!
>
> I will never be able to afford one for ages, so am thinking of making
> one once ive learnt to weld.

One of the regulars on uk.rec.cycling recently made his own. He was
also at York Rally - if only I’d thought, I could have suggested you
look out for one another.

Looks like he’s done a good job:
<URL:http://restlesslemon.co.uk/recumbent/story.html>


Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/>
“He who dares not offend cannot be honest.” - Thomas Paine

Re: I know it’s not a unicycle, but…

MuniTune wrote:
> As for being slow, most recumbants are slower uphill because you can’t
> stand up.

I still overtake most upright riders. If you’re the sort of rider who
tends to gear low and spin[1], rather than honking up hills, not being
able to honk isn’t much of an issue.

> Didn’t they outlaw them for racing?

The UCI banned them, but who cares what the UCI thinks? I have a little
history here:
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/recumbents/index.html>

It’s perfectly legal to ride recumbents in IHPVA[2] and BHPC[3] events,
and those organised by various other national organisations.

> A guy with a Catrike like my dads was paced by a Corvette
> and clocked at over 50 miles an hour on a gentle downhill.

I remember overhearing someone at a BHPC event a few years ago talking
about how he and his mate had burned up a BMW at 70mph on their
recumbent tandem.

[1] One thing I have in common with Lance Armstrong :slight_smile:
[2] International Human Powered Vehicle Association
<URL:http://www.ihpva.org/>
[3] British Human Power Club
<URL:http://www.bhpc.org.uk/>


Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/>
“He who dares not offend cannot be honest.” - Thomas Paine

Nope, sat in 'em but I still don’t know. I guess it ends about there. I’m just not going to be as interested in 3 wheels when less will do.

Tricycles would seem to be guaranteed slower than similar bikes, due to greater weight (whole extra wheel plus lots more frame), more road friction, and more wind resistance due to the required width of the vehicle. Plus they need a wider space to fit through (lousy on singletrack!).

Sure one of those low-slung deals is going to fly on the downhills. It’s almost like being in luge position! I just guess I prefer two wheels (or less).