2012 is Trike year.. What do i want ?

another KMX Cobra build just started:
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=38434
 
The Cobra's a good choice for stock uphill climbing capability. Although KMX (or Utah Trikes) doesn't specifically say it on the website, the gearing is designed for it vs the other trims in the lineup.

I feel the Cobra is good enough that buyers can feel like it's money well spent. I feel the Typhoon is not good enough to be a Cobra and is priced too high for what it is. For price conscious folks, the Tornado is the way to go and mod it for customization. Out of the box, the Cobra's a good choice for people who want a bit more than basic. I personally went with the Tornado 7 speed before they discontinued it b/c of the base price and its ability to modify and modify I did. Loving it. I would never recommend the Typhoon b/c it's not quite as good as the Cobra and you're not saving any money over the Tornado.

As for Doc? OMG that's an awesome video! It was really fun to watch. I haven't seen a trike video with so much effort put into music and editing, ever! I love the ski idea and the fact that it installs in seconds and can also be mounted to the trike when not in use is an A++. Cool lights. I'm feeling the whole idea. Sorta makes me want to fly up there and see it in person. Making videos at night is tough, but you executed it pretty well. I'm glad you have varying angles. I hate the first person videos that go on forever. You see nothing but bobbing feet and hear just road noise. Your video was nothing like that! I'm excited to see the next one.

In the meantime, check out something I put together. Skip through the 6-54 seconds of the video if you're not interested in components at all and just want to see action. More extensive mods have been made since the making of the video. Here's a glimpse of the early days.

[youtube]9D5BVMc9g0Q[/youtube]
 
Lessss said:
Recumbent trikes to me seem to be a great ride but also statistically the most likely to get killed driving. When a car passes you, you disappear.
Click to expand...

No you don't. I've got over 7500km on my trike and 99.95% of all car drivers give me more space on the road than on a upright bike. Normally they leave enough space to watch me through the side window while passing.

The WTF-factor greatly deminishes the percieved decreased visability of a low trike on the road. Sure every day somebody tells me I'm so low and hard to see but in reality everybody stares at the trike if it appears in their field of view. The drivers, riders and pedestrians who don't see me are the ones who don't care to look where they are going and wouldn't see a christmas tree lit 747 as well. :mrgreen:
 
I challenged somone to park their trike in the bike lane hop in their car with a camera and film passing the trike. They siad they would post the vid but never did.
 
Lessss said:
I challenged somone to park their trike in the bike lane hop in their car with a camera and film passing the trike. They siad they would post the vid but never did.
Click to expand...

What would that prove? That a trike parked somewhere is less visible than an upright bike in a video?
You use bright coloured flags or/and blinking lights to get seen. (I actually don't use a flag and blinking lights only in the dark)

Don't get me wrong, I understand all the prejudices about recumbents: They are low, hard to see and very dangerous.
Frequently I even get asked if my trike isn't uncomfortabe to sit or straining for the back!

The reality in almost daily use for more than one and a half years in a big city (1.8mio people) as well as in small towns or on rural roads tells me different.
A trike is more comfortable than an upright (exept on cobblestone!) and even extended tours don't lead to any pain in any part of my body. And boy are they fun!

I'm more visible on the road from the back or the front because 1. the trike is wider than a bike and 2. its uncommon and raises naturally human interest. (WTF is THAT!?)
Sure a low trike is less visible if I sneak around a parked car or come out from behind a bush or fence! But I know that and ride accordingly.

An other plus is the greater stability of three wheels and roughly twice the braking power. In a crash you also don't go head first over the handle bar at quite some height. Even if I flip my trike in a corner at higher speed I 'fall' but 30-50cm down. Actually you just roll out of the seat and get some road rash if you don't hit a pole or something. BTDT
If you brake or corner too hard on wet or slippery roads you slide a bit but will stay rubber side down.

From my past experiance riding a mountain bike to work fo a year or two (same city), I got even less seen by drivers or pedestrians. In a 'normal week' I got at least(!) once side doored and twice nearly run over by left-turning cars while crossing a street having green (allways the same crossing). With my trike I get that less than once a month while riding more than twice the distance.
Actually after a month or so on the trike I felt quite vulnerable back on my mountain bike and wouldn't dare to ride at the same speed downhill like I do on my trike without breaking a sweat.

Its a urban myth that recumbents and especially recumbent trikes are more dangerous to ride than a normal bike. Any experianced recumbent rider will tell you the same.
 
Well, after a full season on my KMX, i agree in most part with marc s. , being seen in traffic is not nearly as bad as i expected it to be, the thing is so strange that it catches everyone's eyes, and nobody forgets you are there until they are long gone.

Now sure how i would feel at a 500w level, but at 6000w i'm right in there with city traffic and i can keep up with the flow of traffic.

Got a big huge canada flag, and an organe flag, Cycle Lumenator on the front and blinky on the rear..

I set my seat up fairly vertical, my head is as high as the average sedan, cargo hauling on a trike vs 2 wheels is not even comparable.. you cant wear a backpack but hauling a trailer is easy.

One beef i have is that on the trike, you cant bail in an emergency, not that i have ever had to do this on 2 wheels, but i've come close to having to jump off a few times and this would be impossible on the trike. ( stupid car drivers.. )

All in all, the trike is nothing but fun and smiles per mile.
 
I plan on buying a trike this year and Im leaning twards one of the steintrikes with suspension.

Need to find someone around me so I can take one for a test drive. Anyway loving the thread cant wait to see the new toy.
 
Ypedal said:
One beef i have is that on the trike, you cant bail in an emergency, not that i have ever had to do this on 2 wheels, but i've come close to having to jump off a few times and this would be impossible on the trike. ( stupid car drivers.. )

All in all, the trike is nothing but fun and smiles per mile.
Click to expand...

That's the only problem I had with mine. On an upright bike, odds are you will go over/onto whatever you hit. With a trike, you are going under the wheels.
 
pendragon, it's setup right now with 24S (* 100v ) and 18fet controller stock max of 60 amps so 6kw on tap is what i'm currently running.

Tires make a huge difference, the stock k-rad front 20's wore out quick, i put a set of hookworms with extra thick tubes, way better. On the rear, i now have a Vee Rubber 20x3" and at top speed ( 65 kph ) i would enjoy a bit of suspension, dont need major travel but just a tiny bit of shock absorbtion would be nice.

for 2013, i'm upgrading the front disk brakes, and modding the controller for 100+ amps. :twisted:
 
I'm outfitting a 2008 vintage ICE QNT with a Recumpence V4 drive. This is the first time someone has attempted this to my knowledge. The challenge is making it work with the rear suspension. I've got a custom machined part on order to address this. Documented on BROL... http://www.bentrideronline.com/messageboard/showthread.php?t=86288

YPedal - now that you have a trike you might want to visit us over at BROL. :)

On the topic of visibility on a trike, I'm sure there are conditions where a trike is less visible than a bike but overall motorists pay considerably more attention to trikes - which is a good thing.
 
Ypedal said:
pendragon, it's setup right now with 24S (* 100v ) and 18fet controller stock max of 60 amps so 6kw on tap is what i'm currently running.

Tires make a huge difference, the stock k-rad front 20's wore out quick, i put a set of hookworms with extra thick tubes, way better. On the rear, i now have a Vee Rubber 20x3" and at top speed ( 65 kph ) i would enjoy a bit of suspension, dont need major travel but just a tiny bit of shock absorbtion would be nice.

for 2013, i'm upgrading the front disk brakes, and modding the controller for 100+ amps. :twisted:
Click to expand...

That's awesome!! So what motor are you pumping 6kw into? Sorry if you already mentioned..
And where did you get the vee rubber?
 
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