# Recumbent Trike Tyres



## SatNavSaysStraightOn (20 Jul 2015)

I'm trying to come up with ways of making the ride a little less boring for my husband who feels he does not get any exercise when he cycles with me*. I am solely road now, on the recumbent trike and have the tyre pressures up at 60psi for both the Schwalbe Big Apples (20x2.0) and the Schwalbe Marathon XR (26x2.0) tyres I have on the trike.

I was thinking that I may consider something lighter and slicker if there was such an option available. 
What are people's thoughts? What are my options tyre wise and what options exist that are not too prone to fairy visits because I still don't think I will be able to deal with any and would be reliant on either the person with me (roughly 33-50% of the time) or my breakdown cover which I have finally taken out which would not be ideal but. I doubt I can go much below 1.0 because of the rims I have, I would need to check out what they permit but roughly guessing 1inch max at present.

*I'm too slow and at a loss as to how to get any faster** without a lot more time. 
**I am working on the other way of making the trike lighter and faster, but it is a slow and hungry option which is exhausting me!


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## coffeejo (20 Jul 2015)

Can't help re: components/accessories but surely your hubby can do stuff like blast on ahead at maximum effort for, say 10 minutes and then come back to find you, ride together for a bit and then repeat?


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (20 Jul 2015)

coffeejo said:


> Can't help re: components/accessories but surely your hubby can do stuff like blast on ahead at maximum effort for, say 10 minutes and then come back to find you, ride together for a bit and then repeat?


been there, done that, he doesn't like not riding with me and says it does nothing for him. He has done plenty of hill repeats. hates them. 

Sadly the ride this weekend was a testing ride in more ways that one. I don't think he actually likes riding with me anymore. In the past I set the pace that was slow for him at the start and fast for him at the end (I didn't change speed, it is just I am endurance he is a sprinter/uphiller). Now, after years of riding with me (and literally years because of the touring) he no longer wants to ride with me because I am simply too slow.


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## coffeejo (20 Jul 2015)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> been there, done that, he doesn't like not riding with me and says it does nothing for him. He has done plenty of hill repeats. hates them.
> 
> Sadly the ride this weekend was a testing ride in more ways that one. I don't think he actually likes riding with me anymore. In the past I set the pace that was slow for him at the start and fast for him at the end (I didn't change speed, it is just I am endurance he is a sprinter/uphiller). Now, after years of riding with me (and literally years because of the touring) he no longer wants to ride with me because I am simply too slow.


You've had to make a lot of adjustments recently and without wanting to sound harsh, he needs to get his head of his arse, accept that things have changed and do the same. (Or maybe something politer since I've only met him for a few minutes and don't have the right to comment!) But if "he doesn't like not riding with [you]", does that mean he's going to quit cycling altogether?


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## numbnuts (20 Jul 2015)

I think if you went with a narrower tyre is is going to give you a very hard ride something you could do with out


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## ufkacbln (20 Jul 2015)

Never mind the tyres...

My wife fills my panniers, trailers and Christiania with heavy objects!

That ensures I get more exercise!


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## ufkacbln (20 Jul 2015)

The other thing we found worked was intermittent breaks....

When you plan a route, put in some extra circuits for him

For instance on one route I break away and do a mile long circuit rejoining the wife about half a mile from where we split up 

Most routes can be planned with these options.


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## Falco Frank (20 Jul 2015)

Recumbent Tandem trike?

Electric assist?? Both expensive options I think...


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (20 Jul 2015)

coffeejo said:


> You've had to make a lot of adjustments recently and without wanting to sound harsh, he needs to get his head of his arse, accept that things have changed and do the same. (Or maybe something politer since I've only met him for a few minutes and don't have the right to comment!) But if "he doesn't like not riding with [you]", does that mean he's going to quit cycling altogether?


I guess at 46 the last thing he was expecting was to end up with a disabled wife. The adjustment has been hard on both of us because I can cycle yet not walk very far, I can't stand to do the dishes or put a load on in the washing machine or cook a meal but I can make a loaf of sourdough bread which takes 2 days. I can make a batch of scones 15 mins max if he has got the mixer out for me. We need to replace the car something I have always dealt with because I have an ear for mechanical noises that should not be there but I can not work at my trained job. Despite working full time he also has to do all the household stuff that I always dealt with and on top of that act as an unpaid carer to me like now, I can't shower myself. He gets no rest in the evenings or the weekend and I know he is exhausted.

Maybe a better phrase is that he is not enjoying cycling with me anymore and I'm looking for a way of changing that. I need to get faster. I am only managing 8mph average over a fairly flat route and whilst I know it is early days etc, i don't want to end up where he wants to quit cycling. I try to get him to go out by himself but he tells me he misses my company. He doesn't want to get involved in the club scene, he isn't that into cycling .
If I could get 2mph onto my average speed it would make all the difference.



Cunobelin said:


> The other thing we found worked was intermittent breaks....
> 
> When you plan a route, put in some extra circuits for him
> 
> ...



I shall have a try at that. There are plenty of lanes around Cheshire where we can do that if his garmin will show the route and not have a temper tantrum as it did last Sunday!

Hopefully our holiday to Scotland will help but I need to have changed the car before then and learnt to sit for much longer especially as there will be no reclining chair for 2 weeks! That is going to be hard but we do have a solution to that which we worked with before we got the chair.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (20 Jul 2015)

numbnuts said:


> I think if you went with a narrower tyre is is going to give you a very hard ride something you could do with out


Fair point, I was wondering how much harder than with me running the tyres at 60psi?
Would something slicker than a heavy duty touring tyre help matters? The XR is cracking and will need replacing soon and whilst I have another one on the front wheel on my tourer which is also probably cracking, I was wondering if something else might be better? It is obviously the drive wheel though.


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## coffeejo (20 Jul 2015)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> I guess at 46 the last thing he was expecting was to end up with a disabled wife. The adjustment has been hard on both of us because I can cycle yet not walk very far, I can't stand to do the dishes or put a load on in the washing machine or cook a meal but I can make a loaf of sourdough bread which takes 2 days. I can make a batch of scones 15 mins max if he has got the mixer out for me. We need to replace the car something I have always dealt with because I have an ear for mechanical noises that should not be there but I can not work at my trained job. Despite working full time he also has to do all the household stuff that I always dealt with and on top of that act as an unpaid carer to me like now, I can't shower myself. He gets no rest in the evenings or the weekend and I know he is exhausted.
> 
> Maybe a better phrase is that he is not enjoying cycling with me anymore and I'm looking for a way of changing that. I need to get faster. I am only managing 8mph average over a fairly flat route and whilst I know it is early days etc, i don't want to end up where he wants to quit cycling. I try to get him to go out by himself but he tells me he misses my company. He doesn't want to get involved in the club scene, he isn't that into cycling .
> If I could get 2mph onto my average speed it would make all the difference.


A friend of mine, 5 years younger, has just dealt with his first year as a widower after his wife was killed during their round the world cycling trip. I know he'd happily take on any disability to hear her voice again.

I think you're doing all you can and you probably both need patience with yourselves and each other. Hang in there.


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## ufkacbln (21 Jul 2015)

coffeejo said:


> You've had to make a lot of adjustments recently and without wanting to sound harsh, he needs to get his head of his arse, accept that things have changed and do the same. (Or maybe something politer since I've only met him for a few minutes and don't have the right to comment!) But if "he doesn't like not riding with [you]", does that mean he's going to quit cycling altogether?




Don't take this the wrong way

Any relationship needs to work in two directions.

Lifestyle changes are a big thing that affects both partners and even if the priority is one of the partners, the second needs time as well. One of the most common issues is some form of "resentment" when one partner feels they are being taken over by their new role and restricted from having their own space and time

We compromise, I realise that long distance cycle touring is no longer an option, nor is climbing Blencathra

I get the occasional afternoon when I can put in the miles when my wife is resting at home. Occasionally I will cycle to a destination and meet up whilst she drives there and I will cycle back meeting at home

As above when we go out together on the bikes (electric assist helps her a lot) I have the occasional detour

When we occasionally shop by bike we use the scooter rather than the wheelchair, I take the scooter in the Christiania for when we get to the destination and unload the scooter

Finally I get a week of "my time" when we arrange for others to offer the support and I get to do some of the things I cannot normally manage with my wife

It works well for us and it is up to everyone to find their own compromises that fits the needs of both partners


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## stuee147 (21 Jul 2015)

i know just how you feel i used to be able to ride at a good pace with an avarage speed of around 15mph but since my acident iv had to move to a recumbent trike as i couldnt ride a standard bike anymore. to start with it would take me the best part of an hour to cover 4 to 5 miles with an avarage speed of 4.2mph. 
this left me with very little confidence to ride with anyone else as i didnt want to slow them down but since i got a e-kit for my trike iv been amazed i tend to use the throttle a little when pulling away espeshely if im on a hill or in trafic, but then once im moveing i can use just the peddal assist which helps me get to a decent speed at which point i tend to turn off the e-kit and only turn it on when i hit hills or trafic. and im now doing a 5.8 mile ride in about 20 mins with an avarage speed of around 11mph (on a good day i managed it in 16 mins with a top speed of 26 mph i was well chuffed ) 
the e-kits arnt cheep but its well worth it in my opinion i was honestly thinking of giving up riding as i just couldnt get any faster but now i love it and i find im going out a lot more and in return getting fitter and able to use the e-kit less. i got a basic 36v 250w rear wheel kit off ebay for £137 i then got a set of 3x12v 14amp hr batterys for £50 that was about 3 mounths ago and im already able to do a 15 mile ride (5 to 6 was my max before) and when i get home iv still got power in the batterys only just under half but i recon i could do another 5 to 10 miles befor the batterys went compleatly. 
i would highly recomend a e-kit its certanly helped me iv even been considering looking for a ride buddy now i can sort of keep up with other riders lol


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## Falco Frank (21 Jul 2015)




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## classic33 (21 Jul 2015)

Falco Frank said:


>


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## voyager (23 Jul 2015)

The E-assist route works for us , the e-trikes give us over 15 miles miles range at an average speed over 12.5 mph with little effort , yes it destroys "the man and machine " syndrome but allows us to get places in the same time as it took when we were 20 years younger , and allows us to ride normally when we don't want to " keep up with the Jones ".

regards emma


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## byegad (23 Jul 2015)

The ride profile of a recumbent trike is very different from a DF. Given equal 'engines' the trike will be slower up hill by quite a margin, slower on the flat by a (very?) small margin and seriously faster than the DF down any kind of hill worth the name. 

When out with a mixed group it behoves the DF riders to let the trikes pass on the down hills, and the trikes to return the compliment up hill. While the trike will almost certainly be slower over the whole ride the difference is not that great, if this method of riding is used. 

In my experience Big Apples at 70psi can be pretty quick, although if you are fast enough on the flat to make aero a consideration they will get draggy at 15-20mph+. I've used Kojaks, which were no faster than three Big Apples, Marathons, which were much slower than Big Apples and Marathon Racers which are a bit faster than Big Apples. I'm told that Marathon Supremes are pretty good and Trykers are excellent.

I'd ditch the Marathon today if I were you! I sympathise with your husband, but when my wife rode with me, on an identical folding bike, I felt I'd not done any exercise while she had been working hard. I was cycling nearly every day including a 16mile there and 16mile back commute to work. She rode once a week. If your husband were to descend all hills at close to walking pace then works to catch you up on the flat and up hill he'll get a better workout, but frankly if your fitness levels differ by a fair amount a tandem of some sort is the only answer.


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## andytheflyer (23 Jul 2015)

byegad said:


> In my experience Big Apples at 70psi can be pretty quick............ Marathons, which were much slower than Big Apples and Marathon Racers which are a bit faster than Big Apples.



I'd not responded to SNSSO as I've not been able to come to an objective conclusion yet on my 'bent tyres. Then @byegad posted.....

Interesting evaluation. I fitted M+ to my Performer 20/26 'bent when I bought it in November, and swapped for M Racers in the spring. I've not been able to see any difference in my average speeds with maybe 1000 miles on the M+ and 300 on the Racers - but I need a bit more data yet on the Racers.


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## Tigerbiten (23 Jul 2015)

I like Marathon Supremes 42-406 at around 65 psi on the front of my trike.
They tend not to puncture unless you get unlucky.
Trykers work well if there isn't any flint/glass shards around. If there is then they tend to pick them up more than Supremes and puncture more.

As for speed, it will come as you improve your fitness and build up your bent legs.
For at least the first four month after I first got my bent trike, any uphill and I was in first gear going 2.5 mph.
I'm faster now after doing +40k miles but still a lot slower than a DF bike.
My way of explaining it is a bent trike goes at MTB speeds uphill and Road bike speeds down.

One work around if you do want to cycle together could be a Hase Pino ....


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (25 Jul 2015)

The issue is that I don't seem to be improving, though I know I am. My average in hills (20 miles with 1000 feet of climbing) is around the 8mph mark. On the flat over 20 miles it is around the 9mph mark. So I don't think hill are really the issue. The issue is my overall speed and yes I know I am partially paralysed and all that, but I was simply looking at ways of helping improve that speed, not adding tandems or etrikes to the equation, neither of which I want or am interested in. I am actually looking at taking my road or mtb bike up to Scotland in October as I know the roads are quiet enough for me to try to ride one of them again with the 'husband must be on my right when I stop so I can grab is shoulder for balance' option which will be essential.

My ticker below will tell you how much riding I have done since I got the trike and started riding again (beginning of March) despite a major spine op part way through May. I thought I had covered enough miles to have started to get there.

Thank you @byegad and @Tigerbiten for the information on the tyres. It is most helpful. 



Tigerbiten said:


> My way of explaining it is a bent trike goes at MTB speeds uphill and Road bike speeds down.


 I'm still nowhere near the average between my mtb and my road averages and I simply can't put all of it down to the paralysis. My leg is actually quite good when in the trike and I can help it with my hand if necessary. My uphill speed has come along considerably. Hills I was in 1st gear for before, I am now in 5th or 6th (on the Rohloff hub on the inner chainring) which is great. It is the overall speed that is not really improving much or is just downright slow. Downhill is OK, had fun annoying the hell out of 2 roadies who cut me up on a ride during the week. I sat there on their tail with my rear brake squealing at them for the entire decent (they pulled out of a side road into my path at the top of a fast decent and never said hello, acknowledge I existed or even gave way when they should have) ).


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## ufkacbln (25 Jul 2015)

One of the reasons that we switched to a recumbent for the wife was her inability to stop safely on an upright

You cannot guarantee to have a support and a fall is not something to contemplate

It is a personal choice, but we went down the electric route with a Bionx as it suited our needs

It is not a "motor," but an "assist" 

You can use it in a "free mode" where the motor is in neutral then "dial in" 25,50.100 or 200% assistance as you need it

This enables her to exercise and also have support when needed as she tires


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## voyager (25 Jul 2015)

As I see it ,

what choice do you have ? , either go the assist route 

OR 

Get the other half a trike ( thats what I did )

or get a pair of ear plugs 

regards emma


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## andyreeves9 (25 Jul 2015)

coffeejo said:


> A friend of mine, 5 years younger, has just dealt with his first year as a widower after his wife was killed during their round the world cycling trip. I know he'd happily take on any disability to hear her voice again.
> 
> I think you're doing all you can and you probably both need patience with yourselves and each other. Hang in there.


i am a disabled geezer myself ,after a stroke robbed me of the use of my lft limbs i've improved to the extent i can do 15 miles on a recumbant exercise machine does anyoneknow an outlet in the midlands that can advise/allow me to try one out?i've seen cycles by ICE and wincheetah but the prices scare the sh*t out of me!!


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## andyreeves9 (25 Jul 2015)

voyager said:


> As I see it ,
> 
> what choice do you have ? , either go the assist route
> 
> ...


don't give up x


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## mrandmrspoves (25 Jul 2015)

Keep at it SNSSO, I think coming from where you were, you still have time to improve on your trike. I am 3 years into bent riding and I never had a magic moment where I decided I had my "bent legs". 
With weekly rides where I pushed myself I got to averaging 15-16mph over 30 miles. Last year after a few months where my shoulders were too painful to put the miles in I struggled to reach 13mph and this year where I am averaging 300 miles a month, I have not yet managed to get above 12mph.
I probably don't push myself enough as I am happy just bimbling along.
You and your husband have a great deal of adapting and coming to terms with things to do and hopefully you will find compromises that work for you both.....
I understand your reluctance to consider e assist and I am equally reluctant to consider it.......yet. 
I think that in time, you will be abe to build up some more speed, in the mean time your husband may just have to find pleasure out of cycling slower to keep you company. (Maybe consider a fixie or single speed to give him more of a challenge) 
I must say that changing to shorter cranks has helped me - not sure what you're running?)
When I changed to shorter cranks, I should have lengthened the boom slightly to compensate, but I found the virtual slightly shorter boom meant I could push better from the base of my seat especially going uphill.
Keep at it - it WILL get easier.


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## Tigerbiten (26 Jul 2015)

My speed is not an average of between a MTB and a Road bike.
It's how my trike goes.
Anything I can keep up with going uphill, I leave for dead going down and vice versa.

Even though I've had my trike for 6 years now and done +40k miles, my average speed over rolling terrain, ~1000 feet climbing in 20 miles, is still only around 12 mph.
I can get up to 15-16 mph on a flat run but I don't expect it to be much over 8 mph on a lumpy run.
I found that I didn't really improve my speed until I did my first long tour, doing 30-50 miles days for 12 weeks really helped build my bent legs.
So after 1000 mile you've only just got your bent legs and you'll still improve as you keep going.


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## Amanda P (26 Jul 2015)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> .. I was simply looking at ways of helping improve that speed, not adding tandems or etrikes to the equation, neither of which I want or am interested in.



Not arguing with you, but have you tried them? You don't know till you try.

My missus and I aren't so different in fitness or ability, but our Hase Pino does allow us to cycle together at the same speed regardless of how tired one of us may be. It's a different kind of cycling, but no more different from an upright single than a recumbent trike is. It may be worth a trip to JD tandems to try one - it'll be a good day out anyway. Or come over and have a go with ours.


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## Encephrich (10 Aug 2015)

Late to the fray again.. and probably know less than most but t'upence worth here  -
currently fitted Schwalbe trykers (all round) and only about 800kms so no long term info re wear. I tend to tour at about 7mph (although topped out lots faster downhill) as I tend to like stopping to look & photo rather than the race-er members.
Not as bullet, or Bramble proof as other Schwalbes but have only had two flats to date; although the last one looked suspiciously like a pin hole when fixing the inner!
unfortunately for some they only manufacture as 40-406 so not available for larger rear wheels.
anyway here's some links, hopefully helps, good or bad! 

http://www.bentrideronline.com/?p=8336
http://www.schwalbe.com/en/tour-reader/tryker.html


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