Problems riding a trike helppppppppppppp

[rebelpeter]

Can anyone tell me why when riding a adult trike a Pasley that it pulls into the curb so i am forced to ride
in the centre of the road which is dangerous to me, and so i am unable to use this new trike.Is there some
thing special about how to ride a trike if so please helppppppppppppppppppppp.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Is there a pronounced camber on the road you're riding?

GC

 

[ufkacbln]

Yep - trikes are very subject to camber, the slope of the road

Where a two wheel macine stays upright, the three point contact of a trike tips the weight ofthe rider and trike into a turn in that direction.

It is a case of forgetting all the riding skills thatyou know atthe moment and learning a new way of riding.

It does come with time.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

It doesn't help that on most upright trikes the drive only goes to one wheel. On a two wheel drive trike I had no problems with camber.

 

[rebelpeter]

Is there a pronounced camber on the road you're riding?

GC

well it happens on most of my country lanes here
i have to hold the bars right or ride in the centre of the road with my right hand wheel
almost on the white line.. it is very hard it pulls me to the curb

 

[rebelpeter]

Yep - trikes are very subject to camber, the slope of the road

Where a two wheel macine stays upright, the three point contact of a trike tips the weight ofthe rider and trike into a turn in that direction.

It is a case of forgetting all the riding skills thatyou know atthe moment and learning a new way of riding.

It does come with time.

Ahhh so it is just not me then i thought i must be going a bit crazy
as when i got on my 2 wheeler after a ride on the trike i could not ride
at all i was wobbling like id never riden a bike before, then it got better
and i was ok but it scared me in case i had forgotten to ride a normal 2 wheeler.

is it possible then for it not to pull meinto the curb,when im used to it, im fine on a straight flat road
but some round here have a camber, will i be able to ride the camber without
being pulled into the curb with practice, you say it comes with time this is
good news as i have this nice Pashley in great order and with the big 28 inch
wheels, lovely trike and i want to ride it now and then im mostly into racers
but this trike being big unlike the small 20 inch wheel ones i though would
give me some extra exercise but i cant ride it without my handlebars being in the centre
of my half of the road but that puts my right wheel right over almost and at times
on the white line, as these are country roads round here andnot too wide at all.

to stop it pulling me right to the curb i have to hold the bars hard right
it is very hard riding and im no spring chicken . . . . . lol . . .

 

[rebelpeter]

It doesn't help that on most upright trikes the drive only goes to one wheel. On a two wheel drive trike I had no problems with camber.

Hello Phil I will look and see if both wheels drive i only got it Saturday so just
went for a ride not looked at the drive wheels, so if it has both wheels driven
it should be better i see, i will have a look at it and see what wheel or wheels
drive, it is a Pashley straight handlebars 12 gear about 7 years old the chap
said who gave it to me.

Do you think the 28 inch wheels make it harder to ride than the smaller 20 inch
ones.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Hello Phil I will look and see if both wheels drive i only got it Saturday so just
went for a ride not looked at the drive wheels, so if it has both wheels driven
it should be better i see, i will have a look at it and see what wheel or wheels
drive, it is a Pashley straight handlebars 12 gear about 7 years old the chap
said who gave it to me.

I believe Pashley use 1 wheel drive as standard, which does tend to make the steering want to pull to one side.

Do you think the 28 inch wheels make it harder to ride than the smaller 20 inch
ones.

This I don't know about. My experience is limited to the Cycles Maximus trike I had, which was on a BMX 20" front wheel and 23" (moped size) rear wheels.

There is a trike racing scene out there: link They all use the larger wheels. Make of that what you will.

 

[TheDoctor]

You will get used to it. Took me about 30 miles IIRC.
Trikes need a very different technique to bikes - you're almost better off not having learned how to ride a bike, IMHO.

 

[thegravestoneman]

You will get used to it with time, Just wait til the snow is on the ground and your rear wheels try to over take, you left side first. I rode a trike for a long while and I am looking at getting another once finance allows. It is well worth the effort and it all becomes natural soon enough, you will not forget how to ride a bike either just watch out for the burns on your leg when cornering. It was always fun when attending a reliability run and offering the trike to experienced riders and watching them teeter and wobble before giving up after about ten yards. Stick with it and enjoy.

Don't forget there is the tricycle association to help you too.

 

[rebelpeter]

I believe Pashley use 1 wheel drive as standard, which does tend to make the steering want to pull to one side.

This I don't know about. My experience is limited to the Cycles Maximus trike I had, which was on a BMX 20" front wheel and 23" (moped size) rear wheels.

There is a trike racing scene out there: link They all use the larger wheels. Make of that what you will.

Hello Phil i just looked and the pedals only drive the left side wheel,
i will look at the link you sene me, what gets me is there are a lot
of older people who ride adult trikes and they surely all can not have
the trouble i am having, when theres a road camber it just pulls me to the curb,
i have to tug it over to the right even then it veers left.

 

[rebelpeter]

You will get used to it with time, Just wait til the snow is on the ground and your rear wheels try to over take, you left side first. I rode a trike for a long while and I am looking at getting another once finance allows. It is well worth the effort and it all becomes natural soon enough, you will not forget how to ride a bike either just watch out for the burns on your leg when cornering. It was always fun when attending a reliability run and offering the trike to experienced riders and watching them teeter and wobble before giving up after about ten yards. Stick with it and enjoy.

Don't forget there is the tricycle association to help you too.

Hello Gravestone man so you say i will be able to do it withough being pulled over to the kerb
as im unable to dare ride it i finish up in the gutter and nearly hot the left curb.
Are you saying then i wil be able to ride with a camber road and not be pulled
over to the c urb all the time, it is sooooo hard trying to force the handlebars
to keep to the right away from the curb.

Can you give me a link to get me to the tricycle association maybe this may
help me understand how to ride it.

You say stick with it so seems i will do it once i get used to it, and you say
that offering a trike to an experienced 2 wheel rider they wobble and give up.
So are trikes hard to ride or is it just me do other unexperienced trike riders have
problems riding a trike i just thought it was me doing it wrong.

 

[Globalti]

Wait until you've got used to the trike and you go back to the two-wheeler. You'll get off and walk away from it then hear a crash behind you as it falls over.

 

[User33236]

Wait until you've got used to the trike and you go back to the two-wheeler. You'll get off and walk away from it then hear a crash behind you as it falls over.

Genuine LOL at this

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

I think it is going to be down to technique which will come with use. Perhaps take the trike somewhere quiet to practice if you are able to.

I was fortunate in that I was able to just get on a trike and ride it (apart from a bit of embarrassment misjudging the width and crashing the Maximus van prototype into a hedge ). It does however mean it's difficult to offer advice because I haven't personally experienced the problem many people have steering trikes.

Like @thegravestoneman I let a few people have a go on my trike. Some got it pretty quickly while others wobbled around in terror and couldn't wait to get off. I think in the latter case it's because they are making a conscious effort to balance when it's not needed, but that's just my theory.

Wait until you've got used to the trike and you go back to the two-wheeler. You'll get off and walk away from it then hear a crash behind you as it falls over.

Haven't done this but I'm sure others have.