lazybloke
Ginger biscuits and cheddar
- Location
- Leafy Surrey
On a saddle you're higher up than on a recumbent. If i want views, i know what i'll be riding.
A penny farthing!
A penny farthing!
Third best reason to ride a bent or trike
- Thread starter rydabent
- Start date
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a.twiddler
Veteran
So... what we are saying is, all human powered vehicles are cycles, be they one, two, three, four or however many wheels float your boat (Whee! Let's have a party!). Now pedal powered boats are yet another thing entirely, as the massed ranks of pedantry gathering here will be quick to point out.
But... not all cycles are recumbents
And... not all recumbents are bikes
And... not all recumbents are trikes
Regardless of which... no conventional cycles are recumbents, otherwise they would be called recumbents.
If I could humbly beg the OP to amend the title by inserting "recumbent" in front of "trike" it might just save some heads from exploding in the near future.
I've always been in two minds about the term "Tadpole" when applied to trikes. On the one hand it describes the layout well -wide at the front. narrow at the back. On the other, there's something a bit squidgy when you hear of someone having completed a journey on the back of an undeveloped amphibian. "Hammerhead" just somehow projects a different image -top predator in its field, menacing, loads of sharp teeth. It also has something of a blind spot close to, and dead ahead, but that seems to cause no problems.
Or "Delta" for the opposite configuration. A marshy spot where the many branches of a river meet the sea? It might be suggestive of some off road ability. It too describes the configuration well if you consider it to be like the triangular letter of the Greek alphabet, laid flat. Pointy end first, wide end at the rear. Maybe tinged with a bit of ancient classicism.
What's in a name, eh? But if it's comfortable and does what you want you can go out in your gardening trousers and scruffy hat, or you can wear the lycra gear and bug eyed eyewear and pretend you're the delegate from Mars. Happiness comes in many forms.
But... not all cycles are recumbents
And... not all recumbents are bikes
And... not all recumbents are trikes
Regardless of which... no conventional cycles are recumbents, otherwise they would be called recumbents.
If I could humbly beg the OP to amend the title by inserting "recumbent" in front of "trike" it might just save some heads from exploding in the near future.
I've always been in two minds about the term "Tadpole" when applied to trikes. On the one hand it describes the layout well -wide at the front. narrow at the back. On the other, there's something a bit squidgy when you hear of someone having completed a journey on the back of an undeveloped amphibian. "Hammerhead" just somehow projects a different image -top predator in its field, menacing, loads of sharp teeth. It also has something of a blind spot close to, and dead ahead, but that seems to cause no problems.
Or "Delta" for the opposite configuration. A marshy spot where the many branches of a river meet the sea? It might be suggestive of some off road ability. It too describes the configuration well if you consider it to be like the triangular letter of the Greek alphabet, laid flat. Pointy end first, wide end at the rear. Maybe tinged with a bit of ancient classicism.
What's in a name, eh? But if it's comfortable and does what you want you can go out in your gardening trousers and scruffy hat, or you can wear the lycra gear and bug eyed eyewear and pretend you're the delegate from Mars. Happiness comes in many forms.
404 Not Found Anywhere
Über Member
Personally I’ll go for tadpole to describe two wheels in front, one behind. It emphasises a fun, unthreatening creature and that’s always what I’ve felt my Trice QNT is. My VTX is a bit less of that, but it’s very satisfying to zip past roadies in headwinds or downhill on something as soft and cute as a tadpole, for extra humiliation effect 😎.
The word delta has no real connotations for me other than being a description of wheel arrangement, I have a Kettweisel and a Ken Rodgers Clubman upright trike, both have a habit (the Rogers in particular) of biting you if you aren’t paying attention, so I can’t really think of them as unthreatening (it does take a lot to provoke the Kett though)
I‘ve never heard the “hammerhead” term and can’t say I like it. Neither reflective of the machine or the rider.
The word delta has no real connotations for me other than being a description of wheel arrangement, I have a Kettweisel and a Ken Rodgers Clubman upright trike, both have a habit (the Rogers in particular) of biting you if you aren’t paying attention, so I can’t really think of them as unthreatening (it does take a lot to provoke the Kett though)
I‘ve never heard the “hammerhead” term and can’t say I like it. Neither reflective of the machine or the rider.
a.twiddler
Veteran
"Hammerhead" sounds like an American term to me. "Tadpole" seems universally recognised, at least in the Recumbent world.
Trikes, to me, before I became infected with Recumbentitis, suggested an eccentric British phenomenon where someone took a perfectly good road bike and attached an extra wheel, introducing a hitherto unknown world of upsidedown -ness and new knowledge of roadside ditches to people who had previously thought they were competent two wheeler riders. A complete new skill set required, perhaps earned through a tough apprenticeship. Most seen as an extra wheel on the back, though some vintage ones have the extra one on the front. I don't know whether the twin front wheel version would be any easier to learn to ride. Perhaps someone out there with experience of both can enlighten. us.
Having become a recumbent rider I'm not about to venture on to anything new in the upright world, going back to the neck, shoulder, wrist and foot pains with the addition of new and exciting ways of falling off and breaking a leg.
Being a long term motorcycle rider I'd long fancied trying out a cycle car, a sort of velomobile for motorcyclists, but never managed it. 2 wheels at the front, one at the back, driven by a long chain from a suitably humungous V -twin engine at the front between the wheels. So when, as a rookie recumbentist, I came across various tadpole recumbent trikes on such places as ebay the concept sort of chimed with me. Nevertheless, two wheelers are my choice for various reasons.
So to get back on thread, there's 1) The comfort 2) The view 3) The feeling of freedom that having two wheels brings.
Since even when I rode uprights I never rode the sort of sleek, speed orientated bike that screamed "wear Lycra or you'll look a pillock on this" wearing everyday clothes is just something I do, anyway.
Trikes, to me, before I became infected with Recumbentitis, suggested an eccentric British phenomenon where someone took a perfectly good road bike and attached an extra wheel, introducing a hitherto unknown world of upsidedown -ness and new knowledge of roadside ditches to people who had previously thought they were competent two wheeler riders. A complete new skill set required, perhaps earned through a tough apprenticeship. Most seen as an extra wheel on the back, though some vintage ones have the extra one on the front. I don't know whether the twin front wheel version would be any easier to learn to ride. Perhaps someone out there with experience of both can enlighten. us.
Having become a recumbent rider I'm not about to venture on to anything new in the upright world, going back to the neck, shoulder, wrist and foot pains with the addition of new and exciting ways of falling off and breaking a leg.
Being a long term motorcycle rider I'd long fancied trying out a cycle car, a sort of velomobile for motorcyclists, but never managed it. 2 wheels at the front, one at the back, driven by a long chain from a suitably humungous V -twin engine at the front between the wheels. So when, as a rookie recumbentist, I came across various tadpole recumbent trikes on such places as ebay the concept sort of chimed with me. Nevertheless, two wheelers are my choice for various reasons.
So to get back on thread, there's 1) The comfort 2) The view 3) The feeling of freedom that having two wheels brings.
Since even when I rode uprights I never rode the sort of sleek, speed orientated bike that screamed "wear Lycra or you'll look a pillock on this" wearing everyday clothes is just something I do, anyway.
I agree with you that some people nit pick too much. Again I say that all people that ride and pedal a machine are cyclist. It doesnt matter if it has 1, 2, 3, or 4 wheels.
Ian H
Ancient randonneur
Proper traditional trikes, known to some as barrows, are bloody difficult to master, especially for bicyclists.
a.twiddler
Veteran
It's only three weeks, but you can only say it as you find it. It took me a few months to decide that my Grasshopper wasn't for me, and I'd been riding it to the exclusion of my other recumbents while I did that. I'm probably a bit single minded and stubborn with it, which doesn't help. As I'd been grappling with a health problem at the time, which made me think it was just me rather than the bike, it was a revelation to start riding my other two again and realising how easily they went.
I'd thought I'd get used to the seat recline, and wished there had been a bit more upright adjustment so I could gradually recline it as I got used to it. That seems to be the European style though, and many seem to get on with it well enough. In my case it was definitely the seat recline that was a major factor. It's heavy, but so is my Spirit with its suspension etc which has less recline and gets up hills OK and I can do distances on that.
So don't lose heart with the Grasshopper. If you eventually decide to move it on, and don't give up on the recumbent concept, something with less recline might fill the bill. As has often been said, just because you'd had an unfortunate experience with a particular upright bike, it wouldn't put you off all upright bikes, and so it is with recumbents, though they're a bit harder to get hold of, and maybe a bit more rider specific as to who they suit.
I certainly don't regret the experiences I've had in the last five years while riding recumbents. Once you've found the right one, which I was lucky enough to do first time round, you can enjoy the comfort too.
lazybloke
Ginger biscuits and cheddar
- Location
- Leafy Surrey
I don't like the idea of being too low down, but some aren't so bad and I definitely want to try them out for comfort; my shoulders were killing me on a conventional bike on my recent 400. I want to try a 600 but think my head might fall off.
kingrollo
Guru
For the record - I have had 2 recumbent bikes - I rode a bacchetta giro 20 for about a year.
The giro you could get a more upright position - but has no suspension. IME the suspension on the grasshopper makes very light off road - doable - but certainly not comfortable.
YMMV
Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
What is too low down for you and why?
lazybloke
Ginger biscuits and cheddar
- Location
- Leafy Surrey
I like to be able to see over the top of cars and low hedges, especially on twisty roads. It gives me better awareness of the road and traffic ahead, plus I adore seeing and photographing views of the landscape as I ride (I took over 100 photos & vids whilst riding my recent 400).
Unless I reach a breakthrough with stretching/yoga, I think I'll need to go recumbent at some point, and hope that will be a much more comfortable position. Worth the trade-off, I'd say, but I still recognise that would be some degree of compromise.
a.twiddler
Veteran
I didn't mean to appear condescending. There are many out there with more recumbent experience than I have, and it seems that I've been one of the lucky ones. Not only are we all different, but our needs and abilities change over the years. I suppose we are all looking for something, and have varying amounts of success in our search along the way.
YMMV, indeed!
a.twiddler
Veteran
Even on foot I struggle to see over things, being not very tall. As part of riding a recumbent is being somewhat low, it's probably a bigger deal if you're taller, as you'd miss the height. What's a typical recumbent? Everyone has a different idea. My first recumbent bike, which I still have, has a 26-27" seat height, but due to having a triangular seat cushion, pointed at the front, is quite easy to flat foot when necessary. I ddn't know any different when I bought it, but that's fairly high for a recumbent. Nevertheless, I can look drivers of normal cars in the eye, see through the windows of cars ahead to view the road, and even look down on drivers of sports cars. I can certainly see over low walls and hedges. It's probably a characteristic of some older bike and trike designs that their seats are higher and less reclined.
So you're not restricted to gliding along with your behind inches from the ground, unless that's something you want to do. In any case, being low down is only a matter of perception. You might believe it's unsafe, but other road users just give you so much room, and the perception of speed is so much greater, that you might forget your other objections in the heat of the moment.
My other bikes are lower than the first one, but not lowracer low, and I can still see and be seen OK. Just because some recumbents can be extremely low and reclined, doesn't mean that all of them have to be.
