A trike is a motorized three wheeled vehicle, often with an appearance closer to a motorcycle than to a car. These machines have increased in popularity in recent years, being seen as an excellent alternative to motorbikes. There are strict definitions of what most owners think of a trike as being. A motorcycle with a sidecar is not, for instance, seen as being one, despite the fact that it has three wheels.
There’s a whole culture that goes with riding these machines too. That culture places trike owners in the same bracket as motorcycle owners, distinct from those of us who drive cars and other four wheeled vehicles.
Human-powered trikes are usually powered by pedals, although some models have hand cranks. Motorized trikes can be powered with a variety of methods, including motorcycle engines, smaller automatic transmission scooter motors, and electric motors. The term “tricycle” may or may not include motorized Three Wheeled Cars, depending on local lanscape.
Children’s trikes are made of steel frames or plastic. One disadvantage of plastic frames is that they be more likely to tip over than a steel frame if a heavier child is riding. On the plus side, plastic frames will not rust like steel frames if the trike is left out in the rain. A good quality trike’s wheels will have treads, which provide better traction.
Typical upright trikes for adults have front and rear brakes. The front brakes are usually “pull brakes” or V-brakes, and the rear brakes can be pull brakes or internal drum brakes (which operate like automobile drum brakes).
Recumbent trikes often brake one wheel with each hand, allowing the rider to brake one side alone to pull the trike in that direction. This has led to a geometry (also called centre point steering) with the kingpin axis intersecting the ground directly ahead of the tyre contact point, producing a normal amount of trail. This arrangement, elsewhere called “zero scrub radius” is used to mitigate the effects of one-sided braking on steering. While zero scrub can reduce steering feel and increase wandering it can also protect novices from spinning out and/or flipping.
An often-noted problem with recumbent trikes, much debated by trikers and recumbent riders of all kinds, is their poor climbing ability: the rider cannot get out of the saddle and stand up on the pedals to climb hills. Trikers argue that they make up the time lost going up hills by going much faster on the downhill side because of the low, aerodynamic riding position.
Most cycle rickshaws, used for carrying passengers for hire, are tricycles with one steering wheel in the front and two wheels in the back supporting a seating area for one or two passengers. Cycle rickshaws often have a parasol or canopy to protect the passengers from sun and rain. These vehicles are widely used in South Asia and Southeast Asia, where rickshaw driving provides essential employment for recent immigrants from rural areas, generally impoverished men. In the 1990s and 2000s, rickshaws have become increasingly popular in big cities in the UK, Europe and US, where they provide urban transportation, novelty rides, and serve as an advertising tool.
The largest manufacturer of recumbent trikes is Sun Bicycles who make both tadpole and delta trikes. The deltas are built from designs licensed from Gardner Martin’s EasyRacers, the premiere maker of recumbent bicycles. Sun bicycles are factory-made in Taiwan and are among the least expensive trikes of good quality.
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