About my recumbent trike
Type of trike: I ride an ICE Trice QNT human-powered tricycle.
Why ride a recumbent trike? Serious long term illness and its many consequences such as inability to balance a normal bicycle.
How far have you ridden? Almost 60,000 Km and counting, all on very steep mountain roads ... so more had the roads been flat and the riding season not constrained by five-foot snow falls. At the start doctors told me that my illness meant I would never be able to walk or ride again. They were wrong!!
What’s it like? Fast, comfortable, panoramic views, pain free after a long ride, and FUN!
Adventures? Yes - lots. For example: meeting bears, international racing, wild weather.... much more
here.
How fast is it? I no longer care about speed. However, I have no trouble at all coasting downhill at 80 plus in the mountain passes here. At that speed, the trike is very stable and much more relaxing than a regular bicycle. I just sit back and watch the world flash by. Uphill however, I am slower than normal bikes. On the flat, most people on trikes can average the same as a normal road bike. I am slower due to
health issues, but a healthy person on a good tricycle should have no trouble maintaining road-bike cruising speed.
Why this model? The four top manufactures of quality recumbent trikes are Inspired Cycle Engineering (ICE), Greenspeed, Hase, and HPVelotechnik. There are a few others that are very good as well, but IMHO generally not quite up to the same standards as the top four. After a very bad buying experience with my first trike - a real lemon (see my article on
how to purchase a trike) - I learned to be very untrusting of the promises of manufacturers. So after careful research I chose an ICE QNT as best suiting my particular needs. For me it has been a perfect trike - fast, stable, safe, strong, comfortable, and beautifully designed. After tens of thousands of Km in all weather and many different terrains it has been completely trouble free - everything just works. ICE support has been outstanding, and their product second to none. Nice folks to deal with too.
Transporting: My trike folds quickly into a nice smallish package. Undo a few quick releases, the seat pops off, the rear wheel folds under, etc. It takes just a few minutes to go from riding to standing beside a nicely folded trike to carry on a plane or pop into a car trunk. At the other end, I just unfold everything and I am ready to ride again. Neat.
Safety: If you ride a human powered device along a road with 4000lb. vehicles, you are taking a risk
. I decorated my trike and mudguards with fluorescent police tape, five high intensity strobe lights (two white front lights, three rear red lights), fluorescent stripes on the tyres, and carry a 7ft. tall red pole sporting two homemade fluorescent flags in the rear. And I wear a brilliant yellow cycling helmet. I’m pretty easy to see. I carry an AirZound 130 decibel horn for cars, and pepper spray for the local farm dogs who attack to kill. As far as safety regarding falling, this is very unlikely on a good quality trike. For ultimate safety just remember that the relationship between intelligence and good automobile driving is frequently an inverse one, and ride accordingly.
How are you treated?: Most people are very friendly as I ride by. Folks on normal bicycles wave and say hello. People often want to ask questions so I carry a card with this site’s url on it, since health problems prevent me from easily replying. Once in a while some car driver sadly bereft of intelligence, polluting the air with his (and his car’s) noxious smell, yells invectives or even throws things. However I am happy to say that most people are very friendly, curious, and generally smile and wave encouragement as I ride along.
