Recumbent trikes in the city

chrisjsmith

Anyone got any experience with recumbent trikes (particularly Optima Rider) in the big smoke?

I'm £2k up this year and I need to spend the cash on something before the wife does. I've got my eye on one and am looking for any experience with these beasts.

dmb

Any ideas on what you would use it for??

the best bet is to try one, Dtech in little thetford have a large supply of second hand ones to try

tel 01353648177
Ian at Cattrike is very good as well, I have a 700 and an ICE s, perfer the 700 but the ICE is easier to move as will fold

http://www.trikesandstuff.co.uk/

SJLcp

Chris

I used to own a trice and from my experience I would say NO! - these beasts are great fun for a Sunday morning spin around the park or for long distance touring but not great for commutting - main issue being its width and low aspect - drivers don't like them and you get unwanted attention - you can't filter and are hidden below height of cars. They are also rubbish for taking thru the Greenwich foot tunnel when the lifts not working! They are brilliant for tanking down the grass in Greenwich park at 25mph and doing sideways three wheel drifts though!

What I have seen that I think work better are two wheeled recumbets similar to KingCycles or Ratcatchers where you are narrower and higher up! When I chat to riders of these I get the impression they DO work in busy traffic Must admit I would be tempted by a nice RatCatcher!

Enjoy

recumbent

Sorry for slow repsponse but do not have experience of recumbent trikes in London. However I do have plenty of experience elsewhere which I hope will be of interest.

My riding is about 50% rec.T and 50% upright. I ride mostly country roads but do venture into cities like Cambridge and have ridden through Derby (in the rush hour last year).

I can say ALL times - country or city that I feel road users treat me with a great deal more respect on my Recumbent trike than on two wheels. Add the stability - particularly at (very) low speeds, no need to put a foot down and the precise steering there is really no contest.

Just make sure you have a flag with flashing mini light fitted at the top!

Good luck

Cunobelin

I commute through Portsmouth on a daily basis using a Catrike Expedition and a Trice previously.

Overall I have commuted by Trike for some 14 years.

Simply put - so long as you are sensible then there is no problem. Don't filter inside lanes of traffic, take your position on the road,and follow the rules.

Triking is a blast - however one piece of advice always remains important - do not buy without trying and if you can make the trial on similar roads to the ones you intend to ride on.