Recumbent trikes come in various forms or types. The most common types are Delta and Tadpole. Most of the others are variations of these two. Tadpole trikes are by far the most popular. They are also the most complex and are more difficult and expensive to build. This is mostly because of the complex steering geometry involved. A tadpole trike must be made right to handle right and be safe. HERE is a webpage which gets into all of this.

If you are into building your own trike it is necessary that you study and learn about the steering geometry. It would be a nasty thing to build a trike and have it crash … especially at speed … because it was not built right. Yes, you need to do your homework so you know what you are doing. I have only built one trike but I got it right and it rode and handled great.

No, this (above) is not my trike. It is just a picture found on the internet. Here (below) is the trike I built. I would make it differently if I were making it today. I was still working when I built it and only able to ride it a couple of thousand miles before I sold it. I had replaced it with a Catrike Trail and retired the same month. I rode a lot more then. I have about 160,000 miles on my Catrike and it is still in excellent shape especially mechanical-wise.

Whether you buy a factory made trike or build your own they are a lot of fun to ride and good exercise. Enjoy it while you can … that’s what I plan on doing in a few minutes now that the rain has ended.

KEEP ON TRIKIN’