Chains wear out eventually and need to be replaced. We say that the chain stretches but that is not really true. It wears allowing extra space around the pins and rollers allowing them to move apart having the effect of stretching. You can measure a chain’s wear by using a tool made for this. Parktool has one. It is a go/no go tool. One side is .75 wear and the other side is 1.0 wear indication. If the guage tool does not drop down inside a link it does not need replacing as far as stretching. If the tool does drop down into a link then the chain is worn and needs replacing. The .75 and 1.0 indicate the amount of wear. .75 is a little worn and 1.0 is worn a bunch.
The newer CC-3 tool (CC-3.2) has .5 and .75 instead of .75 and 1.0.
You can also simply measure the distance between the pins. A new chain will measure exactly one inch between pins. As a chain wears this distance will increase. Once it reaches 1 1/16 of an inch it is considered worn and needing of replacement. At 1 1/8 it is considered badly worn.
You can see the wear around the pins in the picture above.
One thing to keep in mind is a trike chain will last far longer than a bicycle chain. That is because it is so much longer and therefore wears at a much slower rate.
Keep in mind that failure to replace a a worn chain in a timely manner can be very costly as a worn chain will destroy the sprockets and they are far more expensive to replace than a chain. You should be able to go thru 2 or 3 chains before sprockets should show much wear.
Here is Parktool’s videos on when and how to replace a chain on a bicycle. It is quite similar on a tadpole trike. One difference is the length of the chain … around 3 times as long as a standard bicycle chain. Don’t go by the measured length of the worn chain as it will be longer due to wear. Instead count the links or you might end up in error if the chain is worn sufficiently.
What I do personally is once I know I have everything dialed in as far as my boom setting I count the links of my chain and write it down so I will know what it is. Then I can simply count out the links when replacing the chain. Of course, this will only work if the boom is not readjusted.
The chain breaker tool like shown above is a Parktool, of course. Several different manufacturers make them.
I have a Pedro pictured above and really like it. I think you will find a full sized professional tool is easier and better to use than a much cheaper and smaller chain breaker like shown below. They tend to bend and/or break all too easily if you are not careful using them. And I think they wear out faster.
You will find that using a 3rd hand chain tool is very handy when you are removing and replacing the missing link (quick link/master link/repair link). I bought the one like pictured below on the left side being used in the chain and I have made a couple like shown in the other two pictures. I like the Parktool one I bought the best.
You will find it extremely handy holding the chain together while you work on the missing link.
Also using the special missing link pliers makes the job much easier. They can be used when taking the link apart or putting it back together.
BTW, I bought a pair of off brand name el cheapo ‘missing link pliers’ (pictured above) and I like them better than the Parktool brand which I have 2 pair of. They are currently $8.22 on Ebay. The best price I have found on Parktool’s pliers is $12.00 on Ebay which is very cheap compared to what they usually cost which is $18 and higher.
NOTE … this was demonstrated on a bicycle. It would be much harder on a tadpole trike with the crankset way out at the end of the boom. I think it would definitely be easier and better to use the chain tools.
Stein trikes has a new model which may be of interest to some among us. It has 20 inch Fat Tires and full suspension. It has a folding boom making it easy to store. It also has a 750 watt rear hub motor. They have named it Wild Fat One. Fast and furious most anywhere you want. At $8495 it is not cheap.
Wild One Fat Specs
Steel frame
Width: 38″
Wheel-base: 48″
Suspension: 4″ independent, coil over
Seat Angle: 30 – 37 degrees
Trike weight: 42 lbs
Weight Capacity: 264 lbs plus 22 lbs of cargo using Lowrider rack
Drivetrain – contact dealer for details
MSRP $8495
At 38 inches wide it probably would not fit thru some bollards on trails. 34 inches barely fits thru them.
A word or two about steel frames. There are those who want nothing to do with a steel frame. But wait … yes, steel is heavier than other frame materials. But that is not all bad. There is not all that much difference in weight. This trike is 42 pounds … not bad for having a motor. And there are good aspects of steel over other metals. Steel is more flexible providing a better ride than aluminum (which is known to be stiff) or chrome moly (slightly more flexible than mild steel) or titanium. Probably the best thing about steel is it is readily weldable if repair is needed. That certainly is not true of most other metals and even if they can be welded it requires a special qualified weldor with the skill, knowledge, equipment and experience. And it will be more expensive and probably not as good of a repair than the steel frame. If you ever have a welding repair need on your trike you wilI wish it was made of mild steel. I built my first trike out of mild carbon steel. It was a fine trike as far as handling and ride.
A word or two about complexity in design. I have a lifetime as a professional weldor of dealing with repairing all sorts of various items. One thing I have learned early on is the more complexity in design the more chance there is for failure. Another thing I learned is that usually the part or area that fails was underbuilt in the original design. If it had just been made better and stronger it would probably not failed to begin with. Most things that I repaired I was able to reinforce it and make it stronger so that it never broke again. I am pretty well convinced that most items are made to fail. Yes, it would cost more to build the quality into items but that is not the focus. Selling to sell again seems to be what is going on. We live in a throw away society.
A word or two about FAT TIRES. I personally have mixed thoughts about having fat tires. They ride nice on rough surfaces. They are ideal for off road use but not very practical or sensible for on road use. They are far more expensive than regular tires. They wear out much much faster than regular tires. They get flats much easier than regular tires. They are a specialty tire for sure. If that is what you need for the riding you do they are an option.
Hand throttles seem to be a controversial thing. Some people like them and want them while other people don’t care for them. I for one really like them and would not want to be without one. That being said there are three different types … thumb throttle, half and full twist throttle and a trigger type which is the least common. I have used thumb and twist type and as far as I am concerned I will pass on the twist throttles. They are ok for a motorcycle but not for an e-bike. They are hard to hold “on” and just too tiring. A thumb throttle gets my vote and they are tiring enough.
I find that locating the thumb throttle properly makes a huge difference. It needs to be as close to the thumb and as natural as it can be for easy use and the least tiring.
One thing else important to be aware of is accidentally engaging it, especially when you are off of the trike and maneuvering it. It can result in a nasty out of control situation where your trike suddenly has a mind of its own. It is safest to shut the power off if you are going to get up out of the seat. I have had my trike into a dealer to do work on it. A mechanic can accidentally hit the throttle when maneuvering it. It the throttle is engaged even very briefly the trike can take off like a rocket with no one sitting on it. It could easily shoot across the shop into something. It is just a good idea to shut the power off even if you are going to be there very briefly.
I was unloading my trike once out of the back of my pickup truck when the throttle went bad (suddenly broke) turning full power on to the motor without my pressing the throttle. I had a runaway trike on my hands which took me in a circle around the parking lot trying to hold on and control it when I couldn’t. I held on, but it eventually took me down to the parking lot before the power went back off. It was like wrestling a steer. I replaced the throttle as soon as I could as I didn’t want any more of that. I ended up in an embarrassing wreck laying on the ground holding onto my trike, but if the trike was allowed to go on its own it is hard to tell where it would have ended up and the damage it would have caused. It could have hit several cars, a business building, landscaping, customers and more. I could have been sued for a huge amount of money. For what it is worth, I think a steer would have been easier to wrestle to the ground. I lost some blood and skin in the ordeal. I suppose it appeared funny to someone watching but it sure was not funny to me. It is better to be safe than sorry. I needed to shut the battery off and disconnected the battery until I got the throttle problem fixed.
I started a Facebook group several years ago known as Tadpole Rider Group. It is a Private group meaning that one must join the group in order to see/read it , post on it and comment on it. Anyone interested in joining the group may do so by requesting to join on Facebook and answering the three membership questions satisfactorily. Click HERE to visit group. Please do not use the Facebook feature to invite others to join as this bypasses the membership questions and they won’t be approved.
I started a Facebook group several years ago known as the Tadpole Rider Group. It is a Private group meaning that one must join the group in order to see/read it , post on it and comment on it. Anyone interested in joining the group may do so by requesting to join on Facebook and answering the three membership questions satisfactorily. Click HERE to visit the group. Please do not use the Facebook feature to invite others to join as this bypasses the membership questions and they won’t be approved.
The question is asked … what is the best recumbent trike? No, it is not a loaded question, but I bet you could get a lot of different answers. THIS ARTICLE addresses this question. I certainly can’t and don’t agree with their entire list but I readily admit I am prejudice. One trike on their list would never appear on my list. It would be near the bottom if I did list it as I think they make inferior quality trikes. But I do agree with most of their choices which by the way are all Catrike models plus the HP Velotechnik Scorpion. Along with it I would have to include Azub on my list even though one would need to be in good standing with their banker when buying either one. LoL What I am trying to say is they are expensive. I personally ride a Catrike Trail which I think is a great trike so I would have to include it also. No, I don’t have ICE or Greenspeed on my list, but neither do they. I would have to give Greenspeed an honorable mention. I can’t say much for ICE as I think they have some inferior design/engineering problems and are just too expensive with no way to justify it. Well, that is the list … theirs and mine. I suppose many of us have our own list.
I went for a ride today on one of our local trails. I thoroughly enjoyed my ride thanks to the hub motor. What a difference it makes! Some say (and argue) that you don’t get as much exercise with a motor, but I say nonsense. I am fully convinced I get far more exercise using a motor. It encourages me to pedal faster and work harder to maintain the higher speed I find that there is a night and day difference when I ride using a motor to assist me. That is the key … to assist. It is all too easy to let the motor do all the work and there are those who do this. I try to keep pedaling most of the time while I am out riding. One thing I have noticed is that thanks to now having a geared hub motor with no resistance when there is no power going to it rather than a gearless direct drive like I had previously which has considerable resistance my trike really rolls good maintaining a good amount of the speed I obtained with the aid of the motor (or without it for that matter). And that makes it easier and encourages me to keep pedaling trying to maintain that higher speed … far higher than I go without the aid of the motor. I is just a whole lot more enjoyable riding going so much faster than I can go without the motor. In my opinion it is a “win-win” situation. I am loving it.
I have covered this subject before years ago. And HERE is another article. I have the exact same ramps I sometimes use. They work well. I just don’t like bothering with them as I can still lift my heavy trike. I have them if I need them, but as long as I can still lift my trike in and out of my truck I probably won’t bother.
Here is a video by fellow triker, Sylvia Halpern, discussing using these telescoping aluminum wheelchair ramps to load a trike into and unload it from a pickup truck. $116 on Ebay. You might be able to find a lower price yet, but at least with Ebay you have more assurance of satisfaction and honesty. And $116 is a good price … less than I paid by several dollars.
Many tadpole trike riders are interested in maximum performance and handling out of our trikes. I can certainly vouch for the importance of front wheel alignment making a big difference. When I first bought my new Catrike the dealer had set the toe in at one inch to out. It destroyed my brand new tires in only 30 miles. From then on I did most all of my own maintenance work as I would not let that dealer touch my trike with their incompetence.
Overs the years I have had several e-motors. Most of them have been hub motors in the rear wheel. I much prefer a hub motor over a crank drive system. Here in this video Utah Trikes receives a customer order for a new trike equipped with a rear wheel hub motor …
Some people buy Chevys and others buy Cadillacs and fewer still buy Yugos. There is nothing wrong with the Chevys but they supposedly don’t have as much to offer as the Cadillacs. Some people drive a Chevy even if they could afford a Cadillac. Some people drive a Cadillac even though they can’t really afford it. We all have our preferences, abilities and limitations.
For some 25 years Greenspeed has resisted offering an electric motor. Well, that has all changed now. Here Mickey of Laidback Cycles tells about it. If you have a newer Greenspeed with a square tube frame you can add this motor kit to it.
I have written about ramps before. I have made a couple of sets of them for a friend. I purchased some telescoping wheelchair ramps for my own use. They work pretty good although I seldom use them. For me they are just too much of a hassle to go thru each time. I just lift my heavy trike which is quite challenging. I think it probably helps maintain my muscles and strength as I age.
Here is a video showing how to use wheelchair ramps to load and unload a tadpole trike into and out of a vehicle.
I am past 70 years old so I have to think back a ways to remember as a child growing up doing various things together as a family. Still I have fond memories and appreciate those times we spent together. We didn’t have tadpole trikes then. We did have bicycles and motorcycles which we rode together. My parents may be gone but friends are still around and almost daily I am making memories with them riding our trikes. When I look at videos online showing families/friends riding together it brings back those memories. Perhaps it will for you as well. And if you are younger than I am perhaps you are still making memories with your own children. Anyway, here are some videos of families enjoying riding together.
