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RadiationKing
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Joined: 24 July 2009
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| Posted: 23 November 2009 at 11:03am | IP Logged
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Took my trike out in the snow last night . I have never dared riding that fast on a two wheeler in the snow before , but a trike ? Absolutely no problem whatsoever !! With only two wheels I would have been wiping out every time my wheels hit a rut / ice / turn . I was trying my hardest to fishtail or slide out of control, but it just wasn't going to happen. These things have amazing traction ! I was going to pack my trike away for the winter, but now I think I'll add some snow chains ( in case of ice) and try using it as often as possible.
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~The juice is worth the squeeze
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tomcat
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| Posted: 25 November 2009 at 6:01am | IP Logged
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Sounds great! Now if you could hook up some dogs to your trike you
might just have a new entry for the winter olympics.
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04 Catrike Speed Owner
Commute to Work (except in the summer)
Phoenix Area (hence the non-summer commute)
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digitalmouse
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Location: Denmark
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| Posted: 30 November 2009 at 12:35am | IP Logged
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might want to consider studded tires. less to mess with, in my opinion. check out http://www.schwalbetires.com/marathon_winter for what Schwalbe has come up with.
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Trike Adventure! recumbent touring in Denmark, Sweden, and Germany - contact Jimm for tours and schedules!
http://trikeadventure.terapad.com
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pfdavis
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Joined: 03 December 2009
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| Posted: 03 December 2009 at 10:20am | IP Logged
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RadiationKing wrote:
Took my trike out in the snow last night . I have never dared riding that fast on a two wheeler in the snow before , but a trike ? Absolutely no problem whatsoever !! With only two wheels I would have been wiping out every time my wheels hit a rut / ice / turn . I was trying my hardest to fishtail or slide out of control, but it just wasn't going to happen. These things have amazing traction ! I was going to pack my trike away for the winter, but now I think I'll add some snow chains ( in case of ice) and try using it as often as possible. |
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So what were you riding in the snow? I'm shopping for a trike now, and would love to be able to ride year round. I'm in the Boston, MA area, so snow is definitely going to factor into that.
Do others have experience triking in snow? I was wondering if a 2-wheel drive delta (with a differential) would have better traction in snow than a tadpole.
Thanks!
-pd
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digitalmouse
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| Posted: 05 December 2009 at 12:00am | IP Logged
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pfdavis wrote:
...I'm in the Boston, MA area, so snow is definitely going to factor into that.
Do others have experience triking in snow? I was wondering if a 2-wheel drive delta (with a differential) would have better traction in snow than a tadpole.
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I used to live just over the border in Nashua, NH, so I'm familiar with the New England snow season. And Denmark (my current location), gets a good dump of a few centimeters every year in January.
While rear-wheel drifting in snow is more fun on a tadpole, a delta (like a standard Kettweisel) should have better traction since your weight is pretty much over the rear wheels. If you have steep hills, a tadpole will suffer from lack of traction, but a delta will suffer from steering up steep angles (no weight on front wheel).
You could opt for an all-wheel drive trike, like the Russian S-4 (http://trike.ru/en/english.php), or perhaps the Sidewinder (front-wheel drive tadpole with rear-wheel steering - http://www.sidewindercycle.com/). I've also seen a front-wheel-drive tadpole with front steering, and a front-wheel drive delta too.
There is a new quad from Steintrikes too that looks like a neat idea.
Alternatively you could go with a cheaper/used trike and just have a spare set of wheels with Schwalbe studded tires pre-mounted, or make sure there is a modest amount of weight over the wheels that need it on the ride you choose.
For me it does not seem to be a problem since I tend to carry my laptop around with me, and Copenhagen is more-or-less flat with gentle gradients. I like making the trike power-slide. :)
Edited by digitalmouse on 05 December 2009 at 12:03am
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Trike Adventure! recumbent touring in Denmark, Sweden, and Germany - contact Jimm for tours and schedules!
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pfdavis
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| Posted: 07 December 2009 at 6:21am | IP Logged
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Thanks, digitalmouse. I actually do most of my riding on a paved bike path which is pretty flat. However, after I get off the path, there's one nasty hill (about 15% grade, I think) that I have to climb to get home. On the TT delta I was using, it had trouble with wet leaves, let alone snow or ice.
I thought perhaps a delta with 2-wheel drive might be better not just because of the weight, but because you have two wheels turning. If one slips, the other might catch. I don't know if it works that way in reality though.
Thanks!
-pd
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digitalmouse
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| Posted: 16 December 2009 at 3:51am | IP Logged
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No Problem pd.
There are deltas with differentials, such as the ScooterTrike, which I've had the pleasure of riding not too long ago. Worked rather well in keeping traction to one or both wheels as needed and is a comfy trike too, although a bit heavy.
The Hase Kettwiesel also can use a Diff - I think it's even a limited-slip-diff.
So there are possibilities to keep traction on the ground when needed.
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Trike Adventure! recumbent touring in Denmark, Sweden, and Germany - contact Jimm for tours and schedules!
http://trikeadventure.terapad.com
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pfdavis
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| Posted: 16 December 2009 at 5:50am | IP Logged
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digitalmouse wrote:
No Problem pd.
There are deltas with differentials, such as the ScooterTrike, which I've had the pleasure of riding not too long ago. Worked rather well in keeping traction to one or both wheels as needed and is a comfy trike too, although a bit heavy.
The Hase Kettwiesel also can use a Diff - I think it's even a limited-slip-diff.
So there are possibilities to keep traction on the ground when needed.
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I meant to say earlier the TT *tadpole* had trouble with wet leaves. That's why I was thinking about a delta. The Scooter Trike looks interesting. I haven't seen that one before. I wonder if they're in the U.S. at all. The Greenspeed Anura is another one I'm looking at.
Overall, though, I'll probably go for a tadpole, and maybe put a studded rear tire on for winter use.
BTW, I used to work in Nashua, NH. Not a bad commute from the Boston area, since it's opposite the traffic flow.
Cheers,
-pd
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myksav
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| Posted: 18 December 2009 at 2:43pm | IP Logged
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Haven't got snow in west Cork but the day time temps today Friday were floating at 0C all day. Since dark, it's down to -4C.
I went for a spin on the trike this afternoon and discovered that she handles ice very nicely. Much nicer than my bikes.  If I pushed too hard on the pedals, the back wheel spun but was totally controlable. The steering didn't seem effected, the front didn't let go at all when cornering and the braking was like being on gravel, not as quick to stop as on asphalt but much better than I expected. I didn't go for any serious slope, though. I'm not totally daft. 
I was using the usual pressures in the tires, Schwalbe Marathons, 50psi rear and 65psi fronts.
Back roads seem less "dangerous" than the main ones, even though there would be a lot more shade and potential ice. Much less car traffic and the surface is a lot rougher in texture, so even ice-coated there's still grip.
An army suprlus jeep cap fits nicely under my helmet and keeps the head and ears warm (or not cold), a fleece and longjohns under my breathable waterproofs kept the cold and windchill at bay. Cycling glases, one-piece lens, kept my eyeballs from freezing, or just watering a lot.
One thing though, Irish drivers are highly un-nerving at frezing temps, they're not used to it at all. 
Mike Savage
South West Cork
edited because of a giant smilie.
Edited by myksav on 19 December 2009 at 2:49am
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digitalmouse
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| Posted: 20 December 2009 at 1:40pm | IP Logged
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had a recent snow flurry here in Copenhagen:
turns out that the unplowed back roads between point A and point B are faster now (although maybe longer, distance-wise) because only a small groove of the cycle roads are cleared. Quicker for me to use the routes that are too slippery for the uprights. :)
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Trike Adventure! recumbent touring in Denmark, Sweden, and Germany - contact Jimm for tours and schedules!
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RTR Message Board : Recumbent Trike
Topic: Snow ?!? No Problem !!!
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