Adult Trikes

[IFjane]

Have any of you had experience with adult tricycles? My 85 year old mother mentioned getting one last week and I am wondering if they are easy to ride. Mom has always ridden bikes but probably has not been on one for the last four years. She is worried about balance issues and thought a trike would be easier. Your thoughts?

Her birthday is in early March and I am thinking this might be a good present.

Thanks for any info you can give me!

[Trek420]

Her birthday is in early March and I am thinking this might be a good present.

Thanks for any info you can give me!

I don't know anything about trikes but I just wanna say

"Go IFjane Mom, go!" :D

Birthday heck, valentines day is right around the corner.

Get this grrl a trike now! You can upgrade to full carbon for her birthday, or a nice TE jersey. I favor the "Hill Slug" one myself.

If I was having balance, back, neck problems to the extent I felt would keep me off a bike I'd go recumbent in a heartbeat, or even a trike and keep riding.

I wanna be like IFjane's Mom when I grow up. :p

[IFjane]

Trek - I, too, want to be like my mom when I grow up! Well, almost - did I mention she's ornery, too? :p

I have pictures of her on a bike 4 years ago at my DS's house in CO. Unfortunately, they are on the computer at work - I wll try and remember to post one when I get back to work next week. She's quite a character!

Thanks for your good thoughts - I have printed out your comments and will give them to her when I give her the trike. ;)

[KnottedYet]

There are some very cool trikes out there. Racing trikes, recumbent trikes, Worksman trikes...

[Trek420]

Thanks for your good thoughts - I have printed out your comments and will give them to her when I give her the trike. ;)

Don't print it yet :p I suspect there will be a lot more good wishes ;)

Ornery is a good trait. :) But I prefer to think of myself a "independent minded, tenacious, determined, focused" not "ornery" ;)

[sbctwin]

When DH was looking for an adult trike (he has balance issues), the upright adult trikes are ok. We found a local place that had some Sun's available. We are talking the really upright ones with the baskets on front and back. We found that you really can't go very fast on them and you really have to be careful about corners. I rode it around a parking lot and I was not impressed with the handling. I think they would be fine if you are looking at going around the neighborhood or a park. DH is 64 and I didn't think he would enjoy this kind of limited riding, just yet. But, he also would not ride his 2 wheel bike because of his balance limitations.

DH surprised me a couple of weeks ago and said he was more interested in the adult recumbant trike. After looking at them again and test riding a couple, he got himself a Greenspeed GT3. TsPoet sent us some very useful information and it was based on her recommendations that I think Tom finally went with a recumbant trike. Getting in and out of it will be his biggest problem. We shall see how it goes once he has it and is able to play. The GT3 is a tadpole design (2 wheels up front, one in back). He tried the delta style (2 wheels back, 1 up front), but the GT3 felt easier for him.

When we finally get it in hand, I want to take pics of him on it....

[IFjane]

sbctwin - please post pictures as soon as you get them! I think a recumbant will be too hard for my mom to get in and out of - getting up and down are difficult for her. Probably the upright one with the baskets will be the best. Virtually all of her riding will be around the neighborhood with no tight turns.

We'll see. I am still in the thinking stage.....:confused:

[Trek420]

And it's made in U.S.A.

www.trailmate.com/productDeSotoClassic.cfm

[sbctwin]

And it's made in U.S.A.

www.trailmate.com/productDeSotoClassic.cfm

The pic of this bike is pretty much like the Sun we tried. We had a hard time trying to find a place close enough to actually test ride one....

[Tri Girl]

Wow- IFjane- you're mom is AMAZING!!! :D I'm so excited that she still wants to bike. And to think that most days in the winter, I dread the thought of riding- and I'm 50 years younger than her (I'm hanging my head in shame :o). I hope to be just like your mom in another half century. Wow- I'll bet she's one fiesty woman!!!!
Go get her that trike! Heck, it looks like so much fun I'll get one and go riding with her. ;)

[itself]

Have any of you had experience with adult tricycles? My 85 year old mother mentioned getting one last week and I am wondering if they are easy to ride. Mom has always ridden bikes but probably has not been on one for the last four years. She is worried about balance issues and thought a trike would be easier. Your thoughts?

Her birthday is in early March and I am thinking this might be a good present.

Thanks for any info you can give me!


There are a number of recumbent trikes that are comfortable. Being seen (a common myth) is NOT a problem. Here are some manufacturers:

1. ICE Trice (high end)
2. Catrike (great american company)
3. Greenspeed (Australia)
4. Kettweisel
5. Sun

We absolutely love our tandem trike, and have put many happy miles on it!

Lisa :)
ICE X2 Tandem
Aero 24

[tulip]

Bikes @ Vienna in Vienna, Virginia has all sorts of trikes and recumbents, including some for people with disabilities (the only place I've seen that has them).

www.bikesatvienna.com

[mimitabby]

my mother tried a trike about 10 years ago and they found it to be very heavy and difficult to get around simple obstacles like driveways with a slope. I'll bet if you buy something new you can find something that doesn't weigh as much.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I can't see an 85 year old being comfortable getting on and off a low recumbant bike. It's enough trouble getting on and off a couch! :cool:

I think you should get your mother a comfortable mixte, and then get some adult training wheels on it for balance. There are several training wheels for adult bikes on the market.
Here is a start:
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=adult+training+wheels&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

[IFjane]

Trek - I, too, want to be like my mom when I grow up! Well, almost - did I mention she's ornery, too? :p

I have pictures of her on a bike 4 years ago at my DS's house in CO. Unfortunately, they are on the computer at work - I wll try and remember to post one when I get back to work next week. She's quite a character!



I finally remembered to post pictures of my mom - and these were taken 3 years ago, not 4....She turned 85 on March 3. By the way, we decided not to get her a trike - you are right, mimi - too heavy. She didn't like it.

As for the ride on the bike without the helmet - she was trying it out to see if it fit before we actually went on a ride - and she didn't want to mess up her hair! :eek::eek:

[Tuckervill]

Look at her go! 85! Another role model.

Karen

[KathiCville]

Great pics of your mom, Jane!....One of my favorite childhood memories is of my then 80+ year old maternal grandfather slowly pedaling around somebody's front yard on a nothing-fancy bike on a lazy Sunday summer afternoon. Wearing a hat, and probably a bowtie to boot! :D

[tulip]

Well, since we are posting pics of our moms (talk about thread drift!!), my mom was photographed at the farmers market last summer and is now featured in the tourist/newcomer literature for the city where she lives. It's kinda cool!

She does ride a bike (a Breezer Villager), but not in this pic.

[IFjane]

Tulip, your mom looks like she belongs on a brochure.....or in Southern Living! :)

I want to be like my mom when I am 85 - in the sense that she will still jump on a bike and ride. :rolleyes: