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Q&A

Comments on Towing with a Recumbent Trike, Tadpole or Delta?

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Towing with a Recumbent Trike, Tadpole or Delta?

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I have some experience towing with an upright bike I am considering getting a recumbent trike, as my back side does not last as long as my legs. With an upright bike I automatically move my weight forward, back or center to manage traction. On a trike that would not seem to be an option (have not ridden one yet).

I primarily ride on 'rails to trails', with surfaces running from paved to gravel to grass. Fully loaded my trailer is around 100 pounds (45 KG). My primary concerns are traction during starting, braking and cornering. I am almost exclusively riding up stream, and drifting down with top sustained speeds of around 7 miles per hour (11 KPH). My trailer does not have brakes, adding them is an option.

With a trike in general it would seem the end with two wheels is going to have half as much load per tire, with twice as much surface area, as an upright. Does this balance out the friction/traction or impact when starting, braking and turning?

For towing is a Tadpole or Delta the best option?

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General comments (1 comment)
General comments
Pastychomper‭ wrote over 3 years ago

I have no relevant experience, but I have read that some deltas use a one-wheel drive for simplicity, and that this can cause problems under heavy load. I'd expect that to get worse with a trailer, so if you go for a delta you might need to pay the extra for one with a differential.

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