Towing with a Recumbent Trike, Tadpole or Delta?
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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After lengthy consideration, I went with the delta. My particular trike has one wheel drive. After the first outing I put a knobby tire on the drive wheel. I have always made sufficient traction to move forward. Yes it is possible to spin the traction tire in some scenarios, it is also possible to apply a little less force, get traction and move forward.
The other consideration is towing connection. Off the shelf solutions are more available for Tadpole as it has the same configuration in the back a normally bicycle. Home made solutions (IMHO) favor the Delta.
I don't think either Delta or Tadpole has a strong advantage.
Example towing a canoe with a trike
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This isn't a direct answer, but something that should be cleared up.
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.
Yes, each wheel will have half the load. However, the overall area contacting the road is still the same. Road contact area is basically proportional to load at a given tire pressure. Assuming all three tires have the same pressure, the two separate tires will each have half the contact area as the single tire, resulting in the same overall contact area.
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