All of you are amazing! I never thought that a 78 year old lady could still be interested in trike technical talk, but these were great! I just bought an Ice Adventure HD with pedal assist here in TN and can’t wait to spend many days on the trails instead of on the couch!
We've just bought a used Ti Fly here in the UK. We couldn't work out why it was so slow. We've now changed the tyres, threaded the derailleur properly and most of all, done the tracking (it was a whopping inch and a quarter out). Now the Ti really does fly. Thanks for the advice and thanks for all your excellent videos.
Great bunch of tips. Makes me want to do a “walk around” before each ride and schedule a little maintenance on my own every 50-100 miles. Thanks for the great advice.
Thank you for a very informative video. I'm thinking about getting a trike because I'm getting older and my 2 wheel recumbent is getting harder and harder to balance.
Hi!!! Many thanks for that video and for all your advices. And thanks for the scenes at the end of the video, always a Pleasure to see the backstages!!!!! Forza and see you. 😉👍👌🤙 I can't have enough of your videos!!!👍👅
Fenders over the wheels, especially around the front and top of the wheel will improve aero alot. Wax the chain, use "oz cycle" formula, look up hes channel, its white candlewax with 20ish percent ptfe. Recline your seat to reduce frontal area, aerodynamic resistance is frontal area times drag coefficient. Make aerocovers for your wheels from cheap sheet plastic, trikes are not prone to "windwobble" like a bike is. Route hoses and wires together, just use tape to bundle them, also cut down on length or hide them on the trailing side of frametubes or steeringtubes. Make a "fishtail" behind the seat that covers rear wheel and assembly, most aerogains are from reduction on the trailing side of the object. Reduce tyrepressure(YES) until the ride isn't harsh anymore, it sounds counter-intuitive but it shows that it more often than not helps efficiency to run softer. These are my cheapest and most DIY friendly tips=)
Excellent overall tips very well presented. Thanks for all the work you put into this excellent video. All I'd add is it would be really worthwhile for most cyclists to spend some time and effort fine tuning their trike gearing. Coming to cycling from a background in sports car racing I am constantly amazed by how poorly most cyclists understand gearing and its importance in improving all aspects of performance. Many seem to think that the only two gear combinations worth considering are the lowest low and the highest high. Nothing could be further from the truth. In order to go from a dead stop to flat out top speed some clever devil years ago came up with the idea of providing intermediate gears to allow a gradual transition from low to high gear rather than one or two massive jumps. If you don't understand the reason for this here's an experiment for you to conduct. On a reasonably flat section of roadway put your trike in its highest gear and attempt to start off. Didn't work out too well did it. Now put your trike in its lowest gear and start off. Quite an improvement huh? Clearly having a low gear is helpful to your initial launch. Now comes one last experiment, put your trike in its lowest gear, start off and when you hit your normal cadence shift directly into your highest gear. Whoops! Didn't work out too well did it. So now that we appreciate the need for graduated gearing between our lowest and highest gears we are on the right track. In sports car racing the methodology used in selecting gear ratios is to match up three things: RPM, Torque Curve-Power Output/Track characteristics. Translated into the cycling world what this adds up to is determining the cadence where endurability and maximum power output intersect and than matching not only your trike's lowest and highest gears to your abilities and terrain but fine tuning the spacing between those two to maximize the efficiency of transition and minimize the dramatic loss in power output you experienced when shifting directly from your lowest to highest gear. The number of gears and the spacing between each depends entirely on you preferred pedal cadence, overall power output, and the sort of terrain you normally ride in. So there is no "one setup fits all option." You've just got to experiment. Just because the fast guy in your club uses a certain gearing setup does not mean it will work for you. And just because some macho BS circulating in the cycling world contends that only sissies maintain fast cadences while "real" cyclists just grunt and bear it doesn't mean it's true. Equip your trike with a cadence sensor and try cycling various distances at various RPMs and you will soon discover where best performance and longevity overlap. Now try to set up gearing that allows you to maintain that cadence for most of the rides you make in terrain you typically encounter. Once you hit that sweet spot you'll say "Oh wow, so that's what that sports car guy was talking about!" Oh yeah, one last thing having to do with the Power Grip straps mentioned in this video. I have long maintained that if clipless pedals had been invented before Power Grips when Power Grips came along that would have been the end of clipless pedals and all the costs and problems they brought with them. I rode thousands of miles on a very demanding short wheel base recumbent using Power Grips and I never looked back. Inexpensive, durable, endlessly adjustable, extremely good at holding ones feet in place (my normal cruising cadence was 120 with occasional sprints to 160) and much, much, much safer when riding in tricky terrain or traffic. To those who have tried them and found them lacking I would suggest that you try them again and spend some time fine tuning the strap adjustment.
I just read your article on peddling technics and plan to try it. I do have one associated question I hope it doesn't sound too stupid, could you make a short video on how to install and use peddle straps. I've tried several types and find it very hard to get in and out of them, or maybe it's my shoe size 14 . But I'd sure appreciate some help on this currently I use only a bear peddles 😂
A tip to increase speed, and comfort. Adjust the angle of your foot on the pedals if you experience knee pain with clips. The angle from your toe to heel will cause knee joint pain if it is wrong. I found this out the hard way. I am an above knee amputee and I was experiencing pain in my remaining knee. I added a spacer moving the pedal out from the crank and rotated my heel in towards the crank to fix my issue. You may find the opposite true for yourselves (heel out), but I highly recommend you experiment on your own. An allen wrench is all that is required to change the angle to test this, and if required the spacers are under $5. Once your knees no longer hurt you will find yourself being much faster on your trike.
So tip #6 attach your feet is also a safety tip. I went riding one time without my clip shoes and when I hit a series of uneven trail, my feet slipped off and the trike slammed into the back of my legs. I have never forgotten my clip shoes since.
Just curious you have a lovely channel. Just curious these chains are so very long and go thru a chain tube etc. I wax my regular bike chain can that be done to these long chains by just using a lot of molten wax. etc i.e. waxing a chain. Also those chains must cost a lot?
OK guys & gals, I've followed all of your tips for faster speed, now I have a 4500HP jet engine that I have acquired, (can't say where) any recommendations on how I could mount this to the trike, without it taking off from the trike. I've tried welding it to the trike, but it keeps breaking free. Any suggestions. Oh yeah and I need some tips on heat disbursement.
Love recumbents and any tips to make the experience more enjoyable is appreciated . Actually if you want to go faster other then proper bike maintenance and tire choice then change your diet and loose some weight if speed is important . a bike is only as fast as the person riding it .
Increasing the rider's power should indeed come way before adding motor power, as should reducing rider weight come before reducing the vehicle's weight. I might want to add that I do live in that imaginary country where hills are (virtually) absent and weight thus is not that much of a consideration for me. Great tips though, many are also very applicable to bikes and even non-recumbents.
@@hansfm2032 Loosing weight does have its benefits obviously more then just cycling but i am intrigued with this imaginary land you live . I live in Canada a pretty flat country more or less at least in the interior of the country but for sure it isnt imaginary so you must be in Europe and based on your channel name i would imagine its either Denmark or Norway both places i would only imagine i could visit . Have a great day Hans and be safe ..
Changed the front wheels on my Catrike Expedition from 20 to 24 inch and wider to 2.5 back from 26 to 29 with 2.5. My guess about 2m/h faster and a smoother ride would not even think of a catrike with stock tires and wheels now
Up to a point, but sacrificing a comfortable and safe riding position for the sake of reduced drag is counter productive. You only have to look at the awful riding positions of people on uprights in a velodrome. They may have 'good' aero, but holy carp, it's worse than medieval torture! 😉
Power grips are awesome with a strip of 3/4" "velcro one-wrap (self-adhering velcro) through the pedals and around the heel for additional retention. Super flexible lightweight and secure for any shoes including Tevas. Better breathability on the foot in general with different shoes depending on conditons.
I bought a ecat 559 and I love it but I wish I had gone one more and got the dumont. Couldn’t have afforded ecat version. So now wondering if suspension can be added
Having feet attached to the pedal is also important in the sense so the feets won't fall below and touch the ground, resulting in a very nasty accident that can break your leg if you are going at speed
My problem with those is that they attach at the ball of the foot, as needed for upright bikes. On a recumbent, I find more power by having the pedal touch my foot lower than that.
@@KutWrite The reason for attachment at ball of foot is to avoid pressure on the plantar fascia, that tough tendon that spans the bottom of the foot from said ball of foot to heel. Proper foot placement on the pedal nearly eliminates the occurence of painful conditions of this tendon being plantar facitis and heel spurs from using soft parts of the foot to mash on the pedals.
I have had no issues at all with sciatic pain. I have a piriformis trigger point that will wipe out my leg if irritated, and have zero problems on my Tricon mesh seat. Wish I could say the same for the car!
I was starting to have knee pain and problems, it was solved by putting crank spacers on the pedals to move them out further, placing your feet wider apart will put your knees and feet in a more natural alignment for comfort. I'm short 5.7, so i also opted for 152mm crank arms, (your knees don't bend so sharply on the return rotation). Those two things took away the knee problem Simple fix
I put spacers on my trike too, but only because my big floppy clown shoes kept creeping off the pedals. This a great solution for people with big feet. I suppose 2 sets of spacers is possible for actual clowns.
Yo Lewis! Another great video. Lewis, maybe try riding the trikes on the right tire, instead of the left tire, might increase your speed since you're wearing out all those left tires when showing us your balancing skills.. LOL
Too far back, the trike can tip over easily on corners, too far forward, you can lift the rear braking hard and maybe lose directional control, crashing. This is why nearly all trikes don't have adjustment to slide the seat, but only boom adjustment for leg length.
It would be cool if you had blinding led lights for your trikes. I'd would rig up a way to outfour headlights on the trike to blind upcoming traffic I plan on getting from you.
I just want to say that, in this video, your shop looks a lot better than it was the last time I was there. I mean this in a positive way, I am glad to see you are doing well.
someone should build a double hammock trike/buggy 3 or four wheels. It would be awsome for wheelchair users to get a ride in the countryside with someone else driving.
Awesome rundown. Love Louis and Kate and the whole team. Question. Is there a torque sensing motor (hopefully crank base, not hub) that will do crazy high speeds, or are we stuck at 20 mph limit from Bosch and Shimano? I like the build of the Bafang HD and the power, but really would want torque sensing to maximize control. Bafangs tend to be a little binary on their assist, and ultimately, it's hard to combine your own power with its power well. After a few years with a BBS02 750W on a bike, I've decided it's great and super practical, but it's always doing most of the work up to a max speed where it drops off and makes me work hard (at like 30mph and massive aero wall). Have you used the Bafang Max Ultra or M600/M500 torque sensing non-bottom bracket based units yet?
Thanks for the comment. We have experimented with different torque sensing crank-mounted motors and what we've found is that at the higher power outputs and higher rpms they just don't feel natural because they are tied to the cranks. An actual middrive with pedal gearing in front of the motor that then goes to the final gearing is the better way to go, but much more complicated. For high-speed riders it's hard to beat choosing your own assist with a throttle.
Give it a try on 2 1/4" tires. I'm much happier since going with the oversized tires. I'm thinking about a 28" rear wheel mod which should equate to 29 1/2"" diameter. I've run the same BBSO2 kit w a NuVinci hub for four yrs.. My 5.5.9 is tricked out with about twenty more lbs of accessories, oversized custom panniers from Dill Pickle in Somerville, MA and a large 48 v 30AH li-ion battery pack hanging off the back of the seat purchased direct from China. Time to start thinking about a safer battery pack. Getting. 31 mph max. Haven't dwelled on speed as much as comfort. Often wish I'd opted for something w suspension, but don't know about the forward weight distribution in the Dumont. Already have almost as much tied up in the Cattrike as my car, lol.
Louis, thanks for the tips! Spent a cloudy afternoon giving the HP some spring love. Wheel alignment was definitely an issue with excessive wear on the right front as well as the rear tire. Blocked the left front in place with a 1/16 toe in and re-set the right side to match. Moved all zip-tie heads to the trailing edges. Aero. Anticipating a time reduction tomorrow. Appreciate you guys!
This just lit a bulb in my head: I noticed a recent tease for an upcoming "side-by-side" custom trike/quad. Has there ever been a streamlined front-to-back tandem? Twice the input power, exchange for more weight!
I've had my Catrike Villager for 3 months; I have lost 10 pounds so far; my goal is to lose 30 more. That will compensate for the 40 pounds of the trike itself. At that point, my downhill speed will probably still be top-gear-limited to about 20 mph, but I am hoping my uphill speed will improve dramatically. There are a lot of hills around here, mostly uphill it seems.
As someone who makes videos for a living, can I offer you a couple tips that I wish someone had explained to me years ago? 1- Unless you use a teleprompter every day, it is nearly impossible to look natural doing it, and it will be distracting to the audience. Practice each clip in front of the camera 3X before filming until you get more proficient. 2- Learn to break eye contact from time to time. People very briefly shift their gaze down or to the side while they formulate what they are going to say throughout any conversation as part of natural body movement and gestures. Nobody talks for five minutes without breaking direct eye contact. It looks creepy in real life, and it looks unnatural on camera. 3- Finally, use a lot of B-roll to break up the talking shots. Viewers get bored with staring at someone staring at them. You need at least 50-60% B-roll to run while you talk, especially if you aren't skilled with the teleprompter.
To Utah trike, I have a Performer JC 70 2019 model . Do you know of anyway to put suspention on the front two wheels. Performer did not offer any kind of suspenion on the JC 70. I pu a 1000 watt 36 volt motor and it wll run about 30 mph and hitting bumps are a bitch. Please reply
Depending on the head tube angle it might be possible to use a suspension spindle from Sun, Catrike, or ICE. It would likely involve some custom-made machines parts and a change to your steering. Ultimately, you'd likely be better off selling your trike and getting one with suspension designed into it.
Cheers all . New to recumbent triking. So thanks for the tips. Ok I'm going ask. Erm. Pain in butt. Well where bum meets leg area after about 20miles is that normal I've even put a cushion on the seat, yeah I'm old and have no shame? Otherwise comfy. Now I want one of those fairings. Who does this stuff in the UK any body know? Oh Lewis hello from the Fens in the UK. No hills and very flat. :)
Midnormould (Mid-Norfolk Mouldings) make a nosecone-type recumbent fairing, you can find them on fleabay. You will need to make up a mounting system yourself though. An alternative I've thought about - but nothing more - is a fabric (parachute nylon?) nosecone tensioned with split bamboo canes from the garden centre. Cut the fabric to the right pattern with pockets along the seams to hold the canes in a nice streamlined curve and you should end up with a very cheap, stable, lightweight and aerodynamic fairing. Obviously the first thing to do would be to work out the positions of feet and knees at maximum displacement in order to get a side profile. The width at the front will be determined by the width of your feet on the pedals, rear width will depend on whether you want your hands out of the wind or not.
The pain issue is from an ill fitting seat most likely. Look into a new seat with a shorter distance from front to rear, you can test this by moving your pillow behind your back instead of under you. Also look for a seat without a bar under the front where it can contact your legs. Look at an ICE Adventure's seat to understand if you can access one. I ride with a prosthetic leg socket that is nearly to my hip without issue. Good Luck.
Schwalbe G-One 40-406 TL is faster than any of their 28mm tires. A guy from Schwalbe told me at Spezi they measured that in their lab. 2mm toe-in is too much, especially with narrow hard tires. I figured out Schwalbe Big Apples work really well ghetto style tubeless (Schwalbe is not approving the BA TL!). If you have a trike with poor steering alignment like old Alleweder's McPherson suspension with DIN 71802 angled ball joints (with lots of clearance) Big Apples @ 2bar may be faster than any narrow tire. With this knowlege I`m very sure the 40-406 G-ONE will be even more fast compared to a 28-406 on a trike's front wheels, which is never 100% aligned, than at Schwalbe's test in the lab. If you are riding a lot of tracks that are narrow or have two tracks of concrete or gravel and grass in the middle a two wheeled recumbent will be much faster as with a trike you always have to drag two wheels trough the grass.
Swapping your trike for a bike doesn't sound like a sensible option for someone who wants a trike. Besides, if you're riding really fast on those kind of trails, a modern upright will usually have the edge over rougher terrain than a 'bent. Sometimes you have to accept that compromised is unavoidable.
LEWIS LEWIS LEWIS Well, you all are great in my book. And if I EVER make it to your part of the world, I will definitely stop in. Maybe Lewis could show me how to do the 2 wheel trick hahaha. I did the motor thing years ago. Started with a BionX and moved into a geared hub motor 3 years ago. Not so much for speed, not saying I don't use it to go fast sometimes, but more for taking the pain out of these old bones. I leave it turned down low until a hill that hurts or I need to make some time.
I updated my Greenspeed GTO to a 10 speed in the rear on a 1600 watt hubmotor from Lunacycle. Changed the shifting around from 3 twist grips to 10 speed and triple Microshift bar-end shifters and other tweeks. With a "52v20Ah" battery it'll cruise around 38mph for a couple of days of normal useage and can climb any local hills without burning out a controller or me. I'd love to go with a full velomobile (Quattrocycle!) and a smaller assist in order to get more speed with less assist and weather protection in the winter.
Ok of course that I am willing to help by subscribing and more by adding your company in my playlist helping you to have a better visibility there in Europe ( France ) . I hope you will enjoy my french videos too . Mist of all have a beautiful and blessed day . Greetings from France .
Can you do a video on pedal steer. I am suffering pedal steer when spinning, if I move to a higher gear it lessins, but my cadence moves to an undesireable zone, is there any ballance?
Watching videos, you can see trike and velomobile riders pedalling fast and their head wags left and right as a counterbalance. As your left knee hits top, your head is to the left and so on. I noticed what you say when cadence is up, tried this and it does the trick. My Magnum has a more rigid frame than my GT3, so isn't as bad but it still happens.
Here's a question I haven't seen addressed. I was one of those CRAZY Americans touring while on a traditional bicycle hauling a Bob trailer. With my excess weight (300+, height 6'3") and loaded with winter and camping gear...I totaled from the start 440 #. I did manage to go up the shorter hills but when it came to the mountains or +8 deg incline...I turned into a PUSH MY LOAD. How will I be able to push this TRIKE while hauling a BOB trailer? Do I need to bend over at a weird angle and PUSH? or is there a tool I can add? Legit question? THANK YOU
Pushing a recumbent trike is generally quite awkward. I would actually suggest pulling from the front, using a very long nylon strap. Assuming two wheels at the front, attach one end on to the base of the left handlebar or steering tube, the other to the right side, allowing you control of the steering. You now have a long handle. Grab the strap in the centre and off you go. Of course, this is where electric assistance start to make a lot of sense... sitting down with the motor doing most of the work. 😁
ah tip number 12 go electric and program the computer for the smallest possible tire size. Most electrics kick off at 25 MPH, but a 26 inch tire going 25 is spinning slower than a 10 inch tire... so if the computer thinks you have a 10 inch tire well...keeping up with traffic is much easier...
These amazing 3 wheeled pedal powered trikes with the battery assist electric motor and one wheel drive pound for pound are 10-20 times more expensive than a LOADED 2020 BMW AWD X5. Wow! 🤷♂️
Maybe so, but show me a car that weights less than 100 pounds and can still reach 50mph? The world record is over 100mph on a motorized tadpole trike last I heard, and the same trike with the motor controller turned down gets well over 100 miles on a single charge as well even when not pedaling.
Unfortunately the price is a combination of high-quality and low volume manufacturing. If they sold 100,000 electric trikes a year, the price would probably be 1/3 of what they cost now.
Economies of scale at work. But with a trike you don't need a driving licence or car insurance. You don't pay vehicle specific taxes, and you can legally use a trike in places where cars aren't allowed. Pound for pound, diamonds are more expensive than trikes... but they have no wheel drive and they just sit there doing nothing! 😁
Wanna go way faster not just tweaking stuff? Get a Varitrike. You get 30% more power which means you are the quickest fastest recumbent trike. Hands down.
Adding a motor is not "cheating". It's a legitimate way to gain speed and power; not everyone is 20 years old. I pull 60 pounds of trailer and 50+ pounds of bike packing gear, and 188 pounds of me on a 45 pound trike. Now long 6 to 8 hour riding days are more efficient and less brutal on my 70 year old legs. Stop busting the chops of people who like e-assist. Enjoy your ride and we'll enjoy ours.
@@truth-Hurts375 it is my understanding that wheel covers act as sails although i suppose that could act against you too, depending on your angle to the winds direction. sail boats can make progress into the wind though so any side wind might be positive. i doubt its a big boost or loss either way compared to the general aero advantage. as to being blown about, i haven't found them (my catrike 700 has a rear carbon disc and front wheel covers) to be a problem even in high winds, certainly ones that would blow any normal cyclist about anyway.
All of you are amazing! I never thought that a 78 year old lady could still be interested in trike technical talk, but these were great! I just bought an Ice Adventure HD with pedal assist here in TN and can’t wait to spend many days on the trails instead of on the couch!
Enjoy your Adventure(s)!
Awesome! Happy cycling!
Yes
Where in TN? I’m Chattanooga.
I need help in buiying a trike
I like the Utah Trikes videos. Well made and no nonsense. Not too fancy, just clean and purposeful. Very fun to watch and full of good info.
Thanks Geoff!
We've just bought a used Ti Fly here in the UK. We couldn't work out why it was so slow. We've now changed the tyres, threaded the derailleur properly and most of all, done the tracking (it was a whopping inch and a quarter out). Now the Ti really does fly. Thanks for the advice and thanks for all your excellent videos.
Great bunch of tips. Makes me want to do a “walk around” before each ride and schedule a little maintenance on my own every 50-100 miles. Thanks for the great advice.
I agree losing the weight off of your belly is the best way to decrease the weight of your ride. Great video you guys keep it up.👍😊
That is an aero belly... reduces drag.
IMO; health/weight reduction is the best reason to own a trike. Plus they're fun!
Thank you for a very informative video. I'm thinking about getting a trike because I'm getting older and my 2 wheel recumbent is getting harder and harder to balance.
Hi!!!
Many thanks for that video and for all your advices.
And thanks for the scenes at the end of the video, always a Pleasure to see the backstages!!!!!
Forza and see you.
😉👍👌🤙
I can't have enough of your videos!!!👍👅
Fenders over the wheels, especially around the front and top of the wheel will improve aero alot. Wax the chain, use "oz cycle" formula, look up hes channel, its white candlewax with 20ish percent ptfe. Recline your seat to reduce frontal area, aerodynamic resistance is frontal area times drag coefficient. Make aerocovers for your wheels from cheap sheet plastic, trikes are not prone to "windwobble" like a bike is. Route hoses and wires together, just use tape to bundle them, also cut down on length or hide them on the trailing side of frametubes or steeringtubes. Make a "fishtail" behind the seat that covers rear wheel and assembly, most aerogains are from reduction on the trailing side of the object. Reduce tyrepressure(YES) until the ride isn't harsh anymore, it sounds counter-intuitive but it shows that it more often than not helps efficiency to run softer. These are my cheapest and most DIY friendly tips=)
Yeah, a tail fairing is one of the first aerodynamic aids you should consider - and they look really cool!
What about covering the Wheels I’m sure they have something. Plastic inserts ?
I was just wishing for a way to make my trike faster this morning. You read my mind!!
Very well, thank you all & good luck!
Excellent overall tips very well presented. Thanks for all the work you put into this excellent video. All I'd add is it would be really worthwhile for most cyclists to spend some time and effort fine tuning their trike gearing. Coming to cycling from a background in sports car racing I am constantly amazed by how poorly most cyclists understand gearing and its importance in improving all aspects of performance. Many seem to think that the only two gear combinations worth considering are the lowest low and the highest high. Nothing could be further from the truth. In order to go from a dead stop to flat out top speed some clever devil years ago came up with the idea of providing intermediate gears to allow a gradual transition from low to high gear rather than one or two massive jumps. If you don't understand the reason for this here's an experiment for you to conduct. On a reasonably flat section of roadway put your trike in its highest gear and attempt to start off. Didn't work out too well did it. Now put your trike in its lowest gear and start off. Quite an improvement huh? Clearly having a low gear is helpful to your initial launch. Now comes one last experiment, put your trike in its lowest gear, start off and when you hit your normal cadence shift directly into your highest gear. Whoops! Didn't work out too well did it. So now that we appreciate the need for graduated gearing between our lowest and highest gears we are on the right track. In sports car racing the methodology used in selecting gear ratios is to match up three things: RPM, Torque Curve-Power Output/Track characteristics. Translated into the cycling world what this adds up to is determining the cadence where endurability and maximum power output intersect and than matching not only your trike's lowest and highest gears to your abilities and terrain but fine tuning the spacing between those two to maximize the efficiency of transition and minimize the dramatic loss in power output you experienced when shifting directly from your lowest to highest gear. The number of gears and the spacing between each depends entirely on you preferred pedal cadence, overall power output, and the sort of terrain you normally ride in. So there is no "one setup fits all option." You've just got to experiment. Just because the fast guy in your club uses a certain gearing setup does not mean it will work for you. And just because some macho BS circulating in the cycling world contends that only sissies maintain fast cadences while "real" cyclists just grunt and bear it doesn't mean it's true. Equip your trike with a cadence sensor and try cycling various distances at various RPMs and you will soon discover where best performance and longevity overlap. Now try to set up gearing that allows you to maintain that cadence for most of the rides you make in terrain you typically encounter. Once you hit that sweet spot you'll say "Oh wow, so that's what that sports car guy was talking about!" Oh yeah, one last thing having to do with the Power Grip straps mentioned in this video. I have long maintained that if clipless pedals had been invented before Power Grips when Power Grips came along that would have been the end of clipless pedals and all the costs and problems they brought with them. I rode thousands of miles on a very demanding short wheel base recumbent using Power Grips and I never looked back. Inexpensive, durable, endlessly adjustable, extremely good at holding ones feet in place (my normal cruising cadence was 120 with occasional sprints to 160) and much, much, much safer when riding in tricky terrain or traffic. To those who have tried them and found them lacking I would suggest that you try them again and spend some time fine tuning the strap adjustment.
Lewis! King of cool aura! All of you guys and gals are awesome!
I live in Florida and I would like to try your trikes before buying. Do you have a branch the state of Fl?
I just read your article on peddling technics and plan to try it. I do have one associated question I hope it doesn't sound too stupid, could you make a short video on how to install and use peddle straps. I've tried several types and find it very hard to get in and out of them, or maybe it's my shoe size 14 . But I'd sure appreciate some help on this currently I use only a bear peddles 😂
Great job 😊
A tip to increase speed, and comfort. Adjust the angle of your foot on the pedals if you experience knee pain with clips. The angle from your toe to heel will cause knee joint pain if it is wrong. I found this out the hard way. I am an above knee amputee and I was experiencing pain in my remaining knee. I added a spacer moving the pedal out from the crank and rotated my heel in towards the crank to fix my issue. You may find the opposite true for yourselves (heel out), but I highly recommend you experiment on your own. An allen wrench is all that is required to change the angle to test this, and if required the spacers are under $5. Once your knees no longer hurt you will find yourself being much faster on your trike.
So tip #6 attach your feet is also a safety tip. I went riding one time without my clip shoes and when I hit a series of uneven trail, my feet slipped off and the trike slammed into the back of my legs. I have never forgotten my clip shoes since.
Just curious you have a lovely channel. Just curious these chains are so very long and go thru a chain tube etc. I wax my regular bike chain can that be done to these long chains by just using a lot of molten wax. etc i.e. waxing a chain. Also those chains must cost a lot?
OK guys & gals,
I've followed all of your tips for faster speed, now I have a 4500HP jet engine that I have acquired,
(can't say where) any recommendations on how I could mount this to the trike, without it taking
off from the trike. I've tried welding it to the trike, but it keeps breaking free. Any suggestions.
Oh yeah and I need some tips on heat disbursement.
Love recumbents and any tips to make the experience more enjoyable is appreciated . Actually if you want to go faster other then proper bike maintenance and tire choice then change your diet and loose some weight if speed is important . a bike is only as fast as the person riding it .
Increasing the rider's power should indeed come way before adding motor power, as should reducing rider weight come before reducing the vehicle's weight. I might want to add that I do live in that imaginary country where hills are (virtually) absent and weight thus is not that much of a consideration for me. Great tips though, many are also very applicable to bikes and even non-recumbents.
@@hansfm2032 Loosing weight does have its benefits obviously more then just cycling but i am intrigued with this imaginary land you live . I live in Canada a pretty flat country more or less at least in the interior of the country but for sure it isnt imaginary so you must be in Europe and based on your channel name i would imagine its either Denmark or Norway both places i would only imagine i could visit . Have a great day Hans and be safe ..
Changed the front wheels on my Catrike Expedition from 20 to 24 inch and wider to 2.5 back from 26 to 29 with 2.5. My guess about 2m/h faster and a smoother ride would not even think of a catrike with stock tires and wheels now
Great video guys. Remember, Aero is Everything!
Up to a point, but sacrificing a comfortable and safe riding position for the sake of reduced drag is counter productive. You only have to look at the awful riding positions of people on uprights in a velodrome. They may have 'good' aero, but holy carp, it's worse than medieval torture! 😉
Power grips are awesome with a strip of 3/4" "velcro one-wrap (self-adhering velcro) through the pedals and around the heel for additional retention. Super flexible lightweight and secure for any shoes including Tevas. Better breathability on the foot in general with different shoes depending on conditons.
Tell Matt that Robb from Portland said Hello, I love my new rear wheel with the Rohloff hub. It is the very best.
I bought a ecat 559 and I love it but I wish I had gone one more and got the dumont. Couldn’t have afforded ecat version. So now wondering if suspension can be added
Having feet attached to the pedal is also important in the sense so the feets won't fall below and touch the ground, resulting in a very nasty accident that can break your leg if you are going at speed
Definitely. Ouch!
My problem with those is that they attach at the ball of the foot, as needed for upright bikes. On a recumbent, I find more power by having the pedal touch my foot lower than that.
I Agree ☝️
@@KutWrite The reason for attachment at ball of foot is to avoid pressure on the plantar fascia, that tough tendon that spans the bottom of the foot from said ball of foot to heel. Proper foot placement on the pedal nearly eliminates the occurence of painful conditions of this tendon being plantar facitis and heel spurs from using soft parts of the foot to mash on the pedals.
@@phyllisboone8957: I get that. I still use the ball, just lower down.
Yo Louis, I enjoy the video’s your in.
Where is your shop located I have Yet ! to buy my first trike because I'm 6 foot 4 inches and 270 pounds need one of Quality.
We are in Springville Utah!
Great Katie is the Star :)
Any videos on getting on and off your trike? Also are trikes ok with a bad sciatic nerve?
I have had no issues at all with sciatic pain. I have a piriformis trigger point that will wipe out my leg if irritated, and have zero problems on my Tricon mesh seat. Wish I could say the same for the car!
Out of curiosity? What things should a guy look for or stay away from when switching from a standard 10 speed or mountain bike to a trike setup?
Where do I find a large amount of different types of recumbent trikes for a tall person also heavy weight ?
I was starting to have knee pain and problems, it was solved by putting crank spacers on the pedals to move them out further, placing your feet wider apart will put your knees and feet in a more natural alignment for comfort. I'm short 5.7, so i also opted for 152mm crank arms, (your knees don't bend so sharply on the return rotation). Those two things took away the knee problem Simple fix
I put spacers on my trike too, but only because my big floppy clown shoes kept creeping off the pedals. This a great solution for people with big feet. I suppose 2 sets of spacers is possible for actual clowns.
Yo Lewis! Another great video. Lewis, maybe try riding the trikes on the right tire, instead of the left tire, might increase your speed since you're wearing out all those left tires when showing us your balancing skills.. LOL
You may be onto something! - Lew
I have a Hase trigo delta recumbent trike I am looking for a clear faring for it do you know of one or a video that will tell me how to make one?
Yo, Lewis, the boys said "Hi!" 😉
Motor. Boom! I may go with that idea.
Can you give tips on how to make the rig -notawheelchair faster or is there no way to do it
Is it more or less efficient to have the seat closer to the front wheels, or to the rear wheel? Thanks!
Too far back, the trike can tip over easily on corners, too far forward, you can lift the rear braking hard and maybe lose directional control, crashing. This is why nearly all trikes don't have adjustment to slide the seat, but only boom adjustment for leg length.
It would be cool if you had blinding led lights for your trikes. I'd would rig up a way to outfour headlights on the trike to blind upcoming traffic I plan on getting from you.
oh, I thought pedaling faster was the only thing.
I just want to say that, in this video, your shop looks a lot better than it was the last time I was there. I mean this in a positive way, I am glad to see you are doing well.
I just talked to Harold. My Dumont is on the way.
someone should build a double hammock trike/buggy 3 or four wheels. It would be awsome for wheelchair users to get a ride in the countryside with someone else driving.
Lewis is the best
Tip # 12
Take your trike to Utah Trike and give them some green papers and they'll turn your trike into a speed machine 👍
Awesome rundown. Love Louis and Kate and the whole team. Question. Is there a torque sensing motor (hopefully crank base, not hub) that will do crazy high speeds, or are we stuck at 20 mph limit from Bosch and Shimano? I like the build of the Bafang HD and the power, but really would want torque sensing to maximize control. Bafangs tend to be a little binary on their assist, and ultimately, it's hard to combine your own power with its power well. After a few years with a BBS02 750W on a bike, I've decided it's great and super practical, but it's always doing most of the work up to a max speed where it drops off and makes me work hard (at like 30mph and massive aero wall). Have you used the Bafang Max Ultra or M600/M500 torque sensing non-bottom bracket based units yet?
Thanks for the comment. We have experimented with different torque sensing crank-mounted motors and what we've found is that at the higher power outputs and higher rpms they just don't feel natural because they are tied to the cranks. An actual middrive with pedal gearing in front of the motor that then goes to the final gearing is the better way to go, but much more complicated. For high-speed riders it's hard to beat choosing your own assist with a throttle.
Give it a try on 2 1/4" tires. I'm much happier since going with the oversized tires. I'm thinking about a 28" rear wheel mod which should equate to 29 1/2"" diameter. I've run the same BBSO2 kit w a NuVinci hub for four yrs.. My 5.5.9 is tricked out with about twenty more lbs of accessories, oversized custom panniers from Dill Pickle in Somerville, MA and a large 48 v 30AH li-ion battery pack hanging off the back of the seat purchased direct from China. Time to start thinking about a safer battery pack. Getting. 31 mph max. Haven't dwelled on speed as much as comfort. Often wish I'd opted for something w suspension, but don't know about the forward weight distribution in the Dumont. Already have almost as much tied up in the Cattrike as my car, lol.
Louis, thanks for the tips! Spent a cloudy afternoon giving the HP some spring love. Wheel alignment was definitely an issue with excessive wear on the right front as well as the rear tire. Blocked the left front in place with a 1/16 toe in and re-set the right side to match. Moved all zip-tie heads to the trailing edges. Aero. Anticipating a time reduction tomorrow. Appreciate you guys!
I also think that building up your quads and hamstrings will make you go faster. It did with me !!!!
I would like info on internal hubs. With electronic shifting. What would be the best upgrade for a Tour ll Terra Trike? Plus the cost compared?
You won't get answers here. You need to email them.
Great !
Yo Louis, a tip you missed, You'll go faster if it's pedaled by somebody else! lol - just sayin . Otherwise great video all you guys (and gal). Thx
This just lit a bulb in my head: I noticed a recent tease for an upcoming "side-by-side" custom trike/quad. Has there ever been a streamlined front-to-back tandem? Twice the input power, exchange for more weight!
Thanks
HEY, LOUIS!!! SUP?!!!
I have the Ice Sprint with front and rear suspension, what Electric Systems would fit my Trike and What would it cost ? Thanks !
Great tips! Thanks!
YO Lewis!
I lost 50 lbs last year. That makes an amazing difference in my speed!!!🤪
Great job!
I've had my Catrike Villager for 3 months; I have lost 10 pounds so far; my goal is to lose 30 more. That will compensate for the 40 pounds of the trike itself. At that point, my downhill speed will probably still be top-gear-limited to about 20 mph, but I am hoping my uphill speed will improve dramatically. There are a lot of hills around here, mostly uphill it seems.
@@chrisdoutre101 good for you! Keep up the good work!😀
When putting Eola in back of Jeep, how should I adjust boom so trike is shorter but not damage the chain?
Thanks,
Rj
yo Luis!, so wamt to race Kati or Sumer! lol
I believe Utah is the US Rotovelo dist or at least was, true? If so curious as to why you're not offering their trikes, the Gizmo?
Yes, we are. You are the first to ask about the Gizmo.
Well I guess that’s why🙂 Thanks
*Adults love this*
YAY!!!!!!
As someone who makes videos for a living, can I offer you a couple tips that I wish someone had explained to me years ago? 1- Unless you use a teleprompter every day, it is nearly impossible to look natural doing it, and it will be distracting to the audience. Practice each clip in front of the camera 3X before filming until you get more proficient. 2- Learn to break eye contact from time to time. People very briefly shift their gaze down or to the side while they formulate what they are going to say throughout any conversation as part of natural body movement and gestures. Nobody talks for five minutes without breaking direct eye contact. It looks creepy in real life, and it looks unnatural on camera. 3- Finally, use a lot of B-roll to break up the talking shots. Viewers get bored with staring at someone staring at them. You need at least 50-60% B-roll to run while you talk, especially if you aren't skilled with the teleprompter.
Excellent tips Stumpy Nubs. We'll try and get our crew trained in proper teleprompter usage.
No problem with teleprompter ‘staring.’ Love and appreciate the vids.
Ah another form over substance advocate! Not to worry Utah Trikes your videos are just fine as they are...keep up the great work!
Louis reminded me of Joe dirt 😢 😆 🤣 😂 love Louis 💘
Hey Lewis!
Lewis!! You are famous!
do you guys sell any cargo trikes.
To Utah trike, I have a Performer JC 70 2019 model . Do you know of anyway to put suspention on the front two wheels. Performer did not offer any kind of suspenion on the JC 70. I pu a 1000 watt 36 volt motor and it wll run about 30 mph and hitting bumps are a bitch. Please reply
Depending on the head tube angle it might be possible to use a suspension spindle from Sun, Catrike, or ICE. It would likely involve some custom-made machines parts and a change to your steering. Ultimately, you'd likely be better off selling your trike and getting one with suspension designed into it.
@@UtahTrikesOnline thanks for your reply ,but im not sure yet on how moing to fix he problem.
Cheers all . New to recumbent triking. So thanks for the tips. Ok I'm going ask. Erm. Pain in butt. Well where bum meets leg area after about 20miles is that normal I've even put a cushion on the seat, yeah I'm old and have no shame? Otherwise comfy. Now I want one of those fairings. Who
does this stuff in the UK any body know? Oh Lewis hello from the Fens in the UK. No hills and very flat. :)
Midnormould (Mid-Norfolk Mouldings) make a nosecone-type recumbent fairing, you can find them on fleabay. You will need to make up a mounting system yourself though.
An alternative I've thought about - but nothing more - is a fabric (parachute nylon?) nosecone tensioned with split bamboo canes from the garden centre. Cut the fabric to the right pattern with pockets along the seams to hold the canes in a nice streamlined curve and you should end up with a very cheap, stable, lightweight and aerodynamic fairing.
Obviously the first thing to do would be to work out the positions of feet and knees at maximum displacement in order to get a side profile. The width at the front will be determined by the width of your feet on the pedals, rear width will depend on whether you want your hands out of the wind or not.
The pain issue is from an ill fitting seat most likely. Look into a new seat with a shorter distance from front to rear, you can test this by moving your pillow behind your back instead of under you.
Also look for a seat without a bar under the front where it can contact your legs. Look at an ICE Adventure's seat to understand if you can access one. I ride with a prosthetic leg socket that is nearly to my hip without issue.
Good Luck.
9:24 * Laughs in The Netherlands *
Although it doesn't go downhill, it's pretty much completely flat
Duranos are good, but Kojaks give very low rolling resistance and have more volume for ride quality
Is it possible to swap out the mesh seat on the catrike expedition with a shell type?
Nope
Yo Lewis!!!!!
I hear mid drives help a little bit
Schwalbe G-One 40-406 TL is faster than any of their 28mm tires. A guy from Schwalbe told me at Spezi they measured that in their lab.
2mm toe-in is too much, especially with narrow hard tires. I figured out Schwalbe Big Apples work really well ghetto style tubeless (Schwalbe is not approving the BA TL!). If you have a trike with poor steering alignment like old Alleweder's McPherson suspension with DIN 71802 angled ball joints (with lots of clearance) Big Apples @ 2bar may be faster than any narrow tire.
With this knowlege I`m very sure the 40-406 G-ONE will be even more fast compared to a 28-406 on a trike's front wheels, which is never 100% aligned, than at Schwalbe's test in the lab.
If you are riding a lot of tracks that are narrow or have two tracks of concrete or gravel and grass in the middle a two wheeled recumbent will be much faster as with a trike you always have to drag two wheels trough the grass.
Swapping your trike for a bike doesn't sound like a sensible option for someone who wants a trike. Besides, if you're riding really fast on those kind of trails, a modern upright will usually have the edge over rougher terrain than a 'bent. Sometimes you have to accept that compromised is unavoidable.
LEWIS
LEWIS
LEWIS
Well, you all are great in my book.
And if I EVER make it to your part of the world, I will definitely stop in. Maybe Lewis could show me how to do the 2 wheel trick hahaha.
I did the motor thing years ago. Started with a BionX and moved into a geared hub motor 3 years ago. Not so much for speed, not saying I don't use it to go fast sometimes, but more for taking the pain out of these old bones. I leave it turned down low until a hill that hurts or I need to make some time.
I updated my Greenspeed GTO to a 10 speed in the rear on a 1600 watt hubmotor from Lunacycle. Changed the shifting around from 3 twist grips to 10 speed and triple Microshift bar-end shifters and other tweeks. With a "52v20Ah" battery it'll cruise around 38mph for a couple of days of normal useage and can climb any local hills without burning out a controller or me. I'd love to go with a full velomobile (Quattrocycle!) and a smaller assist in order to get more speed with less assist and weather protection in the winter.
@@scottwa Nice
I would love to get a Velo too but retired and on a pension. it is probably not going to happen.
Yo Lou!!
Tip 13: Spell tyre correctly. (Just a friendly troll from a wistful ex-Brit in Canada. ^.^)
You dont live in Brittain any more...get use to it....
Yo Lewis.
Did Kait just call me fat?
(She is absolutely correct in doing so, just wanted to make sure…)
Ok of course that I am willing to help by subscribing and more by adding your company in my playlist helping you to have a better visibility there in Europe ( France ) . I hope you will enjoy my french videos too . Mist of all have a beautiful and blessed day .
Greetings from France .
The link for proper pedaling techniques doesn't work
Can you do a video on pedal steer. I am suffering pedal steer when spinning, if I move to a higher gear it lessins, but my cadence moves to an undesireable zone, is there any ballance?
Watching videos, you can see trike and velomobile riders pedalling fast and their head wags left and right as a counterbalance. As your left knee hits top, your head is to the left and so on. I noticed what you say when cadence is up, tried this and it does the trick. My Magnum has a more rigid frame than my GT3, so isn't as bad but it still happens.
Here's a question I haven't seen addressed. I was one of those CRAZY Americans touring while on a traditional bicycle hauling a Bob trailer. With my excess weight (300+, height 6'3") and loaded with winter and camping gear...I totaled from the start 440 #. I did manage to go up the shorter hills but when it came to the mountains or +8 deg incline...I turned into a PUSH MY LOAD. How will I be able to push this TRIKE while hauling a BOB trailer? Do I need to bend over at a weird angle and PUSH? or is there a tool I can add? Legit question? THANK YOU
Pushing a recumbent trike is generally quite awkward. I would actually suggest pulling from the front, using a very long nylon strap. Assuming two wheels at the front, attach one end on to the base of the left handlebar or steering tube, the other to the right side, allowing you control of the steering. You now have a long handle. Grab the strap in the centre and off you go. Of course, this is where electric assistance start to make a lot of sense... sitting down with the motor doing most of the work. 😁
@@another3997 thanks...I like that e- assist... we'll have to go that route
I didn't get tip4, how seat the is helping?
There’s a theory that too soft of a seat absorbs energy as you’re pedaling hard.
@@anim8ted923 Has sense, too soft could absorb energy of your pushing legs... THANKS
How much that body shell cost that oreng velomobile
Here are the details www.utahtrikes.com/SEARCH-0:999999:%20:%20:rotovelo.search
LEWIS!!!!!
Oh yeah? "CUTTING EDGE?" Oh you mean: "BLEEDING EDGE" Technology?
ah tip number 12 go electric and program the computer for the smallest possible tire size. Most electrics kick off at 25 MPH, but a 26 inch tire going 25 is spinning slower than a 10 inch tire... so if the computer thinks you have a 10 inch tire well...keeping up with traffic is much easier...
Yo lewis
These amazing 3 wheeled pedal powered trikes with the battery assist electric motor and one wheel drive pound for pound are 10-20 times more expensive than a LOADED 2020 BMW AWD X5. Wow! 🤷♂️
Maybe so, but show me a car that weights less than 100 pounds and can still reach 50mph?
The world record is over 100mph on a motorized tadpole trike last I heard, and the same trike with the motor controller turned down gets well over 100 miles on a single charge as well even when not pedaling.
Unfortunately the price is a combination of high-quality and low volume manufacturing. If they sold 100,000 electric trikes a year, the price would probably be 1/3 of what they cost now.
Economies of scale at work. But with a trike you don't need a driving licence or car insurance. You don't pay vehicle specific taxes, and you can legally use a trike in places where cars aren't allowed. Pound for pound, diamonds are more expensive than trikes... but they have no wheel drive and they just sit there doing nothing! 😁
If I’m going to put my money toward a tricycle it will be a Can Am Spyder before I will ever drop this amount of money on this play toy.
Wanna go way faster not just tweaking stuff? Get a Varitrike. You get 30% more power which means you are the quickest fastest recumbent trike. Hands down.
Louis seems to feel uncomfortable in front of the camera and I can feel his pain because I'm the same 😅 I hate it to be filmed or pictured 😬
Shave your head. Aerodynamics Baby!
If you have hair longer than your shirt collar, secure it from tangling with your rear wheel!
Went here to see the trikes in all angle not the employees while talking haha
How much for < Sring _ICE ( thanks
Adding a motor is not "cheating". It's a legitimate way to gain speed and power; not everyone is 20 years old. I pull 60 pounds of trailer and 50+ pounds of bike packing gear, and 188 pounds of me on a 45 pound trike. Now long 6 to 8 hour riding days are more efficient and less brutal on my 70 year old legs. Stop busting the chops of people who like e-assist. Enjoy your ride and we'll enjoy ours.
We love motors. We love them a lot.
Yup! It's one way you can peddle your buttom legally and still have fun!
wheel covers !! trikes have 3 unaerodynamic wheels !
As if you will never get a side wind ....
@@truth-Hurts375 it is my understanding that wheel covers act as sails although i suppose that could act against you too, depending on your angle to the winds direction. sail boats can make progress into the wind though so any side wind might be positive. i doubt its a big boost or loss either way compared to the general aero advantage. as to being blown about, i haven't found them (my catrike 700 has a rear carbon disc and front wheel covers) to be a problem even in high winds, certainly ones that would blow any normal cyclist about anyway.
O great korean cc. I'm deaf can you please put on english cc..... thank you. I love your videos btw!
Michelle! Just added the English CC to this video. We'll work on making sure they get uploaded to our other videos as well. Thanks for watching!
@@UtahTrikesOnline thanks so much!
Funny how the guy with the nose ring doesn't realize his nose ring is out of alignment.