My Wife (47) and me (52) are within five years of both retiring from pretty stressful jobs, both in Law Enforcement. We are best friends and do a lot of stuff together. We raised 3 wonderful Daughters, and can't wait to spend more time with them and their families. Our main hobby right now is Golf and spending time with our kids/grand kids when we are not at work. Looking down the road we wanted to start doing things that we thought we would like in retirement. We purchased a bumper pull Camper last summer after owning a truck camper for a year. We had never done any camping at all, and we fell in love with it. Only being able to do it on vacations right now, but we plan on doing lots more in the future. We moved up to a bigger camper because our kids seem to want to go with us every time we go! We are always looking for things to do outside and to keep us in good shape. I am at a point in my life that I have to do something or my health is going to suffer permanently. We both have been pretty athletic all our lives and love doing sports of any kind. My Wife has done a much better job of staying fit than me. She is 5'4" and about 150. I am 6'2" and about 285. It is getting to be a battle for both of us to keep the pounds off. More so for me!
Anyway, long story short, I stumbled upon these Trikes and we are thinking of seriously taking the plunge. I have always like to ride Bikes, but as I got older, I just couldn't handle the seat, so I gave up. I have a recumbent schwinn exercise bike that I do sometimes use, but you know how that goes. It's more of a cloths hanger than anything else. I have spent a lot of time reading online and especially this great site and learned a lot about Trikes. We think they would be great to take camping with us, as we like to explore the campgrounds we stay at. We also think they would be some great exercise for us on a week to week basis. My mind is kind a blur right now with so many options out there. I was surprised at the prices at first, but I guess I shouldn't be. Heck our Golf Clubs cost almost as much! We really have no idea where to start, obviously I am going to need something that can handle my size and weight. Sounds like this x-seam measurement is pretty important also. We live in a small town in SW Missouri, so no dealers are very close. I did find a couple in the Kansas City/Overland Park area that we plan on visiting. Also an interesting Bike shop in Siloam Springs Arkansas called Dogwood Junction. I think we might just take a trip up and try out the various types. From my research so far, Terratrike seems like a very popular brand. I spent a lot of time on this site and loved reading about how the business began. We don't know anything about how they handle compared to two wheel bikes, all the different equipment, or really anything like that, but we do know they will be much more comfortable to sit in!
I would love to hear some suggestions on some good starter Trikes that would fit what we need. We have no idea on special equipment or really anything, so thoughts and suggestions there would be appreciated also. If you could recommend a place to buy, that would be great also. I am very intrigued by the Dogwood Junction place in Siloam Springs, Arkansas and it's only a few hours away. I would say we will be riding ours for exercise mostly and of course taking them camping with us to explore the campgrounds and area. If we like it, I could see us doing some longer rides on bike trails for sure. We probably won't get off road too much, but may be on some gravel/dirt roads. I like what I read about the "all terrain" as many campsites don't have paved roads to ride on. How does a non all terrain handle just your basic gravel/dirt trail? Of course hills will be in the picture also, so don't know if we need electric assist or not. Anyway, thanks in advance for any advise, love this site and I am sure I will love your product. Your back story makes me just want to buy from a business like you have. Thanks again, Mitch Bush (podunker)
Comments
We used to have a poster who lived in NW Arkansas and I believe he used the dealer you mentioned. Hope he posts on here to let you know how the dealer was.
I too had a very stressful job in DC. My weight kept climbing and my health was worsening. I bought my Rover in 2014 then retired in 2015. I haven't seen the weight loss others have but, as a male, you will. My BP is back to normal, the heart is working better, and I have kept from becoming a full blown diabetic. I credit all of that to getting on that trike and riding at least twice a week.
Go to Trail Link https://www.traillink.com/ and look at the many trails in Missouri and NW Arkansas. You may have to travel a little but you already have the camper. The Katy Trail sounds awesome!
Let us know what you decide.
half the price, rover is a bulletproof most bang for the buck kinda beast, excellent starter trike. restricted to narrow range of gearing but quite cost-effective to upgrade to respond to your riding environment if you buy the i8 model.
used to do summer camping with the kids at the state parks. a trike to tour those areas after pitching the tent would have been icing on the cake.
Long version:
Short Version:
Handled very well, no issues, though this was mostly downhill for approximately 30 miles.
So, it is good to find a bike shop that provides for in depth demo rides. The first order of business when my wife and I began to think about recumbent trikes was to talk to the bike shop with whom we had done business for thirty years, during which time we had purchased at least a dozen bikes. We were told recumbent trikes were a "passing fad." So, we started our research and ultimately found a shop about an hour from our home that is, first of all, very experienced in trikes, and secondly, allows demo rides that are much more than a "ride around the parking lot." We spent five hours one day riding several different models on a trail that borders the shop property. That was then how we settled on our choice of purchase.
The in depth demo rides were of such value to us that, with our experience, I would not make a trike purchase decision without, even if I had to drive several hours to find a shop that is accommodating.
I am 76, lower back surgery, both rotator cuffs repaired, one a 100% tear and left knee scoped twice, right knee once.
Rode it on maiden trip this morning:3.36 miles, average speed 6.3, 32 minutes, max speed 12.3, according to my wireless Cateye Patrone computer. I could have gone longer but didn't want to wear out my welcome on the first day. Wanted to go this afternoon, but too hot and not a good plan.
Ride: very acceptable. Steering: instant without being overly sensitive. Braking: excellent. Double rear view mirrors:great. Gear shifting: near automatic without even thinking about it. When a different gear was need just shifted. No big grades or dips on our residential roads.
I am ecstatic with my new trike. Probably would like a Rambler even more if I could afford one. Any Cat was out if the question.
If you are looking for a trike anywhere near Phoenix, Sun Cyclery is the place to go. They were very highly recommended to me and Sun met all my needs very well.
Jeff "Chonk" Yonker
Marketing Dude @TerraTrike
You miss 100% of the shots you don't take - Wayne Gretsky
Bought my first trike from Ben, a Rambler GT, about a year and a half ago. Then later I bought a Catrike 559 and finally a Catrike Dumont. He stocks all kinds of accessories and keeps a good stock of trikes to test ride on the inside track or around the parking lot.
Once a year he sponsors a group ride and trike rodeo to coincide with Siloam's Dogwood Festival. Did I mention the good customer service? But, alas, I can no longer take my trike to his shop. I'm 1,200 miles away in Arizona now.