Hi, folks. I am just wondering if anyone has put 26" wheels on the front of their trike? I am considering trying this with a Traveler. I would like to try running 26" wheels all-around for home area rides, and swapping to 20" or even 16" for airline checking of the trike.
Also, for those of you who own Terra Trikes with the same type of steering and hand grips as the Traveler, would a 26" wheel and tire fit with your hand grips? Would it interfere with the steering?
I realize that doing this will change the handling and "tippiness" of the trike, but several folks have reported success with this mod on other brands over at BROL.
Thanks,
Steve W
Comments
You are going to raise the front end by roughly 3" at the wheels. So at the cranks, more like 5-6". (Unless you put a 26" on the rear, in which case it should be a wash.) Keep in mind going with a 26" rear might not work on the trike, if there's not enough clearance in the chain stays. You may need to change the dropouts to get the clearance for the much larger tires. (I have to have my 20"x3" much further back in the dropout to clear it from rubbing on my Rover. I couldn't do 26" at all without radically changing the dropout.)
By putting 26" on the front, it's going to change getting in and out. It's also going to recline you a lot more than the stock 20" tires do. And the Traveler might not fold up right with the larger tires, so that's another consideration....
I have to ask you, though... Why are you thinking about going with 26" fronts? What benefits do you perceive it's going to give you?
For speed you could change out the front tires for high pressure 20" and high pressure 26" rear wheel. Then when traveling change the rear wheel back to 20"
possible concern with a 26-incher is that your low gear will be raised 30%. depending on your riding locale and if you have good knees, maybe no problem.
at the front end, you would want serious fenders to avoid sanding down hands, arms and thighs. might wish to read up on the rans trizard in that regard.
can be quite an interesting hobby making the good trike fit your needs. by all means, go for it! please post your thoughts if you do. seems like the brol types posting on all 26ers are regarded as full bullgoose loonies by the mainstream but my book, trying such better than thinking about it.
I found a Traveler at my local bike shop and it looks to me like a 26" would fit in the rear of the Traveler frame just fine as is.
I decided against this after test riding the trike because I'm afraid it would be too tippy with the 26" front wheels. Thanks.
If anyone is afraid of tipping over, ride one of those trikes that's almost on the ground. But, when a car runs you over, you will wish you had larger tires!
that thought in mind, had one of the terratrikes with 24s front, 20 rear, and the other with 20 fronts and 16 rear. both cases increased pedal clearance enough to allow curb hopping, easier getting on and off the trike, and improved [my humble] trike aesthetics. had nexus-8 rear wheels on both for climbing hills.
dunno if that setup made the trike more stable but i felt a bit more secure than with all 20s. seems to me that if all 24s made for a tippy problem, the all-road and all-terrain folks would be posting such concern on the forums.
think too if the all 26s of the brol chaps advocating such made for tippy it would be commented on. could be at speed that increased gyro effect of the big wheels could make for a stable platform.
expect 26s up front would make for a faster and smoother ride. were i a few decades younger would buy a set of leathers and a motorcycle helmet and check out behavior of big wheels in fast turns compared to all 20s.
Example:
Turning into a corner on a twenty inch wheel at 10 mph might reach tipping point so you lean into the direction of the tip allowing you to change the center enough to make the turn. Same corner with a 26 inch wheel or a 24 inch wheel you will lean into the tip and continue to tip over. I was an Instructor in the Navy teaching heavy equipment and the laws of physics applies here no matter the size of the object.
The only way to make it work is if you could widen the front wheel stance three inches as well.
http://tricycleassociation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Tricycle-Association-slide-show-3-980x400.jpg
http://matix-bike.de/en/3-produkte
I have a chance to pickup a used Tour II which has much lighter indirect steering and may attempt this conversion on that. Doesn’t TT sell a bracket for the rear that allows a 26” to be installed?
And a special thank you to you for Maxit trike link. I think they have done it the right way... designing the trike from the ground up to come equipped with all 26's. Looks like a nice ride. Do you know of a domestic dealer?
Those Matix trikes are heavy ! Weight from 25 Kg..
Front suspension adds the pounds or should I say kgs.
Folks who have done this type of mod report significant speed gains. My personal opinion is that the larger diameter tire reduces scrub loss compared to the smaller. Since a trike can't roll into a turn like a two-wheeler can, any steering input causes energy loss due to the front tires scrubbing. Therefore, any change which reduces rolling resistance also reduces scrub loss, a significant factor for tadpole trikes.
Short version, wind resistance and rolling resistance largest factors on moving bike. Double speed , rolling resistance doubles. Double speed, wind resistance increases 8 times.
" A much more significant factor is the riding position of the rider (with an upright riding position increasing the power requirement by as much as 25 percent over a crouched riding position)."
One of the cheapest gains is to recline those trike seats and it's free.
This northern Michigander and his wife are off to the Pacific coast of Mexico tomorrow, need some sunshine, cold beer and warm water.
This guy reports 3 to 4 mph:
https://sites.google.com/site/jbolf38/trike-and-trailer/Ice-T-Project
Several have reported gains over at brol. Here's a recent thread about it:
https://www.bentrideronline.com/messageboard/showthread.php?t=127801
From a blog, with links to brol:
https://etrike.wordpress.com/2012/11/09/3x700-wheels-on-a-tadpole-trike/
One of those links (good overview):
http://www.bentrideronline.com/messageboard/showthread.php?t=91528
But hey, I would love to be proven wrong.
As I said earlier in the thread, I got to test ride a Traveler and decided that it might be too tippy (as you say, due to its high seat height). I also don't think the handling would be to my satisfaction. I do think the tire hand clearance would be fine though.