Stefan wrote:
To get you started:
Woody's thread on his catrike recumbant.
^Yup, my now 86 year old Dad has a Catrike Villager in Florida and I bought a Catrike Trail for him to use up here when he comes to visit. In fact, he was up here this week and we rode for more than an hour and a half on Tuesday. Riding makes a huge difference in his life.
Here's a short video of him in action.
I would have preferred to get him another Villager, but the Trail was the only one that I could find. The Trail is a little lower and a little narrower. It's probably also a little more fun to ride. Building one wasn't really an option for me, as I needed it to be user friendly and 100% reliable for him.
I actually rode it a lot last year after he went back to Florida. Adjusting it for riders of different sizes takes a little time. The boom length (distance to the pedals) adjusts quickly, but the chain length needs to be correct too. He's shorter than I am. Once I figured out how long the chain needed to be for each of us, I made a short section (21 links if I recall correctly) with a master link on each end. I ride with that section in place. For my Dad, I shorten the boom and remove the short section of chain. It's not difficult.
These things are better suited to bike trails rather than roads, due to traffic and driver's on their cell phones. Most of the riding that I've done has been on the street, but I go out at 5:30 am when traffic is almost nonexistent. Good strobes lights and a flag are an absolute must.
It's pretty fast, but I'm faster on a bicycle. Cornering is different, as you really steer these things, instead of just leaning into corners. You can roll them if you're not careful. You can corner on two wheels but it's not recommended as the bearings aren't designed to handle lateral loads.
At top speed, you have to be really smooth on the pedals to keep it tracking straight. The front wheels can be aligned and you actually need a little bit of toe-in.
They are slow on the uphills, as you don't have the full weight of your body over the pedals. Hills blast your quads.
You need proper bike shoes and clipless pedals. If your foot slips off a regular pedal and contacts the ground, you will immediately run over your lower leg with the front axle. Bad idea.
You want fenders.
You can ride for hours and your butt will not get sore. In fact, when I stop to rest, I usually just stay right in the seat, because you're not going to find another place to sit that could possibly be as comfortable.
Both of the bikes have saddlebags and they hold a ton of stuff.
Use sunscreen on the front of your legs or they will get sunburned.
That green one in your top photo is a 55 mph trike!
