sábado, 25 de mayo de 2019

Useful Information Regarding Recumbent Trikes

By Michelle Hughes


A vehicle that is either powered by human labor or gravity and has three wheels is referred to as a tricycle. Trike is usually used as the short form for the name tricycle. Trikes are of different kinds, including cycle rickshaws and freight. Different functions such as recreation, transportation, exercise, and shopping among others are achieved using trikes. Transporting goods using tricycles is very common in developing countries of Asia and Africa. This is what recumbent trikes are all about.

According to historical records, the history of tricycles goes way back to either 1655 or 1680. Also, history mentions that tricycles were invented by a disabled German man. The man was called Stephan Farffler and his intention was to enable himself keep his mobility. Farffler designed a tricycle which was powered by hand cranks. He borrowed the concept from his watch-making career.

For many years, people from different countries have designed different kinds of tricycles. The most known inventions were designed in Britain and France. It was a British inventor named Denis Johnson who first patented a design for tricycles. The common factor about all the inventions that have ever been invented is that they were powered by legs or hands.

In the West, trikes are used commonly by senior citizens and kids. These groups of people prefer tricycles because they offer more stability compared to bicycles. However, even though tricycles may offer more stability when they are moving in a straight line, they have poor dynamic lateral stability. That means that the rider has to be extra careful when they are negotiating a corner to avoid tipping over.

There are many tricycle enthusiasts in countries like the UK and there are associations that one can register with. These associations usually organize events such as day rides, time trials and tours among many others. Also, these organizations are responsible for the regulation of the industry. The organizations also set standards which are aimed at ensuring the safety of consumers. It is their responsibility to maintain statistics about tricycles among other responsibilities.

Various tricycles vary in the way their wheels are configured. Tadpole and delta are some of the most common configuration for wheels in tricycles. There is one wheel at the front and two rear wheels for the case of delta configuration. On the contrary, two wheels are at the front while one wheel is at the rear for the case of tadpole wheel configuration. Other kinds of wheel configurations have been in use over the years but do not exist anymore.

Trikes that are used currently are also of different kinds with recumbent and upright tricycles being the most common. Upright tricycles have an open or a diamond-shaped frame just like a bicycle. They can either have tadpole or delta wheel configuration and are steered using a handlebar. One should be very careful when riding non-tilting upright tricycles since they are less stable.

The other kind of trike used nowadays is recumbent. Due to its low center of gravity, this model have more stability. Also, it has less aerodynamic drag. Nevertheless recumbent are heavier, wider and cost a lot more. Since they are normally set very low, they may not be visible to other traffic.




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