Speed
I'd like to start with the obvious. The trike is slow or, at least, I am slow on the trike. Uphill I can understand; the trike is heavier and on a trike it's not clever to mash. To protect my knees I've been very careful to feel I've been spinning, especially on the uphill sections. It's not just on the slopes that the trike is slow. Three wheels increases the rolling resistance and, to date, I've struggled to get it up to speed on the flat. Downhill is a different matter. It's actually not as quick, or quicker, than the upright bike but it feels very fast at anything over about 25mph. And bends on descents can be 'interesting" when the inside wheel lightens up.
It is this one issue that is my biggest disappointment with the trike. But there's more to the trike than raw speed.
Comfort
The trike is insanely comfortable to ride. I have it fitted with a hard shell seat which I'm sure does transfer more of the road surface to me than a mesh seat would but it also supports me better than the mesh seat I tried. A neck rest provides even more comfort and I'm sure if I stopped up somewhere, tipped my head back and shut my eyes I could quite happily sleep right there. As long as I remembered to set the parking brake that is!
The reclined nature of the riding position allows me to look down the road much more easily than when riding my road bike. My shoulders and back appreciate that. And as a last trick the seat also has two water bottle holders on it, making drinking on the move easy and efficient.
My hands rest nicely on the controls, with the added benefit that I can ride the trike with just one hand steering. This has been crucial to my recovery. With the right hand steering, braking and changing gear at the back my left hand has been able spend time resting on my chest. It's only needed for the occasional braking duty and changing the chainring being used if required (a carefully picked route can result in this not being needed). And all of this mucking about with hands and never a worry about falling off.
All of this physical support and comfort results in getting home feeling quite fresh. Certainly there's none of the sense of relief that sometimes comes with dismounting from an upright bike. I should sound a note of pessimism here. These observations are based on shorter rides, my longest ride to date is just over 40 miles, the usual ones are between 15 and 20. And the longest time I've spent on (in, I'm not quite sure) the trike at one time is probably about 1 hour 45 minutes. Perhaps I will change my mind if I ever do a century on it.
Practicality
One area where I think I need to make improvements to the trike is the area of practicality. Because I can't carry stuff in my back pockets, like I can on a road bike, it makes carrying snacks, a phone, arm warmers and the like that little bit more difficult. And I haven't really found a solution yet. I want to find some storage that I can reach easily for snacks as I ride and somewhere to put the tools, inner tubes etc along with a little space for clothes etc. So far it isn't too much of an issue but it might become one as I venture further from home and as I need to deal with different temperatures during a ride. Currently the back of the seat looks like a good bet, I'll keep you posted.
If you look at this picture you can see where an old saddle bag is strapped to the frame of the trike, right on the fold. There's a little bag for gels and phone at the front and another tiny bag you can't see at between the wheels. And my waterproof jacket is attached to the head rest at the back of the seat.
I've mentioned the fold. It makes it very easy to transport the trike in the back of my car although there isn't much room for anything else. Certainly no people! I'd get some bags for clothes and food etc in but not much else. Still, it makes it easy to transport which makes going places that little easier. Maybe one day I'll work out how to transport it on the roof like my other bikes.
Verdict
I love my trike. Enough said. I just have to remember that it's a different ball game to ripping up the tarmac on a road bike (as if I ever did) but that's the point; it's different. And what a comfortable difference it is. I suspect my next bike might be two-wheeled but it might very well still have a laid back seat....
Confession
I have a small apology to make. It's taken me so long to write this that I've now done 720 miles on the trike. Riding not writing, maybe I shouldn't be sorry for that.
