Thinkin' about a trike

[Dan_E_Boye]

I'm planning to do the Trans Am in 2006 and I don't want to do it on my Rans Rocket.  It's fun in town but I have noticed that on really steep hills I can't go fast enough to keep the bike up and I'm all over the place.  A trike would solve the problem of balance on hills and solve the panniers/trailer debate.  Any trike riders out there willing to share some pros and cons?  Does the comfort trump the weight in your opinion?

[Jbikes1]

I rode a Vision LWB for about 3 years and went to a trike simply due to trying to stay upright going up hills.  Make peace with going slower, it's a fact of life. I go slower up hills .. cause I can. You'll notice it gets old riding on a severly cambered road. I'll ride more to the center of the road so I don't have to ride at an angle. I have a Wiz Wheels and am generally very happy with it. Some trikes will get twitchy about 25 MPH (down hills)and you can get brake steer if you hit them uneven. I would only ride the trike pulling a trailer on long distances. I pull a BOB and have been real happy. my longest tours to day are about 1200 miles.. comfort wins over speed

[where2pedalto]

My wife and I rode our LoGo trikes around Australia and found that they were fabulous up steep hills. No balancing or worrying about slow speed, and to top it all off when we got puffed out we just yanked on the brakes and sat there for around 30 seconds to get our breath back before heading off again. A loaded touring tike and Bob trailer is a big load but it is a fabulous way to tour. Not to mention the fact that you have a chair to relax in when you camp :-)
http://www.geocities.com/andrewhooker59/CycleTouring.html is our website for the tour.
http://www.logotrikes.com is the trike site.
Hope this helps.

[dghasbar]

I have been riding a Road Catrike for approx. a year. I have mech. disk brakes. It came with seperate brake handles on each front wheel. I didn't like that. I didn't always apply the brake on each wheel equally. Not a big deal UNLESS you have an emergnecy stop.I have removed them and put in a single brake handle that manages both. Still squirrley above 25 mph going downhill. I am going to add a cantilever brake on the rear. I also have a SCRAM rear wheel giving me 81 gears. You have to be careful on blacktop roads that the turck have "groved". The road will "steer" your trike for you. I have found you have to ride in the middle of the lane to avoid that issue on blacktop roads. But that is only OK if there is no traffic.I did the MS 150, for the 11th time, from Houston to Austin last weekend and the bike was fine except for the issues mentioned above. It's the "motor" that is tired.

[pmspirito]

My wife Judy just loves her Catrike.

best wishes from the back of the pack,  Peter & Judy Spirito

[Dan_E_Boye]

Thanks for your responses everyone.  I went with a two wheeler after all.  I got a Burley Canto recumbent.  Maybe my next one will be a trike.