Why I ride a Recumbent Trike - by Matthew W
I ride a recumbent trike because I cannot balance a bicycle due to cerebral palsy and a spinal injury.
I was born at 26 weeks weighing just 0.68Kg, the resulting cerebral palsy affects my balance and fine motor movement, meaning I cannot ride a two-wheel bicycle or play ball games. In addition, at the age of 22, I was hit by a car whilst cycling, it was not until 4 years later that I was diagnosed with spinal cord shock. This meant I could no longer ride my Ken Rogers Clubman tricycle as this was putting pressure on my spinal nerves whilst in the prone position. When I was 49, I got my first recumbent tricycle, which obviously has a completely different seating arrangement.
The rest of this article is a technical description of the tricycles I have owned.
My cycling history
I started in 1977 with a diamond frame bicycle with a Ken Rogers tricycle conversion kit. I used a bike bug Shuttle trailer with the conversion set for camping. In 1980 I got a Ken Rogers clubman 23” frame with 27” wheels it was built as tourer with a custom rear rack, it was designed to take a pair of 65l rear panniers a 10L top box and two 10l top bags, a front pannier carrier with a pair of 20L front panniers and 5L bar bag. This gave me a luggage capacity of 120L the tricycle had max load weight of 200Kg. the gear system was 15 speed single chain wheel drive. The tricycle has a hub dynamo, weighed 25kg and had a gear range of 24 inches to 108 inches. It also had a towbar for the bike bug trailer with a maximum gross weight of 50kg and a load capacity of 110L. I used both the Ken Roger tricycles until 1987.
From 1987 until 1992 I was using a wheelchair and trains for transport, until I obtained a hand-cycle attachment for the wheelchair, enabling me to cycle up to 6 miles. I still use the hand-cycle as it makes shopping easier.
In 2009 I got my first recumbent tricycle, a Hase Bikes Kettwiesel Tour. This is a delta trike (two wheels at the back), 20 inch wheels all round, dynamo front hub with lights and a USB charging unit. It has a front pannier rack, 25L front panniers, 30L seat bag, a tow hitch and two 3L rear mudguard bags. I also use a BOB YAK single wheel trailer which has a 70L bag. The gearing range is 13” to 96”, using a Rohloff hub and double chain rings. The brakes are Avid BB7s on the back wheels. This is the recumbent I used to attend ALC meets from 2014 to 2019.
In 2019 I started looking for a tadpole recumbent (two wheels at the front instead of the back) that can carry a full set of standard panniers. I looked at ICE but they could not use standard front panniers. Then I looked at HP Velotechnik recumbent tadpole trikes. I found their Scorpion FX was able to carry a full set of panniers, top bag and two bar bags. After researching the accessory list, I contacted London Recumbents my local U.K. dealership. I sent them an email with my wish list and they advised on what could be done. I then contacted HP Velotechnik to ask if two additional special items could be done. They replied that an extra dynamo could be factory supplied at an extra cost, but the Schlumpf Speed-Drive was a dealer fit item which would not affect the warranty. It was February 2020 when the quote was done. I was advised in mid-March 2020 that the lead time had gone from 10 weeks to 14 months due to the COVID Pandemic. I was given a web address so I could check lead times at HP Velotechnik and it was December 2021 before all but one item was ready, the upgraded seat. London Recumbents advised me to order the trike with the standard mesh seat. If I needed the premier mesh seat they would exchange the seat for the upgrade price when the premier seat was back in stock. The trike was ordered for delivery in April 2022 but I was later advised that it would arrive in May 2022.
The trike arrived at London Recumbents mid May, they fitted the Schlumpf Speed-Drive, and I collected it late June 2022.
The full specification of the Scorpion trike is:
Drivetrain: Schlumpf Speed-drive in front boom with derailleur tube and rear Rohloff Hub with Avid V-brake as parking brake on the rear 20” wheel, both front 20” wheels have Son dynamo hubs, one for the lights and the other for charging using an E-werk unit with a cache battery.
Front brakes: Shimano MX200 hydraulic disc brakes
Mud guards front and rear.
The rear suspension unit is a Rockshox (no front suspension).
The seat was an Ergo mesh seat with headrest, 1.4L pouches on the seat back and two bar bag mounts with locking catches, the E-werk charging unit is fitted to a bar bag mount. The seat was changed after 7 months for the Ergo mesh premier seat and all the accessories were swapped over.
The trike has two B&M motorcycle mirrors on HP Custom mounts.
An oversize Blackburn bottle cage is mounted on the boom derailleur tube, this is used to carry a stove fuel bottle.
The rear rack is mounted to the rear section of the main frame which also has the low rider rack attached to it. The low rider part can carry two front bags with a maximum weight of 25Kg. The rear bags fit on the upper rear part and also take a maximum weight of 25Kg.
The bags I use are all Ortlieb bags. A frame pack top tube bag 4L max load 3Kg used for tools, pump, tubes, and first aid kit mounted under front boom cable tied on. Two bar bags on seat mounts 6.5L each, max load 5Kg each with locking catches. A pair front roller classic pannier 25L the pair max load 9Kg each on the low ride section and pair rear roller XL panniers 70L the pair max load 9Kg fitted with a 1L external pocket on each. Plus a top bag of 31L using the spare 7Kg load. The trike manual says the maximum luggage load is 60Kg and the maximum payload including rider is 140KG the trike weighs 22KG giving a total 162Kg.
Security: Fitted with an AXA frame lock on the rear swing arm. The lock has a bar that passes through the rear wheel that also takes the security loops on the panniers; it has a cable lock that locks to the frame lock. The trike also has a shake alarm and is fully Data Tagged.
Other accessories a seat rain cover, Zound Air Horn and a Quick Lock for the sat nav. It also has two reflective lolly pops to show width and a flag to be seen in traffic.
After 35 years I can go cycle touring with a full set of cycle bags plus extra 37L of space.
I do intend to get a trailer and due to the layout of the rear end of the trike it needs a two-point hitch such as a mono porter trailer but with two wheels. A company called Aidoo-tec make a trailer AH-400 that fits the requirements. It has a 137L metal box, lockable suspension, a braking system that links to the trike brakes and two hub dynamos set up as on the trike. There is a tie down point on the lid of the trailer and the tow hitch has locks on it.
This will be my multi-week touring set up.
When complete the set will have cost the price of a small family car but should last 20 years plus!