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Leg trike vs. hand trike, which is best?

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  • Leg trike vs. hand trike, which is best?

    I got this question via e-mail the other day from a member of ActiveMSers. Having ridden both, I've got some definite thoughts, but the answer isn't straightforward. Bottom line: it depends. There are lots of Qs to answer.

    1) Define your goals. Are you getting a trike for pleasure, to ride with your partner, to exercise underused body parts, to build strength, to improve cardio? My leg trike is great for exercising my legs, but crummy in other areas because of my wonky legs. I can't pedal fast enough to get in the cardio zone or keep up with my wife, which I could do with an arm trike.

    2) Honestly access your upper and lower body limitations. Do your legs fatigue easier than your arms? Vice versa? Endurance to travel distances, as well as speed, will be impacted dramatically if you have weakness. I could log dozens of miles on an arm trike, but I max out at fewer than 10 with a leg trike.

    3) Gauge your ability to get out of low-slung chairs. Leg trikes, in particular delta trikes (with a single wheel up front), are easier to get out of than most arm trikes, which often have an extremely low riding position. That said, I can get out of an arm trike with tired arms easier than I can a leg trike with hosed legs.

    4) Identify riding locations. Can you ride right out of your garage or do you need to transport your trike? Leg trikes require a rack, SUV, or pickup to transport, while arm trikes tend to be larger (and heavier) and are even more challenging to move. My leg trike fits (cozily) into the back of our SUV, but anything larger would require a bigger vehicle.

    Overall, both are great options, with a trike offering added stability and a place to rest when you need time to recover. I may yet purchase an arm trike and let Laura toodle around on my leg trike. That would allow me to go faster, farther, and permit me to ride alongside my wife instead of telling her to go ahead on the trail as I trike along slowly at a pace unsuitable for 2-wheelers.
    Dave Bexfield
    ActiveMSers

  • #2
    James, an ActiveMSer on Twitter, likes his dual arm/leg trike, BerkelBike (photo is not James, BTW). Pretty trick.

    http://www.berkelbike.com/

    Dave Bexfield
    ActiveMSers

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    • #3
      Thanks Dave for passing on your experiences. It's giving me much to consider.

      Teena Marie

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      • #4
        Dave,
        What about electric assist trikes?
        Teena Marie

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        • #5
          Boy, these trike conversations go on and on, don't they? I, too, have learned that my trike may have alleviated alot of anxiety, but it certainly has added some issues. As we all have been saying, it is slow, and this makes it not a very social sport, unless I just rode with other trikesters... That is disappointing... While I will be training on it inside this winter, I suspect that this will not get me up to the speed ( very modest!) that I would like.

          I know that Marina has had some decent speed ( slow for her, but fine for me! ) on her Catrike that has a 20" rear wheel....mine is 16". Dave, do you have the same model as her? I am really thinking of checking out a Catrike, and maybe see about a trade in on my beloved Greenspeed.

          Our new member, Grady, spoke about getting a Bike Friday, and Dave's post about hand vs. foot on Facebook prompted a comment from someone saying something about " You can't have too many bikes..." All this got me thinking that I will keep my Bike Friday and see, in the spring, if I may be able to ride it at times with friends, in safe settings.... Do I want to go the way of a hand cycle? Oh, boy, just too much to think about! And concerning Teena Marie's question about electric assist.... I was disappointed that the assist system we thought would help me doesn't thread onto the 16" wheel, so it is not an option. A different electric assist system that I checked out is more motor noise, and $3300..... So I don't have a clue right now what to do!
          Be thankful. Dream Big. Never Give Up.

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          • #6
            Electric assist trike have some great benefits, but weight (and cost) is a big issue. If I rode it directly out of my garage it wouldn't be an issue, but toting it would be super challenging.

            And the social aspect of biking is one thing I overlooked. While a leg powered trike helps me exercise my legs (much, much needed), it doesn't allow me to get up to a speed to ride with friends. (I have a Cattrike Pocket, which has small wheels, including its back wheel.) In that sense, an arm trike is pretty attractive.
            Dave Bexfield
            ActiveMSers

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