Children vs adult models

{ May 13, 2009 @ 11:15 am } · { Uncategorized }

Another way of categorizing tricycles is by whether they are designed for children or adults. Children’s tricycles and most adult tricycles made for the recreational market use the upright layout. From a design point of view, the difference between children’s and adult tricycles is that whereas children’s tricycles are usually direct-drive and have no brakes, adult trikes usually have a gear-drive with multiple speeds and front and rear brakes.
A child rides a steel-framed tricycle in the rain Tricycles are typically used by children between the ages of two and four, after which point they usually switch to a bicycle, often with training wheels. Parents choosing a tricycle for their child should ensure that the trike is not too tall and that the seat is too high, and that the wheelbase is wide enough, because if this is the case, the child may tip over easily.[1] The seat should be stable, which is not always the case with the most inexpensive models. Some trikes have back rests which provide support and a push bar for parents so that the the parents can push the child up hills or hold the child back when descending, or in case of the sudden approach of other traffic.  For safety, children should wear a helmet when riding their trike; some parents may also attach a safety flag to the trike so that the child will be more visible to drivers. A plastic children’s tricycle

Children’s trikes are made of steel frames or plastic. One disadvantage of plastic frames is that they be more likely to tip over than a steel frame if a heavier child is riding. On the plus side, plastic frames will not rust like steel frames if the trike is left out in the rain. A good quality trike’s wheels will have treads, which provide better traction.

While most children’s trike have direct drive, a small number of models such as the Cheetah have chain drive. Unlike adult bikes, children’s trikes do not always have inflatable wheels; instead, some trikes have solid rubber wheels. While this adds to the weight of the tricycle and reduces the shock-absorbing qualities, it eliminates issues with flat tires, punctures, and leaky tubes. Since most trikes are direct drive, the child can slow the trike down by resisting the forward motion of the pedals, as with an adult fixed gear bike. Pull brakes are rarely used on kid’s trikes, but some “Bigwheel”-style plastic trikes have lever brakes in which an inverted half-moon-shaped brake pad is pressed against the driving surface of the righ rear wheel.

Riding

Adults may find upright tricycles difficult to ride because of familiarity with the counter-steering required to balance a bicycle, in which the weight of the body is used during turns. The variation in the camber of the road is the principal difficulty to be overcome once basic tricycle handling is mastered. Recumbent trikes are less affected by camber and, depending on track width and riding position, capable of very fast cornering. A few trikes are designed to tilt into the corners much as a bicycle does, and this also renders them more comfortable on cambered roads. They are referred to as tilting three wheelers (TTW’s). In the case of delta tricycles, the drive is often to just one of the rear wheels, though in some cases both wheels are driven through a differential. A double freewheel, preferably using no-backlash roller clutches, is considered superior. A jackshaft drive permits either single or two-wheel drive. Tadpoles generally use a bicycle’s rear wheel drive and for that reason are usually lighter, cheaper and easier to replace and repair.

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