November
2013... Sophie (now 11yo) was getting taller and the T5 was looking a
little undersized. I was now 42yo and starting to see the effects of
middle-age spread, particularly in my waist and stomach area. It was
time to find an exercise solution that my body could handle and that
I could enjoy.
I used to run an annual local half-marathon in my mid-20s, but I encountered shin splint issues that stopped my training in my 4th year. I became a family man at 28 after finding my soulmate Kristen, and my commitment to regular exercise gradually decreased as the family dynamic evolved over time. Now in my 40s, I enjoyed walking our dogs for 7+miles (11+km) at a time, but even that was flaring up my shin splint pain again and my knees were also complaining. I needed something low-impact but still let me get outdoors. Biking was OK, but it only worked my legs and of course a bike seat is not the most comfortable thing to ride on for 2hrs+.
The Trikke was a potential solution, but I needed a more adult version that Sophie could also use compared to the little Poly-wheeled T5. I also needed something with tires instead of Poly wheels as my local town had a variety of path conditions (concrete, chip-sealed (tar-sealed) & minimal asphalt), and our road surfaces were mainly chip-sealed, but some rural roads had older chip-seal that was almost as smooth as asphalt.
I used to run an annual local half-marathon in my mid-20s, but I encountered shin splint issues that stopped my training in my 4th year. I became a family man at 28 after finding my soulmate Kristen, and my commitment to regular exercise gradually decreased as the family dynamic evolved over time. Now in my 40s, I enjoyed walking our dogs for 7+miles (11+km) at a time, but even that was flaring up my shin splint pain again and my knees were also complaining. I needed something low-impact but still let me get outdoors. Biking was OK, but it only worked my legs and of course a bike seat is not the most comfortable thing to ride on for 2hrs+.
The Trikke was a potential solution, but I needed a more adult version that Sophie could also use compared to the little Poly-wheeled T5. I also needed something with tires instead of Poly wheels as my local town had a variety of path conditions (concrete, chip-sealed (tar-sealed) & minimal asphalt), and our road surfaces were mainly chip-sealed, but some rural roads had older chip-seal that was almost as smooth as asphalt.
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| Comparison Chart of Body Powered Trikkes |
After a few weeks of comparing information and specifications on the T78AirDeluxe, T8 Air Sport and T12 Roadster models via the www.trikke.com website, and watching some online videos on YouTube, I decided that the T78AirDeluxe was going to be my choice due to the similar features of the more expensive T8 Sport but the T78AirDeluxe was within my potential budget.
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| T78AirDeluxe |
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| T8 Sport |
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| T12 Roadster |
The T12 looked like
an awesome ride from what I had seen on YouTube videos but the additional expense made it difficult to
justify, especially when I had to factor in international freight,
customs duty and foreign exchange rates. Plus, I had no idea just how big the T12 was... would it be too big for me or too heavy to get moving?
I had never invested this much money on a fitness item before, so I knew if I committed to purchasing a new Trikke I would definitely have to ride it as much as possible to ensure I put my hard earned money to good use. I could not afford to have it sitting dormant in the garage when I could be out riding it when time permitted and the weather was good. I had to make a commitment to myself that I needed a Trikke to assist my fitness levels and get in better physical shape.
I had never invested this much money on a fitness item before, so I knew if I committed to purchasing a new Trikke I would definitely have to ride it as much as possible to ensure I put my hard earned money to good use. I could not afford to have it sitting dormant in the garage when I could be out riding it when time permitted and the weather was good. I had to make a commitment to myself that I needed a Trikke to assist my fitness levels and get in better physical shape.
I
made contact with Ana at Trikke Tech again in January 2014. We discussed freight costs from USA to New Zealand and due to the high
expense it seemed uneconomical to purchase from the USA as the
freight cost was almost 80% of the retail price of the T78AD, plus
customs duty etc. Ana gave me contact details of the latest Trikke
Australia distributor as another option.
Waiting for the next chapter... ;-)
ReplyDeleteGreetings from a T12 spanish trikker
Thanks for the support. I am enjoying writing these.
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