04 - Middle age spread... Hunt for an Adult sized Trikke.

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.

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. 

T78AirDeluxe

T8 Sport

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 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.

01 - What is a Trikke?

A Trikke (pronounced like "bike") is a standing 3-wheeled Body Powered carving vehicle that utilize Trikke Tech's patented 3CV technology to allow a rider to propel a chainless, pedal less device forward without ever touching foot to ground.

Trikke T12 Roadster

Trikke carving vehicles allow a rider to utilize a fundamental physics principle known as the Conservation of Angular Momentum. The front wheel is offset compared to a standard bike's front wheel... this means that combined with the angled frame design, the front wheel naturally wants to turn to correct the offset, thereby creating momentum.

While travelling on a slalom-like path, a rider moves his center of gravity (his mass) from left to right (for example) while leaning the vehicle into a right turn; this movement of the rider’s mass is towards the center of the turn, thus decreasing the radius of an imaginary circle which is formed around the center point of the rider’s turn. This movement of mass to the center of the circle acts in the same way that an ice-skater increases her velocity if she pulls in her arms (decreasing her radius) while she is spinning on the ice.

Because of the vehicle’s design, a rider can learn to maximize the velocity generated from making each turn and then transfer that momentum into the next turn, and so on and so on. Propulsion can be so effortless that it feels like magic, or as strenuous as a full-blown sprint. Your choice! Either way, it is an awesome low-impact form of exercise with a big enjoyment factor built in.

"With the three wheels combined with the cambering system, you have 3 points-of-contact to the ground, meaning that the Trikke riding platform is surprisingly VERY stable."

It is comfortable to ride a Trikke, as you don't have a seat to get uncomfortable sitting on for a long time... your feet, knees and legs in general act as your shock absorbers, much like a snow skier does, but there is less impact on the body with a Trikke. A standard bike rider is mainly using their legs to do all the work and their upper body is bent over and not really benefiting from the exercise... whereas on a Trikke, you are utilizing the majority of your body's muscles (legs, hips, torso, arms, shoulders) in a comfortable upright standing position. Regular Trikke riding, normally called "Trikking", can result in weight loss and toning of muscles and strengthening the entire body as you ride.

1 Hour Calorie Burn comparison

There are a variety of Trikke models covering 4 year olds to senior riders 84 years old and above, so a wide range of rider heights and weights are covered.

In this blog I hope to cover various subjects:

• My discovery of Trikke
• ride locations
• models owned
• upgrades & accessories
• maintenance
• information
• opinions & ideas
• videos
• learning to ride
• technique & incline/hillclimb work.

#T12 Roadster, #T78AirDeluxe, #Tribred #E-Kit, #T5, #BodyPoweredVehicle #BPV, #3CV, #Carving, #TrikkeNewZealand