My current ride is a Trimuter Big Wheel recumbent trike. I have been riding it for about a year and a half now (since summer 2004). It is good for transportation about 50-70% of the time. I try to ride it as much as I can instead of using my car to save gas, but it is no fun in the rain or when there is heavy morning fog. Also, it is not much use when I have to take my turn driving the kids to or from school --- no back seats. It is a very good trike, but I have had a few problems with it that I think it could be better...

The first thing I did after getting the trike was swap out the pedals. It was probably more of a personal preference thing, but I could just not get used to the frog speed pedals that came with the trike. My shoes constantly slipped from the pedals. I traded them for some Look carbon pedals which I like much better. The trike is very completely equipped. All I had to add to it was a tool kit for changing flats, a pump, water bottles, and I decided another matching tail light for safety sake.

The next problem I felt was with the steering. It is very sensitive and takes some getting used to. I found that going at high downhill speeds, the trike would wobble back and forth (sometimes pedal steer, or sometimes from bumps in the road). With a bit of advice from the builder Jerome, I found that tightening the nuts on the top of the kingpins helped overcome the problem. It increased the resistance to turning the trike so it is more a feeling of better stability than actually making high speed riding more stable. I think the steering geometry is probably very similar to a Greenspeed trike and found others had reported the same kind of steering problems. Greenspeed now has a new model X5 with more castor and camber, I would really like to try one and see if this geometry handles better at the higher speeds.

My other problems came from mostly the same source, constant loosening of nuts and bolts. The trike comes fully assembled and ready to ride, but I found many things coming loose one by one. After awhile, I think I have finally gotten everything adjusted and tightened enough that parts do not fall off while I'm riding anymore. The one problem I still have is with the Shimano 105 cranks. They loosen and creak no matter how hard I try to tighten them down. I think it would do better with some Dura-Ace triple cranks instead. I continually think I will update some of the components which are also mostly 105, but have not yet gotten around to it. It would have been nice if an option for better level of components was available at time of purchase. One of the disc brakes also has worn very unevenly, I think because the wheel axle was not tight enough. I am at this writing awaiting arrival of new brake pads to replace the worn out ones.

The last problem I've never solved is with the Cateye wireless computer sensor mount. I'd adjust it to work for the ride to work in the morning and it was out by the time to go home. I'd adjust it for the ride home, and the next morning the magnet would be hitting the sensor. After moving it back and forth so many times, I finally gave up and ride without it. Now it seems to be not working at all anymore even after battery change, which is unfortunate since I would really like to have the speedometer.

On the list of improvements side, it could probably use some features that most velomobiles seem to have, like suspension. The seat is very comfortable as long as the road is smooth. The bike path is not very well maintained, tree roots have made it very rough in places along my regular route to work, and it really shakes up the trike. I dream of suspension almost every time I ride it. It would probably also be nice if it had a rear brake. There is a lot of breaking steer and I think it would be nice to have a rear brake to scrub speed going downhill.

I ordered the optional Dual-Drive SRAM rear hub, which makes it an 81 speed trike. I thought I wanted it for the higher gear ratios, but found out it is more useful for the low gear going up the really steep hills, and also for shifting down while stopped after having to panic stop for traffic lights. I recommend ordering it with the Big Wheel. I noticed recently there is also one with a disc brake, which would be nice for my list of improvements. I'm not sure how three brakes would work without growing an extra hand, but there must be some way.

I don't want to make my experience sound too negative. It is overall a very good trike and I do enjoy riding it whenever I can.

A few other things I would like to try with it some day ---