I have a friend with a severe back problem. He can’t ride his normal bike for any real length of time and is thinking of trying one of these…

http://www.azub.eu/CZ/folding-recumbent-trike-azub-t-tris/

He’d like to do some touring around the quiet roads of France on it.

Anyone tried one, or like to comment.

Thanks
SB

Never tried one – these guys are uk based & might be able to set you up with a test ride or something?

i have done

do you have hedgerows and walls in france ?

my only concern with it was visability as you are very low , constantly felt like car drivers didnt see me , i only did about 25 miles on it though , perhaps i was just being self concious of the fact i was really low ?

this thing had 2 flags,

the 2 wheel recumbent semi upright i rode felt better but less stable at low speeds and less stable at speed also.

the trike had a silly number of gears … 3 x 9 and an 8 speed nexus

Also never ridden one, but can thoroughly recommend http://bike4.co.uk/… although the website doesn’t show it, Mark has loads of experience in building all sorts of trikes, well worth contacting him if you’re in the market for a recumbent.

An old housemate (was one of the mechanics from Stif in Headingley) built one up, can’t remember the frame name but it was lovely. Fast, comfortable, stable. He’d built it up with a Fox shock, Rohloff and Hope discs so it was fairly blinged out, did a fair amount of touring on it and said the only issue he’d found was it got a touch “interesting” if you braked hard coming down steep hills, especially in the wet. I had a quick play in the yard a couple of times and my only reservation would have been the height/visibility thing – you’re pretty same close to the tarmac!

We have recumbent trikes, a Windcheetah and a Pashley PDQ3 , which are lots of fun 😀

The Windcheetah is fully recumbent, and can feel a bit vulnerable, but the PDQ3 is a semi-recumbent and literally stops the traffic, so they can have a good stare 😯

They are a bit ungainly to get on and off, and the seats may not be comfortable for a bad back. Your friend would really need to try one, to see if it’s suitable. Whereabouts does he live?

Thanks everyone. Much appreciated. I’ll pass this thread on to him.

@Esme – he lives in Central France but is thinking he’ll need to go to UK to try one.

SB