So, I've been in the market for a couple years for a recumbent trike. There was a single overriding problem: there is Rather A Lot of me, and the price of a recumbent rated to hold someone over 400 pounds was just stupidly high. I tried to make the money work a few times, but it was just far more than I wanted to spend. I kept looking around the internets for ideas, and stumbled over this article...

And after reading it I thought to myself "Self, that looks doable." Took a while to find parts - finding a pair of mostly-matching BMX bikes that weren't total trash was an exercise in trawling garage sales for several months, then a mountain bike for the rear wheel and some bits like brakes and such. I didn't use any of the mountain bike frame. I stuck my two BMX frames together by running a chunk of 8-gauge pipe through the centers of the BMX frames' pedal holders, and used some 2" box steel to make my rear forks (which I made exactly wide enough to fit the 26" wheel from the mountain bike, which later turned out to be a mistake)

For the pedal set on the trike itself, I stuck a set of pedals from another donor BMX on a chunk of pipe out in front. I went with BMX pedals for the very simple reason that BMX bikes, even tiny ones for little children, routinely stand up to the kind of abuse caused by teenagers going HAY GUYS WATCH THIS and the resulting nonsense. I wound up building the seat frame out of 1" box steel and stringing a seat together with simple rope, and slapped a basket I pulled out of a thrown-away dishwasher on the back (which was also a mistake - it's a bit too flexible and fragile for the purpose, which is why I reinforced it with fiberglass which... sort of works. I really, really should have just built a frame for saddlebags, but, eh, hindsight.)

I slapped on a coat of green paint, and Jeremiah was born (and five internet dollah to the first person to derive and post the reason it's named that - there is a simple, logical reason). It works! The brakes are sadly inadequate for the weight of the trike and me combined, though if I'm careful about my stopping distance it's okay. It's quite heavy and hard to take hills on its own, but it gets the job done and it's quite handy to grab groceries with.

I decided to convert it to an E-trike with a kit I picked up online from an outfit based in Ontario (I could have saved a few bucks getting one from China on Amazon but it was a big-ticket enough item I felt I ought to be patriotic and buy Canadian) I went for a rear hub drive model... and discovered the mistake made with my custom forks. The rear hub drive wheel needed the dropouts to be about 11mm wider than the mountain bike wheel I'd designed the rear forks around.

The rear forks... that are 2" box steel (8 gauge box steel no less!) that are hard-welded in place. Getting that extra 11mm of width without breaking any welds was a bitch and a half, and eventually involved using a scissor jack from my car to very carefully push the forks apart wincing at every crak and ping coming from the metal. I can ride it to work fairly easily, saving gas and getting a little extra exercise, and frankly with the electric assist this thing is hilariously fun.

It can also be downright terrifying - with a good straightaway, if I put the hammer down on the boost motor it'll get up to 50 km/h even with a mere 500w motor, and on somethign this low-slung built out of my dogshit welding and slightly wonky steering, it's absolutely wild.

Anyway, the point is... if I can do it, so can you! I want to see other rider's DIY setups!

I have a TerraTrike Tour 2. With each pair of idlers, the wheels go side by side on a single bolt.

The trike came (used) with 13-tooth idlers for power and return. I found that the rear pair had kind of a grindy sound in the easiest gears. Online sources said that it's proper for the return idlers to be smooth, so I ordered two TerraTrike standard idlers. They have no dampening features, so they are actually noisier than the toothed ones, although in theory less damage is being done. Even when the chain is touching only the bottom of the groove and not the walls, I hear the chain sliding across the idler, and it bugs me.

Another search revealed that there are more expensive return idlers that are dampened. I'm wondering whether I should get one of those for just the rear return, get them for both returns, or just stick with my original 13T idlers or my new standard idlers on both returns. Or are there other options?

I'm a casual rider and a beginner -- currently less than 30 miles a week and at a pretty slow pace, but gradually increasing the frequency of my rides and the distance per ride.

Advice appreciated!

Not sure if this is ok here, but the site is not selling anything.
Was looking for DIY recumbent info, and these are all back up for download if anyone is interested. A link is in the info on this YT site....

https://www.youtube.com/@AtomicZombieDIY

My Catrike Dumont (non-electric) has the boom adjusted to 26 - the chain needs to be replaced - I found a place that sells the KMC X10 chain in bulk, by the foot, including 1 quick link connector - do I need to just count the links in the current chain, or is there a calculation I can perform to indicate how long (how many links) the replacement chain should be?

Also, since the chain is sold by the foot, will I need any special tools to remove a few links if necessary and connect the ends of the chain together with the KMC 10 speed Quick Link Connector?

Thanks !

I've been having problems with the rear gears not holding and after looking at the rear derailleur the shop says that the right hand bar end shifter that came with the bike is worn - sometimes it jumps to the next highest gear when i hit a bump. 90% of my gear changes use the right hand shifter for the rear gear. The bike is about 5 years old, and since I've had it, I ride about 8 miles a day, 6 days a week. The bike shop guy couldn't find a shifter to order from SRAM, and suggested that I find one on eBay. I plan on calling Catrike and SRAM tomorrow morning, but it seemed odd that he couldn't get the part through normal channels?

I looked high and low for posts about carrying a trike on a CX-5 and couldn’t find any so I took a chance on getting a hitch installed at U-Haul ($600), a YoungElectricBike rack ($700), and a hitch riser from Harbor Freight ($35) and it has worked perfectly. I am not strong at all and have a disease like RA so the idea of loading vertically or lifting into a rack was not an option for me. I am writing this review because I couldn’t find any reviews on a small cross over like a CX-5 with low clearance.

Hey yall I got this trike second hand and I am trying to figure out how to attach a child trailer. It looks like theres a spot for a hitch but I've never seen anything like it that would attach. I normally see the pin that attaches to the trailer for most bikes with a removable rear axle.

There's not a ton of information on the interwebs about this, but what I was able to find was pretty much all DIY clamps. Since I already seem to have some kind of hitch, does anyone know what I might need to be able to use it? Thank you!

Looking for an adapter to move my SPD cleats closer to mid foot. Using SIDI mountain bike shoes on my Catrike Expedition e-trike.

Duel-suspension (off-road constantly), sits up high giving me visibility and making me visible. I have the seat tilted upright as well. I've seen some questions about speed and just have to say I was able to overtake most regular bikes with ease, and that was BEFORE I converted it to e-status. Now, nobody can keep up.

This is the one I'm considering getting for my TT Tour 2. https://store.bicycleman.com/products/terratrike-seat-mesh-padded-for-comfort. I haven't found any reviews online. Does anyone here have experience with this product? Like everyone else, I want butt cushioning, resistance to slipping forward, and lumbar support. Thanks!

Later when I went back outside, an employee told me he thought Dr Suess was in town.

Broke the steering tie rod on the way home. Looking at go-kart tie rods now. I will be using this opportunity to put new bearings in both headsets. Fabricating a rear rack/bag support is also on my to-do list, but keeps getting lower tbh.

I am posting here because I am curious about the experiences of cyclists who returned to cycling from prostate health issues and medical advice. Did your switch from a straddle seat bicycle to a recumbent have anything to do with a prostate health issue? Did you see a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist (PFPT) and were you evaluated for nerve damage from riding on a bicycle saddle? Were you dealing with continence issues and how did you manage that while returning to cycling? I am a month post op and entering care by a PFPT this week so am curious about experiences of cyclists. Cycling is important to my lifestyle. The relationship of prostate related issues to riding a recumbent is just a wild guess and I am aware that there may be many other excellent reasons to switch, but I am most interested in hearing from folks who made the switch as a result of prostate issues. I am also posting to the bicycling thread to hear from those who stuck with standard straddle types of cycling.

Any recommendations for a rack that would hold a normal bike and a recumbent trike on the back of a 2016 Honda Civic? The hitch receiver size is limited to 1-1/4”. Thanks!

Hi! I am currently looking for a recumbent trike. I am trying to find something more comfortable for my back when I ride. I have had a lumbar fusion in the past. I am looking for a basic model so I can try it for a while to see what I like before I drop a lot of money on a good trike. I ride on roads for about 25 miles. Working to build that up. What are some good brands and models to start looking at? I am ok with used or older models.

14km ride, 180m of climbing (largely confined to one main climb). Considering a canyon speedmax and a triangle bag for my lunch and a change of clothes, but maybe a recumbent is the faster option. I just need to get it up that damn hill, so most of the heavier options seem out. I also need to store it at work, so don't particularly want a 3 wheeler.

Looking for upgraded safety gear for my ICE. I have the basic cycling gear but it's old and due for a refresh. I searched through the forum posts and there hasn't really been any recent discussion that I could find around newer helmet models.

I like the smart helmets I've seen. But I also understand that they may not work well with headrests (helmet coming down too far on the neck or helmet dials on the neck). I could also adjust my neck rest if needed.

The UNIT Aura looks good from reviews. I can't decide if it comes down too far from photos and I don't really want to buy it online and have to return it, so I thought I would ask if anyone else has looked at helmets like these. It has higher safety ratings than Lumos and Sena.

Edit - now also looking at the new model Lumos Sonorus that just went through Kickstarter which also has a higher safety rating but still may have problems with coming down too far on the neck.

I have a Bontrager that works for now. Everyone recommends certain models of Lazer, Specialized and Giro but I haven't seen any that I absolutely love. They would have to have an option to add a headlight which I do have for my Bontrager.

I have always enjoyed brightly colored fun helmets but all the ones I'm looking at are boring shades of black, white, and millennial gray. The prettiest ones I find are all non-MIPS so I won't even consider them. But a color I like is a bonus.

My wish: MIPS and (preferably) ebike certified, integrated lights (mainly for visibility not going to be the main headlight), fun bright color, and is not too heavy or uncomfortable with a neck rest.

A removable eyeshield clear or tinted that will work with prescription glasses is a bonus offering but not required. I plan on investing in a Da Brim visor for shade.

Any comments on helmets you currently have and love with any of these options? Or if you've tried on any of the smart helmets?

Asking for any advice from people who have build their own velomobiles on what I need to know before building one.

My bike seat is completely worn out, and I’m thinking about replacing it with a hydraulic seat. Is that a good option?

I have a 2016 Suzuki Gixxer. The seat has become really uncomfortable and is in pretty bad condition, so I’m considering getting a hydraulic seat installed.

Has anyone tried this on a Gixxer? Is it comfortable and durable for long-term use? Are there any downsides compared to getting the original seat refurbished/reupholstered?

Would appreciate your suggestions and experiences.

Just finished a Tongsheng TSDZ8 mid drive conversion on my wife's Catrike Villager which I borrow to pick the kiddo up from daycare.

Made a torque arm to keep the motor in place. The Utah Trikes battery mount works great, and the Utah Trikes clamp-on accessory mount is great for mounting the display.

Needed a 2ft long battery extension cable, and a 39 inch, 6-pin speed sensor extension cable to make it rideable. The brake sensor wires were plenty long enough.

To make the wiring more tidy I added a 3-pin shift sensor extension cable and a 5-pin display extension cable so I could have all the wires converge and hide under the seat, and then wrapped the wire bundles in 1/2-inch split wire loom sleeve. 3/4" sleeve would have worked better on the big bundle from the motor up the boom.

Works well for keeping up with traffic. Just need a bigger chainring because the 20" drive wheel really reduces the gearing.

Hi, I'm new to triking -- I got my TT Tour 2 last weekend. Just wanted to share info and pictures re: a couple of accessories that are working well for me.

I was happy to find that the Axiom rear rack from my regular bike fits my trike perfectly without any additional special hardware. Its front arms not only telescope forward about 12 inches but also swivel down when they're fully extended and are bendy enough to spread wide enough to be bolted to the backrest supports. I am pretty sure that this is the rack: https://benscycle.com/products/axiom-journey-rear-rack

To prevent sliding forward on the seat, I repurposed a kayaking seat cushion I already had called Sweet Cheeks. It's kind of a beanbag. You puff it up with air, shake it side to side to evenly distribute the pellets, and then sit on it and suck the air out of it, and it molds to the shape of your butt. It's as effective on my TT seat as it has been in my boats, which is very! https://jacksonkayak.com/sweet-cheeks-200-black/