Race and tour trike with 20inch all around.

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What would be nice is a trike with 3 20 inch wheels and able to be build in race and touring setup.
Then you have 2 trikes in one and you can set it up for 2 different situations.
For touring with a raised sead and a possibility for carying your luggage with you.
And as you want to race, that you can change the seat and loose Wight by removing parts like the luggage rack.

Then you have 2 trikes for the price of 1.
 

Radical Brad

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The one drawback to a 20 rear is the gear ratio. You would either require a 60+ tooth custom front chainring, or an intermediate jackshaft with a 1:2 ratio.
This is why I chose 26 rear for the Warrior. You can always add a small front chainring, but not so easy to find a massive one!

Brad
 
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I looked ad it and they sell them, but the price is high for a 60t. Almost 70 euro's.
Maybe there are cheaper ones, but I must agree 26inch is easier. I didn't think of the gear ratio.
 
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I didn't think of the gear ratio.
Not thinking about the gear ratio would not have been a problem. It would have reminded you on your first ride. A 20" rear would probably also result in larger bump shocks, depending on where you ride.

A mid drive can give you many options.
 
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What 20" x 20" 's have going for them is portability (especially if they fold) and the need to only carry 1 size of tube and tyre when on tour.
Just how fast do you really want to go? At my age I find it quite hard enough to keep to an average 10MPH on the flat (at a cadence I am comfortable with) for any reasonable period of time.
I can highly recommend the N380 CVT rear hub in a 20" rim. 380% gearing in a stepless format. You can always find a suitable gear for your preferred cadence. :D
Sure, I can sprint up to 15MPH or more for a very short while. But then I am so out of breath I don't enjoy the scenery and cannot chat to anyone I am riding with and that's no fun at all.
 

Radical Brad

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I was always fine with a 20 rear on a trike. For me the extra climbing power was more important than the ability to pace city traffic for a few blocks. But you did call for a racing trike, so a 20 will not cut it there.

Brad
 
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It's all horses for courses but, eventually when you become fitter, you may need a faster horse.
Indeed. However, I am probably as fit as I am ever likely to be ;)
 

Twinkle

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We have been building 20/20 trikes for almost 6 years , gearing hasn't been an issue, a 52 x 11 t gives a reasonable top gear and the addition of a sturmey 3 speed will give it both silly high and low gears.

Regards Emma
 
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I looked ad 20 inch for the following reasons.
It makes it easier to make the seat lower, and still have a relatively short wheelbase.
20inch has less roll resistance and that helps for touring and racing.

Gearing can be solved.
Looking on how it rides, I must agree that you feel the bumbs a bit more and for racing you don't ad shocks to the bike. But with the seat, you can lower that problem.
 
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I thought one of the reasons that 700c wheels were favored over smaller ones on road bikes was because larger wheels had lower rolling resistance. I know they have an easier time going over irregularities. Is there more to it than that?
Smaller wheels have less roll resistance.
That is why they changed the rules on handbikes by the paralympics. The set a wheel change because some went smaller and got an advantage.
They also tested it for long distance and it gave a big advantage.
It's also easier to get a smaller wheel rolling, than a bigger wheel. As a bigger wheel is rolling, then it's harder to stop. But for bike wheels, that isn't so much that you notice it.

A bigger wheel is smoother than a small wheel. But on roll resistance wins a smaller wheel.
 
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I am guilty of using the SA CS-RF3 with a 9-speed cassette. With a 26" rear wheel and 20" front wheels.
While it did go quite fast :D, it ruined my knees :eek: and I now have problems because it really needed an effective "Granny-gear" and I didn't have one.
In addition, no matter what I tried the 3-speed would occasionally do a pawl-slip; and while on a trike you don't end up crushing your nuts on a crossbar it was not a great experience.
That's only my view, others may have a very different experience and story to tell with 3 x "X" gearing arrangements.
You pays your money and takes your pick , as they say.
 

Twinkle

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Just for interest

Mike Burrows designed the windcheeter for racing with a 26 / 700c rear wheel for racing with tiller controls and a unique mono boom on the rear end.
Regards Emma
 
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Just for interest

Mike Burrows designed the windcheeter for racing with a 26 / 700c rear wheel for racing with tiller controls and a unique mono boom on the rear end.
Regards Emma
More race trikes have 26 / 700c rear wheels.
Companies come with carbon racers with those wheels, but I don't know what te reason is. It can be, because of regulations for races or they want to keep the ride a bit smoother, because they don't have suspension on race trikes and often people buy it not only for racing.

He made more bikes with a mono boom on the rear, but also on the front of other bikes he made. He made some great bikes.
 
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I was going to use either shorter crank arms, to increase cadance or use a road bike remote rear hub for a gear ratio increase of 2:1. Think of a 16T 20" BMX rear wheel, directly linked to the largest sprocket, then a standard racer set up forwards of that, using the rest of the cassette gears.
 

Twinkle

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Our 20/20 project X :- a folding trike designed for fast touring .
by using the dropped cross member and putting the " crank" in the main boom ( optimised for the fold ) the seat is about 10" above the ground , The USS is above the main boom and under the seat .
top is a 48x11 on 5.5" cranks , I believe you can now get a 9T small sprocket on a 9 speed cassette giving a 52/9 x20 " top gear - enough to kill any ones knees. The 28/28 x 20 bottom gear should be enough for any hill. 28 x 32 for the bigger ones


 
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Just to throw another into the mix and I have only proceeded as far as a rough mock up of the process. You can see a video on my eLecTricks thread elsewhere on AZ. The tests I carried out did not prove difficult to implement but it depends on your skills. I have been sidetracked by some electronics exploits but will get back into it shortly - I hope.

Although my implementation was rough but workable, I am now reveiwing the detail before finalising the design and build. I have recently joined a local (Bendigo, Vic, Aus.) MensShed with access to considerable machine shop tools and decided that as eLecTricks could very well be the last trike I build (famous last words) I should try and do a really good job of it. I purchased a few new items to assist with this process and I hope to be able to post some new progress images in a month or so.

Just ask if you want some questions answered.
 
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Using a separate hub is a great solution.
Vk3ckc I will look if I can find the video.

KurbKrawlaBikes I was thinking of an old BMX rear or just get the front fork of the BMX and bend it a bit open, to use it in the rear.

Emma, that's a good looking trike. I love the seat collor with the red frame.
There are 50+ tooth frond disks. It helps with the gear ratio. They ones I found where expensive. Maybe there are cheaper ones.
 
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