Newbie needs help with purchase

[Dave_In_Aus]

Hi all
I am planning to buy my first pedicab and can't decide on which would be best. I am wondering which is easier to ride - the type in which the people sit in front or the chariot type where the passengers are in the back. I have been weighing up whether to buy one of the Chinese made pedicabs (chariot type) which look really cool and cost around US$1300 including postage to Australia. (pic below)http://img.alibaba.com/photo/201899366/TRICYCLE.jpg

I am also looking at a locally made one where the people sit in front which will cost me around US$1100. (actual pic below)
http://www.pedicabforum.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=81&d=1158642363
Can someone please tell me the relative merits of each type? Which is easier to steer/brake etc. I know some of you might tell me that the chinese one will be crap, but I have done a bit of research on the web and found this exact same model being successfully used by many pedicab riders. I am on a very limited budget so spending heaps more is not an option. I will only be using the pedicab privately so I dont expect to be covering great distances or anything. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

[Ken Cameron]

All of the most successful modern pedicabs have a single front wheel, and two in the back. Therefore I would tend to think that this is a characteristic to look for in an easily operated trike.

However if you must look for a front loader consider the following:

Front loaders that have a single pivot underneath the carriage are more stable at speed than front loaders that the steering pivot behind the passenger carriage. This is because of the length of the lever arm between the front wheel and the pivot.

The following picture is of a very unstable trike of the type commonly made in Mexico. It is often used by ice cream vendors. It has the pivot behind the load bed.
http://www.dorkypark.com/mediac/400_0/media/64.felixTrike.2.jpg

The following picture is of a frontloader trike with a below load-bed pivot. It will tend to be more stable at speed than the "mexican trikes" due to the load being more centered over the pivot and the shorter lever arm between the wheel and the pivot.

http://www.workcycles.com/workcycles-bakfietsen-images/gustav-images/gustavwamstel.jpg

I have seen only one modern front loader trike that has "Ackerman" type steering where each wheel has a pivot just inboard of it's hub. Then there is a linkage to the handlebar. This type of steering is more common on recumbent tadpole trikes.

http://www.workcycles.com/workbike/bicycles/deredding-tricycles/de-redding-kdv-tricycle.html

http://www.bakfiets-en-meer.nl/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/deredding-kdv-4kinderen-jlm600.jpg

(Those kids are so freaking cute.) There may be other front loader trikes with this arrangement but I have not seen them.

Just my 2 cents worth.

-Ken