tdayuk
10-06-2005, 02:07
This is based on a 'Penguin' trike from india.
http://www.mari-noveltys.com/DifferentRikshaw/Penguintrikes-a.jpg
With big wheels this trike does role very smoothly to start with, the first problem noticed was that I was rocking from side to side on the saddle as I peddle (metal fategue just waiting to happen) & the missing gears mean a horrible start with passengers.
Once the trike is moving it's actualy very easy to keep it rolling & the manoverabilety is very similar to other trikes & it even feel quite light. The next point of call is to use the breakes, as we are coming up to a round about. This trike uses drum breakes & they work well but slow, my nose stickes a bit into the road. After standing on the peddles & rocking to & fro I manage to get going again but comes to a stop as I pick up passengers. The platform & seats are very spacious (also very light) & it's possible to get a pushchair on, the only problem is that they have no seat belts, which means the passengers don't stay.
Sadly this trike has no lights, so I use my bike lights instead & head home early. Looking under the trike it's easy to see that this trike is not builed for Europeans, the tubes are not welded nore are they very many. This usualy means that they start to 'lean' after just a few months of working or worse still is that they start to bend in the middle & break.
The forkes are normal bike quality & look like they will snap every time the front break is used. The wheels are an unusual make & one would pray not to break these as spair parts would be a nightmare to find. The axle is a solid rod that dives both wheels, so that when you go around a corner one wheel skip just a little.
The body is a mix of wood & fiberglass, to make the body light lots of little holes have been drilled into the ply wood, it works but I'm not sure about the strength of what is left. The skirting is very thin & is mainly for looks, as it's not hard to snap bits off.
The funny thing is that the trike does actualy look quite good & big but sadly it's not up to the job thanx to a poor subframe & lousy breaks, so 4 outa 10.
http://www.mari-noveltys.com/DifferentRikshaw/Penguintrikes-a.jpg
With big wheels this trike does role very smoothly to start with, the first problem noticed was that I was rocking from side to side on the saddle as I peddle (metal fategue just waiting to happen) & the missing gears mean a horrible start with passengers.
Once the trike is moving it's actualy very easy to keep it rolling & the manoverabilety is very similar to other trikes & it even feel quite light. The next point of call is to use the breakes, as we are coming up to a round about. This trike uses drum breakes & they work well but slow, my nose stickes a bit into the road. After standing on the peddles & rocking to & fro I manage to get going again but comes to a stop as I pick up passengers. The platform & seats are very spacious (also very light) & it's possible to get a pushchair on, the only problem is that they have no seat belts, which means the passengers don't stay.
Sadly this trike has no lights, so I use my bike lights instead & head home early. Looking under the trike it's easy to see that this trike is not builed for Europeans, the tubes are not welded nore are they very many. This usualy means that they start to 'lean' after just a few months of working or worse still is that they start to bend in the middle & break.
The forkes are normal bike quality & look like they will snap every time the front break is used. The wheels are an unusual make & one would pray not to break these as spair parts would be a nightmare to find. The axle is a solid rod that dives both wheels, so that when you go around a corner one wheel skip just a little.
The body is a mix of wood & fiberglass, to make the body light lots of little holes have been drilled into the ply wood, it works but I'm not sure about the strength of what is left. The skirting is very thin & is mainly for looks, as it's not hard to snap bits off.
The funny thing is that the trike does actualy look quite good & big but sadly it's not up to the job thanx to a poor subframe & lousy breaks, so 4 outa 10.