As for older boomers and seniors and those who have concerns with their balance or stamina. Here’s some tips to help you shop for one.

What is recumbent trike?
“Recumbent” means that you are sitting in down with your feet in front of you.”Trike” is for a three-wheeled cycle. There are two types of trikes “tadpole recumbent trikes” which have three wheels with two in the front and one behind the rider. The other style of trike is known as a delta trike and has one wheel in front and two in the back.

How safe are trikes?

If you are worried about falling, an adult tricycle is a great option to consider because of the stability it provides. With a tricycle, you can ride as slow as you want without ever losing your balance and you can put both feet on the ground while seated, which is very reassuring for many older riders.

Adult tricycles are much easier than a traditional bike; brands such as TerraTrike are very easy to get in and out of because of the seat height and the raised, ergonomic handlebars are easier to reach and grip; and offer oversize seats (some even have backrests) for comfort and support.

Types of tricycles

There are literally dozens of different types of adult tricycles to choose from with prices ranging anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars. To help you figure out the right kind of tricycle that meets your needs and budget, here’s a breakdown of the different styles and costs, along with some popular models to checkout.

There are several styles of adult trikes to choose from and the prices range in the hundreds to several thousand. In the modern day tadpole trike there is one manufacturer that has dominated the trike market because of their low price and high quality and they are TerraTrike. They surely have brought trikes to the everyday rider. Here’s a breakdown of different styles and costs, as well as some recommended models;

• Recumbent Trike: These allow you to recline with your legs positioned in front of you. They are very comfortable, easy on the back and aerodynamic which make them ideal for cruising around town, riding the bike trail or touring. See terratrike.com, greenspeed.com.au and kmxus.com for a nice variety, but be aware that recumbent trikes are more expensive than upright models, typically ranging between $800 and $2,500.

• Tandem Trikes: If you are looking to ride primarily with your spouse or another partner, you may want to get a tandem tricycle that comes with two seats (front and back), The tadpole tandem trike have typically been over $5,000 until TerraTrike introduced the Tandem Rover under $2k in 2011.

• Folding Trike: If you have a small car or limited transportation space you may want to check into a folding trike. The GT1 by Greenspeed is around $1,995 and is known  for quality and performance.

• Electric: If you need a boost from time to time, electric tricycles are hybrids that have pedals and an electric motor, so you can exercise when you want or you can sit back and let the trike do the work.

If you are in Northern California, Sacramento or San Francisco you can test ride the most popular trikes at Laid Back Cycles in Fair Oaks. They are the only recumbent trike specialty shop that offers TerraTrike, Greenspeed, KMX, Trident and Sun adult tricycles.

Visit them at 8137 Sunset Ave, Fair Oaks, CA 95628 or call them at 916-304-2453

From Mlive.com

Cal Olson says he is a “raving fan” of his Terra Trike, the sporty adult-sized tricycle made by WizWheelz Inc., a fast-growing company based in Kentwood.

“It changes your life. It honestly, honestly did,” says Olson as he looks fondly at his blue machine. “These things are a godsend.”

Olson is just one of many who’s life has been changed by finding the freedom and comfort of a recumbent trike.

Read the entire article here

Rovers !
Ramblers !
Tour 2 !
Sportsters !
Tandems !

All models, colors and sizes are now available and ready to become yours! Give us a call or visit and start 2012 with an investment in your health.

We are the largest TerraTrike & Greenspeed recumbent trike bike dealer in Northern California from Sacramento to San Francisco and offer adult recumbent 3 wheel tricycles for all people of all shapes, sizes and personal performance levels!

No matter what life stage you may be in, you’ll be sure to discover new innovative ways to improve and maintain your health and quality of life for years to come.

Here at Laid Back Cycles, we are focused on being your fit for life solution

It’s all about the healthy lifestyle.

Come by between 10am and 2pm to test ride and pick out your trike

Why consumers are choosing the Rambler? After surveying many Rambler owners, it seems to be because with its lighter cro-moly frame for lifting into cars and trucks as well as the up to 27 speeds for better gear ratio allowing for better hill climbing and faster on the bike trail.

TerraTrike said with its introduction in 2011 “The Rover was, no doubt, very well received in the market, and we were very pleased to see the trike helping so many new people get into or back into cycling. But, there were still a lot of people asking for something similar but with a more refined design and more gearing, so we created the Rambler.” says Jeff Yonker, Marketing Director at TerraTrike. “We think this design combines all the great features of the Rover and Cruiser and then takes it to the next level.”

The Rambler also comes with a new improved TerraTrike adjustable seat. Recline adjustments from 40 to 90 degrees allows the rider, not the manufacturer, to set the angle at which you feel most comfortable – and at 15″ high, it’s still a full 5″ taller than most trikes. Similar to the Rover, the seat also slides along the frame allowing for quick adjustments for riders with similar leg lengths. This trike is easy to get in and out of and adjusts in seconds. The Rambler comes in two colors, orange and green.

Because of the design, it has a very small turning radius (in most cases even shorter than a standard upright bicycle). You can take your Rambler into places that had never before been accessible to trikes. They’ve also included locking brake levers as a standard component so you’ll stay put once you get to where you’re going.

The 2012 Ramblers retail at $1499 to $2399 depending on the component level. You can test ride and get your new Rambler at www.LaidBackCycles.com

The Tour II steering linkage has been changed to improve the trike’s turning radius. It’s comes with a chromoly steel frame and has the same comfortable mesh seat that comes on all TerraTrike models. TerraTrike offers it with 3 boom choices with the most popular being medium and large. The new sliding seat mount makes sizing adjustments easier than previous models.

The Tour II comes in three different specs starting with a 8-speed model, 24 speed Base model and capping out with the Pro Model.

The Tour II Base Model 24-speed MicroShift drivetrain and Bengal disc brakes all worked impressively.

TerraTrike comes with 40 psi tires that provide a comfortable ride but some may riders may want a faster higher pressure tire such as the Schwable Marathon’s as an option.

The Tour II comes in a bright yellow color which provide a nice sporty feel as well as good visibility.

A much needed and appreciated change to the Tour II’s is the steering linkage to allow a tighter turning radius. The Tour is great for cruising or touring which comes from combining the best of their past models.

A few of TerraTrike accessories you may want to go with your Tour II are, racks, fenders, seat bags, panniers, flags and a host of other add-on that will make your ride fun, safe and more enjoyable. Laid Back Cycles also offers a wide variety of other accessories that will work with the Tour II.

The Tour II comes in a 20” wheel or 26”, I prefer the 20 for a better low end gearing which will help you get up hills easier. If you are looking for a trike with a 26” rear wheel I recommend looking at the TerraTrike Sportster.

TERRATRIKE TOUR II
Highs –Very comfortable, Great performance for the price.
Lows –Could benefit from higher pressure tires for faster speeds
MSRP – $1599-$1799
More Info – www.LaidBackCycles.com

Greenspeed.MagnumThe No-Compromise Recombent trike

Want to go fast? Really fast? Then the New Sportster is your machine. This is the culmination of our 15 years experience with trike design. If you are a trike enthusiast, you owe it to yourself to take a test ride on one of these. It accelerates faster, climbs better, and maintains high speeds easier than any trike we’ve ever ridden. And trust us, we’ve ridden them all. This is the supercar of trikes, and a complete thrill to ride.

With its “no compromise approach” to build quality, you can be confident you’re riding the best. The Sportster has a newly designed strong and light weight aluminum frame that can be taken apart for easy traveling. It comes stock with a 26″ rear wheel for higher gearing, and is available in four component levels to suit any budget. If your goal is simply to move as fast as possible under your own power, then look no further than the new Sportster!

The Sportster is available in four different component levels:

This will be the trike that all trikes are measured against. But don’t take our word for it ..try one out for yourself at Sacramento’s #1 Source for Recumbent Trikes, Laid Back Cycles.

Excerpt from a dream vacation? The kind of magical moment you might experience if you decided to rent a ’65 Fairlane convertible in San Diego and take it all the way up the Pacific Coast Highway, perhaps?

Try your daily commute to work.

Or David Lawson’s daily commute to work, rather. For ten years, the 60-something-year-old resident of Santa Barbara blithely bypassed Southern California’s notoriously overcrowded highways in favor of a commute by recumbent trike. Interstate jams, road construction and an ever-sinking gas gauge needle quickly became all but a memory for the man who preferred to begin his 9-mile commute each day by literally lying back, kicking his feet up and taking in plenty of sunshine, scenery and fresh air from the comfort of his distinctive cycle.

But don’t get the wrong idea—this isn’t your grandpa’s recumbent we’re talking about here. David’s TerraTrike, produced by the WizWheelz Company out of West Michigan, is sporty and sleek, built for efficient handling at high speeds. He has been known to push the trike up to 30 M.P.H. while on the bike paths, in fact, passing up his years-younger two-wheeling cohorts left and right with the greatest of ease. Sand on the paths? No problem! Sharp turns? Bring ‘em on! The TerraTrike’s low center of gravity and wide, stable wheel base provides a road-hugging thrill which David describes as being comparable to driving a sports car—a very eco-friendly sports car, that is.

“It’s even more fun with hazards like sand or water on the roadway!” he exclaims.

Now retired, the former Senior Artist for the Anthropology Graphics Lab at the University of California, Santa Barbara owns a total of five TerraTrikes by WizWheelz, including one of the company’s trademark bright red tandems … to enjoy with his wife, of course.

“What a thrill for both of us,” says David. “Judging from the ‘thumbs up’ and cheers we commonly encounter when cycling around town, it appears that the famous ‘Triker’s Grin’ is contagious!”

His love affair with recumbents (commonly referred to as “’bents”) began in 1997, when a chiropractor advised him to give up cycling on an upright due to the resulting stress to his neck vertebrae. A lifetime spent exploring the world from the seat of his mountain bike had apparently taken its toll on David, but he wasn’t ready to give up on cycling altogether.

Luckily, he didn’t have to.

“Recumbent cycling was the obvious answer,” David says. “A way to both recline and ride!”

Following a few experimental stints on two-wheeled recumbents (which he found fun, but somewhat awkward as far as balancing was concerned), David happened upon the WizWheelz site while surfing the Internet. Although the company was barely a year old at the time, he was instantly enamored with their design model. Subtly stylish, the TerraTrike was built low to the ground and featured 27 gears along with a unique wheel configuration consisting of two tires in the front and one in the back. He snapped up a ‘TerraTrike 1.3’—one of the first models ever produced by WizWheelz—and (as David puts it) … “The rest was history!”

In the ten years since he made the switch to recumbent triking, David has undergone a transformation of sorts. Having logged over 20,000 miles on his TerraTrike in that time, he is quick to boast that, “for someone who is fast approaching the seventh decade of life,” he keeps himself plenty busy through cycling adventures which far exceed anything he ever would have attempted in his younger years on an upright. He frequently embarks on spur-of-the-moment 50-mile treks, participates in organized century rides (100-mile cycling expeditions), and in 2002 even withstood a 24-hour endurance ride under the sponsorship and support of WizWheelz.

How does he wind down and relax after all that exertion? On his TerraTrike, of course! The mesh-slung seat conjures up thoughts of a typical lawn chair … and David says it’s not unusual to find him using it as such.

“I’ll recline on my TerraTrike in the backyard and listen to A Prairie Home Companion,” he says.

His love for the recumbent lifestyle is so great he has even managed to convert four of his former UCSB co-workers into fellow TerraTrike diehards. After all, by his estimation, the trikes pay for themselves, saving him and his colleagues each roughly $1500 per year on vehicle upkeep expenses, university parking fees and health club membership costs.

Plus there’s the added benefit of those idyllic seaside commutes, of course.

“Santa Barbara is a cyclist’s paradise,” says David, who fondly recalls a ‘particularly exhausting’ day at work, after which he eased himself onto his TerraTrike, put his feet up and got ready to enjoy a leisurely ride home. Barely a mile into his commute, he noticed an upright biker following closely behind, apparently trying to catch up.

“Do you always ride this fast?” the rider asked after finally managing to pull up alongside of him. David smiled as he gave his reply.

“No, this isn’t my normal speed. Usually I go faster—I’m just having an off day.”