Human Power vs. Electric Assist on a Recumbent Trike 

There's many ways to get lower gears to climb, a triple crank with climbing gears, a Rohloff 14 speed hub, a Schlumpf Drive, etc. But this is just showing how much easier and faster a motor is. And there's many reasons to get a motor other than climbing hills. Realistic is relative to what your are doing and what you want :)

@@LaidBackCyclesSorry guess I'm thinking like an engineer. There's no way you could easily restore the trike to its non electric components in a few minutes. I'd love to have a Bosch on my trike, but it's not happening in my current situation.

There are motors that can accept more than one chain ring with a derailleur.

Keep on hitting those hills 👏

I'm waiting on bafang to release their torque sensing motor in the next few months. Pushing much heavier weight of the trike magnifies muscle strength imbalances much more than riding and upright bike. I wind up straining the stronger leg to much.

2 things, stretch and watch your knees! I came from an era where stretching wasn't a thing so you probably already know this but it's really important. I'm getting my knee replaced soon, I could climb any hill and my job requires climbing many stairs. I can't do either one now but my legs are still very strong. I need to use an electric bike now and the pain only lasts for the first 5 minutes. All I'm asking is for you to watch out, it's a steep downhill.

I live with ataxia too...I'm planning to activate with recumbent bike also

@@debbieschwartz3132 one legged pedaling

I use my bell all throughout my ride. It's a simple but useful accessory.

Good move mate , as an old dude , and pedestrian , a cyclist, a triker, and an ex trucker , watching some people’s technique for sharing roads and walking and riding paths just fills me with anxiety, using bells or some other means to alert others to your presence is not only a safety thing , but also a courtesy thing and a bit of common sense. Some videos where you see people on their own personal forms of transport be it a scooter a trike or a bike , riding through blind bends , street corners shared packed pathways with people including much more unpredictable kids and not even slowing down nor let alone not alerting them with a bell blasting through is just reckless and wrong. Even on roads , I watched an E bike video the other day with a dude blasting down between two lanes of stopped traffic jam at around 35 mph, if someone stepped out between the cars , it would have been all over for both of them. It doesn’t take much effort to slow down when appropriate and or use a bell and practice good etiquette on the roads and paths we share. Sorry for the rant.

This is one of those hills I fell over on over a decade ago on my two-wheel recumbent.

@@LaidBackCycles..I totally understand. I have a lwb 2 wheel sun which I have basically stopped riding since I got my trikes and have been unable to sell it at any price. I don’t even get responses while on many selling sites. Hills are a breeze on a 3x10 trike for me…..so far…..

The gear inches can have a large range depending on internal/external gearing. The motor kit is around 16 lbs., with 6.5lbs being the batt.

It’s the COBI.Bike app for Bosch. I’m always trying out different displays.

@@LaidBackCycles Ahh, ok, thanks ! I’ll have a look at that !

Yep. A hub drive pushes you and needs to be powerful enough for your weight. They are useful when done right. The mid drive seam to work really well because your have a lot of gear options for the rear wheel.

They are both great in their own way. You'd have to sit in each one to see which one fit your butt best :)

The battery is not regenerative, but it can usually last 40-60 miles on ECO which is plenty for most rides. Just charge once you're back home!

I was in the lowest gear possible. But you can get even lower gears using a Rohloff drive or some Mega range cassettes. I usually don't need them with a motor though.

Thanks. I have just started my quest in getting a recumbent tadpole.

A hub drive can be added, but ice does not sell a mid drive aftermarket.

Ice needs to get a setup out there that can be added