Would one of these trikes work on the Playa?

Molotov · Post by **Molotov** » Mon Sep 15, 2014 12:13 pm

They seem to do fine on loose beach sand, but I'm concerned about the energy in/out efficiency. They would probably suck on a muddy day, unless you found a body of water deep enough to float it.

You could advertise your camp on the wheels!

Elliot · Post by **Elliot** » Mon Sep 15, 2014 3:08 pm

These have been used with some luck in Kinetic Sculpture Racing, which is an amphibious sport.
You may need to change the gearing, but that is doable. I have one, but it has been changed enough that I do not know how the original setup was.
Being tricycles, they have modest rolling resistance compared with a 4-wheel vehicle. And the tall wheels roll easier over irregularities than short wheels.
I think it would work well on Playa.
Just watch for cracked wheels if you buy a used one. They crack around the center.

Molotov · Post by **Molotov** » Mon Sep 15, 2014 6:58 pm

At least for now, thinking of one similar to this with an electric front wheel for 2015.

FossaFerox · Post by **FossaFerox** » Mon Sep 15, 2014 7:52 pm

I have no experience with this, but it looks like it would have to dig into the surface pretty aggressively. On beach sand those aren't meant to ride on the rim, instead the rim is designed to sink and they ride on/get propelled by the bulbous bits closer to the hub. Two different worst case scenarios I can see would be lack of traction/power from riding on a dense crust or shredding the surface to generate power, leaving deep dust in your wake. Though I suppose if you had one of those out there this year on the early side you'd have been sitting pretty, one of the few people able to get around...

Post by **trilobyte** » Mon Sep 15, 2014 7:59 pm

+1 to what Elliot said. For the playa, you'd want something with knobby tires, and ideally also something that has a wheel that lets air through. Those look solid, and in a strong gust/dust storm it's possible the wind could send trike and passenger tumbling. There are a few electric assist trikes out there, or you could add a motor kit to nearly any existing trike with a little work.

Elliot · Post by **Elliot** » Mon Sep 15, 2014 8:57 pm

I should mention that in KSR, they install bicycle tires with industrial glue around the big plastic wheels.

Would one of these trikes work on the Playa?

Would one of these trikes work on the Playa?

Re: Would one of these trikes work on the Playa?

Re: Would one of these trikes work on the Playa?

Re: Would one of these trikes work on the Playa?

Re: Would one of these trikes work on the Playa?

Re: Would one of these trikes work on the Playa?