Here's Why People Under 40 Don’t Ride Trikes...

Ever wonder why it's the "older" crowd that rides recumbent trikes? The answer is pretty simple... and it has something to do with WHY younger folks WON'T ride trikes.
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[@bobr9689]

Recumbent trike - think Lazy Boy on wheels

[@honza-galla]

Recumbents are not only for people with issues. I started to ride one at the age of 23. Same for my wife. My kids started when they were 4 and 6. Recumbents are more comfy which helps if you like cycling but you get into saddle only once a week or 14 days or so. So your but nor neck never really get used to cycling. They are also safer many are faster, they are cool, and unique, some off-road trikes are more eco-friendly than gas-powered ATVs but they are the same fun. Etc. We should promote recumbents among younger people as well.

[@LaidBackCycles]

So true Honza! Trikes are for everyone :)

[@lukasketeljuric9909]

Bought mine at 18 years old. I bought it, because i have problems balancing myself on Two wheeled Bicycles. On the other hand i failed my Drivers License multiple times and lost a lot of money. And so i bought the Trike as kind of a substitute, because i didn't want to pay for another that i might fail again.

[@mikldude9376]

A recumbent is definitely a less painful way to ride , and even a pleasurable way to cruise around. And yeah , as you age your body starts conveying to you that those stresses that a normal bike puts on your bones start to make two wheel bike riding very uncomfortable.

[@actioncamsports]

I rode bikes as a kid, had a 10 speed as a teenager. I went over the front end of the 10 speed and cracked my left arm. That was the end of my cycling career...until after I turned 40. Lots of younger people ask about the trike when I'm out on it, even little kids say they want a cool bike like that one. The interest is out there. Maybe if we jump them at the X games, it will catch on.

[@LaidBackCycles]

That would be rad!

[@ericd.6368]

I have tried multiple seats on my bike and no matter which seat I get at around 10 to 12 miles I suddenly want to throw my bike in the ditch and yell MY ASS!!! It is like someone flips a switch. So I still have my bike for short little rides. For longer rides I ride my recumbent trike.

[@tanyasmith5883]

I love my trike, but I will admit it looks like a low-rider wheelchair. People who don’t realize how comfortable and enjoyable they are seem deterred by the “handicapped” stigma. When I was a kid, I used to think Cadillacs were for old people, but as I got older, I realized Cadillacs are comfortable, and older people can usually afford better cars.

[@LaidBackCycles]

Great comparison!

[@honza-galla]

And Mickey, unfortunately, helps this stigma grow with this video. I'm sharing more in my following comment.

[@LaidBackCycles]

@@honza-galla Yes, I totally get stigmas. I'm hoping your brand can change many of them. But that said, my friends thought my Hoka shoes were goofy and said only old people with bad feet needed them. Hoka makes shoes for everyone, but everyone that I've seen wearing them has bad feet in one way or the other. It takes someone cooler than me to make them hip.... you may be the one to make triking cool among younger people. 😄

[@hpvrider]

I love your videos. This video made me think about what age I was 28 years ago when I discovered the world of recumbent cycling. I was 41 years old. In the last 2 years however I've bought an ICE Sprint X Tour and a HP Velotechnik Grasshopper both with electric assist and enjoy them both for the excitement of the extra power that electric assist gives. At 69 years old I still love the thrill of riding fast. My latest was the Grasshopper and with the extra power that has with the Neodrives rear motor and Pinion 12 speed gearbox, this top of the range e-bike is incredible. I love riding the trike but the Grasshopper is actually so much more powerful its a dream to ride. So the point is, recumbent cycling can be enjoyed by us older riders with both bikes and trikes.

[@clydekaneshiro5250]

You have raised good points regarding why one would ride a trike vs riding a diamond bike. However for the younger rider starting to feel the aches of a traditional bike there's also the option of a 2 wheel bent. I transitioned from a 2 wheel bent to a 3 wheel bent after having too many falls with the 2 wheeler.

[@LaidBackCycles]

Same reason I made the switch - too many tip-overs with a two-wheel bent on hills.

[@Damorann]

@@LaidBackCycles Only reason I started with a 2 wheel bent was to more easily move that bike indoors at work and some places where they offer indoor storage but you have to navigate corridors. I do like the nimbleness of 2 wheels, but there is a steep learning curve to master how nervous a 2 wheel bent can be at low speeds compared to upright. I'm still happy I switched and I may go to 3 wheels some day. Love your videos.

[@markfeldman6509]

Great video with super logic. Let any 35 year old ride a trike for 50 miles and compare how he/she feels after doing the same on a regular bike. Even on shorter 10-20 mile rides. SOLD.people think you’re “cheating” by riding one and my immediate response is the trike doesn’t move an inch unless you are pedaling. It’s still work/exercise. If the youngsters want speed let them ride my Catrike 700 or my buddy’s ICE VTX. They are so much kinder on the body, safer, and more fun to ride. The price really shouldn’t be a problem because you buy it once and it lasts many years. I’m 71 and just passed the 10,000 mile mark for the year on my 559 and 700 combined and still have two months left in the year!

[@jfbriggs]

Tandem captains don't get to look around a whole lot. So when I got on a trike for the first time, it was a big "Oh Wow!" moment. Not only that, I could actually stop the bike and look around. At age 75 we are about to buy two recumbent e-trikes. Not because of any ailments. Not because it has "finally come to that". We are buying recumbent e-trikes because they represent a new and very different way for us to enjoy being on a bike. That's why a road bike rider takes up mountain biking. Same thing! But it's all about the "e". No "e", and we wouldn't be buying the trikes.

[@eukaryon]

I always wanted a bent trike ever since I tried one on the Atlantic City boardwalk, so you know it was a while ago. And just like you said, I could not afford the price of the low production specialty items. Finally could afford a bent trike, got it, and it has been so much fun! Much more comfortable than riding long distances on a fencepost. Now planning to add electric assist to get up those 8 percent grades because that desk job sucked up my life and I am out of shape.

[@LaidBackCycles]

I resonate. Keep on riding!

[@TheSouthernTriker]

Mickey I wouldn’t say us under 40 don’t have aches and pains, believe you me we get them just as you old times, we just deal with it better lol 😝 I’m 33 and I love my trike!! I don’t have any big issues with knees and back that won’t allow me to ride an upright, I ride trikes because they are unique and cool to me. I ran into someone riding one on the trail is how I got into them, didn’t know there was such a thing as a recumbent trike and so I flagged the person down and asked about it, and started reaching and looking into them and bam now I’ve become involved in this whole new world lol

[@LaidBackCycles]

Love to hear you're enjoying your trike!

[@TravelsByTrike]

I wish more younger people could ride, but we have a very enthusiastic community.

[@LaidBackCycles]

I agree!

[@rnor3146]

Hi! Many people, as I was, do not know the existence of such trikes!!! Never seen one on the road! One day, I was in holidays at 600 kilometers from home, I've been in a big shop with trikes and velombiles!!!!👍👍👍 And my problems of neck, back, could be solved! I know what I will by soon : a trike! Thanks to you, and other people, Trikes are going to be known, little by little, but surely! Many thanks for your videos, and have a great continuation. 😉👍👍👍

[@joepucci7719]

Mickey, Love your eyeglass frames. What brand are your eyeglass frames?

[@LaidBackCycles]

They are Ray Bans. I've been a Ray Ban fan since the 80's :)

[@edwinvillafuerte17]

I’m officially laidback cycle rider yohoooo …thank you Mikey n James and the rest of the crews 👍

[@LaidBackCycles]

Woohoo!

[@curtvaughan2836]

Well, when I was in my late 40's, in the early 2000's (I'm now 71), I invested in a recumbent BIKE, a Rans V-Rex. At that time I had no problem with balance, just the aches you talk about. After the V-Rex, a few years later (around 2005), I bought a Barcroft Virginia Ti. I still have that SWB recumbent bike. Tricycles have so overtaken the 'bent market over the last ten years, that "recumbent" has become synonymous with three-wheelers. If they were more available, I would think late 30's / mid-40's folks would be interested in two-wheeled recumbents. At that age, most folks have no balance issues, and two wheels are generally faster than three.

[@LaidBackCycles]

My first recumbent was a two wheeler as well. After coming to a steep hill on my ride home, I didn't have enough momentum and fell over - ouch! That's the reason I switched to three wheels even in my forties without balance issues.

[@curtvaughan2836]

@@LaidBackCycles You are very correct that recumbent bicycles have issues with balance on steep hills. You can't stand up and pedal, like on an upright, and even with adequate low gears, low speed inhibits balance.