Saturday, May 25, 2019

Balance The Advantage Of An Electric Tricycle

By Edward Turner


Rechargeable vehicles in our cities have revolutionized what it means to be a pedestrian. It makes truly commuting on foot possible for distances over two miles, and allows for speedy short trips without belching exhaust into the air. However, before you put an engine on your skateboard, you should take a longer look at the electric tricycle.

Children of all ages love the accelerated pace of a power scooter, and they do not seem to mind that it makes them stand up all day. Us older folks are wise to this though, and we know sitting comfortably ensures a safer ride home. We did not jump on the fad right away because we prefer sitting to standing when traveling our favorite city.

Having a straight-back but sitting posture allows us to spend more time riding around, as stiffness in our lower backs and soreness on our feet is a distraction. We saw long ago that those upright stick-handles were just a little too low to hold onto without being stooped forward. This pose actually encourages adults to ride these skateboard style scooters with no hands.

Even if the model is designed to fit a taller adult, it is still standing. Discomfort creates distractions just as dangerous as a cell phone or the loose dog down the street. Older people really cannot risk having an accident, especially since the tricycles are sometimes designed to go faster than scooters or their Segway counterpart.

Anyone riding upon such a contraption must be aware of the same dangers as any pedestrian. Only difference is, this pedestrian is moving at 8 to 15 mph, able to pass bicycles going uphill, and certainly capable of getting into catastrophic accidents. The older the rider, the more catastrophic the injuries are likely to be.

Tricycles allow the rider/driver to sit in an upright pose that promotes greater alertness to their environment. A nice round seat, probably chosen to match the size of their own bum, is the most ideal scenario for a long day of site seeing in the city. Even if one has lost their driving license for motor cars twenty years prior, they are still able to safely motor themselves to whatever destination they set their sites on.

Breaking systems come standard on most tricycles, along with rear-view mirrors that should have been standard on bicycles a century ago. Many scooters, including the motorized variety, were without breaks in the beginning. However, as these vehicles become more and more a part of city travel, breaking systems standard just makes sense.

As any bicycler or motorcycle rider knows, the horn is a key safety feature, and tricycles love to make their horns look and sound as ridiculous as possible. For those of us who still love the night-life, a headlamp and rear lights come standard. Some of us punk-rock gods might ornament our wheels with LED rope with hopes that we can be seen from space.

It is a shame that not every rider understands how the design of their ride is supposed to work. You see, tricycles are modeled under the concept of a tripod. The human body is part of this tripod, but only if their feet are squarely on the pedals and their hands are firmly clutching each handlebar at all times.




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