So You Bought a Recumbent Trike... NOW WHAT?

So You Bought a Recumbent Trike... NOW WHAT?

Video Transcript

Laid Back Mickey here! Hey, you just bought your trike and now you are wondering what to do. Well, probably the first thing you should do is get out and ride. But, before you do that, I have a couple questions for you. There are three things that you want to know after buying a trike. You will want to know about maintenance, about accessories, and where to find community. 

Let’s start talking about maintenance. When it comes to maintenance there are the A,B,C’s. The A stands for air. You will want to make sure you put air in your tires. I see so many people riding on low air, and that means you don’t get to go very far or very fast. If you ride with low air it also makes the tires more likely to get punctured. Most tires are anywhere from 50-60 PSI. So, if they start to get low make sure you have a tire pump on hand to keep the air in your tires. Next is the letter B, and it stands for the brakes. You want to check your brakes and make sure they are working. When you buy your trike most of the break in is in the first 90 days. So, any time from 30-90 days after buying your trike you will want to bring it in to either our shop or a different shop to have a once over on your trike. Have a checkup and to make sure all your cable stretching and everything else is all tightened up and ready to go until your next tune up. And last is the letter C which stands for chain. Your trikes chains need to be lubed in order to roll properly over the gears. So, if you put a little lube on the chain with an applicator, that should keep it clean and help your trike continue to function properly. We also have a maintenance video featuring James, our Master Trike Technician, on how to keep basic maintenance on your trike. So that’s all on maintenance!

Did you guys know that 80% of you watching this video right now are not subscribed to the Laid Back Cycles channel? Go ahead and subscribe, and also hit the bell notification to get all the cool videos that are coming up that will tell you everything you’ve ever wanted to know about trikes.

The next thing we want to talk about is the accessories. Just a minute ago we talked about lubing your chain, so it might be a good idea to keep some in your garage for when you need it. Another cool accessory is the trike bag that can hold all your stuff for when you ride. You might want to get a little bag or even a rack with the bag so you can carry all your trike stuff as well as snacks for the road! You can also get a front light and a taillight so that you can be seen while riding in the day or night. The lights of today are LED lights, so they are super bright and depending on the kind you get they can be seen day or night. Safety is key! You will also need a water bottle holder because you will be taking water with you on your rides. You may not drink a lot of it while riding but you may need a sip here and there. You also need a flag to put on your trike so that you can be seen by cars and people riding behind you. It is another key factor in your safety while riding your trike. A good thing to have on your trike at all times is a repair kit and tools in case you were to ever get a flat tire while riding. This includes a pump, a spare tire, tire levers, and a patch kit (in case you get two flat tires). Investing in good tires is a great way to prevent this. For instance, the Marathon or Marathon Plus are great tires because of their high thorn resistance. But make sure you have all the accessories you need when you are out and about in order to ride safely. A great place to purchase your accessories is on our website, laidbackcycles.com. Even if you are not located in Northern California we do ship nationwide.

The last thing I wanted to go over today is community. You might be asking yourself the question, where can I ride? With a trike you can ride on the bike trail or on the street. But remember, if you ride on the street make sure you have a flag and bright taillights for your safety. There are different groups you can join, for instance we have our Laid Back group here in Northern California. If you are somewhere else in the states, you should find your local trike shop and ask them when’s the next ride! You can also invite your friends to ride, you can ride a three-wheeler with a two-wheeler. But make sure you get out there and ride and invite others to join you! If you want to know when we are having our next ride at Laid Back Cycles, go ahead and go online and sign up for our newsletter and we will send an update for each ride we have! So that was all about what to do after getting your trike. Now it is time to ride! If you have any questions give us a call or check out our YouTube videos to get all the info on the latest accessories, what we are doing at Laid Back, and a lot more cool stuff. We look forward to seeing you on the trail!

Leave a comment

All comments are moderated before being published.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.