The Dream of the Great American Road Trip

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Bicycle Bob

Re: freeway shoulders. In "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance," Robert Persig reveals his way to plan a cross-country trip. On a map, squiggles are good. That means hills and scenery. The best riding is on a road that goes from nowhere to nowhere, with an alternate route that gets there faster.

I second (or third) that. Also, in this state (Nevada) the only places where it's legal to bike on freeway shoulders is where there's no practical alternate route, as for instance with I80 west of here.

[Christopher Jordan]

Originally Posted by Wayneburg

(DELTA) CONS
-Unsafe in braking turns.


TWO STEERING WHEELS IN FRONT, ONE DRIVE WHEEL IN BACK (TADPOLE CONFIGURATION)
PROS
-Safer in braking turns.

CONS
-Prone to overturning as compared to equivalent 4 wheeled vehicles.
-Heavier than a delta configuration due to a heavier steering mechanism.

Another delta "con" is that they can be lengthened to haul unbelievable loads without too much concern about balancing the load.

And that weekend racer aspect - looks like an arrow: dragster-type. That flurry of Harley Davidson and Corvair/VW choppers made 2 rear wheel trikes popular using that wide rear/ thin front appearance popular.

Then came safety problems- Harleys and even Honda ATVs put a shadow on all trikes. My EV is a delta configuration trike. But my Human Power and EV trike is a tadpole; far safer steering and braking than my delta trike!

Thankfully, neither my delta or tadpole have overturned - yet, but both are extremely heavy.

[Christopher Jordan]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

Remember -- you cannot lean with 3 wheels!

Oh, really? I guess the Lean Machine, Venture One, and all those tilting trikes were my imagination!

[Christopher Jordan]

Originally Posted by Christopher Jordan

tilting trikes were my imagination!

Visual imagination too!

[Bicycle Bob]

Leaners are keen, but our lad here wants a sociable. BTW, Wayneburg, do you have a co-driver in mind?
One trade-off is that if you stick with a tadpole, I'd be willing to have a go at designing a frame, suspension, and steering linkage for you in bamboo+epoxy+'glass.
Another caveat I have reluctantly adopted is that if one is planning to go quickly in a light, streamlined vehicle, all the dense bits belong in the nose, for directional stability in crosswinds. Craig Vetter is improving his ride by bolting lead in the nose, but there are better ways to deal with weight, given a clean sheet of paper. Trikes are less sensitive to crosswinds than bikes, of course, but the idea is to cross a patch of black ice in a strong crosswind, and move over without rotation. It reduces what AJ Foyt called the "pucker factor."

[MetroMPG]

My question is: Does anyone here know the laws about driving vehicles that have a top speed of 30 mph on interstate freeways or on their shoulders? I often see cyclists traveling the shoulders of interstate freeways. I wonder if it is possible with a light electric vehicle too. Anyone here know?

Does a Segway count as a light electric vehicle ?

I think so:10 MPH }{ Segway roadtrip across America }{ A Documentary Film

It's been done on a lawn tractor too: Across America in 80 days ... on a lawnmower - smh.com.au

Studying those stories might shed light on route options/problems/solutions.

[Christopher Jordan]

Originally Posted by Bicycle Bob

Leaners are keen, but our lad here wants a sociable.

This is not a "side by side" sociable, but supposedly tilts (Gizmag Urban Jet trike article)

[Frank Lee]

There's nothing wrong with a single front wheel trike. Get the CG and whatnot right and it's performance parameters will be more than adequate for the speed range of this vehicle.

[Wayneburg]

Originally Posted by Bicycle Bob

Leaners are keen, but our lad here wants a sociable. BTW, Wayneburg, do you have a co-driver in mind?
One trade-off is that if you stick with a tadpole, I'd be willing to have a go at designing a frame, suspension, and steering linkage for you in bamboo+epoxy+'glass.
Another caveat I have reluctantly adopted is that if one is planning to go quickly in a light, streamlined vehicle, all the dense bits belong in the nose, for directional stability in crosswinds. Craig Vetter is improving his ride by bolting lead in the nose, but there are better ways to deal with weight, given a clean sheet of paper. Trikes are less sensitive to crosswinds than bikes, of course, but the idea is to cross a patch of black ice in a strong crosswind, and move over without rotation. It reduces what AJ Foyt called the "pucker factor."

After doing a bit of research and comments from members here, I am now going with the tadpole configuration. The reason is my co-driver, which will be my wife. I will take all precautions to ensure her safety, so if that means changing the wheel configuration, then so be it.

Bicycle Bob, as for your offer to design a frame, suspension, and steering linkage, I would be much obliged to accept your offer. Just tell me what I need to do. Thanks!

[Frank Lee]

Once again, I pee into the wind. OK

Either configuration can be made suitable.