Are Trikes More Stable?

[rcannon100]

Are trikes more stable? Are they safer? Is there any evidence or literature or anything that confirms - yes, you are not going to crash on a trike the way you might crash on a bike? If it were very important that one not, you know, pull a Dickie and land in a ditch - is a trike a solution?

[FFX_Hinterlands]

Well, the tadpole types are close to the ground so you don't have far to fall. They have a wider footprint which makes them more likely to catch a wheel off the edge of the trail/road. I would think they would make it harder to pass people because of the width on trails like the W&OD. I wouldn't feel comfortable sharing a road with cars on a tadpole trike without separated bike infra.

If you ride a modern road bike there are tons of other 2-wheeled bikes that are safer choices. Bikes that go slower and have more forgiving geometry are much less likely to crash. I have a Dutch bike and boy you'd really have to do something dumb to crash that bike. It tops out at 13mph and practically steers itself. If you add weight it gets even more serene in its handling. Plus the wider tires don't tend to get stuck in cracks or slide on gravel. I've hit patches of ice that would have put me over the handlebars on my cross bike, but the Dutch bike just recovers more quickly.

But, nothing comes without a tradeoff and Dutch bikes are slow and heavy! So I ride the Dutch bike in the winter and feel like I'm flying when I switch over to my other bike. (Disclaimer: My "fast bike" has 700x38 tires and my avg speed is like 13-14 mph)

[cvcalhoun]

I know someone who rides a trike due to balance issues. If you have a tendency to fall off a bike, a tricycle is safer.

However, I doubt it is otherwise, at least as compared withe a bicycle of similar weight and upright geometry. Falling sideways is not a typical cause of accidents for most of us. And a trike would have less maneuverability.

[Guus]

If you ride a modern road bike there are tons of other 2-wheeled bikes that are safer choices. Bikes that go slower and have more forgiving geometry are much less likely to crash. I have a Dutch bike and boy you'd really have to do something dumb to crash that bike. It tops out at 13mph and practically steers itself. If you add weight it gets even more serene in its handling. Plus the wider tires don't tend to get stuck in cracks or slide on gravel. I've hit patches of ice that would have put me over the handlebars on my cross bike, but the Dutch bike just recovers more quickly.

Yeah, was going to say the same thing. I haven't fallen of my (Dutch) bike ever, except one time when I was going over black ice 15 years ago.

[Steve O]

You never have to worry about this on a trike when going clipless

[bentbike33]

Are trikes more stable? Are they safer? Is there any evidence or literature or anything that confirms - yes, you are not going to crash on a trike the way you might crash on a bike? If it were very important that one not, you know, pull a Dickie and land in a ditch - is a trike a solution?

Admittedly, these guys sell recumbents and recumbet trikes, but they have some links to articles you might be interestd in: http://hostelshoppe.com/164/Recumbent-Articles/. I ride a 2-wheeler and have never actually tried a trike. My teenage son tried a trike once and he thought it was awsome.