TrioBike : Good Things Come in Threes

When I first looked at the pics of the bike, I was a little disappointed since it looked like the bike had no rear brakes and no gears at all! But on the website you can see in the close-ups that it uses a shimano internal-shifting hub-- nice nice (extra durable, not prone to damage, no maintenance needed). Still no rear brake, but I suppose I'd rather have just a front brake than just a rear brake.

These would make the perfect vehicle in cities that are full of bike paths/routes. Sweet stuff anyway.

There is a version of the Nexus with a coaster (backpedal) brake, and the crank is labelled "Fodbrense", which this Dutch/English/Danish dictionary of cycling terms says is a coaster brake. (The picture doesn't seem to show the torque arm on the hub, but that's a small detail.)

the Shimano Universal Gears have internal braking systems, so actually you have front and rear brakes. What I can't tell... since my german is .. non existant: can the cart be affixed to a normal bike, or do you have to buy their bike?

Perhaps it has a pedal-backwards rear brake? I wonder about why you (vanchuck) would prefer a front brake only, versus a rear-brake only. I haven't ever gone over the handlebars, but have heard of people who have, and certainly have had close calls, where my rear brake slipped, or wasn't connected due to maintenance, etc, and had the back tire come off the ground while stopping suddenly.

I like to see innovative bicycle trailers. I have three but I only carry furry "kids" in them.
http://lairds.org/Kyler/photos/disk0022/img_1304.jpg/image_viewer

I'm trying to find the advantage to this system. The example given (dropping children at school) could be *much* more easily accomplished with a standard trailer at much lower cost and without such sacrifice. I can use a much different bike than my wife but we can both easily attach regular trailers. I can also use different trailers for different tasks. Heck, I've even hauled dogs, luggage, and my wife's bike with my Burley Cub.
http://lairds.org/Kyler/photos/disk0023/img_1489.jpg/image_viewer

How do I benefit from being limited to a single bicycle and trailer design and why is the ability to carry an extra wheel seen as an advantage instead of simply an annoying necessity due to the design of this system? Is this all to put the mouth of the parent closer to the ears of the children?

OTOH, I like most anything that encourages more cycling. Trailers make cycling much more useful as a substitute for driving a car.

Kyler, one of the advantages I see is that parents (for example) get the value of bike trailer and stroller/pusher/pram (whatever you like to call them) thrown in as well and it gives the feel of a more integrated package - easing buying decisions thereby hopefully, as you note, encouraging more cycling. You'll see that we also referenced trailers, including Burley, with a link in the post. Different needs suit different circumstances.

Jon-- a rear wheel skid is almost unavoidable if you only have rear brakes. If you distribute your weight towards the back of the seat and only have a front brake, it's highly unlikely you'll ever "endo." Take a look at http://fixedgeargallery.com, a gallery of single speed bikes and you can see that 99% of the ones that have only one brake have only a front brake.

Kyler-- I completely agree with you about having a separate trailer. It's nice to be able to put it on whatever bike you want to. It's also nice to have different trailers for different purposes. I'm not, for example, going to stick my daughter in my grocery getter. Naw, she should ride in comfort. :) And the extra wheel? Yeah definately annoying, but an nice added safety feature for the less experienced/more concerned cyclist.

Which goes back to what Warren was saying-- everyone likes something different. And many people don't like to have their kid unseen behind them. Nor do they like to shout to talk to their child who is so far away. This is the reason people buy triple tandems, like the super adjustable Bike Friday Triple Traveller XL (http://tinyurl.com/7d6yv) or a slightly modified standard tandem (http://www.sandsmachine.com/a_bil_t2.htm). It's nice to have something that the child as a near-adult can ride. I don't think you'll be getting a 13 year old in that trailer, whether or not she is under 80kg.

Now I've totally got a bike lust, but there is so much that's great about cycling-- its scant, recyclable materials, simple mechanics (making it possible for cyclists to easily do their own maintainence), the efficient use of human power, little use of precious space, and, of course, it's good for the health and the mind. And now with soy-based lubes like Hippie Slick and Soy Blends SL-100 (I can't find links from the manufacturers of these for some reason, but I have both products), it's even possible to reduce or eliminate the use of petrochemicals in cycling.

So, as Kyler said, it is nice to see another product promoting cycling. It's nothing more than a neat combination of the Christiana front-loading utility bike (http://www.christianiabikes.com/) (named after the autonomous community in Denmark: http://www.christiania.org/folderus/) and Burley's trailer/stroller combo (http://tinyurl.com/dg44l), but it provides an integrated system that might not be so easily integrated in the minds of the uninitiated, thus making it possible for the average family to seriously consider using a bike as a means of transport. And this is a good thing, I think, more than biodiesel, solar, hydrogen, or any other alternative energy source for the almighty mechanically-inaccesible space/material-wasting automobile.

Here is another interesting bike trailer that morphs from bike trailer to walking tote to shopping cart:

http://www.bikebox.ca/html/products_max.php

Um, TheLoneCabbage- the website is in Danish, not German.

Though the solitary brassica may lack a grasp of more than one language, he brings up a good question and I think I can safely say the answer is no. This is definately a sad strike against this product, that it doesn't integrate well with other bikes.

It seems that there are hangers off of the handlebars that hold the handle from the stroller, which could probably be installed on other bikes, but there is a brazed-on piece on the underside of the down tube just behind the headtube (look at side-view pics on the website and you'll see the little stub I'm referring to) that obviously interacts with a piece on the back of the stroller. Also because the front fork of the bicycle fits onto the back of the stroller, there may be some sort of clearance problems with traditional forks and this may be why the bike has such an odd front fork design.

Ah, well. But speaking of cool trailer designs, the most exciting I have seen are the elusive T&G Barrow Camp-A-Saurus.. a pop-up bike trailer! Man, if I could ever FIND one of these, I would buy it in a second. The other is the ingenious folding Carry Freedom City trailer (http://tinyurl.com/93dyw). It has a soft bag that serves as the cargo-carrying part that can come away from the chassis and be used like a backpack. And the chassis-- WITH THE WHEELS ATTACHED-- folds totally flat.

Utter genius. IMHO, that's one of the best cycling innovations of recent times besides the Electra Townie's "Flat Foot Technology" (http://tinyurl.com/d6bcg) which makes it possible for the average novice to not only ride without stressing out your knees (read: if your leg is not almost totally extended on the bottom of your stroke, you're doing this) but also to have the security of being able to put your feet on the ground without having to hop off the seat. And that's something even my mother could ride safely..

but not something you could attach the TrioBike trailer to. Touche!

vanchuck, I would add that this would be perfect in a city full of roads! Who needs special paths and routes when you've got lots of nice big roads? Remember, all lanes are bike lanes (except superhighways).

Upon close inspection at another site it appears that the frame was not constructed with consideration for fenders/mudguards.

I don't need fenders/mudguards on my road bike, but with something like TrioBike I can't how they wouldn' t be essential.

bikefridaywalter is right that you can brake harder with only a front brake than only a back brake, but in fact any fixed gear bike does effectively have a rear brake, since the lack of a freewheel means that you can brake by resisting the pedals.

The Hase Pino (http://www.hase-bikes.com/ens/pino/index.php) is another way of getting a child (or 13-year old, or indeed an adult) in front of you where you can talk easily. It's not cheap, though.

Being danish I have no problems using the danish web site. The company has however launched a web site in english (http://www.triobike.com)

Thus far I've read a lot of opinions on the Triobike but non posted by people who actually tried it. Comments by any one who did would be much appreciated :-)

We had a Triobike demo in our shop and I and my employees looked it over carefully and rode it around the block aa few times. Here's our findings in a nutshell:

- its very pretty and nicely made. Lot of smooth, taiwanese aluminium welds.

- even brand new the connecting and disconnecting process is tricky and takes longer than most people would have patience for.

- the bike part has a men's frame, no mudguards or chain cover, and a very sporty (uncomfortable) riding position. Its not really suitable as a city bike and few moms would ride it at all. Most kid carrying is done my moms.

- as a trike the handling is so bad that its almost unrideable. The steering effort is extremely high and cornering is downright scary. Most Triobikes will unfortunately be ridden a couple times and then left to collect dust. That's not very sustainable.

There are many, better child carrier bicycles (try "bakfiets" in google) on the market for much less money.

As somebody suggested... for those who need the combination of fast bike, kiddy stroller, child carrier bike a good trailer would be much better and more economical than a Triobike.

Thanks for mini review Henry. Always worthwhile to receive firsthand opinions. TH has also covered the Bakfiets, that you mentioned.

Reading Henry's review I would like to share my opinion, too.

I bought a Triobike a few months ago.
Since we have a five month old infant, I haven't used it that much yet (the company is in the process of testing a seat for infants). But in my opinion you quickly get used to stearing the Triobike.

It never occured to me that the riding position is uncomfortable. I suppose this could depend on your size. It is a serious drawback that it only comes in one size. According to the bicycle repairer whom we bought it from the company is planning on making a larger bike which will fit the carrier.

I haven't tried connecting and disconnecting it that much, so I would like to share the comments from two dedicated Triobikers I have been corresponding with. One wrote that she still finds attaching the carrier a bit tricky at times, the other one is able to do it in less than a couple of minutes. They both found converting it into a regular bike quick and easy.

My Triobike has mudguards...

What I really miss is a rain cover. According to the company owner, one should be available soon. Also if the hood is up it blocks the built-in front lights...

Having read all the comments about other trailers being a better choice, the Bakfiets is an option.

My problem is that I have to transport a 3 and a 6 year old - currently use a Pashley tricycle but the 6 year old is tall and it is hard work getting her in and out. We are just on the edge of outgrowing that.

So saw the Triobike the other day and it looked OK - I am only 5ft 2" - do you think it might be OK?

I am quite happy with my new trioBike, too. The streets could be less bumpy, though. I have dreamed about a stroller where I could roll along myself for 8 years and have it now. But my 5-year-old is rather big for trioBike as well: they are just growing out of the strollers in the due course. She still enjoys riding that way very much.
As to the riding and steering qualities, I find them O.K. But I am not spoilt with superlux bicycles: in my childhood you just were lucky to have one.

Hi there.
Thought you might like to know that Trio will be available in Australia commencing September.