NOTE: First of all, I have to apologize to all readers that weigh over 130 kg / 287 lbs and I call them heavy riders in this article. I know I should call you TBB riders – Tiny Bit Bigger – or any other polite way, but you wouldn’t find this article in the Google Search then. I hope you don’t mind and that you will find the article worth reading it 😄
If you are new to recumbents and particularly recumbent trikes you may want to browse through the catalog of RECUMBENT.news and later some manufacturers’ websites. After you go through all that you will definitely have several favorites. You will like some of the trikes maybe because they fit into your budget, or because they have nice colors or are coming from your favorite brand. There is a high chance you will like those that are low, have reclined seats, a fancy look, and an overall racing feeling. Trikes like ICE VTX. You will see yourself sitting in an ergonomic seat in comfort you have never experienced on an upright bike riding speeds you have never been able to achieve on an ordinary bicycle. The issue may come in case you have somewhat limited mobility or your weight is way over 100 kg / 220 lbs. Even worse if you are over 150 kg / 330 lbs. Not many trikes have been designed to handle such weight. But still, there are some, and that is why I don’t call it a problem, but only an issue.
You can get everything you want. Comfort, great-looking trike, and also speed. The least one would be achieved by using an e-assist, and the first two things by good quality trike. If you are looking only for a way to ride in comfort, things are easier and somewhat cheaper, of course.
The three most known heavy-duty trikes are:
1/ the British ICE Adventure HD
2/ former Australian now US Greenspeed Magnum
3/ German HP Velotechnik Scorpion Plus
There are several others as well plus some quads too like the Pony 4. The main question is, how heavy you are. You can filter all the cycles in the catalog and find trikes split into three groups. The weight mentioned is always of. rider and carried luggage.
recumbent trikes till 130 kg / 287 lbs
recumbent trikes from 130 kg / 290 lbs till 160 kg / 353 lbs
and recumbent trikes with a maximum rider + luggage weight over 160 kg / 353 lbs
Although those three trikes I have mentioned are the most known heavy-duty tricycles, only the Greenspeed Magnum fits into the last group and provides the highest maximum allowed weight of the rider and luggage. The standard Magnum can handle up to 181 kg / 400 lbs and the Greenspeed Magnum XL is even stronger and is good for a rider up to 204 kg / 450 lbs. Its additional benefit is the seat that can be adjusted not only at an angle but also at height.
Heavy-duty trikes usually come not only with a stronger frame but also with a wider track and overall width for better stability, a wider seat, and handlebars for more comfort, and often also a higher seat so getting on and off the trike is easier. If we look into quads, the Pony4 recumbent quad can carry up to 185 kg / 408 lbs but is pretty narrow. Actually narrower than most of the trikes with only 799 mm / 31,5″ maximum width. And also the cro-mo frame looks pretty subtle. All that is thanks to the fourth wheel that adds to load capacity but also stability.
There is one more thing worth mentioning when talking about heavy-duty trikes. Very helpful accessories are helping handles, or so-called grab handles that provide the rider with additional support when getting on and off the tricycle. Most of the recumbent trike manufacturers have them in their offer. However, there are way more useful accessories that you should think about when purchasing a recumbent trike. You may want to read my two other articles that list them: 7 most useful recumbent trikes accessories and 18 accessories you should consider
