How to Trikke

 

About the Front wheel: If you have not already figured it out, the Trikke's front wheel is turned exactly 180 degrees to that of a bicycle (Trikke8_Frontwheel). Unlike a bike, the Trikke front wheel actually trails behind the fork. Altering this wheel position will seriously compromise the performance of the Trikke.

About riding on wet surfaces: Due to the performance characteristics of the polyurethane wheels on the Trikke, riding on wet pavement or any other wet surface is not recommended. Polyurethane loses traction on most wet surfaces, and water on the wheels can dramatically reduce the effectiveness of the brake pads.

MOUNTING UP
		First, find some smooth, flat and open terrain to ride on. Parking lots, basketball courts or tennis courts are perfect places to learn.

YOUR FIRST RIDE

We recommend that you push off like a scooter and simply ride the Trikke around for a few minutes to get used to the feel and ride of the Trikke. First, find some smooth, flat and open terrain to ride on. Parking lots, basketball courts or tennis courts are perfect places to learn. Because of its three-wheeled stance, the Trikke is an exceptionally stable vehicle. Also, because most of your weight is centered over the rear wheels (where the brakes are), the Trikke's braking capabilities rival that of a bicycle. You are more than safe when you mount your Trikke for the first time.

START FROM SCRATCH
	You can actually start moving without touching your feet to the ground. Mount the Trikke and begin to turn the front wheel back and forth in a serpentine fashion. You will begin to pickup speed but will peak at only a few miles an hour. Here is where it all comes together!

ROCK 'N' ROLL

You are now turning the wheel back and forth to generate forward motion and establishing a rhythm. No matter how "bad" you might be as a dancer, the Trikke experience is very rhythmic in movement and timing. Stick with it --- you'll get it. The entirety of what the Trikke is and the beauty of what drives its design is the addition one final ingredient: ROCKING THE STEERING COLUMN LEFT AND RIGHT AS YOU TURN THE WHEEL LEFT AND RIGHT. A LEFT HAND TURN GETS A LEFT HAND ROCK. Thus our slogan "No pushing. No pedaling…just Rock 'n' Roll". It cannot be more true. When you add the rock to the roll you are essentially putting the rear wheels in a subtle yet responsive position to generate forward thrust. It will take a few minutes to catch on to this rocking motion, but to those who have any skiing or inline skating experience you will immediately feel the similarities. Your speed should pickup dramatically, and you will feel the Trikke lunge forward with each turn. Please note that it does not necessarily require that you make tight turns. Rather, you should allow the Trikke to kind of steer itself in a more graceful linear path. Many first time riders tend to exaggerate the turning of the handlebars thinking that they need to continue with the tight turns. Not so! The degree of your turns should diminish as you begin to add the rocking motion and your speed increases.

WEIGHT TRANSFER: THE FINAL STEP

By this time you have dramatically increased your speed and should be getting to know where the sweet spot is. When we say sweet spot, we mean the part of your turn where most of your propulsion is generated. Typically, you will feel the outside wheel (your left rear wheel during a right hand turn) drift away from you as you rock the Trikke to the right. If you apply a little weight or a kick to that left foot as you turn you will accelerate even more. A seasoned rider can actually propel the Trikke up to 18 miles per hour on flat ground…which is really moving. The combination of these techniques will be new to you for sure, but be assured that riding time will help you to create a smooth and beautifully coordinated movement. You will be able to travel for miles on end with long graceful strides and rapid sprints. The beauty of it is that you will always be looking ahead for places to carve and to add the skiing dimension to what would have been a boring straight line on any other vehicle.

CLIMBING HILLS

Don't be afraid to tackle hills, but make a point of graduating to steeper and steeper climbs as your riding skills increase. We always say to new Trikkers that hill climbing is an acquired skill. You can try it, but you'll probably frustrate yourself more than anything if you don't first learn and master the basic skills of Trikking on flat ground. The Trikke does slow down dramatically as you begin to climb a hill requiring a new and physically challenging technique to be added to your growing Trikke repertoire. Hill climbs require much more upper body finesse --- especially on steep grades. If you are riding in an area that has unavoidable hills, we recommend climbing as much as you can just to challenge yourself and then just walk or run it to the top. You'll be glad you did when you are carving down the other side. Hill climbing really brings you full circle as you actually diminish the rocking and increase the tightness of your turns as the steepness of the hill's grade increases. It becomes almost like a series of rapid punching motions to force the front wheel around in order to gain a few more feet of pavement. Whatever you do, take your time to graduate to steeper and steeper hills. In the end, the most challenging of hill climbs will be attainable giving you a full body workout rarely found in any other sport…if any at all.