I have MS and I have been riding a Liberty Trike for years. Honestly the front hub motor is not the thing that bugs me. I mean, yeah, I have had wheelspin many times. But it’s never been that hard to recover from. The thing that drives me nuts, is that it has little short kiddy cranks, and I also cannot put the seat up high enough to get full extension. So pedaling is cartoonish. I really only pedal in those wheel spin situations, to get out of the gravel patch or whatever.
Apart from the cartoonish pedaling, my other gripe is the Worksman trike base that the Liberty Trike is built on. Worksman is like the Ural of the bicycle world. Heavy steel frames that feel like spaghetti, crunchy bearings, cheap one piece cranks with 1/2” pedals, steering head bearings that can’t be properly adjusted. So many squeaks and rattles.
Note, up thread people asked about pedal assist on the Liberty Trike. It definitely does not have it. Throttle only.
I actually love the 24“ width. I have never tipped it, and it allows me to go into small spaces.
But the best feature is the reverse. I have come to the conclusion that reverse is a must have
I have tried multiple other trikes. Tipped some of them over, ouch! Every trike that has reasonable pedaling arrangements, is hard to climb onto. And with the MS fatigue, the difficulty of climbing on is an enormous hurdle. Hardly any have reverse, and without reverse, every time I have to back up I confront some portion of my struggles with getting on and off. I don’t have it in me.
I would love decent pedal assist, but I HATE that cadence sensing pedal assist. When it kicks on, the pedals spin without any back pressure. Which makes me feel unstable, and it’s hard to keep my feet placed correctly, they slip on the pedals. I tried toe clips and they add to my struggles. (Before MS, I was an ardent bicyclist so I have great past experience of toe clips, and clipless pedals too. But with MS, my feet and legs have betrayed me). I would love torque sensing pedal assist but it’s rare on trikes.
Every year I seem to buy yet another trike, and the Liberty is the only one I ever keep. Despite its issues it works for me. But the Liberty is basically a substitute for a wheelchair, not a substitute for a bicycle. I have yet to find a trike that replaces a bicycle for me.
Last year around this time I ordered an Evelo trike. I had to pay at time of order. My trike still hadn’t come when the weather closed in last fall, and I canceled, got a refund. I am still grumpy about that. Maybe someday I will try again but for now Evelo is off my list, not because of their design, because of their policies. Full payment in advance even though they can’t deliver all season? Nope, not doing that. Maybe someday when I am confident it’s in stock, I will try again.
I have a Rad Trike on order, it is due this week. They have the same short cranks, so I am thinking it will be the Liberty Trike, only without the squeaks rattles and crunches. And with more cargo space. Not sure if I will like the added width or not, we will see. It may or may not take the wheelchair role from the Liberty Trike.
I like the looks of that Lectric trike, maybe it could be my new bicycle. But they don’t say if it has reverse. Anyone know? I bet not. Also, I bet it’s a cadence pedal assist.
Last year I drove to Chicago to a Hase dealer. Test rode their trikes. Which have torque sensing pedal assist, and it was fabulous. But the climbing on was tough and the price sky high. I did not buy.
