New Valk Electric trike

[Joan]

Struggling to ride my new trike.

 

[Bigal1463]

Hi Joan, Welcome to EBR, good luck and ride safe, but what exactly mean that you’re struggling? Is that to mean that you’re anxious to get riding? Please send along some photos and travels. This is a great site with lots of friendly and helpful people.

 

[Joan]

Hi Joan, Welcome to EBR, good luck and ride safe, but what exactly mean that you’re struggling? Is that to mean that you’re anxious to get riding? Please send along some photos and travels. This is a great site with lots of friendly and helpful people.

It seems to pull to the left and I feel unsafe as though it’s going to topple over.

 

[Bigal1463]

What make and model do you have and send some photos. There are good people here willing to help, but you have to be specific when describing your issues. At what speed are you going when you feel the pull. Have you tried contacting the manufacturer or your local bike shop, where I hope you purchased it?

 

[alphacarina]

For what it's worth, my wife has the same problem. It seems to ride perfectly normal to me, but she's struggling with it. I suspect (I hope anyway) that a little more practice and she'll be fine - I know there's nothing wrong with the trike

Don

 

[PedalUma]

Welcome.
Trikes require a rear differential. Cheep ones avoid this engineering cost by only driving one side, hence the torque steer from the rear. It is best to ride before you buy.

 

[alphacarina]

Trikes require a rear differential. Cheep ones avoid this engineering cost by only driving one side, hence the torque steer from the rear.

Thank you! That makes sense . . . . and it sure solved my wife's problem. Assuming Joan's Valk is like my wife's New Trike, maybe we can solve hers too. If her Valk has the motor on the front wheel, the 'secret' is to move away from a standing stop using only a little throttle and then begin pedaling once you are established in a straight line moving along at a walking pace - Worked for us!

Don

 

[PedalUma]

Look at your bike's Walk Assist feature. Using it will give smooth gentle starts every time after a safety delay. Think of the delay as the Launch Countdown of her Mission Control.

 

[Kitty12345678]

Before I bought a trike, I read this thread and talked to a few trike owners who said the same thing, that their trikes pulled to the left and they struggled to ride them. I also experienced that problem while my partner who is very comfortable on a bike did not. The problem is the rider and the camber of the road. After a few terrifying journeys where thankfully only my ego was bruised, I have started to get the hang of it. Trikes are nothing like bikes to ride but I figure if a four year old can figure out how to deal with slopes and camber, so can I.
Practice on the flat until you get your confidence then take on the gentle slopes and dips at low speed. You forget that all of the adjustments for slope and angle you do on a bike are easy because they are unconscious and from years of practice. Good luck