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A friend of mine is considering purchasing a folding tricycle. (She has balance issues, so a regular bike isn't an option.) This would be for exercise and fun riding, not for commuting or hauling stuff.

Weight of the trike isn't really a factor, since the trike will make the trip from her first-floor apartment to the car.

A few gears would be nice, but she lives in Florida and the terrain is pretty flat.

She's leery of riding a recumbent, for fears of being less visible to Florida drivers (who are pretty aggressive).

Edit: If she can get the trike into a car, then a recumbent's low profile will be much less of an issue.

I've found the Di Blasi and Worksman folding trikes, but does anyone know of any more-exotic options I could call her attention to? Something that rolls while folded would be a bonus!

Edit: I'm particularly looking for recommendations from anyone who's used one of these.

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@Ian: Thanks, but most of the trikes linked in these questions are recument trikes. This would be much easier if they were an option here. – Neil Fein Sep 8 '10 at 14:50
When I google for "folding tricycle" in the UK, I get lots of hits, but the hard bit is finding a local dealing where you can try them out. – Ian Sep 8 '10 at 15:46
why does it have to be a folding trike? That severely limits the options. – Tim Sep 12 '10 at 3:10
@Tim: It needs to fold so the user can fit it in her apartment and in the trunk/back seat of her car. – Neil Fein Sep 12 '10 at 4:19
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closed as not constructive by Neil Fein, freiheit♦ Apr 1 '12 at 18:08

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2 Answers

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Greenspeed makes a series of well-recommended folding recumbent trike, including the GT3 as used by Sheldon Brown himself. The price is rather dear, but they are high-grade machines. Ice makes a few comparable models as well.

Midrange seems to be occupied by the Trident Trikes Stoaway series, while on the more frugal side of things, the Terra Trike recumbents are apparently designed to dissassemble for transport in "five minutes". Presumably that is with some practice, judging by the video.

The upright trikes (non-folding) that I've ridden have been rather disappointing from a performance aspect. They seem to be most suited to meandering flat path riding, with little consideration for a spirited rider.

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"meandering flat path riding, with little consideration for a spirited rider" is just what a lot of people with balance issues want. – Ian Jun 5 '12 at 20:58

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