Delta trikes vs tadpole trikes

MitchJi

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Jun 2, 2008
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Marin County California
About 40 years ago I rode a friend’s harley three wheeler and immediately decided that delta trikes are awfully. It was unbelievably bad at corners. You had to literally fight it around corners.

A friend is in the process of designing a delta trike and before I tell him it is a bad idea i thought I should check and see if my experience was representative?
 
Unless the design allows the trike to lean, the delta trikes will always always corner and brake slower than the tadpole trikes.
 
Thank you 🙏!
 
I have been riding an electric delta recombent for the last 7 years. I bought plans from Atomic Zombie.

Before I built the delta I built a tadpole. The tadpole drawbacks are, lack of being seen and zig zag travel while pedaling. Both of these can be overcome, but I just didn't feel safe.

The delta design is longer and thus more stable in a straight line.

When cornering you need to slow down. I did put it up on two wheels a couple of times, so learned the limits of the design.

This bike was purpose built for commuting mostly on rural roads. It served me well.

Bentrider online has lots of info and resources on these style of bikes.

Good luck!
 
MitchJi said:
About 40 years ago I rode a friend’s harley three wheeler and immediately decided that delta trikes are awfully. It was unbelievably bad at corners. You had to literally fight it around corners.

A friend is in the process of designing a delta trike and before I tell him it is a bad idea i thought I should check and see if my experience was representative?
Your negative experience is NOT representative of a properly designed Delta platform - far from it! Damn few builders/designers incorporate correct steering geometry, and even fewer abide by the criticalness of proper CoM placement.

You'd be wise to shelve your 'first' negative experience... because there is, in fact, a few positive Gems lurking in the shadows. I know... because I own one - and it's been my go-to wheels for over 12 years now.


wheelbender6 said:
Unless the design allows the trike to lean, the delta trikes will always always corner and brake slower than the tadpole trikes.
While perhaps true of many production Deltas,... it is verifiably NOT true of all.
 
I rode a leaning delta and it was great. This was a large non-pedal thing so no idea how it would behave if you had to pedal. The leaning setup was fairly simple and used a pair of air shocks from a Cadillac as I recall. The air shocks were connected to each other so air would pass from one shock to the other as it leaned. You could also turn a valve to make it stay upright for parking. It cornered like a dream and was so comfortable you could fall asleep at the handlebars.

I can't seem to find any pictures but I know I have at least one.
 
In 2009 (or thereabouts), Randy Schlitter, (the Owner and aircraft design wizard of RANS), brazenly exploited the possibilities of the Delta platform - then proceeded to mass produced it. Make NO mistake, when the pilot's seat is properly positioned and anchored... the number of wheels behind you, or in front... makes damn little difference.
 
And lastly... the deeper you go in the following 3min video... the sweeter it gets:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr8JBddqHcs
 
Papa said:
In 2009 (or thereabouts), Randy Schlitter, (the Owner and aircraft design wizard of RANS), brazenly exploited the possibilities of the Delta platform - then proceeded to mass produced it. Make NO mistake, when the pilot's seat is properly positioned and anchored... the number of wheels behind you, or in front... makes damn little difference.

Jeez, watch out for speed bumps in that thing... :D
 
I've driven a Harley trike, and I used to own a Can-Am Spyder trike. The Spyder was superior to the Harley in nearly every way. Harley's front wheel contact patch is only a little bigger than a postage stamp, and I think that's just not enough for the size and weight of the vehicle, especially while accelerating or decelerating. Having said all that, I admit it's not necessarily an indictment of delta design, as much as a problem with Harley's design in particular.

Even with the Spyder, I didn't care for the handling as much as a two-wheeler. In an emergency stop situation, one front wheel would tend to dive more than the other, depending on the curvature of the road, giving you a heart-stopping lurch. And you get a similar lurch when taking a corner fast. I eventually sold the Spyder and bought a Suzuki SV650 (a two-wheeler), which I was delighted with up until the sad day that I sold it. My preference is for leaning vehicles.
 
Either could be ok, mostly depending on his target speed range.. If he's ok always being under 12mph or so, delta would work. Regular periods of higher speeds tadpole would be better probably.
Also, if he's actually planning on pedaling most deltas have weird turning characteristics as only one back wheel is driven, and the other is just freewheeling on the axle.
 
Voltron said:
If he's ok always being under 12mph or so, delta would work. Regular periods of higher speeds tadpole would be better probably.
Some people just don't 'get it'... no matter how much you try to explain, draw graphs, post images, link videos... or use a frigging hammer! The word "DELTA" does NOT automatically mean SLOW... or SLOWER!!!!

Voltron said:
Also, if he's actually planning on pedaling most deltas have weird turning characteristics as only one back wheel is driven, and the other is just freewheeling on the axle.
"MOST"? Wrong again. I have well over a decade on one-legged Deltas, and those noobs who have ridden them for the first time, didn't even notice - I sure don't.
 
Why? This is one of the more civil disagreements around here.

So might Simon Cowell need a trike after his broken back? I'm on two wheels again, but so many say they want a recumbent once they're a bit banged up. Which of these might you think would be better?

https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/09/us/simon-cowell-bike-accident-trnd/index.html
 
well, i guess ol' Simon has no Talent when it comes to riding a bike.

built my son a delta trike, its garbage, you sit too high on most of those trikes.

if you see Papas examples of delta trikes theyre long and low.

i was out on my tadpole today towing my trailer and a bright orange flag out in farm country. i have the right away to make a left onto side road where a big truck at a stop sign with an immigrant behind the wheel wanting to turn left onto the road im on didnt see me? i started hanging a left but i wound up going right otherwise i wouldve been a pancake. if i was on a typical delta i probably wouldve flipped into the side of the truck.
 
Papa said:
Would a Mod please LOCK this thread.

Another thing I've noticed about trikes is there's something about the seat... It tends to get some people's heiney hairs wound up real tight... Def something to look out for.

Re delta trike, yes there are some specialty, inch off the ground, more stable at speed trikes, but 99% of them look like this.
611SkXNqYSL._AC_SX425_.jpg

Then there's always one with an aero kit to unlock the real high speed potential of the platform
s-l400 (1).jpg


And yes, you could go as fast as you want on a regular one too... As long as it's traveling in a straight line.
 
Simon flipping back off his ebike made me remember a video.

[Youtube]NCpzXIPXdAQ [/YouTube]
 
My thought on it is if Simon were to get any of the types of tricycles that seat lower to the ground than uprights, either delta or tadpole, that should help prevent it from popping a wheelie during throttle-up. He said he likes thrills when riding, and being lower to the ground might feel more thrilling because of an illusion of having greater speed. Another helpful thing about a tricycle for him could be if the new rod in his back has reduced his torso mobility, he might benefit from the more chair-like seats on recumbent trikes. Last as he ages, a tricycle could help him if his balancing ability lessens.
 
For a given height of center of gravity and a given track at the paired wheels, a tadpole will always have better emergency handling(combination heavy breaking and sudden turn) than a delta. With double the contact patch at the braking loaded end, and the braking force vector will usually stay between the wheels ( rather than outside the single wheel on a delta) ie, the tadpole is less likely to tip over when you are trying to avoid a head on crash.

Set up a camera tripod a push the top toward a pair of legs, then toward a single leg. The difference in tip resistance is obvious.

If you look at motorized three wheelers of the past, the deltas were virtually always designed for utility/gas mileage( and often notorious for tipping over) and those intended to be sporty were always tadpoles.
 
classicalgas said:
For a given height of center of gravity and a given track at the paired wheels, a tadpole will always have better emergency handling(combination heavy breaking and sudden turn) than a delta.
classicalgas said:
With double the contact patch at the braking loaded end, and the braking force vector will usually stay between the wheels ( rather than outside the single wheel on a delta) ie, the tadpole is less likely to tip over when you are trying to avoid a head on crash.
Three critical points you failed to mention. First; This is the 21st century, and there is more than just a few Deltas with a pair of disks brakes on the rear, so your statement appears intentionally misleading. Two; Given the much shorter wheelbase of the Tad, and the forward bias CoM, flipping end-over is NOT uncommon - in addition, most Tads do not have rear brakes for a reason - 'cause if you locked or raised the rear wheel during hard braking, you lose ALL steering... and gawd-forbid if one of the front wheels decides to grab a slick spot or gravel. Spend some time on Bentrideronline forum and you might learn something.
classicalgas said:
Set up a camera tripod a push the top toward a pair of legs, then toward a single leg. The difference in tip resistance is obvious.
Ignorant example. Unlike both trikes, the tripod's CoM is centered within the 3 legs - on a properly setup Delta, the CoM is positioned 60% rearward of the 'single' front axle.
classicalgas said:
If you look at motorized three wheelers of the past, the deltas were virtually always designed for utility/gas mileage( and often notorious for tipping over) and those intended to be sporty were always tadpoles.
This isn't the 1930's... and I don't ride a 'granny' trike.
 
So, how about those squirrel-ly delta trikes, huh? I don't understand why people still build them...



<dodges airborne shoe and runs away>
 
Edit: took out comment that I did not put in!
Have a tadpole love it and have a delta that has it uses. Main difference is center of gravity and stopping power. Don't road race, could see me doing a low delta trike for distance rides it would be more friendly. Bikes only have one front wheel and yes the tilting.
 
The differences between the two are much more dependent upon the CoM and frame geometry than the inherent type of layout itself.

One will generally have an easier time designing a delta for high-speed straight-line stability and maintaining rear wheel traction than a tadpole, and one will have an easier time designing a tadpole for stability while braking and cornering than they would a delta.

But the fact is, that there are wide variations in dynamics between all the examples found within each category. Generalizing doesn't do the differences between the platforms any justice.

For reference, I ride a tadpole. It can corner at about 0.6-0.7G without tipping, brakes comparably to most cars from 30-0 mph during a panic stop without lifting the rear wheel, and is stable and tracks straight going downhill at 50+ mph when most tadpoles on the market become difficult to keep straight over 30 mph. It is not typical of tadpoles, as it has a 39" front track with 20" front wheels in addition to a front suspension, and a 26" diameter rear drive wheel. It's a good design. A delta can be made to perform every bit as well, with good design. It just won't perform in the exact same manner.

All of these desired characteristics are contingent upon the tires remaining operational and in contact with the road surface, and that applies to BOTH platforms.

It really comes down to rider preference, with regard to what the advantages and disadvantages of each are.

When you start considering how aerodynamics are affected and consider the installation of body shells, the inherent differences between these layouts can become more consequential.
 
3-wheeler has to be like the early Morgans were.

Here is my 1000 km range 3-wheeler study from 2016.

solidwoodwheelframe3.jpg
 
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