Double Front Bike Easy To Ride On Rough Roads

Double Front Bike Easy To Ride On Rough Roads FARM HOME recreation 24-4-32 "Lots of older people give up bike riding because it's too dangerous, especially on gravel roads. This new design is much more stable and you're in an upright position just like on a regular bike," says Ervin Matzke, Rochester, Minn., about his new "Trail Trike" which has two front wheels. Matzke built his prototype by combining three identical 10-speed bikes. He built a support bar that runs across the front of the bike and mounted a complete front fork on each end of the bar. Steering rods run from the original front steering fork to the two add-on fronts, so the bike steers normally with the existing handlebars. He also uses the existing brake lever to activate the brakes on both wheels. He did it by attaching the brake cables on each wheel to a single steel ring just below the center of the handle bars. The cable running from the original brake lever pulls on this ring, activating the brakes on both wheels. "It handles unbelievably well. Just like a regular bike but much more stable. It's easy to get on and you can sit on it at a stop or move along at a crawl and it won't tip over. It's only 28 in. wide so you can ride safely on the side of the road, or on sidewalks, and it'll fit through a normal width door," says Matzke. "I know there's a huge market out there for a bike like this that's easy to ride, and safe," he notes. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ervin Matzke, Box 7225, Rochester, Minn. 55903 (ph 800 369-0482).

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