Tire advice needed

From what I've read, trikes need to be balanced 30 / 70 percent rear to front meaning the rear tire has 30 % of the total weight on it. When I was designing my homebuilt trikes I put a scale under each tire (this was before the crossbar was welded so I could slide it back and forth to get the correct weight distribution) to make sure. Maybe you could do that and see if your trike is putting too much weight on the back tire to wear it out prematurely.

 

I weighed, multiple times using a digital scale, each wheel with me sitting in the seat as if I was riding the trike. The scale will not measure just the trike. I put blocks under the wheels not being weighed so that the wheels were equally off the floor.

Rear wheel = 32.79%
Left wheel = 29.49%
Right wheel = 37.72%

Based on the above percentages the right tire should be the one wearing the fastest. The right tire is the front tire in the photo above.

Gary

 

Assume U & the rig weigh 220 pounds. That's 65 pounds on the left, 83 pounds on the right, and 72 pounds remaining in back. That's 67/33 front/rear distribution, but why an 18 pound (over 8%) difference in left and right? Even if total weight was 180 pounds it's still nearly 15 pounds heavier on the right.

Percentages can be deceptive until they are applied to real-life numbers.

BTW, 0.09% is about 2-3 ounces. Reminds me of a guy in my electronics class who ran a test question answer out to 9 decimal places cuz that was on his new calculator. Teacher cut his credit just on principle that only one decimal place accuracy was possible given the problem's information. Anything more was just "noise."

 

Subtracting my weight from total weight (weighed at the same time as the trike) the trike weighs 79.2 pounds. That means there is 37.9 pounds of stuff (rear rack, side seat bar (right side of seat), bag and stuff on side seat bar, tool bag with tools and parts behind the seat, rear fender, lights, water bottle cages, computer, pedals, etc) on the trike. I guess it adds up quickly.

Gary

 

OMG! I spent a week on the KATY trail pulling a loaded trailer with a Rocket and the rig didn't weigh that much. No wonder you've got premature tire wear. What's the trike's weight limit and how's it compare to actual?

Doesn't Buddy's ELF only weigh around 100 pounds?

 

The trike

• weighs 41.3 pounds (per website) without anything added to it including the pedals.
  
• has a weight limit of 375 lbs (per website).

The numbers I got with me on the trike added up to almost 300 pounds. I doubt the numbers I got with the digital scale are 100% accurate. I say that because I really don't have a problem lifting the trike to get into my truck or onto the work bench. If it weighs 79+ pounds I don't really think I could do that. I need to find a place where I can weight the trike (all 3 wheels at one time) so I can get the real weight.


On another forum, readers have made comments that they are surprised that I got the amount of miles I did out of Big Apples. Some have said that 1000 – 1200 miles is the very max for BA's.


Schwable's response to my email was “Being the rear it will have more weight on it causing it to wear faster than the front.” It appears that they totally missed my first sentence were I stated that the tire is on a trike and are thinking only about a 2 wheel bike. My numbers show that only 33% of the weight is on the rear, assuming that the percents are correct, even though I don't believe the total weight that I got.


Here is a comparison of the rear tires on our two trikes. My wife has about 700 miles less miles on hers. The wear rate appears to be the same, no scientific way to measure it, for me at least.





I'm willing to give up some of the “smoothness” of the ride that the BA gives for a tire that will give me more miles. I have a DF (original tires) that has the same miles on it as the trike does, and the only reason I'm about to change them is because of the sidewall rot, not because of the tread being wore out. A DF puts 55 – 70% of the weight on the rear based on frame design. If I don't wear out the rear tire on the the DF with more weight on the rear then the rear on the trike, why are the rear tires wearing out on the trikes? Short answer – the BA's are not a long-lasting tire.


I am seriously thinking about moving the rear tire to the front on both trikes to postpone the expense of new tires.


Gary

 

"I need to find a place where I can weight the trike (all 3 wheels at one time) so I can get the real weight."

That is easy -- what I do is hold the trike straight up and down with the rear wheel on the scale, just barely balancing it with one hand...

 

Not sure my digital scale will work with that small of contact area, but it is worth a try.

Gary

 

Not necessary to go to such lengths.

Weigh yourself & note it. Pick up the trike and step on the scales. Subtract you from the combo.

If you want individual wheel loads, simply put the scales under each wheel in succession, noting each of the 3 readings. The small angle of the other 2 wheels on the ground won't affect the readings. The readings are additive for the total trike weight, whether you're on it or not.

 

Already did that, but the digital scales I have would not read the weight of just the trike.

Gary

 

I bet it will -- my cat sets off my digital scale, we joke that she is a diva and is keeping track of her 14.2 lb weight. Also by putting just the rear wheel on with the trike vertical, you don't have to subtract anything from anything or balance a ungainly object while trying to read the scale...
Mucho easier.

 

I have been trying the Maxxis tyres and been getting good wear from them. I must say that we have very good surfaces which I ride upon - really no rough surfaces at all.
My rear 26 inch Maxxis did wear out first [ Of course I rode till there was Kevlar belts showing all around it ] think that was at about 6000 km [ 3728 mi ]....
The front Maxxis The Miracle lasted approx 9000 km [ 5592 mi ] .
I grabbed some old BMX tyres from a kids bike, Thinking they would last at least 1000 km [ 621 mi ] ...........
Here is pic after just 200 km [ 124 mi ] , see new Maxxis installed

 

if this were an automobile rear tire, obvious case of over-inflation.
put a new tire on, run it at 35 psi, and let us know?

simple enough to check weight distribution on the trike - put a bathroom scale under each wheel in turn. close enough values without using 3 of the same scale to maintain level stance.

 

The photo mentioned in the last quote is in post #4 of this thread.

I rotated the front right with the rear. I have only put 350 mile on the trike since then, so it is too soon to see how long the new use rear is going to last.

Gary