The Two-Fun is ideal in situations where assistance is required but some sense of independence is desired.  In its stock configuration, the Two-Fun has a steering system that is link to a set of grips at the rear of the front trike.  This allows for control from behind both for a second cyclist or for someone simply walking/pushing from the back (the rear bike is easily detached).

So how is it that we’ve managed to mention this tandem to so many people lately?  Simple – we’ve had questions come in from folks who have very unique situations and all of them require an assistant for propulsion and control.

The first instance was for a student who had outgrown her guided trike.  Guided trikes are relatively common for children from toddlers to early teens, but that particular market does not usually extend to products for adults.  This student, however, had reached adult size and would soon need a guided solution in order to continue her therapeutic cycling.

The Two-Fun fit the bill easily as a adult guided trike.  By removing the back bike half of the Two-Fun, the attendant is able to push the trike along using the rear grips and provide steering through the same.  The trike is able to be modified to suit the student’s positioning needs.  And, on top of that, the trike can be converted to a fixed gear transmission so that the student receives the therapeutic range of motion activity that she needs.

The second instance was for an individual who wished to include an elderly family member on rides.  The elderly rider was described as being unable to cycle indepdently.  There are a few possible solutions for this scenario (using wheelchair bikes), but the Two-Fun was the solution that had a comfortable seat height, lateral seat supports, access to pedals for what assistance the rider can provide, and the ability to become an independent trike should the elderly rider wish to attempt solo cycling at some point in the future.

The third instance was one rather close to my heart – a father/son cycling need.  The needs are slightly reversed here, though.  In this case, the father wanted to ride recumbent and maintain control of the bike while his 34 year old son with a developmental disability wanted to remain on an upright bike.  Bikes such as the Hase Pino and Bilenky Viewpoint would not work in this scenario as both place the control of the bike with the upright rider in the rear.

The Two-Fun would work well for this team as the controls from the rear could be disconnected so that the father can maintain all steering, shifting, and pace control from the comfort of a recumbent trike while his son enjoys the upright position he so desires.

Is it any wonder we keep coming back to the Two-Fun as an incredibly versatile accessible cycling solution?  Its flexibility and customizability mean that it can suit nearly any mixed ability tandem need.  On top of that, Lightfoot Cycles has a strong history of supporting special needs with a wide range of product.

Unfortunately, Lightfoot Cycles does not list the price of the Two-Fun on their site.  We do know that the Two-Fun without the rear bike runs for $3600.  Guessing from that, we would expect the full Two-Fun to cost in the $4300 range.

More information on the Two-Fun can be found at the Lightfoot Cycles web site.

That sent me off on a search for a good solution, a search that pretty much ended with the Hase Kettwiesel handcycle. But I didn’t want to stop there. A little more digging turned up the ONE-OFF Titanium, a full blown mountain bike/trike that puts the rider in a prone position.

The core advantage of the ONE-OFF is instantly recognized: it is an off-road handcycle. In the niche that is handcycling, most cycles are either for racing or for casual use. Nobody tackles the handcycling equivalent of mountain biking. What’s amazing is that the ONE-OFF hasn’t been more widely copied since its introduction.

So what are the other advantages of the ONE-OFF?

It offers a prone position, allowing the rider to put their body weight into stabilizing the trike. That body weight serves a second purpose – it can also control steering. The torso cushion of the ONE-OFF rests on a pivot that links to the steering. Lean to the left and you’ll turn left. Lean to the right, turn right. The result is the ability to turn the trike without having to let up on the pedaling.

The ONE-OFF also allows steering through the handles to which the brake levers are mounted. This allows the rider to switch to a more stable control mechanism for high speed descents. It also provides a resting point for the hands should the rider want to flex a bit and relieve some of that torso pressure.

Unfortunately, the ONE-OFF site doesn’t provide much more detail about the specs of the bike. No word on gear inch range, types of disc brakes, wheel sizes, or availability through third parties. Judging by the contact info on the ONE-OFF site, all ONE-OFF handcycles are made to fit the rider’s specifications.

If you’re a handcyclist who knows there’s more to trail riding than riding rail trails, the ONE-OFF is probably worth some investigation. No other handcycle that we know of will get you up a mountain.

For those who might be interested, included below is a YouTube video showing a method of transferring into and out of the ONE-OFF.

One common comment made when people see a standard tadpole trike is that it is far too low to the ground to be entered and exited comfortably. For anyone with back problems, body strength issues, or reasonable fears of being far too low to be visible, tadpole trikes seem like a very cool but very unpractical solution. Delta trikes, with their higher center of gravity and chair level seat, often become the ride of choice for that audience.

Cycle Genius is of the opinion that tadpoles don’t have to be low riders, and they’ve proven it with the introduction of their Phoenix tricycle.

Dubbed the “Mobility Extender”, the Phoenix was meant to bridge the gap between the height of a delta and the lateral stability of a tadpole. It does this admirably though at a cost.

The sheer size of the Phoenix gives it some real heft, so keep that in mind if you need to load, transport, and unload the trike yourself for travel. With that heft comes a very smooth ride – you’ll have none of the jarring ride of tadpoles like the Catrike and WizWheelz models. For those seeking a sense of thrill, the Phoenix is not your bird. If, however, you’re seeking what might be called a “cruiser” trike that gives up fast handling and high speeds for a softer, slower ride, then the Phoenix is right up your alley.

Upon first seeing the Phoenix, my thoughts instantly went to trail use. The Phoenix seems an ideal trike for casual rides away from busy streets. That is until I measured its width. Most trails, whether multi-use paths or rail trails, feature gate posts to prohibit motorized traffic. Those posts are typically 36″ inches apart from one another. Fine for most bikes and trikes, and enough width for wheelchairs and scooters, but guess what? The Phoenix measures 42″ across at its widest point. If rail trail use is your plan, you may need to look to a slimmer trike.

Fortunately, that’s the only real negative to the Phoenix. Unlike many trikes, the Phoenix adjusts for rider height via an adjustable seat. There is no boom to adjust. This means that everybody from a height of 4′1″ to 6′8″ will be able to use the Phoenix easily. The seat angle is also adjustable to suit those who wish for a greater or lesser degree of recline.

The pedals will take platforms for foot restraints, but a word of caution: if you need to use restraints, try them on the Phoenix at a dealer before purchase if at all possible. While riding the Phoenix myself, I noticed that the heel of my size 11 shoe was striking the steering linkage during tight turns. You’ll want to make sure that any pedal platforms you need to use are going to clear the linkage. Note, however, that I was pedaling using the balls of my feet. If you tend towards the middle or heel of the foot as your point of contact with the pedal, you’ll probably have room to spare. Most casual riders will place the foot further forward, and some platforms are designed to hold the foot at the middle position.

Of interest to those who lack the use of both arms – the Phoenix by default links both front disc brakes to a single brake lever. This lever can be placed on the same side as the rear shifter for one handed operation. There is a second brake lever for the rear tire, but that is used mostly as a parking brake. Also, the shifter is an SRAM Dual Drive, giving you access to all 24 gears from a single grip.

All in all, the Cycle Genius Phoenix isn’t a bad trike. If you are performance oriented or are looking for something sleek, the Phoenix is not for you. If you are looking for an adaptable trike that lets you pedal around with ease, the Phoenix is worth a test ride.

At print time, Cycle Genius was offering the Phoenix for $1,600, minus shipping and assembly. For complete specifications, please see the Cycle Genius site.

All of the bikes featured are stock bikes with no modifications whatsoever. If you’re getting on in years and finding that cycling is just a bit too painful, one of the featured bikes is bound to be great for you.

The bikes featured were:

• Electra Townie Balloon 8 ($750)
• Trek Lime ($850)
• Sun EZ Sport AX ($1350)
• Biria EX Board Top 3 ($440)
• Dahon Ciao 8 ($790)

Not any more. Hase has modified the Trets so that it can now accept a front fork, turning the Trets into an independent delta trike.

The Trets is largely unchanged aside from the fork modification, though it should be noted that the shifter remains in the lower position (by the seat) even with the addition of the handle bars. If a child needs help keeping their hands in place on the grips, they will likely be unable to move their hands to change gears.

The downside to these revisions is, as usual, the cost. The Trets originally sold for around $1,350. The price with the trike revision, according to BentRider Online, is now $2,490. That puts it well within range of adapted trikes from the likes of Adaptivemall. The main question becomes one of positioning – is your child able to pedal from a recumbent position or does he/she require a more upright stance?

It’s always good to have alternatives, and the nice thing about the Trets is that when your child tires of pedaling, you can convert it back into a trailer to just bring them along for the ride.

The features of this trike are pretty neat because of the flexibility they afford. First up, it’s a direct drive trike, which means no gears. This is not a hill climber, commuter, long trail rider, et cetera. This is parks, driveways, neighborhoods, and parking lots material – just like any other standard trike. The cranks do have a freewheel, so don’t worry about having to keep the feet moving with the wheel when the rider is tired. The pedals would need to be modified/supplemented for any children unable to keep their feet on the platforms.

In the illustration above, you can see that the boom is adjustable. This trike suits kids up to 5′8″ in height and 220lbs in weight. This is a trike that should definitely be able to grow with any child. Adjusting the length takes less than a minute, so it is even suitable in environments where multiple children might want to use the trike.

Steering is achieved via handles on either side of the seat. The handles are linked to the rear wheels and pivot the rear for directional control. The rear wheels are connected via tie rod to ensure they maintain alignment. The steering mechanism itself is such that pushing forward on one direction requires pulling back on the other – but again, the tie rod makes it so that the two are connected in order to keep the wheels from turning in opposite directions. Rear wheel steering, however, has its downsides. At high rates of speed, steering force from the rear can whip the trike around pretty hard. Anybody riding will want to be careful they don’t roll the trike in a hard turn.

The Triton uses a caliper brake mounted to the front tire. In the time I spent inspecting the Triton, I didn’t think to ask if there was another braking mechanism should a child not have enough hand strength to manage the brake lever.

So how’s adaptability? As mentioned before, the pedals can always be fitted to suit the needs of the rider. The seat is obviously the big question. The seat frame is such that it should be trivial to mount a harness system that suits your child.

My main concern would be for any child that requires a lap restraint (especially any children that like to scoot down and out of seats). A lap belt could certainly be mounted to the frame under the bottom pad of the seat. My concern stems only from the fact that the seat itself isn’t that deep – about 8″. That might not leave enough wiggle room for some.

The frame under the seat is suitable for anyone who wishes to fabricate a custom seat if the rider requires hip stabilization. There’s definitely room on the Triton frame for improvisation and innovation.

Having said all that, here’s the quick rundown on the Triton:

• Child must be able to pedal and move steering arms
• Braking might be an issue for children lacking grip
• Seat frame is open for necessary modification
• Trike grows with your child
• $200-$280 based on shipping and assembly

Since I don’t know anyone who has actually used the Triton, my observations here are just from looking it over and playing with the floor model at RBR. As always, do some research and ask plenty of questions before trying the Triton with your child. But at less than $300, it’s less of a gamble than just about any other adaptive equipment purchase you’re likely to make.