Initial ride impressions of the Hase Trigo

With winter closing in on us, we hurried to take some brief rides. 

These trikes have a front derailleur with three chain rings and an 8-speed cassette driving the right rear wheel.  Grip-shifters for the front and rear derailleurs both have 8 stops, with the front derailleur requiring 2 or 3 clicks between chain-rings.  There was apparently some technical reason for needing to use this grip shifter;  it does work and doesn't require much time to get used to it.  I did find it rather stiff, though. 

Other options include a differential so that both rear wheels can be driven (available to retrofit) and an over-seat steering variant called Trigo Up that has an 8-speed Shimano hub and a single front chainring.  Both the underseat steered standard Trigo and the over-seat steered Trigo Up can be fitted with a Shimano Steps electric assist motor.  The motor can be added later if the need arises. 

One of our first test-rides was with the Trigo tandemized to a Greenspeed Anura.  The chain tubes (not a standard feature, but an "extra") had been installed a little too far forward and caused some interference with the chainrings, but the ride otherwise went well.  The chaintube attachment was easily adjusted, correcting that problem.

When the second trike was ready, we rode about four miles, climbing a couple of gentle hills and trying mild descents.  The seats are a tightly-fitted mesh over a frame, feeling less like a sling than the early Kettwiesel seats.  We didn't try all the adjustment options for seat position, so we don't know how low these will go.  With the seats set rather high, we didn't feel tippy, but we didn't try fast cornering to challenge the stability of the trike in that position. 

I tried turning some tight circles and found that the trike could make Figure-8's crosswise in a city street.  Hase's website mentions that setting the boom out longer will affect the turning, but it appears that sharp corners won't be a problem at any setting. 

We use our trikes for errands, so the ability to carry at least a bag of groceries matters to us.  We were not very happy about the options for carrying a pannier or basket on the Trigo.  This has been a problem with other Hase trikes;  they tend to have bags or baskets available as expensive accessories, when we prefer to be able to attach a wide range of commonly available panniers and baskets.  Fortunately, Perennial Cycle was able to provide a very functional mounting bar.

The mesh of the seat is well-supported, but we worried that
the fabric wouldn't tolerate standing the trike up on end on
pavement or rough surfaces.  There were holes for two
bosses that looked like a good spot to add a bumper.

An aluminum bar set off from the bosses
provides an attachment for a basket and
lets the trike stand on end without
resting on the fabric of the seat.

There were bosses on the back of the seat.  They looked as if they could hold a neck rest, or perhaps be the mounting point for a harness for rehab use.  We wanted a protective bumper for the trike to rest on when standing up on end, and to hold a basket or bag for shopping.  This little rod serves both purposes and could also hold a light.  It could be modified to support a flag -- there isn't a flag mount on this trike. 

With snow piling up in the evening and the temperature dropping rapidly, a break from test-riding appeared to be in the plan.  Summarizing from limited riding time so far, the Trigo's easy adjustment allows for a lot of seat angles and height adjustments, which should help riders who have trouble finding a trike seat that suits them.  We didn't make any major demands on the trikes yet;  they rode well and everything worked the way it should.