Ready to Trikke?

Hi!

I'll be posting regular logs regarding my experiences over the past 3 years riding the Trikke 12 Roadster... from the first prototypes to the current (and nearly final) version.

As one of the first to really bang on the Trikke 12 , I've had a unique opportunity to see and feel how it works in real life. From banzai Trikke rides down 17th street in Costa Mesa, to my more recent gigs in Rosarito-Ensenada, Mexico and now daily jaunts through Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington.

What's been really consistent over all this time is: the FUN factor. Frankly, it's been a surprise to me. I figured that after a year, I'd be looking for something to really have fun... instead, I've been rockin' and rollin' an average of 60 miles a week, and as much as 100 miles a week during training season (which is quickly becoming all year 'round).

Gildo, the inventor of this technology, has truly created an amazing lifestyle device. What's more, it's so fun and "zen" to ride, you end up going further, using more muscle groups, trying new things, and experiencing greater breakthroughs than in almost any other form of sport. Sure, soccer kicks butt on the legs, and weightlifting builds awesome pecs... but Trikke does it all with (and I mean this) NO impact to the joints, no extension injuries to the joints, muscles or tendons, and (did I mention this yet?) it's freakin' fun as hell!

But that's just me.

I have a lot more to cover, and an exhaustive training program that will be here as well. Look for more on a regular basis, and if you so desire, feel free to subscribe to this blog and get the most recent updates. before this blog I was posting 3-10 emails a day to friends and fellow Trikke enthusiasts, sharing secrets of how to go longer distances and how to climb hills faster, even how to select a muscle group to build.

But that's for later. In the mean time, ask me how you can pick up a deal on a Trikke 12 Roadster, and we'll get you set up, then having fun, then in amazing shape, in short order.

Have a rockin' day!

Best,
Mark Alan Effinger
TrikkeVangelist
www.trikke12.com

Comments

[whoTrikke]

Is there any Washington, DC Trikke groups?

[Laurie]

I want to find a bike shop that rents
trikkes. I want to try out so I can
select the right one to purchase. Anybody
now who rents them. Rumor has it Mike's
bike rentals in San Diego but I can' find
them. Thanks

[Laurie]

I want to find a bike shop that rents
trikkes. I want to try out so I can
select the right one to purchase. Anybody
now who rents them. Rumor has it Mike's
bike rentals in San Diego but I can' find
them. Thanks

[Laurie]

I want to find a bike shop that rents
trikkes. I want to try out so I can
select the right one to purchase. Anybody
now who rents them. Rumor has it Mike's
bike rentals in San Diego but I can' find
them. Thanks

[Tracy]

What's the difference of the new T8 and the T12?

[Stein Stenseng]

I just very recently bought a Trikke 8. Although I am still learning riding proficiency, what fun! Why wasn't this thing invented earlier. All those years riding a bike, which is pretty tame by comparrison. Does anyone know of a Trikke Club in western WA State?

Stein Stenseng
steins@dop.wa.gov

[Fred]

Where can one purchase a trikke 12?

[STeve]

Great personal site! I'll be sure to check in regularly. I'm a Trikker out in Denver. Tried your email address and it doesn't work though.... Thanks, Steve in Denver
ME: Hi Steve!

Thanks for the comments, Steve. I'm getting this up and running over the next 2 weeks, as we finally have Trikke 12 Roadsters in stock. Gildo has really done well in getting the final details right, and John Simpson and I had a good talk last week, and are making tracks. I'm also working on a line of Trikke clothing and shoes (my fave right now are the Puma Mostro mesh shoes in red. I picked up a few pairs in red and black at Zappo's Shoes. Try em... they fit like a glove, and have enough rubber up the sides to make getting on and off the Trikke 12 Roadster easy (and they look like you're some sort of space pilot when you head into a restaurant).

Not that riding the Trikke 12 alone doesn't evoke quite a few comments on it's own!

Let me know how you're doing on your Trikke 12, and how you use it. I'd love to know.

Grace & Peace & Turkey,
ME

[Theo]

Hey,
ME: Hi Theo,

Please allow me to respond within your words, below.

AYS
ME

I stumbled upon your site doing a random search. It's funny what you sometimes find just browsing. I am a Trikke rider (since June 2004) from the Washington DC area. Needless to say, I love it. I love riding it so much that I may have to sell my bike, mountainboards, and skateboards ... well not so fast.
ME: Hey, I know where you're coming from!

I have a decent mountain bike, but when Gildo turned me onto Trikke (I hired his original graphic designer, Chris McClary, to head up design for my company at the time, eAgency (hence the handle "eAgent"). Chris is an amazing designer... but just as important, he turned me onto Gildo by showing me one of the very first prototype Trikkes.

I had no idea it would "infect" me like it has. Sure, I've been excited about cool technology before, but this... this was in a class all its own.

My first ride was 8 miles one way to Gildo's apartment in Huntington Beach. It was a 3rd-story walkup, and Gildo was making these things anywhere he could, and storing them on his back deck.

Ahhh, the good 'ol days, right?!

I see that you have been riding a Trikke 12 for a few years. Here in the US, Trikke Tech is just releasing them to the public. I got mine yesterday and I feel like the little kid that is first on the block to have one ... because I am (first on the block that is). In fact I am probaly first in my state to have one (Maryland).
ME: Yeah, it's pretty cool.

When I had one of the first Trikke prototypes ever, I rode it on 17th street in Costa Mesa to grab some wheat grass juice and a Starbuck's before things got crazy every morning (I run a software company called IdeaFisher that helps people develop new ideas and take them to market... pretty cool, but definitely not as physically engaging as my Trikke 12 Roadster!)

Anyhow, this 2.5 mile stretch is where I learned most of my riding style for flats... as well as learned how to "throw" a Trikke 12... which is what happens when you're completely cranking hard on a polished sidewalk and hit a wet patch... the front end can slide out, and you end up tumbling at 20mph, and your Trikke 12 flies into the air, nearly wiping out a Mercedes 600S, and all you're thinking is "does my insurance cover a $100,000 car?"...

Which, of course, it doesn't.

So, anyhow, I had a few white-knuckle moments before I figured-out how to tame the beast and keep the shiny-side up (as motorcyclists like to say).

Well, I didn't mean to "talk" your ears off. I was looking at your picture gallery on your bLog and I noticed that you have a pouch attached to the front of your Trikke. I have been looking for something like that for sometime and I would like to know where you got yours? One could carry keys, camera, and change in it. Is it easy to take off and re-attach?
ME: Yeah, it's super easy to handle. I found it at Target for maybe $6, and it's been a great companion. I'll be making our own design to better fit the Trikke, with a zippered pocket for keys, and a little better room for water bottles... this one I picked-up just before the Rosarito-Ensenada 50 Mile Bike Ride, and it's really held up well... but the velcro doesn;t really fit the Trikke, and it didn't hoild my water bottle well at all (see the pictures here: http://www.brightroom.com/view_user_event.asp?EVENTID=4499&PWD=&BIB=1525 ). You can see that the bottle is on... then it's gone!

Well if you have any time in your busy schedule, I would like to invite you to join our Trikke club. We're a small group of Trikke riders located in different parts of the US. I hope to organize many more in different cities as time goes on. You are welcome to join Trikke Nation by going the following URL: http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/TrikkeNationDC/. I also invite you to visit my bLog: http://trikkezen.blogspot.com/. I hope you don't mind that I added your URL to our list of Trikke sites.
ME: Will do. And please feel free to come back and add your comments as we progress. I'm getting the training materials together, including a DVD and a FLASH training program that helps you set a muscle-building program as well as teaches how to isolate muscle groups as you ride, using different techniques...

Good for all.

Like a BowFlex on steroids, and a heck of a lot more fun!

Have a phenomenal Turkey Day, and thanks for your comments, invites and enthusiasm. I hope to see you in Mexico at the next run, and I may be taking a cross-country trek to train Trikker's over this next year... let's see if that makes sense, eh?

Grace & Peace,
ME

Till we meet ...
"Rock n Roll Forever"

Theo