Utah Trikes Reviews - Trike - WizWheelz TerraTrike Path

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WizWheelz TerraTrike Path
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Written By Brent Seavers of UtahTrikes.com

The newest member of the TerraTrike family, The TerraTrike Path is priced at just under $1000. With the main focus being to get more trikes to more people, WizWheelz has undoubtedly created a winner here. While interest in recumbent trikes has been growing steadily, the cost of ownership has scared some away. The lower price and ease of use will make it much easier to get the TerraTrike Path into the hands of potential riders.

The TerraTrike Path is built on a proven platform and shares many elements in common with WizWheelz's most popular models. WizWheelz was very careful about making the Path very affordable, while not making any compromises in quality. The TerraTrike Path has a chromoly steel frame painted in a brilliant "Sunset Gold" color. And just like the Cruiser and Tour, comes in four different boom sizes; extra small, small, medium and large (Spacers are available for inbetween or extra-long sizes). Sharing the comfort and adjustability of their other line of TerraTrikes, both the seat position and angle are adjustable.

The most noteable feature of the Path is its internal three-speed hub transmission. Changing gears is very easy, with only one shifter on the trike (shifter can be mounted on the right or left side). This is accomplished by having a single chainring at the front of the trike, and a 3-speed Sturmey-Archer Internal Hub transmission in the rear. For casual cruisers, beginners, and those not needing to deal with a wide variation of terrain, three-speeds makes it easy to enjoy the ride instead of focusing on which gear you are in. The internal gearing solves the issue of only being able to shift while pedaling. With an internal gear hub, you can shift at any time whether stopped or coasting. And, there is no need to worry about getting stuck in the wrong gear due to improper shifting technique. With a simpler chainline the chain stays where it’s supposed to. Also, the front 46-tooth chainring comes with a chainguard on both sides of the chain. This means that you won't need to worry about getting your pants, foot, or leg rubbed by an exposed chainring.

Even with the price being only $999, no sacrifices in quality were made. The TerraTrike Path is still equipped with independant dual disk brakes. The left and right brakes are both operated by brake handles on each side of the handlebar and feature Unique YJ-849 Calipers with 160mm Rotors and Promax brake levers. To ensure your Trike won't roll away, The Path comes with a Velcro parking brake that simply attaches around the exsisting brake lever and keeps it engaged. The natural flex of the chromoly steel frame and the 20" x 1.75" CST 40-PSI tires both help to make the Path a very comfortable ride. Also, like many of the other TerraTrikes, the Path has linkage Steering, a breathable mesh seat, and adjustable handlebars. This TerraTrike is equipped with high quality and durable components like lightweight aluminum wheels, and an RPM alloy crankset. The Path comes stock with platform pedals. Truly, TerraTrike has considered all aspects of the casual rider's needs when designing the Path.

While the technical specifications of the Path are impressive for a sub-$1000 trike, some questions arose when first looking at the Path on paper. Things like, "How fast can I go before I can't pedal anymore?" or "Is it easy to climb up hills with only three gears?". I knew the only way to answer these questions was to get on the trike and ride. First, I wanted to see how fast I could go on level ground before the pedals moved so fast they couldn't get me to go any faster. Using the Garmin 305 GPS cycle computer to clock my speed, I noted that I was able to reach 23.8 mph before I felt like I really started to spin out. Of course that number might vary slightly with the rider, but we're really looking at stretching the limits of the Trike's gearing itself. Honestly, for a three speed hub I am pretty impressed. Next on my test ride, I headed for the closest hill I could find. It wasn't incredibly steep but enough to measure the average hill climb. I took the hill at full speed and found myself having to initially gear down to the bottom gear. I slowed down to about a 7 mph climb and found the bottom gear to be just fine. I didn't feel the need to go any lower but knew on other steeper hills I've taken with my Cruiser that the three gears might feel limiting. But honestly, the Path is isn't aimed for extreme hill climbing. The one thing I did learn when riding is that when down shifting on a climb with this hub it's best to stop pedaling, or ease off the pedals, to more easily change gears. The Sturmey Archer hub has those characteristics. Changing to a higher gear isn't an issue at all, but you do need to ease up on pedaling while downshifting on a climb.

While on the surface it appears that the Path's target audience would be younger kids or older adults who wanted a comfortable, and easy-to-ride trike. After giving hundreds of test rides on the Path, we've found that the Path is desireable to many age groups and personality types. If you enjoy riding more than tinkering with the mechanics of the Trike, the Path may be right up your alley. It's simplistic gearing design will keep you pedalling on the road. But if you still like tweaking your Trike with upgrades and accessories, the Path is just as customizable as any of our other TerraTrikes. You can tow a trailer, add mirrors, carry cargo with a rack and panniers, install a fairing, upgrade to clipless pedals, and add the majority of the other upgrades that we offer. For those looking to make even more radical upgrades to the Path, including modified drivetrain components, visit our TerraTrike Path Customizer.

Whether your goal is to keep it simple while triking, or just to save some money, The TerraTrike Path priced at just $999 is an intelligent buyer's choice.
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Share your comments below:
How does it ride on slightly non-level roadway? I have a Sun Easy rider-3 and my only reservation about getting anoth is trying to find a recumbent trike which is very stable, goes a little faster and is able to handle non-level roadway. The Sun doesn't even like the small curve downward of the roadbed where it goes down to allow water to drain during a rain storm.
Posted by Anonymous
03/09/2008 10:02:38 PM

The Path rides very smoothly over a variety of surfaces. The linkage steering makes it very easy to control the trike even when driving on a slope.
Posted by Ashley
03/09/2008 10:05:52 PM

What would be typical for an average speed one could expect for a normal paced ride. I will be using mine (Just ordered it a couple days ago) for commuting.
Posted by M@
04/08/2008 12:32:06 PM

Most people should be able to ride very comfortably at the 12-15mph range with the Path's stock 3-speed gearing on level ground.
Posted by Ashley
04/10/2008 11:09:23 AM

What would I need to average 20mph at 60rpm ?
Posted by Roger
04/11/2008 03:57:10 PM

What would I need to average 20mph at > 60rpm ?
Posted by Roger
04/11/2008 03:59:48 PM

To go 20mph at 60rpm cadence you need about 115 Gear Inches. To get close to that with the stock 3-speed Path you would need to add a Schlumpf High Speed Drive. But, then you wouldn't have any low gears. A Schlumpf HSD combined with the Nexus 8 (Path Plus) will give you a very wide range of gearing.
Posted by Ashley
04/11/2008 04:41:20 PM

What is the best way to transport the Path when travelling?
Posted by Pauline
04/15/2008 09:13:16 PM

I returned my Path because the long gradual hills were too much for it. I wish I had known about the Utah Trikes options first.
Posted by Ken
05/05/2008 05:31:10 PM

why were the hills too much for it? I am curious as to what you mean, as I just ordered one. In IL, not too many hills, but some...
Posted by Bill T
06/04/2008 12:26:17 PM

We live in Santa Fe, NM where it's either uphill or downhill and the hill leading up to our house can make serious cyclists get off and push.

We're both in decent shape, but we want these for fun and short errands. So seriously, would the hills be a serious problem for the terratrike "path?"

Thanks.
Posted by laughingcrows
07/28/2008 11:09:14 PM

We have a lot of hills and most of the locals prefer one of our 8-speed modifications to the Path. 8-speeds gives you more .hill-climbing gears, so I do recommend it. We have two 8-speed Path upgrades. One adds $200 and the other adds $500. If you are interested please give us a call
Posted by Ashley
07/29/2008 01:44:57 PM

Man, that's a lot of chain! How much chain slap do you get on rough surfaces? Anyone considered a shaft or hydraulic power transfer option to use with multispeed hubs?
Posted by redtail
08/02/2008 09:36:55 AM

With the chain routing through the idlers there is not very much chain slap at all. The chain is kept tight by the tensioner running in the rear.
Posted by Ashley
09/11/2008 02:03:16 PM

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