In recent years, lovers of extreme sports around the world have turned their eyes towards a fairly new, original entertainment - downhill biking along winding mountain roads. For this, a special tricycle for drifting is used. Let's find out what such a bike is, consider its structure, operation features.
Design Features
Drift bike includes the following required elements:
- The front wheel is small in size, with a diameter of 20 to 26 inches.
- Two miniature rear wheels made of smooth hard material. For increased glide during movement along the track, elastic tires are put on them.
- Wide stable seat with a back with a lowered landing, which allows the rider to be in a reclining position.
- The front pedals, which do not have practical value, but only act as footrests.
Drift bike with motor
Drift on a bike on paved slopes needs to accelerate a three-wheeled vehicle. To do this, most often resort to the coupling of the bicycle with the car, which is disconnected after a set of inertial travel. However, not every extreme player can afford such a solution.
To save fans of drift cycling from unnecessary problems, the American company SFD Industries decided to make a motorized three-wheeled bike. Such a drift bike has a 6.5 hp gasoline engine. The front wheel is quite massive and has a diameter of 26 inches. The rear wheels are miniature. Their size is only 3.5 inches. To avoid abrasion during acceleration and sliding at a significant speed, the rear tires are worn in plastic tubes, which can be replaced with new ones after the appearance of scuffs and gaps.
Issue price
How much does a motorized drift bike cost? The price of such a vehicle with the engine is about $ 2,000. The specified bar is ten times the cost of a standard trike bike, devoid of the engine.
Operational Features
The drift bike most often does not contain pedals in the traditional sense of this part. Here they serve as footrests and do not play a functional role. Rotating the pedals, the rider will be able to accelerate at best to 20-25 km / h. However, the implementation of drifts and all kinds of tricks on such a vehicle becomes possible only when reaching a speed of about 60 km / h.
Climbing a trike bike is usually done by car. Acceleration is also carried out thanks to the coupling of a tricycle with a motorized vehicle. Only thanks to a set of impressive speed, as well as a sufficient slope of the track, extreme sportsmen get the opportunity to perform dizzying stunts, falling sideways when cornering, drawing bizarre “snakes” on the roadway, rotating on the track like a bump.
How legal is drifting?
In domestic law, a child’s drift bike, like an adult, is classified as a regular bike. There are no differences in the rules of the road between a tricycle and a two-wheeled vehicle. Based on this, for the operation of the trike bike does not require special permission or obtaining rights.
It is worth noting that the bike for drifting is quite a dangerous means of transportation. For arrivals, extreme sportsmen choose the most steep, winding tracks. Ordinary amateurs often drive on the roads with open traffic. On the contrary, professional athletes in this discipline organize competitions on isolated, closed roads.
In many countries, law enforcement agencies struggle with the movement of fans of such extreme sports. Even a drift bike for children, which has a completely harmless appearance, if handled improperly, poses a serious danger to both the rider and the road users. Therefore, its use requires extreme caution.
Popular models
There are a number of factory
three-wheeled trike bikes that are in demand among fans of extreme entertainment:
- Big Wheel Drift Trike - is one of the best inventions for participation in the presented discipline. The frame is made of lightweight, high-strength alloy steel. On board there is a powerful engine that allows the vehicle to rise on a hill without the need for a car. The rear wheels are coated with damage resistant polyvinyl chloride. Such a protective layer gives perfect glide during drifts.
- Verrado is a three-wheeled bike for drifting with an electric motor with a capacity of 500 watts. It features reliable assembly and a damage-resistant design. Equipped with a reinforced front wheel from a BMX bike, this vehicle exhibits stable behavior even when entering the coolest drifts. The rear chassis is equipped with wheels with a diameter of 5 inches. The latter have an abrasion resistant coating.
- Triad. The developers focused on the use of the highest quality materials for the manufacture of the case. The frame, made of alloy steel, is designed for users from 160 to 180 cm tall. The rear wheels with a special protective coating, which is resistant to wear, provide smooth gliding. The model has the smallest weight of all the bikes presented in the review. The mass of such a vehicle is only 10 kilograms. Therefore, Triad is one of the most manoeuvrable, balanced trike bikes on the market.
Service
Trike bikes do not need special maintenance. The only exceptions are motorized models. All that is required to maintain the tricycle for drifting in good condition is the timely lubrication of the elements of the running units, as well as the replacement of tires in case of critical abrasion. All spare parts that may be needed for servicing and repairing the trike can be found on the market or in the sports equipment store.
How to make a bike to drift yourself?
To enjoy extreme entertainment, it is far from always necessary to spend money on the purchase of a specialized factory-built bike. You can make a bike for drifting with your own hands if you so desire, the availability of tools and materials from any old three-wheeled model. Here you need only the whole front part of the bike with a wheel, a standard fork, a steering wheel and several pipes for the manufacture of the rear frame.
As a basis for landing the future rider, it is enough to lay ordinary plywood on the frame. It is also possible to use stronger material if significant loads are expected on the bike.
To make the frame, it is worth using durable metal pipes with a diameter of 16 mm or more. It can be constructed using any factory model of a trike bike as a model.
After welding the frame of the frame, it is worth starting the manufacture of the rear wheels. A great option is the wheels from the cart. Alternatively, you can cut them out of wood. In the latter case, it is worth using a rubber layer or a piece of PVC pipe as an external coating. To make a home-made trike bike stable on drifts, the diameter and width of the rear wheels should be 2.5 inches.
The pedals will be supported by standard pedals, if available on the front wheel. In their absence, pieces of pipe can be welded to the feathers of the fork on both sides.
In conclusion, it is worth taking care of completing a homemade bike with a comfortable, stable seat. The most rational option is to use a seat from a plastic stool. If you wish, you can cut the seat out of rubber, in particular a car tire.
To assemble a tricycle for drifting, you will definitely need welding, a drill, all kinds of fasteners, a hacksaw for metal, as well as a pipe bender that will be used to shape the frame.
Finally
When a full drift trike is available, there is an irresistible desire to try it in practice. However, before you start skiing, you should take care of personal safety, because if the skid is too steep or the wheel hits a pothole, there is a high probability of overturning. To save yourself from getting injured, you should wear bicycle knee pads and elbow pads, a helmet or use specialized motorcycle protection.
It is worth noting that a three-wheeled bike for drifting on the road will certainly attract everyone's attention. Therefore, if there is no desire to deal with law enforcement agencies, it is recommended to choose isolated, vehicle-free, best abandoned tracks located far from the city for skiing.