A Tale of Two Trikes

 Something new,  with three wheels? Perhaps. 

I'm just at that point where "shit just got real" as they say.  A casual browse on Gumtree and an innocent inquiry on the Velomobile For Sale Facebook page,  has on the trike rack deciding between two fabulous trikes.  

Trike One:

Greenspeed GT5 folding trike in good conditions.  $2300 + $350 p&h .  

Good Points:

   * clean,  quality folding trike that will do trike touring, car replacing and fun, for not much money.  

   * folding is great for trains, planes and car travel as well as storage.  

TRIKE two:

Rotovelo in showroom condition with less than 1000k on the clock. 

(Not the actual RV, but the same model and color.)

Good Points:

   * A real car replacement lifestyle choice.  This baby is not going in any train or carboot. 

   * Capable of fast passages,  with rugged reliability all weather triking with dry storage. 

The questions I must all myself basically relate to commitment.  Am I ready for a boots and all lifestyle and to clear my savings account. The RV  insists on Total Immersion, nothing less.  Am I ready to have a wild seat- of-the-pants mad hatter ride through later life? 

       - OR -

The GT5, *if it fits*. This trike'will fit into my lifestyle and allow me to extend my touring capacity while still do the car replacement things, yet with less effectiveness.  It will also fold, which for me is a cheeky under the radar, in cognito go. The financial hit will be less onerous as well.  

Mmmm.

POST  SCRIPT

Well add with many things,  especially when living on low income; things works out how they will.  If I had a million bucks I'd but the Rotovelo for $5000. I could only offer $4000 which would have seen me scrape about for a while.  Fortunately,  the seller said nothing.  I got no reply.  

In the meantime I was corresponding with "Triker" in Perth way over the other side of this island continent.  At this stage there are two obstacles i) the cost of transporting the trike to the east coast,  and ii) the size of the trike. 

Well,  Triker ran the tape over the x- seam of the trike and tooks photos ... and it fits! Yeh,  ok so we still have the courier cost thing.  My cheapest quote coming in at $980 - a little less than half the trike.  But Triker says he gets a kind of Frequent Flyer discount with Pack n Send. It hit me that PnS were the company I used when buying my Long Haul Trucker, amd they were cheap (Brisbane to Newcastle for $80).

So,  hge says nominate my local depot for pick  corrupt,  which is cheaper,  and hge will book it.  

So tonight we're linking we're on video to go over the trike.  I will leave a deposit,  he will box the trike over coming days and I will pay the balance as the Greenspeed GT5 arrives.

 I am pumped that after a year and  a half of frustration and disappointments I might finally get my hands on a trike I can ride. Not an "entry level" trike,  but a quality trike with high spec components that are available in mostly bike shops,  or on the net. But mostly,  after tuning her in, and pimping up!,  I really want to toss some gear aboard and ride All Day without an aching bum.  Christmas season is always stupidly busy at work but even then I hope to get on a train and go touring,  stealth camping,  boiling the billy and just going off. 

So happy,  so hopeful.