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Recumbent trike for birding! :king: (1 Viewer)

looksharp65

Well-known member
Sweden
Recently, I acquired a recumbent trike, a Catrike 700.
My idea was to extend my reach as compared to what could realistically be accomplished with my ordinary bike. Furthermore, I expected a dramatically improved overview of the sky while rolling, enabling me to discover birds in flight easier than before.

Both have proven correct, but I have found a third advantage.
My trike has a low seat angle, and this allows me to put my elbows on my belly to support when using binoculars. Furthermore, I can reasonably easy stabilise a 27x scope :eek!:, a straight Nikon ED50.

The dedicated frame bags stow the scope, but other solutions could also be considered. I sometimes use a fanny pack for the binoculars so they don't fall too far aside while triking, but this is not necessary. The bins rest on the belly so better if they're not too heavy. The weight of my Meostar 8x32 posed no problem at all.

One idea to consider is the use of a superzoom bridge camera instead of a scope, like the Nikon P900.

Recumbent trikes have lots of advantages over ordinary bikes and only minor disadvantages, if any. I can only but recommend them for anyone.
There are a few American brands, one or two from UK, one Australian, one Taiwanese and at least three from continental Europe. Each has its own flavor.

//L
 
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Lars,
You need to be careful on that recumbant trike; trying to look for raptors while cycling (longer and faster?) and balancing your optical equipment on your elbows and your belly. Why not carry the superzoom bridge camera too, and use the helicopter for birding. You could then use the trike for pure relaxation?
Peter
 
Lovely bike! I'm a bit envious, since I've always wanted to try to see what a recumbent trike could bring. But I take my bike on trains a lot, and that wouldn't be possible with one of those, so I've never taken the plunge.

I can well imagine that the angle, and the fact that you don't have to worry about balance, makes it possible to take in much more about the birds around you.

Andrea
 
Lars,
You need to be careful on that recumbant trike; trying to look for raptors while cycling (longer and faster?) and balancing your optical equipment on your elbows and your belly. Why not carry the superzoom bridge camera too, and use the helicopter for birding. You could then use the trike for pure relaxation?
Peter

Haha, I don't look through the binoculars while cycling. The little Meopta stays put on my belly thanks to the very reclined position I ride in, and the scope and my pocket superzoom fit in the side bags. I'm considering mounting a scope + camera bag on the frame in front of me, using the bottle cage mount.

Lovely bike! I'm a bit envious, since I've always wanted to try to see what a recumbent trike could bring. But I take my bike on trains a lot, and that wouldn't be possible with one of those, so I've never taken the plunge.

I can well imagine that the angle, and the fact that you don't have to worry about balance, makes it possible to take in much more about the birds around you.

Andrea

Thanks Andrea! I also like the bike+train combo, but most of the railway companies in Sweden actively work against this brilliant idea (unlike their Danish and German counterparts, who actively promote it).
Luckily, I can take the trike on the trains between Gothenburg and Malmö/Copenhagen.
There are folding trikes like a couple of Greenspeed's models, the ICE Adventure and Sprint, the HP Velotechnik Gekko FX/26 FX and the very recent Catrike 5.5.9.
Those have nifty folding mechanisms and become considerably smaller when folded. Of course, using a lot of bags mounted on the trike would complicate things. Just don't give up - find a place to try a few different trikes.
You won't regret it.

//L
 
That's only the 2 wheeled version, goodness knows what the cost would be should they ever create one - but, if it also converted into a coracle...
 
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