Four Wheels, Forward Motion:
How the Trionic Walker 14er Expanded My World
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Product Review
I'll just tell you about my experiences :))
Rating:
Everything positive has already been said in earlier reviews, so I'll concentrate on my experiences here on Coastal Lancashire, with its paths through sand dunes and pine forests.
About me: I'm 84 and had a very active, not to say athletic, lifestyle, so it was a bitter pill to swallow when I developed a balance problem and lost a lot of muscle strength.
Nevertheless, I am determined to continue being as active as possible! So I bought a Trionic Veloped Trek with the 14-inch wheels and all-terrain tyres.
After a cautious initial practise on local urban pavements and navigating the interiors of shops large and small, my next test was to get on and off our MerseyRail trains (still operating very old rolling stock on this line, with a high step up or down). I found a technique: brakes on, pull back to lift front wheel off ground, brakes off and roll in.
I was ready for the pine forest trails; no problems here though long uphill slopes were of course hard work. Going downhill I found tricky as the Veloped tended to yaw as it's not possible to apply both brakes evenly. (Same problem in the city on extended station and department store ramps – a light touch is needed).
I decided to test 'The Beast' by going off-trail, into the pine woods. This offered an altogether tougher challenge; the slopes I could manage with care (not to tip over sideways!) But narrow paths filled with pine cones were hard, even for the 24” wheels, probably because the cones are loose.
The biggest challenge by far is to get through loose sand. Long stretches of loose sand (sand traps!) were very hard indeed for me on one walk but another day I managed a short section to get onto the firm sand of the beach and was rewarded with long stretches of easy walking and glorious views!
I wish I could take some photos of this trip!
On public transport: I've had no problems storing the Trek on our local bus routes but would hesitate to take it on busier city routes.
One note of caution: When putting small items into the pocket at the back of the basket, it's very easy to miss and not realise it's dropped on the floor. Also, the 'rain cover' gets tangled with small items like keys. I haven't worked out how this rain cover is to be firmly fastened at the front when in use.
And so far, I haven't found a use for the extra storage bags provided with the Trek, so I probably should have bought the Tour version, which is a Trek without the extra bags. (I was put off by the illustration, yet they are both the same; the Trek photo just looked more like me).
Judda