You spend a moment wondering if you actually want to take it, then, just as quickly you ask yourself why you wouldn’t. The lightweight scooter is collapsible and will fit in the trunk  or in  back with the backseat folded down. You simply need to remember to grab it and then you can go; you don’t have to take it apart. But what are you going to do when you get to the airport? How are you going to maneuver it onto the plane? That’s simple. Your Trikke is even light enough to carry inside  the plane and small enough to be stowed in a luggage compartment and other storage spaces.

But what will you do with it when you get to your vacation spot? Think about it. You’re listening to the ocean waves crashing from your lounge chair on the sand,  and all you want to do is hit the boardwalk for a cold drink, but the last thing you want to do is interrupt your relaxation. What is the solution? Your Trikke Scooter. Jump on and zoom off. You’ll reach that drink in no time.

How about a mountain destination? You can hear the birds singing, and the mountain air is crisp and invigorating. You see a trail off to the side. You would love to get deeper into the woods, but hiking just doesn’t appeal to you and the car isn’t an option. What do you do? Yep, you guessed it. Your Trikke. Small enough to reach places that a car can’t go, the Trikke gives you freedom to explore more places and see more amazing sights. Just don’t forget to snap pictures to take the memories home with you.

If you’re unsure about packing your Trikke, let me remind you about the money you’ll save by riding your Trikke and at the same time help our planet. Since the Trikke is a human powered vehicle, no oil or gas is needed to power your scooter. Exploring the local sights on your Trikke will help save money on gas, bus fares and tour guides as well as reduce carbon emissions. A truly awesome combination.

Need I mention the weight we tend to gain from sampling the local cuisine and being away from our workout routine? One of the overlooked downsides to any vacation is that most of us pack on a few pounds while we’re out living it up. Taking your Trikke on vacation with you allows you to stay fit and trim. You’ll be able to do your workout while at the same time, seeing the sites.  As an added bonus, the exercise will help you keep energized for your next vacation activity. A win-win situation.

All in all, bringing your Trikke scooter on your well-deserved vacation will allow you tons more fun and adventure while keeping your body stay fit and healthy.

Post from: Trikke4Fun.com

Take Your Trikke on Vacation – Maximize Your Recreational Fun and Adventure

During the latter part of the 1980’s, Brazilian Gildo Beleski, an engineer and inventor, wanted to learn how to skateboard and roller skate. It didn’t go so well. To his frustration staying upright instead of on the ground was almost impossible. However, gravity wasn’t going to stop him. Using the engineering degree he earned at the Brazilian Institute of Technology, Beleski created a three-wheeled vehicle for riding downhill.

In 1988, he finished what he would name the Trikke (pronounced /’trik\). With the combination of three wheels and brakes, the contemporary frame enhanced the ability to lean and camber without fear of falling. During a test run, he discovered that if he continued to lean and turn that even after reaching the bottom of a hill the Trikke would keep moving, even on flat ground.

In 1990, Gildo marketed his first version of the Trikke scooter. However, the reception was lukewarm. After garnering only moderate sales in 1992, he was forced to give up the initial Trikke design.

While on a business trip to the U.S. in the late 1990’s, Gildo watched people zip along the beach path on their human powered vehicles (HPV). It didn’t take him long to decide to introduce a new cambering device for their riding pleasure. He resumed work on his design and opened Trikke Tech in Buellton, California in 2000 and filed the patents for his Trikke cambering system. In 2001, two of them were accepted.

Then a chance encounter with entrepreneur trend-setter, John Simpson, gave Beleski the backing he needed. One day while exiting his favorite sushi bar in Santa Monica, Simpson saw Beleski riding his Trikke down the street. At first he thought the vehicle looked ungainly and ridiculous, but then he saw how it moved so easily without propellers. Without hesitating, Simpson chased down Beleski. Once Simpson took his first ride, he was sold and invested in Trikke Tech that same year. In 2002, Beleski asked Simpson to step in as Trikke Tech’s President. And not long after, they launched the scooter to the American public.

Since it’s first appearance, the Trikke has rapidly garnered attention and  become very popular. Things went explosive when it was mentioned on Time Magazine’s, “Coolest New Inventions of 2002,” list. The popularity grew and reached many Hollywood celebrities. The Trikke scooter skyrocketed to stardom when actors like  Brad Pitt, Jim Belushi, Jennifer Aniston, Jim Carey, and Ben Affleck started riding Trikkes. The Trikke has even made appearances on screen.

Trikke’s sales went through the roof between 2002 and 2004, jumping from less than a million dollars to a staggering $10 million in annual sales. Armed with a group of extremely talented executives, John Simpson doesn’t plan to stop there. His goal is to offer numerous innovations that will become the mainstay for recreational transport devices for many years to come and bring also bring in a new wave of sporting competition.

Already the excitement has spread internationally. Canada, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Hong Kong as well as every major country in Europe has embraced the Trikke scooter.

For the future, Trikke Tech continues to refine its products to meet the requirements of all age groups. So no one is left out. With such a wide market, you’d be well advised to check it out yourself. You don’t want to miss out on the most innovative and exciting human powered vehicles that leads the field in safety, stability, and ease of use over any other HPV.

Post from: Trikke4Fun.com

History of the Trikke: Who Invented the Trikke and Why?

Fortunately, with the advent of the Trikke cambering vehicle, getting into shape and maintaining a healthy body has never been easier or more exciting. And if you love getting out and enjoying the outdoors, adding the Trikke scooter to your list of activities would prove to be another adventure!

As a human powered vehicle or HPV, your Trikke requires your continuous body movement in order to launch it and keep it going. The Trikke is actually easier to learn than a bicycle, which is a huge relief for some of us out-of-shape over 20-somethings

After your initial lessons to get you comfortable on your new Trikke, you can start an outdoor adventure program that can also serve as a weight loss and fitness regimen by following these five easy steps:

1. Get your Trikke scooter moving and start your workout. Alternatively push and pull the handlebars to generate a slow forward movement. To maintain the momentum, you will continuously lean and push the handlebars towards the right, then left. For beginners, propelling the Trikke may take time and practice.

Regardless of whether you can propel your Trikke scooter on your first try or after several attempts, the continuous arm thrusts required to move your Trikke forward gives your arm and shoulder muscles a great workout. But the benefits are not limited to just your arms and shoulders.

2. Start cruising on your Trikke scooter and tone your core muscles. To start cruising, you need to twist your upper body in a series of “S” turns while slightly leaning your weight into the inside of the turn. This will cause a continuous and rhythmic contraction of your core muscles, namely your abs, back and hip muscles. Over time, with regular Trikke training, these muscles will appear well-defined and toned. Now, that’s hot!
3. Accelerate your Trikke, burn fat and lose weight. You will learn to regulate your speed while cruising along on your Trikke by using different groups of muscles. To achieve maximum speed, you have to start moving your upper and lower body synchronously by applying a little weight or kick on your right foot when turning left and vice versa upon reaching what many Trikke riders term as the “sweet spot.”

In order to gain speed, more muscles need to contract, hence more energy will be needed causing more fats to be burned to supply the needed energy. In fact, studies have estimated that riding the Trikke at a speed of 15 km/hr will burn approximately 500 Kcal per hour. Cruising at a faster rate of 17.5 km/hr will burn up to 700 kcal per hour. And upon reaching the maximum speed, you will end up burning more than 1000 kcal per hour. This is an effective, not to mention, fun way for you to achieve weight loss while enjoying the exhilaration of speeding around your neighborhood on your Trikke or while Trikke-ing along while on vacation to see the local sites better.

4. Just like anything, the more you ride your Trikke, the better you will get at it. As they say “Practice Trikke-ing makes perfect Trikke-ing.” (Just kidding, “they” said some other thing.) As you continue Trikke-ing, you will learn to tone specific parts of your body. And as you become proficient on your Trikke, you will learn to control the degree of your body movement while cruising along. If you want to work specific muscle groups, you can always increase or decrease the twisting of your body while speeding along on your Trikke.

Furthermore, adjusting the height of the handlebars on your Trikke will also help work different muscle groups. On one hand, raising the Trikke handlebars will result in greater lower body workouts. The higher you raise your handlebar, the easier it is to perform the right and left rocking motion on the front wheel. This will make your lower body work more during the push off. On the other hand, the lower the handlebars on your Trikke are positioned, the more you have to bend and thrust your arms into the handlebars. This will give your upper body more of a workout.

5. Trikke-ing uphill can enhance your cardiopulmonary workout. One of the most difficult things to accomplish in Trikke-ing is propelling your Trikke scooter up a steep incline. Only advanced riders can master this because of its level of difficulty. Riding against gravity will require more power, and the higher the hill you need to climb, the more difficult your progress will become.

Since muscle contraction through coordinated body movements is the driving force behind the forward motion of your Trikke scooter, more power translates to more muscles contracting. This in turn requires more blood flow to the working muscles, faster heart contraction to propel the blood and faster respiration to obtain oxygen for the working muscles – a true cardiopulmonary workout all the way.

Beginning your Trikke training program will make exercising a whole new different experience. If you don’t have any exercise program, a Trikke-centered one could enhance your muscle strength and endurance, strengthen your heart and respiratory muscles, improve your circulation, help reduce your weight and give you a fit body, and improve your overall well-being. Exercising need not be boring anymore.

Post from: Trikke4Fun.com

Trikke for Weight Loss and Fitness: 5 Quick Tips to Get You Moving While Losing Weight

But, first let’s talk about precautions. With any sport you need to be safety-conscious and it’s no different with Trikke-ing. So grab a well-fitting helmet, elbow and knee pads and a pair of comfortable gloves. Use proper footwear and make sure your laces are tied. Once you have all of these things in place, take a moment to inspect your vehicle. Make sure the handlebar’s quick release is tightly locked and the dual rear brakes are functioning properly. Don’t ride in wet weather and avoid puddles. Trikke wheels become very slippery when wet.

Now it is time to pick a location. Since you are new to Trikke-ing, it is best to start on straight, smooth and wide paved area. Look for someplace that has little or no bumps or inclines. Bumps and Trikke-ing are never a good combination. The front wheel can snag and result in total loss of control or even worse, throw both the rider and vehicle heels over head. Don’t let that scare you, but this is a warning to be careful and think sensibly when learning to ride. Once you get more comfortable on your Trikke you can jump those pesky little bumps using a low hop maneuver. This is a more advanced technique done by pulling the handlebars upward then slightly pushing the body forward. Don’t worry. You’ll get there. Promise.

Remember practice makes perfect. The more time you spend on level ground mastering the Trikke, the quicker you can add more advanced moves. So don’t just jump on your Trikke and fly down a hill. The Trikke could get going to fast and then you won’t be able to control it.

Another thing to think about when choosing your practice location is distraction. Pick a spot free of pedestrians and traffic. The last thing we want is for you or someone else to get hurt. This is about fun, not stitches.

Now that the basics are over, you’re ready to start. Most people can get a firm grasp on the Trikke in less than an hour. So let’s get started.

1. Place both feet securely on the Trikke foot platforms, and then grasp the handlebars firmly with both hands. Use the hand brakes to keep yourself from rolling until you are ready to move. Stand up straight and get comfortable on the Trikke. Test the extent to which you can rock the steering column left and right. How’s that feel? Good? Great. Let’s move on.
2. Weight distribution. This is important to prevent you from falling backwards and will ensure sufficient traction on the front wheel. Your weight should be distributed evenly between the front and rear wheels of your Trikke scooter, with your weight centered on the balls of your feet and toes.
3. Propel the Trikke Scooter. With your shoulders parallel to the handlebars, quickly and continuously rotate the handlebars from right to left to generate a slow forward movement. Once in motion, lean and push the handlebars towards the right then left continuously to increase your speed. Leaning to one side will naturally cause the weight of your upper body to move very slightly in the same direction. This technique is fondly identified as the rock (pushing on the handlebars) and roll (rotating the handlebars). As you begin to add the rocking motion and as your Trikke speed increases, the degree of your rotations should diminish. Continue practicing this technique until you establish a comfortable rhythm. Don’t exaggerate this or you could fall. The Trikke scooter is designed to follow your body motions, so as long the steering column remains parallel to the center of your chest, there is no danger of falling off your Trikke.
4. Here’s where the fun starts: further accelerating the Trikke via weight transfer once the “sweet spot” is felt. The “sweet spot” is the part of your turn where most of your force is generated. Simply put, it’s when you feel the outside wheel (your left rear wheel during a right hand turn) drift away from you as you rock your Trikke to the opposite side. This feeling comes and goes during your run. If you apply a little weight or kick on the opposite foot of the direction you’re turning, then your acceleration will become more rapid. It’s claimed that the vehicle can reach speeds of up to 18+ mph on flat ground.
5. Stop the Trikke via proper braking techniques. Learning how to stop and slow down is essential is establishing control. Since the Trikke cambering vehicle contains brakes on both rear wheels, it is imperative that both brakes are applied evenly at the same time. Remember not to lean on the handlebars when braking.

It takes practice and determination to master any sport. Don’t rush. Remember patience is a virtue and the same goes for this. Move only to the more advanced Trikke-ing techniques once you have mastered the basic ones.

Post from: Trikke4Fun.com

How to Ride a Trikke: Trikke for Beginners