We’ve had something big cooking for a while, and now it’s time to share it. In September, two brave souls will be cycling from England across Europe down towards the Alps. Yeah yeah, “loads of people cycle across Europe all the time”, “my gran did that last year” I hear you say. Well, this is a little different. This will be completed on a self-built, 2 person tricycle. Yes, tricycle. Along with being self-built, the tricycle will be created for peanuts, using free or very cheap, second-hand bikes and parts. I know, cool right.
This idea first blossomed into life in March 2022. It started as an idea for “one last adventure before Doug has a baby”. We wanted a cycling adventure with a difference, hence the self-built contraption idea. An ambitious exploration across Europe. Wild camping, a loosely planned route, maximum fun. With two thirds of the group being mechanical engineers, the designing and building part was as appealing as the actual sweat and effort of the cycle.
I can’t remember how we ended up deciding on a tricycle but, probably because there were 3 of us. It evolved into using only free or very cheap second hand bikes as the building components and for completing the trip for less than the cost of flight tickets across Europe. Basically showing that it doesn’t cost a fortune to have an adventure. And that it can be infinitely more fun than simply getting on a plane somewhere. Not to mention, a whole load better for the environment.
The first Zoom call meeting for the idea occurred on 7th March 2022, and by the 14th of March we had secured 3 magnificent steeds. Sourced online by James from Europe, and picked up locally by Louis in Derby where the building would occur. Together in total we paid £30 for the 3 bikes, a bargain for the premium specimens that ended up in Louis’ garage.
Despite this initial excitement and impressive speed of sourcing bikes, it has somehow taken from March 2022 until September 2024 for it to become any more of a reality. Doug’s first born is now due in September 2024… Thus, the daredevil team of three has been reduced to a dynamic duo. (Although we still haven’t ruled out getting a life-size cut out of Doug to place on the trike). We may have missed the whole “one last adventure before a baby” concept that started the whole idea to begin with, but we’re not letting it stop us.
Originally we were going for one wheel at the back and two at the front. With normal comfortable, non-bike, seats, set at a reclined angle. The 6”7 man mounting “Big Doug”, was due to be the anchor above the lone back wheel. As seen by the expertly detailed professional design below.
With it now being only the two of us, and time until the start rapidly decreasing, the design has changed a little. Now it’ll be a two-wheel at the back, one at the front trike. A classic, tried and tested 3-wheel design like the Reliant Robin. Although Louis assures me that we won’t roll over such as Jeremy Clarkson in top gear. We’ve also switched to normal bicycle seats to ensure we can put down the maximum power possible into our pedals.
Seeing as we’ve done many of these off-the-wall adventures in the past, we thought it was high time to start recording and sharing them. We also thought that it would be great to promote the ability to create and do adventures on small budgets. Show what it’s like to be self-planned, riding by the seat of your pants. Hopefully we can inspire more people to embrace the great outdoors, enjoy cycling, and discover the joy of camping under the stars. We’re tackling this epic adventure for less than the cost of a plane ticket, proving that you don’t need to break the bank to explore the world. We also thought we’d compare the environmental impact of the two. (Spoiler alert, it is way, way better to cycle somewhere than to fly). Therefore we’ll be posting live blog updates in the run up to, and during the trip. We’ll fire up the mobile phones and open some social media accounts to also document it from that angle too.
We now have a start date and building has commenced. No more pissing about, it is happening.
Stay tuned for the upcoming posts about the build!
Check out our instagram for the trip here.
One response to “New Adventure Alert – Two Guys One Trike”
[…] This is a little post to get the ball rolling. You can find a bit more about us on the About page here, otherwise, get stuck into one of the adventure posts up now like THIS. […]