Frequently Asked Questions

What do people do with Haley Tricycles?
Haley Trikes have an incredibly wide range of use. They can go almost anywhere: outdoor festivals and concerts, sporting events, through parks, inside public buildings and some stores, and between jammed vehicles on tight city streets. They are as easy to park as a bicycle, require very little maintenance, and can get through very dense traffic quickly.

The cargo capacity of a Haley makes it ideal to do almost anything, from daily errands like laundry and groceries to moving power tools or furniture. They can be used for medium duty commercial applications as well, and draw a lot of attention for their businesses.

Why two front wheels?

• Delta (two rear wheel) trikes invariably need extra chains, gears, axles, and/or differentials and special wheels to pull equally through right and left turns. While this is a fine system, tadpole trikes (two front wheels) are simpler and easier to maintain, and new or upgraded parts are available from the stock of your local bicycle shop.

• You can keep an eye on your cargo better.

• It's easier to see if you'll fit between two obstacles without looking behind you while moving forward.

• Front load trikes, from the general public's point of view, are more likely to be seen as work vehicles of some type (and not just a weird bicycle) from their long history as ice cream trikes.

Custom 2-tone blue tall box Model 1

How does it turn? Is it easy to steer?
Haleys turn by rotating the cargo box around a pivot between the front wheels. The rider controls the direction by turning the cargo where she wants to go and following behind. The box will rotate easily no matter how much weight is inside as long as it is somewhat evenly distributed.

Haleys don't lean when you turn, and don't turn when you lean. They also handle best with a moderate amount of weight in the box. It only takes a few minutes for a utilitarian cyclist to learn to ride, and about a week of riding to get completely comfortable with steering.

Can you make a trike to carry my baby?
No, unless by baby you mean 'tube-driven vintage amplifier'! Baby moving tricycles are lighter and made for the comfort of the passengers. Our trikes have metal edges inside the box for supporting weight on top, and screws and bolts here and there for strength and hardware. If you see photos online of people moving their kids with one of our trikes, they must have done a lot of custom work on their end to make them safe for kids. We recommend buying a tricycle or bicycle specifically for moving children.

What type of pivot do Haleys have?
The Haley pivot would best be described as more traditional American, and less new European. The pivot is almost ninety degrees, so the tail does not lean much during turns, just enough to feel like 'zero'. It's also centered directly between the front wheels, not forward like some front load trikes. Haley pivots are designed for the sharpest turns possible with no turning of the cargo box with a leaning rider. This lets riders pedal harder and even stand up, while still tracking perfectly straight through traffic, and then turn a little sharper when needed. In return, the trikes don't turn when you lean.

How big is its turning radius?
Model 1 and Display Trikes can turn around in about 15', and Model 2s in about 16', or one car length. The radius is tight enough to go from street to sidewalk, and easily turn around on narrow 2 way streets. In narrower places, such as 18th century streets (where one way traffic doesn't apply or cars won't fit) or inside buildings, the trike can be turned best by stepping off, lifting the tail and rotating the trike around its middle, so you can turn around in a space as narrow as 6' 7". This also works equally well either loaded or empty.

How big is the box?
A standard box, on the inside, for all models is:

31" long
21 3/4" wide
19 1/2" tall

Tall box trikes are usually 22 1/2" tall, and long box trikes are usually 36" long, again measured from the inside. Wedge shaped trikes are most often 19 1/2" tall at the back of the box, and about 14" tall at the front.

How big of a cargo box can custom Haleys get?
The tallest trikes so far have had inside measurements of about 27", which is probably the practical limit unless the rider is tall. The longest so far is 40" on the inside. 46" is probably the limit, as the turning radius gets larger and the box swings farther in turns, making the handlebars get farther away.

Are the cargo boxes heavy?
Haley's boxes are a little heavy, for 2 reasons. One, the box needs to be strong enough to hold heavy, rolling, random objects inside and not either bow the sides out into the wheels, or simply break. Two, the weight of the cargo box is helpful in keeping the trike steady when empty, as Haleys are quite narrow and a lighter box would be more stressful and harder to ride and cause more damage to cars and itself, and maybe the rider too. The curves and details of the box make the panels one inch thick where they attach and where hardware is installed, and 1/2" where more material and weight isn't necessary. The box has a steel frame inside, permitting the trikes to carry as much (or more!) on top of the box as inside.

The total weight of a trike can vary depending on options and size, but usually is around 110-120 pounds.

What are the biggest differences between the Models 1 and 2?
There's two big differences, and a lot of small details.

The first big difference is the Model 2's gearing and brakes. It has more and lower gears for getting more weight around, and getting up tougher hills and over rougher terrain. The independent double front disc brakes make stopping all that weight, especially down those hills, much easier and safer. The floor structure, forks, pivot, and tail are all stronger to handle the greater stresses too.

The second big difference is in balance and handling; the front wheels and pivot are pulled forward so some of the weight inside or on top of the box is on your side, holding the tail down when the trike is heavily loaded and you're going through tough, real city streets.

How do people respond to a Haley Trike on the street?
You get compliments, even from taxi drivers. Seriously.

A lot of products are promoted as making everyone around them smile. Almost always, this is an exaggeration, but that's not the case with a Haley Trike. After a while, your trike will be a normal, everyday way to move your stuff around. The smiles and comments from everyone else won't stop, though, and until cargo trikes once again become common in the US, you'll have to get used to living in a real-life TV commercial. It's fun most of the time, but sometimes you just want to move a table saw across town, and not have a conversation about it.

The attention has great benefits, though. All drivers are much kinder to cargo trikes, and will let you roll across their path more often and give you more space when they pass. People come up with the same jokes and ideas, but they're almost always positive, even if they're not funny anymore. And once in a while, an older person will tell you about the cargo trikes that used to be in their neighborhood, or even the adventures that they had with theirs.

Why do you use the old fashioned American bottom bracket?
American, or one-piece, cranks, have a couple of advantages for our trikes. One is that they're easy to maintain and repair, without any special tools or serious bike repair knowledge. They're super tough, used in BMX bikes to this day, and their extra pound or so of weight, which is a disadvantage on light bicycles, doesn't matter when you're moving a few hundred pounds anyway. And the large, heavy gauge of the bottom bracket itself is a good base for our main tube of the tail. They also are good for winter riding, as they are all steel and salt water is more likely to 'freeze' the mix of alloy and steel of 3-piece cranks, from galvanic corrosion.

What's up with the coaster brake/separate front brakes? Why can't one lever stop both front wheels?
Since you can ride a trike in icy weather, you'll find yourself moving stuff in conditions you wouldn't dare ride a regular bike in. Often, ice will keep cabled brakes from working, and slush might jam the brakes anyway. A coaster brake will work well in winter weather as long as you can still turn the pedals. No matter what you'll have your main brake working, even if the cables are temporarily useless.

Our front brakes are separate for a few reasons. One is that, no matter how it's done, one hand can't squeeze two brakes as hard as two hands can. The individual front brakes take some getting used to, but result in much better stops, and double the front stopping power is one of the greatest advantages of a tadpole tricycle over other cargo bike systems. You also don't need to adjust your front brakes as often to make sure they stop with the same strength, as after a week or so you do the adjustments with your hands subconsciously, leaving the real adjustments for when you actually have time. It's also much simpler to install parking brakes.

Is a single speed practical for a cargo trike?
Your gearing preference will depend on your most common cargo, the terrain of your city and your own strength.

Standard single speed trikes are best for medium use over relatively flat terrain: grocery shopping, transporting pets or taking your luggage to the train station. A regular cyclist should expect to transport 100 pounds without worry in most cities with a single speed trike.

The front and rear sprockets (and chain length) can be changed for consistently heavier loads, as for moving video equipment or musical instruments over flat or rolling land. Lower gears are good for riders who use their trike to push 160 pounds or more constantly.

Three speed wheels are excellent for heavy use or hilly terrain, or a use involving no weight/lots of weight trips, such as heavy deliveries, picking up heavy supplies, or varied uses (cut flowers one day, bags of potting soil the next). The sprocket can be resized according to use and terrain, lowering the entire gear range.

Is the trike stable at high speeds?
Yes, Haley Trikes are very stable, although they aren't designed for racing. Moving faster than 26 miles an hour (downhill, usually) isn't recommended, simply because stopping distance increases and object avoidance decreases. The tricycle will not shake no matter how fast you go. As with any vehicle with more than two wheels, you must slow down for sharp turns.

Are Haley Tricycles good for people with balance issues?
No, because Haleys are narrow and tall for urban riding, they are not the best tricycles for riders with balance issues. A lower or wider tricycle needs less balancing.

The Haley shop trike in 4" of snow

How does the trike handle in ice and snow?
If the streets are slippery and freshly sheeted over with ice and slush, a Haley is absolutely the best. You can ride with confidence that the tricycle won't slide out from under you. Since almost all of your body weight is over the drive wheel, you can get good traction in slippery conditions, either loaded or not. You can stand up on the pedals for more control as well. You obviously need more distance to stop. Riding on icy streets is great fun on a Haley when it would be impossible on a bicycle.

If the streets are snowy but driven on already, you can usually fit two of the trike's wheels (one front and the rear) into one track. This leaves one front wheel rolling through whatever combination of ice/snow/water/salt is outside the track. You have some rolling resistance or bumpiness from the outside wheel to contend with.

If the streets are covered in fresh snow, rolling resistance becomes exponentially higher as all three wheels make their own track. Two inches of snow is fun, but more of an "I'm so awesome I rode a cargo trike through snow", exhausting kind of fun. More than 2 inches of fresh snow, and you have to get off and push. During a snowstorm, the riding ease changes block by block, or even easy and hard on the same block, but always an adventure.

Also, if there's a big storm, any driver seeing you on a cargo trike thinks you're either crazy or fantastic, and lets you ride straight down the middle of the street at a slow pace, and wait patiently until they can pass. Without exception.

Lulu's Confections Display Trike in raspberry smoothie

What about storage?
Haley Trikes will fit almost anywhere that is handicap accessible. They're not easy to get up flights of stairs, though, or into some historic buildings. Often, a Haley will have to be locked up outside on the sidewalk, similar to motor scooters or motorcycles. It's best to lock your trike securely and lock a regular old bike to it to make taking the trike extremely difficult. Fortunately Haley Tricycles aren't easy to slip into your city's bicycle black market, and get a lot of attention around town. The Haley shop trike is usually spotted by friends when someone borrows it for the afternoon, in a city of 1.5 million people.

If you're lucky enough to have an inside space to keep your trike, they take up less space when placed up on their noses, with a footprint of about 42" by 32" on your floor, with the rear wheel up in the air or leaning against a wall.

What items are difficult for a Haley to move?
Because the cargo box is in front, very tall things like stacked chairs or an armoire may be impossible to see over. Items longer than 8 feet can be difficult as well, although an experienced tricycle rider can move a couple sheets of plywood at once by overhanging the handlebars as well as the box edge. 10 foot long items, like steel studs, are possible but a bit too exciting.

Is it easy to assemble?
The tricycle is shipped in two parts, easily bolted together with common tools. Anyone with some bicycle experience and a friend to help hold parts in place can be riding their tricycle about an hour after they receive it in the mail. No special tools are required to do any work on a Haley Tricycle.

Is the box waterproof?
The cargo box will keep your stuff relatively dry. Items that absolutely can't get wet, like books, artwork, or laptop computers, or multiple small items are best kept in another container (backpack, drink cooler) for added protection.

Can the box lock?
No. The box doesn't lock to avoid damage from nighttime break-ins, as well as for child safety reasons.

Is the box removable?
No, the box is fixed to the frame for maximum strength. The front section and the tail of the trike can be taken apart, but this is not practical on a daily basis.

Can a Haley be made as a flatbed?
No, the cube shape of the cage gives the whole front its strength, and the 26" front wheels would be in the way. Bigger things can be strapped to the lid, though.

How long does it take to build a tricycle?
Standard tricycles usually take ten to twelve weeks for construction. Extensive custom work can take longer. For current build times, see our orders page.