One of the hardest things to do when writing a recumbent trike review is limit what you are comparing the trike to.  It wouldn’t be fair to complain that an under $1800 trike doesn’t work as well as a trike costing $3000.  Which brings me to the Terratrike Rambler.

The Rambler is a great trike for someone who probably wouldn’t call themselves a cyclist.  Maybe someone who is a little stiff in the joints, a little overweight and looking for some comfortable exercise.  You know, like most people you see around you. 

There are a lot of things I like about the Terratrike Rambler.  I love the up high then flared out handlebars.  They give the rider something to grab on to when getting in and out of the trike.  Also the bars put the shifters and brake levers in the same position as a hybrid bike but without the pressure on the hands and wrists. 

I like that the seat and boom are both adjustable.  That makes it a lot easier to share the trike with family and friends without having to cut the chain each time.  The seat height is on the high side for tadpole trikes at 16″ high, the same height as an office chair at its lowest setting.  That definitely makes it easier to get in and out of but also makes the trike more tippy taking an abrupt turn or fast corner. 

I like the handling of the trike at normal speed.  It does a pretty sharp U-turn and tracks well.  The headset adjustment is a little tricky-it’s a fine line between too tight and too loose when they are new.  At the 30 day tune up they should be broken in nicely and the headsets readjusted. 

I find the Terratrike seat OK but not great for me comfort wise.  If the customer trying one is wider of hip the side rails sometimes bite into their thighs.  Our fix has been to tighten the under seat tension straps and insert a seat foam from an Ice trike to level the seat bottom out.  Also sometimes the handlebars aren’t wide enough to clear the hips.  Terratrike offers a handlebar which flairs out wider as an accessory to provide more clearance.

For the money, I think this is a great recreational tadpole trike that will help people get some comfortable exercise and de-stress. The ease of entry and exit combined with a very upright seating position and 300lbs weight limit make this an excellent candidate for someone looking for a low impact way to stay healthy.