Iowa enthusiast builds recumbent tricycles

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By Mary Louise Speer | Tuesday, August 15, 2006 12:32 AM CDT | () comments

Nick Loomis/QUAD-CITY TIMES Allan Pillard of Princeton, Iowa, demonstrates one of the recumbent tricycles he makes in his home shop. These tricycles are for adults, not children, with front-wheel drive and a self-centering steering system.

Allan Pillard spends his days on the construction site, but during evenings and weekends he releases his creative energies in crafting recumbent tricycles from his shop in Princeton, Iowa.

The tricycles are for adults, not children, and the machines offer a comfortable ride. Each features front-wheel drive with a self-centering steering system that allows the rider to cruise along with hands folded if desired.

“A lot of my friends are riding recumbents and I figured I’d build my own,” he said.

Recumbent bicycles and tricycles go back to the 1800s, he said. An 1892 cartoon on the http://www.bikeroute.com/WhyBent.html Web site shows a man lounging comfortably on a two-wheeled recumbent.

That style means the rider sits in a seat with a back rest and legs out front, and not perched on a derriere-challenging saddle. The machines are powered by foot, and the cyclist does not have to lean over and grip the handle bars for balance. Pillard rides a 21-speed recumbent and steers with his feet. The design allows for a tight turn radius, he said.

Pillard focused his design efforts on kites for a time, but the trikes are more satisfying, he said. He worked for International Harvester Farmall in the 1970s and ’80s and was a crew chief mechanic in the Iowa National Guard for 22 years until his retirement in 1994.

“I would like to see this work into a business. It’s a niche market and I realize it’s going to appeal to the right persons. When you’re out there, it’s more of the baby-boom age group riding the recumbents. But it’s becoming more popular mainstream,” he said.

Trying to come up with a rideable design took a while, he admitted. He started with a two-wheeler design but shifted gears after deciding the three-wheeler configuration offered more stability.

His first tricycle was made out of sheet metal aluminum in a welded style called monoque, with the “skin” used as the stress-bearing portion.

“Later after I built one, I realized that wasn’t a practical way to build and I went to aluminum metal tubes. It goes better now,” he said.

He rode a recumbent in RAGBRAI and other bicycle touring events and he plans to take his newest models to events later this year. These can be adjusted to fit different sizes of riders and the machine can be easily broken down and put in the trunk for transport.

Dawn McMeen of Princeton hopes to see Pillard succeed with launching a business.

“I’m not really a bike rider but I love riding the recumbent. It sits up high enough so you can put your heels on the pedals and watch whatever function you’re at,” she said.

For more information about the recumbent trikes, call (563) 289-3463.

The city desk can be contacted at (563) 383-2245 or newsroom@qctimes.com.