How do you add gears on a shwinn tricycle?

Question

i just bought my wife a shwinn meridian tricycle, its a single speed. i want to add 3 gears to make those ascent a little less painful for her ( she never rode a bike or a trike before and have asthma).

i am a decent diy guy, so if you can please list the components i will need to buy to get this tricycle in multi-speed, i would really appreciate it. i dont need the super duper components, the average shimano will do...thanks!

Answer 1

I'm not sure that it's possible on this model.  Talk to your local bike shop.  This is not just a matter of bolting something on.  We're talking hub replacement and wheel rebuilding.  It's definitely not a DIY project.

Answer 2

Ummm... it can be done but is tricky and you won't be able to use Shimano. You'll need a Sturmey Archer AW3 hub along with a sufficiently long cable and a trigger shifter.

Since it seems you can look at stuff and see how things come apart and go together it'll be pretty apparent how the thing works into the system. Depending on the model of Schwinn trike you got you may have to swap the drive axle to the other side... again, if you take a close look it should be immediately apparent.

It may be a good idea to find an old Raleigh or Hercules 3 speed at a yard sale and take a close look at how the mess works on a regular bicycle. Then you can take the parts and set them up on the trike.

I have 2nd stage asthma and ride a bike about 5,000 miles a year. It will make her feel better as time goes on.

Answer 3

I believe that this can be done. You may be able to do this yourself if you have previous bicycle maintenance experience. If you look at the rear-end of the trike you'll notice the chain runs to a hub and then another chain runs back to turn the axle. You need a special hub that has the two cogs on it.  The way you convert this to a 3 speed is to change out the single speed hub for an internal 3 speed hub, but it has to have the two cogs to run the rear axle. It is actually an involved repair. I would recommend selling the trike you have and buying one with a 3 speed, as the conversion is expensive.

http://www.choppersus.com/store/product/...

Compared to the cost of selling your trike and replacing it.

http://www.waltscycle.com/trikes.htm