There are two types of trikes available in the sports equipment market today, namely, the delta and the tadpole. The delta trike is designed like a conventional tricycle. It has a pair of wheels at the back. The tadpole is rather unconventional. It has a pair of wheels in the front. It is seen that the tadpole models are more in use than the delta models. With the tadpole model you will have problems embarking and disembarking from it. In comparison to the manufacturers of delta models, you can get to see more number of manufacturers of the tadpole.
Coming to the speed at which you can drive these trikes, it is generally observed that those with low and narrow seats- the ones on which you can assume a relaxed posture seem to ride really fast. But coming to stability issues such a trike is not a good choice. Besides, it is not as suitable for riding long distances.
Recumbents are available in a wide range of configurations, including: long to short wheelbase; large, small, or a mix of wheel sizes; overseat, underseat, or no-hands steering; and rear wheel or front wheel drive. A variant with three wheels is a recumbent tricycle.
Highracers are generally more manoeuverable than lowracers since their higher center of gravity allows stability at lower speeds (see Bicycle and motorcycle dynamics). Given the same seating position they may be faster than lowracers, since it is widely believed that larger tires have lower rolling resistance, although good data on this subject are scarce.
Balance is generally more difficult on a recumbent bicycle due to the lower center of gravity. It is easier to balance with a higher center of gravity because of the “pendulum effect” (it is easier to minutely change the angle at which upright bicycles lean). In addition, compared with riders of conventional bikes, two-wheeled recumbent riders have less scope for shifting their weight to steer or help balance the bicycle. As a consequence, riding at low speed and tight maneuvers can be more challenging on a recumbent. Of course, recumbent tricycles are a special case that are ideal for riders who cannot balance a traditional two-wheeled bike.
Maneuverability. Most recumbents have a larger turning radius and combined with the greater difficulties of balance, tight and low-speed maneuvers can be difficult. It is also very hard to jerk the front wheel onto curbs. Since the front wheel is often small, driving up unlowered curbs is very risky even with suspension.
Price. Recumbents are generally 10 – 15% more expensive than upright bikes of equivalent quality. Most are hand-built in comparatively small runs by independent manufacturers, usually with high specification components. At the low end, the vast majority of upright bikes sell for less than the cost of the cheapest new recumbent.
Safety. Although recumbent bicycles are generally considered safer than upright bicycles (as noted above), they do have some specific safety issues. A type of injury characteristic of recumbents called “leg suck” occurs when a foot touches the ground and the bike runs forward over the contact point, causing ligament damage and, in some cases, ankle fractures. The use of clipless pedals reduces this possibility by preventing the foot from slipping off the pedal. But with clipless pedals, remaining clipped in during a front tire or wheel failure at high speeds can result in the recumbent rolling over the rider and taking a clipped in leg or legs with it. This scenario, although very rare, can create severe spiral fractures of the femur rarely seen with upright bicycles.