First ride

Those who have already experienced their first time on a Trikke will understand me when I say it is very rewarding and very frustrating at the same time. By the time you snatch your Trikke from delivery man's hands, you've already read everything there is to know about riding a Trikke online, and watched all videos on YouTube. You know the theory and you feel you are ready. For some, however, actual results may vary.

When people come to Trikke Philly store to try the Trikke, there are a couple of rules we go over before they take their first ride:

1. Never let go of the handle bars. Always hold on with both arms.
2. Don't lean backwards, you will flip the Trikke and land on your back

Then we go over the theory a little bit. Here is how we explain things:

1. First, look at the front wheel, pay attention to the fork. You will notice that the fork sits a little bit forward from the center of the wheel, making the whole structure unstable. If you let go of the steering, the wheel will either turn left or right because of that. This instability is the major reason the Trikke works the way it does.
2. Next, get on the Trikke and do a little excersize: while in the dead stop, lean the Trikke left and right, making sure your weight rests on the opposite foot. The reason is: while you lean your Trikke right, the wheel turns right, and aligns with your left rear wheel. That becomes your scate. Resting your weight on the side opposite of the turn helps you push off with your legs. We do this exersize several times.
3. We warn people not to try applying everything they know at the same time. Usually that results in a failure. Start small. My six-year-old daughter got on her T5 and just started making wide and fast wheel turns, instantly moving forward. She did it intuitively and was instantly rewarded. Once she started moving, I taught her how to lean a little in the direction of the turn, helping to accelerate the scooter. That is what we tell people to do: start by turning the steering left and right fast, with the punching motion. If you do it fast, the Trikke has no choice but move.
4. We have a small incline on the sidewalk in front of the store, perfect for rolling downhill and leaning excersize. From dead stop, people punch the wheel a couple of times, they start rolling and leaning while continuing the steering movements, and off they go!
5. Finally, we make them go back "uphill" on the sidewalk. This is accomplished more with the upper body movements, while legs will be resting. Punch the steering, making wide turns with the Trikke, and little by little you will start moving uphill. People can't believe they are going uphill after just several minutes of practice!
   

Riding downhill is a no brainer on a Trikke. First time riders on a flat surface may not get good results without good base knowledge. If you follow above excersises, you will be quickly rewarded for your efforts. You won't be able to take large hills immediately. And it's not because of lack of technique. Usually it's because your muscles are not strong enough to take you all the way up there. Keep practicing!