We all remember the Big Wheel, as kids: Tooling around in a tricycle, we felt we could go anywhere. That feeling eventually fades, although adults like Mark Malkoff have made a compelling argument for the Big Wheel as a transportation device for grown-ups. Urbantrike would like to take that idea just a little bit further.

As you might guess, they essentially build adult-sized Big Wheels. The idea is that these trikes are built to be road-worthy and for any adult to use; anybody can sit on the padded comfort seats, for example, and they’re fully adjustable. Unlike bikes, they won’t fall over if something goes wrong. And they’re made of high-quality steel tubing, so they can support up to 500 pounds and won’t bend if you need to haul something.

And one model even has a removable axle, and they’re working on making the other trikes they build fit into cars and vans, as opposed to pickup trucks. Yes, we said “models”: There are multiple versions.

The Bailey is your standard trike; it has a smaller, lighter back axle and smaller tires. The Atticus has bigger tires and a thicker axle, so it can handle the 500 pound loads. And the Adairicus has doubled-up fat tires on its back axle for, you know, off-roading, weight hauling, general industrial tricycle purposes. All of these, of course, have customization options ranging from the color of the trike to the style of handlebars you’ll be gripping.


But, if you want one, you’ll have to back the Kickstarter. Prices range pretty widely depending on what you want. The basic Bailey will cost about $400, the Atticus upgrade will run you $600, and the Adairicus will cost you a thousand dollars. Pay a little more for each and you can get more customization options, but mostly we suspect it’ll be popular just to have one of these in the garage.

Dan Seitz
