Rhoades Car
Rhoades National Corp
125 Rhoades Lane
Hendersonville TN 37075
(800) 531-2737
rhoadescar@aol.com
Rhoades Car is run by libertarians. When you are deciding where to do
business, remember that every dollar traded among libertarians is a dollar
denied a statist.
The Rhoades Car is a four-wheel pedal-cycle that drives like a car.
From their website you can submit a request for a very nice info package
which has good photos and price info for all models. 1, 2 and 4 seat models
are available with prices from about $1000 to about $2000
I bought the one-seat model in September of 1998.
I have only two significant complaints about the Rhoades Car: Front
traction and Brakes.
The seat is placed too close to the rear axle, the result being too
little traction on the front wheels. With a goodly weight of cargo, and on a
steep enough grade, I can tip this car over backwards. But if you are
shorter than I am (6 feet 3 inches) you will have less of a traction problem
because you will sit farther forward and thus more of your weight will be
resting on the front wheels. I installed two carefully-placed angle irons,
projecting forward through the steering rods, and put a nice big wire basket
on them. Carrying some of my cargo in this basket makes a BIG difference to
the front-wheel traction.
The brakes are not the usual caliper style bicycle brakes that pinch the
wheel rim. They are 5-inch diameter drums encircled by a one-inch wide
compression band. These brakes are EXTREMELY good at retarding forward
motion, but because of the way their leverage is applied they don't work
well (hardly at all, actually) at retarding backward motion. This deficiency
can be overcome if you get dual brakes and then reverse one brake band. This
is a very quick and simple operation and the result is exactly what I
expected: the reversed brake works just as well backward as the other one
works forward. Each brake is separately controlled by standard bicycle-type
grip levers on the handlebar, and each is so effective that one brake alone
will stop the car very well. It takes surprisingly little finger effort to
lock up the wheels. No matter how weak your hands may be, you will be able
to stop the Rhoades Car quite easily.
A minor complaint is the clearance: I opted for the 36-shift transmission
and thus I have two loops of chain and two 6-sprocket Shimano shifters
hanging down under the seat. The ground clearance under these shifters is
only 4-5 inches, so I pick up shreds of sagebrush and tumbleweed when I go
out into the bushes.
Aside from these little grumbles, I am delighted with my Rhoades Car!
This thing is a VERY well-constructed machine! The main frame is 2-inch
square tube. I stood on the middle of the frame and jumped up and down
(we're talking 195 lbs of meat here folks) while watching the wheels, axles
and the frame arms. The car did not complain at all. I drove one front wheel
up onto the curb and rocked it back and forth with no problems at all. This
thing is really rigid. The cargo rack is a one-inch square tube framework
projecting out from the rear of the main frame. I found that putting 90 lbs
on the cargo rack will raise the front wheels off the ground, but it is
clear that 90 lbs is nowhere near the maximum load this rack will support.
With a simple box mounted on that rack, I can now carry several times the
weight and volume of cargo that my bicycle could hold.
The first thing I experienced when I drove my Rhoades Car was the
complete elimination of three sources of discomfort that had always bothered
me on my bicycle: 1) I don't get a kink in my neck from having to hold my
head at an acute backwards angle. 2) The weight of my torso is no longer
resting on the palms of my hands (a real discomfort for me as a weightlifter
- a LOT of that 195 lbs of meat is around my shoulders). 3) My pelvis is no
longer being pummeled by a miniscule triangle of hard plastic.
Sitting on the Rhoades Car is just like sitting in an automobile. I paid
a bit extra to get the deluxe padded seat rather than the plain bare
plastic, and I'm really glad I did. It's just like a small-sized car seat
and is VERY comfortable. Cranking the pedals from this seated position uses
some different muscles, but it sure provides an enormous increase in bodily
comfort. And if you do get a bit tuckered out, you can add some power to the
pedals by pushing on your knees with your hands.
This seating position results in being somewhat closer to the ground: on
my bicycle my eyes were 68 inches off the ground; now they are at 52 inches,
but the tradeoff is the enormous increase in comfort.
I opted for the dual traction, whereby the drive power is transmitted
equally to both rear wheels. I expect to use this thing in the winter and
will no doubt need that extra traction. Sure enough, I learned in November
that the Rhoades Car will go through 5 inches of heavy snow. It's a bit of
work to push two sets of 2-inch wide tires through the snow, but it goes. I
went out again the next day when the snow had partly melted, been trafficked
somewhat, and then partly re-frozen. I was faced with deep ruts in the mushy
snow, chunks of ice, slush, and puddles of half-frozen mud - about the worst
possible conditions for a bicycle - but the Rhoades Car went right thru all
this mess easier and faster than walking and MUCH moreso than a bicycle.
There is EXCELLENT traction on the rear wheels. If you keep the speed to
less than 5 miles per hour you will have no trouble with slop being thrown
off the front wheels.
On a bare and level highway the Rhoades Car requires somewhat more work
to go at the same speed as a bicycle (I find it to be about 20% slower), but
this is to be expected given that at 96 lbs it weighs three times my
bicycle. My Rhoades Car is VERY much easier than my bicycle at going up
hills! Not only is it geared lower, its sideways stability permits me to
move at as slow a speed as I wish without toppling over. Going up steep
mountain roads the car pedals VERY comfortably at between 1.5 and 2 miles
per hour.
Here are the travel distances, in lowest and highest gear, per rotation
of the pedals:
18-speed Mountain bike 6'3" 23'7"
36-speed RhoadesCar 5' 19'4" (46-tooth front sprocket)
6-speed RhoadesCar 8'5" 17' (46-tooth front sprocket)
As I become more accustomed to the Rhoades Car I find that I drive it
much slower than I drove a bicycle. I go slower because it's easier. Driving
a bicycle requires more work because I must keep it going at least fast
enough to avoid toppling over sideways. The Rhoades Car cannot tip over
sideways no matter how slow it goes thus, being a lazy fellow, I tend to
drive slower.
Another big difference from a bicycle is that the car's turning diameter
is 24 1/2 feet. (Gimme 40 acres and I'll turn this rig around!) But it takes
only a 30 lb lift to pick up the front end and swivel the car around
manually.
I have driven my Rhoades Car more than 300 miles since I received it
three months ago. I just love it! The more I use it the more I like it. For
general highway use, and for trundling around town on my weekly shopping
trips, it is just perfect! I find it to be better than a bicycle because it
is MUCH more comfortable to drive and it can carry much more cargo much
easier. The ease and comfort of the recumbent seating are such that I have
resolved never to return to an upright style bicycle.
I would also mention that although I have been observed by several police
during this time, I have not been hassled.
This machine was a very good buy. It is well worth what I paid for it.
The car has a two-year warranty. At one point I needed a new part, so I
telephoned the company and without the slightest bit of hassle I had the
part just as fast as UPS could deliver it.
The only complaint I can make about the company is the length of time it
took me to obtain the car. It took 3 weeks to get ordering information and
another 7 weeks for delivery of the car. But it was worth waiting for!
I am planning to buy a Lightfoot recumbent Mountain Cargo Bicycle
sometime during this (1998-9) winter. (I am a bike freak.) Watch this file
for a review of that machine next May or June.
Other Sources for recumbent bicycles, tricycles and quadracycles
A List of Links to Recumbent Bicycles
Lightfoot
Windcheetah from England
JustTwoBikes
Pedicab
ComfortCycle
BikeRoute
FunCycle
Online Shopping for bike parts and accessories:
REI
Nashbar
Performancebike
Pricepoint
BikeDirect
ColoradoCyclist
Plans for build-it-yourself Quadracycles
A Gasoline engine for driving bicycles
The four major causes of urban car/bike collisions:
1) Left-turning car cutting off an oncoming bike.
2) Failure of motorist to stop at stop sign.
3) Failure of cyclist to stop at stop sign.
4) Cyclist riding against direction of traffic.
A cyclist is 8 times more likely to have a fatal accident at night than
in daylight.
Bicycling has become safer over the years: the death rate for bicycle
accidents has dropped by a factor of ten since the second world war.
Cars are stolen four times more often than are bicycles.
Bicycling uses 5 times less energy than walking. (And is lots more fun.)
Back to the Table of Contents