If this isn't the right forum please move. Can wheels, chains, tires, and other traditional equipment be replaced as easily on traditional bikes? What's the hardest thing(s) to work on?
All the items you listed are really rather easy to work on. The hardest thing (or what I hate most) are the gears. It's really easy if you don't know what you are doing to mess up the derailleur. I also hate having to do chain maintenance. It's not that it's that hard, but with that long of a chain I always end up dragging it and it getting dirt on it and having to clean it again (I do my work in my garage and we get constant sand blowing in even with the door closed).
It should be noted that with a tadpole style recumbent trike, changing tires & tubes does not require removing the tire from the trike. One thing you have to be aware of with a tadpole is setting appropriate toe in or toe out on the front wheels to prevent excessive wear on the tires. Replacing the rear tire is similar to changing it on a conventional bike. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
For toe-in adjustment I'm planning on getting one of the Catrike Calibro tools. From talking with one of the guys from where we bought our trikes, he said they were a fairly easy tool to use to make the adjustments with.
