My wife, Cynthia Paddock Doroghazi, has already extolled the great virtues of her Hase Ketwiesel - its extraordinary maneuverability, excellent stability, and very exceptional quality.  Obviously, my Hase Kettwiesel Ride has the same qualities, plus the additional advantage of a positive traction rear axle that causes both rear wheels to be driven while pedaling.  The only drawback to this setup is that a 2005 vintage Kettwiesel Ride cannot be used in the captain's (or lead) position when these great machines are utilized in tandem as the rear axle precludes use of the very specialized tandem bracket.  Another potential drawback of having the rear differential relates to the addition of about ten pounds to the trike which can impact on hill climbing performance.  Nonetheless, so long as your Kettwiesel Ride is equipped with either a schlumpf Speed Drive or Schlumpf Mountain Drive, it is unlikely you will encounter any hill you cannot climb.

        Countless articles about Hase Kettwiesels talk about the ease of lengthening or shortening the boom to accommodate riders of varying heights.  There are a couple of things you should keep in mind.  First, it is essential to accurately line things up before tightening to avoid the left crank brushing against the steering tube that links the handlebars to the front fork.  This is not a big deal, but certainly something you should keep in mind.  Second, another issue that comes into play when shortening the boom on either a Kettwiesel or Kettwiesel Ride is the necessity to remove some links of chain for especially height challenged riders.  Doing this will almost definitely eliminate the Kettwiesel's tendency for the chain to skip during hard acceleration.  Other than these two idiosyncracies, Kettwiesels and Kettwiesel rides are extremely adaptable for riders of all ages and heights.

        If storage is an issue, a Kettwiesel is hard to beat because of the ability to stand the trike on its two rear wheels.  Basically, if you have floor space three foot by three foot, and five and one half feet in verticle space, you definitely can acommodate either a Kettwiesel or Kettwiesel Ride.  Also, because Kettwiesels are no more than thirty-three inches in width, bike path gates and doorways are easily navigated.

        Though we recently sold our Kettwiesel and Kettwiesel Ride after three years plus of ownership, there is no doubt that anyone considering a trike, especially a delta trike, should absolutely consider purchasing a Hase Kettwiesel.  Hase is clearly a company that knows how to build trikes, which will last a lifetime, for people of all ages and abilities.  Current trikes are built using aluminum which saves about five pounds on the overall weight of either a Kettwiesel or Kettwiesel Ride, theoretically making hill climbing easier.  Frankly, based on over three years of riding experience, I seriously doubt that such minimal weight savings will be particularly noticeable.  This statement is predicated on the fact that I have personally lost sixteen pounds riding my Kettwiesel Ride over the past three months.  While I certainly feel better, I cannot truthfully say that hill climbing has gotten all that much easier except for the fact that my endurance is better.  The simple reality is that a properly geared Kettwiesel can pretty much climb any hill thrown in its path.

For more information about Hase bikes and trikes, CLICK HERE.

For a helpful review of the Hase Kettwiesel AL,  CLICK HERE.

Kettwiesel Tandem Review

Kettwiesel Review

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