Brett,

I keep going around and around on whether the 12 is okay for beginners. Trikke Tech seems convinced one should start off on the 8.

I taught a kid to Trikke, and in about 20 minutes he was doing things that I didn't try on the Trikke for six months, but that's because I got him started right on the basic move, and thus he was empowered and could begin to approach and practice advanced moves. I also taught a buddy last week, and in less than two hours practice with me coaching, he was doing hills quite well and getting his basic move down pretty durn good. I've told him to get the 12 and not get the 8.

That said, I also warned my buddy that the extra speed and extra traction of the 12 are going to be a big addition to anyone's learning curves. I may be able to handle the 12 almost immediately at slow speeds, but I KNOW I'm not ready for playing in traffic with one yet. Nor am I ready to take the normal challenges I've mastered with the 8.....mebets taking a curb at five miles per hour is different when you have rubber tires and ten more pounds of Trikke to heft, and I see myself adjusting to all that only by practicing. Slow speeds first. Easy challenges like hillside lawns get practiced before doing a downhill BMX path.

So, if one has the mental discipline to learn slowly, learn deeply, I think the 12 will work. Such a person might be very rare though. The Trikke gives you a sense of skill that can suddenly disappear at a slightly higher speed. I do curbs easily in slow motion, but the faster I approach the curb the harder it gets. I am completely convinced that every speed of the Trikke is a different skill level altogether -- you can be very good at going fast and not goofing up, but at slow speeds, with your vigilance muted a bit, you can mess up on the simplest crack that you ignored due to being lulled by that slow speed into a false sense of invincibility. I do slow speed stuff now that has taken me all year to master enough to make it second nature.

As I've written here before, "if you want mo jo. go slow Joe."

And finally, let's not forget that the 8 is not a 12. If you learn on the 12, the 8 will certainly be a challenge for you to get used to the lesser traction. It sure would be harsh to get off your 12 -- having just done wonders on it -- only to then fall on your buns with the 8 while your buddy is trying out your 12. I'm very happy to be skilled already on the 8....mastered so much of its potential. On the Roadster, once I've reached that same skill level, I think I'll have a special sense of satisfaction that I can have fun on either vehicle.

Bottom line: if money's a factor, get the 12 now. If not, get BOTH! And since you've announced yourself to be an old guy, I think you can do the 12, because if you're my age, you've been on your backside enough from all the stupid human tricks that have been tried in your lifetime, and so you'll be careful. So I see you as being a far more cautious and mindful learner then someone younger.

So go 12!

Edg
P.S. Pray for me to follow my own advice above about "easy does it;" my 12 arrives shortly, and if my IQ was higher, I would be very afraid.