Before you begin look at what material the tricycle is made of. If the material is not mentioned it is most likely made from High Tension steel. High Tension steel was the wonder material of 1900, had the Titanic been made of it, the Titanic would not have sunk.
The problem with High Tension Steel is it is a very flexible metal and thus a lot of your peddling power is lost overcoming that flexibility. On the other hand High Tension Steel is easy to make and repair. Now in the 1930s Bikes started to be made out of Chrome-Molybdenum (often called just Chrome-Moly) which is a more "Stiff" Steel, and thus less peddling power is lost through the frame. Many of the better bikes, including Tricycles, are made from Chrome-moly today. With "Tig" welding the cost to produce bikes with Chrome-moly frames is not as high as it was as late as the 1980s. If I was looking for a Tricycle I would accept a Chrome-moly frame, the difference in loss of peddling power is that great between Chrome-moly and High Tension Steel. An even stiffer frame (and thus easier to peddle) are aluminum frame, but it is only marginally easier (Basically if you were a professional racer you can tell the difference between a Chrome-moly frame and an Aluminum frame, but 99% of bike riders could not tell the difference). This makes an Aluminum frame bike a real option for they tend NOT to be that much more expensive then a Chrome-moly frame. The next step up in stiffest are also much more Expensive, while they are easier to peddle, the difference is very small over a Chrome-moly or Aluminum frame. I am talking here of Titanium and Carbon-Fiber the wonder material of the 1990s (Titanium) and the 21st century (Carbon-fiber). These are very expensive frame and unless you are a professional racer not worth the price (these frames tend to be very expensive). Thus go with a Chrome-moly or Aluminum frame, avoid High Tension Steel as to hard to peddle, and Titanium and Carbon-Fiber as to Expensive for the very small gain in peddling power. After you decide on a frame, look at the components. You need the better bike components, not the lowest bid ones. Shimano dominates the Bicycle components niche (but they are others, some even made in the USA) but you have to watch Shimano, they produce some of the best Componets and some of the worse. I use to ride a mountain bike and I had installed Shimano XTR components. In my opinion I overbought, the next step down the Shimano Deore XT I found was good enough for me (as the XTR components wore out and I replaced them with XT components). Unless you are racing, the XTR components are just not worth the extra price. XT is half the price of XTR components and, unless you are racing, just as good. Shimano has a internet listing and they started to even sell bikes, but no one wants a Shimano bike, while they want higher end Shimano Components. As to your legs, most components will work around someone between 5'6" to six feet tall. The seat and handlebars are adjustable so your height should not be s factor. People over six feet tall should look at longer crank arms, people under five foot four need to look at frames designed for them, but I'm between you can adjust most Tricycles so you can use them. This is more true of tricycle than Bicycle for the seat in a Tricycle is between the rear wheels not on top of them. Thus the size of the rear wheels are relatively unimportant when it comes to a Tricycle. The front wheel would be more critical and people smaller then Five Foot Four Inches may want to opt for a smaller front wheel (the smaller front wheel means a shorter overall frame, thus the front handlebars are closer but for most people the ability to adjust the height of the handlebars is all that is needed). As to tire width size, go with 35mm or 1 1/2 inch tires (Yes these are "Nominal" sizes i.e. not actually 35mm or 1 1/2 inches wide but about that width, please note most tires are measured in metric terms, thus 35mm which is about 1 1/2 inches). Notice I did not mentioned wheel sizes. Wheels are sold in various sizes but in most cases are sold as the size of the tire and wheel together. This has cause all types of confusion for example most "Road" bikes use 700 cc Tires. These are also called 650 cc wheels but the 650 is the wheel itself not the tire, while the 700 is the wheel and a 35mm wide tire. At the same time you have the 29 inch tire which is a 650 wheel with a two inch or larger tire. Notice the wheel is the same size but has a larger tire on that wheel (and hopefully the wheel is wider to take the larger tire, but I have seen two inch tires on wheels designed for 35 mm, 1 1/2 inch, tires). Before I forget I need to remind you that Tricycles are more likely to tip over in turns then are Bicycles. The reason for this is when you make hard fast turns on a bicycle your center of gravity stays over the bicycle. On a Tricycle as you make a hard fast turn, one of the rear wheel will rise up, upsetting your center of gravity and causing you and the Tricycle to tip over. If you are going normal speed and avoid High speed quick sharp turns not a problem but that problem with Tricycles must be addressed. Now, in 2020 I purchased an electric tricycle for I had become wheelchair bound and could no longer ride a bicycle. I liked the Tricycle but the electric motor would not go up 20 degree hills and to get it from the road to my house I had to take it up a 20 degree grade, which it refused to do. I subsequently purchased a Mobility Scooter that can do that grade andI had to sell my Tricycle. It had a Chrome-moly frame, mid range Shimano Components (below XT level but good enough) and a 750 watt electric motor (which under Pennsylvania Law keeps it classified as a "Peddle cycle", which is what Bicycles are called in the Vehicle code). When I used it I liked it, it was faster then my scooter and at low speeds wanted to go in the direction of the road I was on (at higher speed, 5 to ten miles perhour that tendency disappeared). I tried to peddle it a few times but given the problems with my legs I could not do. Overall I liked it, but I could not get over its refusal to go up a 20 % grade thus I sold it a few months ago. It was foldable, but I ended up never using that feature for I never transported it. It folded the front to be next to the back thus shorter overall but at making the tricycle wider. As to being a folder, you have to think.about how you will transport the Tricycle. In the back of a pickup, no problem some aluminum ramps is allyou need. On top of a car? At five foot Six how do you get it on the roof rack (before I became wheelchair bound I used a bike rack on the roof of my car, at six foot two I could get the bike on the rack, but my shorter sisters could not). As to a rack on the hitch, the weak point is the hitch not the rack, thus the hitch must be able to take the weight of the hitch and tricycle and the Hitch must be wide enough to take the tricycle. The best solution, in my opinion, is a utility trailer to haul the bikes in, but then where do you store the trailer? Notice you have five choices all with bad downsizes. 1. Truck need ramps 2. Roof rack you have to lift the tricycle. 3. Hitch rank, it the hitch strong and wide enough 4. trailer, where do you store the trailer when you are not using the trailer and 5. Never transporting the Tricycle (This is your fifth option, not one I would recommend but it is still an option). Before I buy a Tricycle I would go to a bike store and asked them what they sell in a Tricycle. Most Bicycle stores do NOT carry Tricycles, but they know what is out there and the better stores will gladly advise you what to get and order it for you. I would be hesitate to order one off the Internet (Which is what I did) for you may end up with something you can not use and hard to return for such large items must be shipped by truck not through the mail or UPS.2022-10-23 04:58:07