A steering kit, or raked triple trees as it is commonly referred, is a must have for any trike to steer comfortably and we recommend them for everyย ROADSMITHย Conversion Kit we sell.ย While the overall change that comes as a result of installing them is barely visible, it is very noticeable when riding with them.
And while they vary in appearance slightly from model to model, the end result is always the same: Reducing the trail measurement of the bikes front end geometry. And to achieve this, the lower triple tree offset is increased from the upper tree offset to change the angle in relation to the steering stem. That difference, when measured in degrees, is the change in rake (i.e. why itโs called a โ6-degree rake kitโ).ย The degree varies slightly by model, but the trail measurement is what counts.
Another one of the many advantages of aย ROADSMITH trike conversion kit is the longer wheelbase, which allows us to run less trail/more rake with our trikes. If you were to put one of our rake kits on a short wheelbase trike it would re-act far too quickly to any rider input, which would give the feeling of what some would call a โdartingโ or โsquirrelyโ feeling machine.