Owning a bicycle doesn’t just mean owning two wheels, a frame and a seat with a chain drive attached.

Specialty bicycles come in all sizes and flavors, from production hybrids designed with the comfort of a town bike but the performance of a road or mountain bike, with the inbuilt strength one associates with modern bicycles.

On my little island in Greece where I live there are many people, especially older women, that ride tricycles, specialty bicycles designed with the hills in mind, and the not so good roads. Fitted with gears to help combat steep inclines for older legs, and fitted with shopping baskets at the front and the back, one could say it is the modern version of the donkey; ready to carry loads up steep hills with little fuss.

Available from the local cycle shops for less than a 150 dollars, a much more economic method of shopping, without necessitating the use of a car on narrow roads.

Other specialty bicycles that spring to mind are what one can term as ‘bike cars’, four wheeled vehicles with two or four comfortable, upright seats and maybe a canopy over for shade from the sun; seen in many coastal tourist resorts in Europe where the streets are narrow in small towns, and a much cheaper mode of travel than a car, taxi or bus.

Specialty bicycles known as ‘pedicabs’ or more commonly rickshaws, are a green alternative to the common taxi, and can be found in many Far Eastern country’s conurbations, as well as many tourist areas in European countries such as France, Italy, Spain and Portugal; however the general rule is that the rider is a younger person, us oldies tend to lose the fitness over the years, and if any hills are encountered, the knees buckle and give way.

Recumbents, specialty bicycles that are almost as old as the original two wheeled chain powered bikes, are a three wheeled version with a sit upright comfy seat complete with back. Not as fast as two wheeled bikes, however very comfortable to ride because of the sitting up position; so comfortable in fact you may just doze off if you stop somewhere for too long to admire the view.

Last but not least, although this is only a few specialty bikes mentioned from the many that are available, are solar power assisted bicycles. Not generally in production, but available from a few outlets here and there.

They have normal pedal power, but also solar cells which charge a battery which supplies power to a drive mechanism (no tech specs available here). Probably work a treat in the sunshine states and countries that have lots of direct sunshine hours.