We are putting together a trike for a gentleman with a neurological condition that inhibits "pulling" action with his hands.
He has settled on an ICE Sprint 26 recumbent trike and we have determined a configuration that will allow him to operate his trike with "pushing" actions.
Using the Shimano Nexus internally-geared 8-speed hub on any trike gives you the enclosed reliability of planetary-geared hubs, but it's a bit slim on gear range -- particularly with a small 20" wheel on
In a sight that's becoming quite common at the shop these days, some bluebirds tried out a Catrike 700. [In reality, only one bluebird tried the trike while the others watched.]
He liked the color and the lines, but found it too difficult to shift. Also, the headrest was too big.
One of the sillier things we've inherited from the auto industry is the concept of "model-years". The "model-year" is a fabrication arbitrarily used by the auto-makers to make their own products prematurely obsolete.