Finally! First rides on Catrike Speed

After some email consultation with Luke Breen about which trike to choose, I
ordered my Catrike Speed on a Monday. Birdie, Sarah and the rest of the crew
at Calhoun's had it packed up, shipped and on my doorstep before the
weekend. Yesss!! Calhoun's knows what their customers want. Yeah, I'll be
back.

Since I've been wanting a new trike for at least 4 years, of course I was
eager for its arrival. Two days after ordering the trike, I came down with
the flu. Despite copious doses of Emergen-C and hot tea, I wasn't
recovering very quickly. The trike arrived on Friday. Still feverish and
weak, I uncrated and excitedly re-assembled my new Catrike Speed. What a
gorgeous trike! It feels so incredibly light, and rolls effortlessly. The
engineering is brilliant, and the components are perfectly spec'd. It's
everything I had hoped for. The hollow axles are genius. I'm amazed at how
strong they are for being so light.

It took more than a full week for me to fully recover from what had turned
into bronchitis, all the while wanting nothing more than to ride my new
trike. Then, last week, the temperature reached 40 degrees F, and I just
had to take off early from work and go for a ride. It was refreshing to see
that the trike fits through my front door with room to spare. (It's
currently parked in the dining room. Thank goodness for my bike-tolerant
wife...)

The Catrike Speed is everything I had heard. I thought for sure it would
feel harsh on rough cobblestones and pavement irregularities; but it felt
very comfortable. If anything, I would describe the feel of the Catrike as
"taught" - like a guitar string. It seems to step over bumps, never losing
forward momentum. It *feels* fast, and very lightfooted. I was glad that I
got a headrest; but really didn't use it that much. It does jar your head a
bit on anything but the smoothest pavement.

I rode down a heavily rutted, washed-out, gravel-and-mud alley that was
covered with about 5-6" of snow, ice and slush. I really didn't think I'd
make it; but the Catrike handled it like a champ, negotiating the washed-out
ruts with aplomb. The extra ground clearance in the newer Catrike designs
made a difference. I was amazed how the rear tire dug in. It did spin a
little; but not much. Nice!

Emboldened by that first offroad test, I found myself deliberately
attempting to ride difficult terrain - shallow snow drifts, steep
snow-and-ice covered driveways, and the like. The dual front wheels never
lost traction, even on icy snow. Only once did the rear wheel spin out
(grinding up a 25 degree snow-packed concrete driveway in the granny ring).
I backed off, approached at an angle, and she scrambled right on up. I
could hardly believe it. Is that a slick high-pressure tire climbing in
snow? Yep.

The turning circle is incredible. There are times when heading for the
sidewalk is the only safe choice (not much foot traffic around here; but
lotsa SUV's and pick-em-ups). During those times, I was thankful for the
narrow wheel stance and ultra sharp turning capability. I can make the turn
off the sidewalk and through my narrow garden gate without dismounting, and
with plenty of leeway on both sides.

The highly responsive and powerful braking has taken a bit of getting used
to. I find myself locking up the right front wheel in panic stops quite
often, and nearly going sideways. Even when I'm braking normally, I found
a little pull to the right due in part to uneven hand strength. I
compensated for it by backing off the adjuster on the right brake lever, so
the left one engages first. It works well, with brake steer now at a
minimum. It still needs a little dialing-in.

Catrike's direct steering feels like an extension of your body. It's like a
pedal-powered Grand Prix car. You think about turning, and it happens. Of
course, one down side to such sensitive controls is that looking over your
shoulder while steering straight ahead is a trick that I can't seem to
manage. Rear-view mirrors are absolutely required for riding this trike in
traffic.

I've had a blast carving up empty parking lots and deserted side streets on
the first few rides. I did get one of the wheels off the ground a couple of
times; but it's easy enough to keep 'em stuck with just a little lean-in.
Riding in hiking boots, I haven't yet been able to wring out any decent
speed from the Speed. That will come later when the snow melts and the
weather warms up a bit. I can see that I'll need to develop my recumbent
trike muscles this season. I'm planning for some long rides on tree-lined
bike paths. Trikes are a completely different kind of riding experience.

-=B=-

Rocketman wrote:

...
The Catrike Speed is everything I had heard. I thought for sure it would
feel harsh on rough cobblestones and pavement irregularities; but it felt
very comfortable. If anything, I would describe the feel of the Catrike as
"taught" - like a guitar string. It seems to step over bumps, never losing
forward momentum. It *feels* fast, and very lightfooted. I was glad that I
got a headrest; but really didn't use it that much. It does jar your head a
bit on anything but the smoothest pavement....

Those are "historical streets" and are not to be criticized! (I did my
best to avoid ever having to ride a bicycle on them.)

I rode down a heavily rutted, washed-out, gravel-and-mud alley that was
covered with about 5-6" of snow, ice and slush. I really didn't think I'd
make it; but the Catrike handled it like a champ, negotiating the washed-out
ruts with aplomb. The extra ground clearance in the newer Catrike designs
made a difference. I was amazed how the rear tire dug in. It did spin a
little; but not much. Nice!

The problem is that the city grades the alleys, but does not recompact
the aggregate. Therefore the loose material in the former potholes
quickly gets worked by out by motorized traffic, and the potholes
quickly reappear. These alleys are a pain in winter, even on a knobby
tired MTB.

Emboldened by that first offroad test, I found myself deliberately
attempting to ride difficult terrain - shallow snow drifts, steep
snow-and-ice covered driveways, and the like. The dual front wheels never
lost traction, even on icy snow. Only once did the rear wheel spin out
(grinding up a 25 degree snow-packed concrete driveway in the granny ring).
I backed off, approached at an angle, and she scrambled right on up. I
could hardly believe it. Is that a slick high-pressure tire climbing in
snow? Yep.

Kickapoo State Park awaits!

--
Tom Sherman - Earth

Recumbent Racer Glen Drury sets course record
That is quite an impressive accomplishment. Who is the rider and what bike did he ride? Was he in a F-40?

Stan Vinson
P38


.................................................. .................... .................................................. .......
Recumbent cycles entered the 400km cycle for the first time (as a separate category), with Glen Druryclocking the impressive time of 11:57:37. With the popularity of the recumbents, the race is likely to be open next year to other specialist cyclists (all scored in different categories). Of the regular cyclists, the best time was from David Simpfendorfer of the Filthy Armadillo team, with 13:46:17.

http://www.srichinmoyraces.org/au/results/ultrareport



Ultra Joe

Glenn Drury racing a Velokraft NoCom lowracer. What is amazing is Mr. Drury was riding a stock bike with no fairings. He finished the 400 km race a twitch short of 2 hours less than the regular cyclists team.

Ian Smythe

.................................................. .................................................. .................................................. ......................
Recumbent Racer Glen Drury sets course record
That is quite an impressive accomplishment. Who is the rider and what bike did he ride? Was he in a F-40?

Stan Vinson
P38
.................................................. .................... .................................................. .......
Recumbent cycles entered the 400km cycle for the first time (as a separate category), with Glen Druryclocking the impressive time of 11:57:37. With the popularity of the recumbents, the race is likely to be open next year to other specialist cyclists (all scored in different categories).