catrike 700 - Velo Vision

Velo Vision Sample Article
The colo urf ul cyc
ling ma gaz ine
This PDF is a sample of the material
in Velo Vision 46, December 2013.
ISSU E 46 DECE
MBER 2013 £6
REVIEWS:
CATRIKE 700
TRIKE
BIRDY TOURIN
G DISC
PLUS:
EXTREME CARG
O CYCLING
TRIKING TO FR
EEDOM
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TANDEM TRAN
SP
HASE PINO PO ORTERS:
RT
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EUS
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CON T E N T S
DECEMBER 2013
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REVIEWS:
CATRIKE 700 TRIKE
BIRDY TOURING DISC
PLUS:
EXTREME CARGO CYCLING
TRIKING TO FREEDOM
TANDEM TRANSPORTERS:
HASE PINO PORTER
CIRCE MORPHEUS
01 COVER3.indd 3
28/11/2013 18:55
COVER: On the Catrike 700.
OPPOSITE: Taking the Morpheus
from the Velo Vision office back home
for assembly. Note three rear lights!
8
News
38
Pedersen at 120
A world record, new bikes, trikes and quads plus anti-lock brakes, Italian recumbent testing and more.
Riders meet to celebrate 120 years of the Pedersen patent.
Moving Sweden by bike
39
The rum ride
Taking a tasty cargo to market the zero carbon way.
40
Readers’ bikes
Extreme cargo-cyclists Velove and MoveByBike Gothenburg explain how they developed their own bikes to carry commercial loads.
14
Triking to freedom
Freetrike in Devon uses trikes, trails and a Labrador to offer freedom and therapy to stroke recoverers.
18
Review: Tandem transporters
ISSUE 46 DECEMBER 2013 £6
4
EDITOR AND PUBLISHER: Peter Eland
The colourful cycling magazine
We review two tandems with recumbent front riders – and the capacity to convert for cargo.
20 Hase Pino Porter.
22 Circe Cycles Morpheus Omnis+.
26
Review: Birdy Touring disc
The full-suspension gets a braking upgrade – but does it deliver the goods?
30
Review: Catrike 700
We review this long, low and lean fast recumbent trike from the USA.
34
Short reviews
34
36
37
Adomeit Veleon: a German reader tests this tilting trike.
Books: Cycling Science and Cycle Tourist.
MacWet gloves: they promise grip, but what about warmth?
40 Coast to coast, back to back: Readers ride an Altena Janus tandem across Canada.
44 Rowing on the road: is the Thys Rowingbike a practical proposition?
46 By Troytec to Texas: the supported tour of a lifetime on a carbon recumbent.
49 ICE off road: taking an adapted trike to its limits.
50 The Tri-Ped: the creation of a unique three wheeled Pedersen.
52
Letters
A bumper crop of your letters, including a Manx Loopwheels predecessor, a compressed-air assisted trike and much more.
55
Subscribe to Velo Vision
How to subscribe, back issues and details of our distributors worldwide.
56
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BELOW: As one cat flap closes,
another opens. Kittens Meg and Kea
take their first trip by tandem.
All photos: Peter Eland
Wheely great
There’s triking galore this issue with three
wheelers from the fast to the therapeutic,
and also a hint of what might, perhaps,
be the start of a trend toward even more
wheels: quadricycles. Such machines have
popped up on our News pages, in the
fantastic Swedish cargo carrying article and
even in Letters. Clearly, experimenting with
four wheels is nothing new in cycling, but
perhaps there’s a growing awareness that the
format might just make sense for maximum
stability with minimum width.
If quads are indeed ‘on trend’, the evidence
will surely be on display at the SPEZI show
in April. I’m looking forward to travelling to
the 2014 event with a crowd of like-minded
readers on the newly re-launched SPEZI
coach trip from London to Germersheim.
See the news pages or the website for all the
details and to book your space!
Peter Eland
ISSUE 46 DECEMBER 2013
VELO VISION
3
PRO D U C T RE V IE W CATRIKE 700
We ride the latest version of the Catrike 700,
now with 20" wheels and a tweaked frame.
How does the flagship trike from the Catrike
stable perform on the road?
30
VELO VISION ISSUE 46 DECEMBER 2013
CATRIKE 700
BACKGROUND
This Catrike 700 review was
originally pencilled in for last issue,
as a follow-up to the review of
another speed-oriented trike: the
ICE Vortex reviewed in Issue 43.
Indeed, I got a Catrike 700 in for
review, took the pictures and did
some riding. Then three factors
conspired to set the review back.
First, Catrike redesigned the 700
to use 20" rather than 16" front
wheels, also tweaking other aspects
of the frame design. It seemed silly
to run the review of the old model.
Then, after returning the trike, in
a computer blunder I managed to
lose all of the action photos. Finally,
Ian Buck from the UK importers,
Wheel NV, announced that other
commitments were taking him back
to the USA for much of the year, and
an announcement would follow
about the future of the business. So
the review got pulled.
Everything fell back into place in
time for this issue, however. The new
20"-wheeled 700 has arrived, and
Ian has joined forces with Martyn
and Lesley Hake, based just outside
Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire. They
are now handling the ‘on the ground’
aspects of distributing Catrikes in
the UK: offering test rides, sales
and support. Ian will continue to
deal with the paperwork side of
importing the machines. They also
note that the Wheel NV website is
awaiting a full revamp.
I visited Martyn and Lesley on
a glorious crisp autumn day, and
tried the 700 around Ross-on-Wye.
They’re based just north of the
Forest of Dean, and there’s plenty of
beautiful scenery on their doorstep.
The Catrike 700 sells in the UK for
a base price of £2545 in a choice of
seven standard colours. It comes
with flag, mirror and clipless
pedals as standard, with many
optional extras available including
mudguards (£125), Arkel side pods
(£115) and rack (£60). Neck rest
and hand rests are both included.
Our trike had also been fitted with
a Terracycle chain take-up device
which lets you adjust the boom
without changing the chain length –
ideal for a demo bike. If you wanted
one, it would cost £99.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The 700 is a long, low trike, as you’d
expect from the flagship ‘speed
machine’ in the range. Catrike have
now branched out into trikes with
rear suspension (see our review of
the Road in Issue 44) and they’ve
recently announced a 2014 model
with a folding frame, too. But this is
a traditional Catrike: a lightweight
one-piece aluminium frame with
the seat rails as part of the structure,
and the distinctive triangulation as
the seat tubes continue and swoop
down to the rear dropouts.
The design does mean, of course,
that the seat angle is fixed at a
laid-back 25 degrees. The one-piece
frame also makes for a bike that’s
just over two metres long (varying
according to boom extension of
course) and can’t be split down for
transport. Overall width is 31" (787
mm) so it should pass easily through
most standard 800 mm doorways.
Ours was finished in a striking
red, and I thought the trike really
looked the part. Its oversized tubes
contrast boldly with the skinny
rims and tyres, and the parts, in
The Catrike 700’s one-piece
aluminium frame sits low to
the ground.
ISSUE 46 DECEMBER 2013
VELO VISION
31
PRO D U C T R E V I E W anodised black mostly, add intricate
detail to the mix. I liked the scale
printed on the boom, too. As with
all Catrikes this boom slides in and
out (with quick-releases to secure)
but it can’t rotate, thanks to a groove
in the boom and a metal tab on
the alloy clamping cage. This also
incorporates a set of bottle cage
mounts.
The 20" (406) front wheels are
Catrike’s own, but at the back they’ve
gone for a ‘name brand’ 700c model
from Australian manufacturers
Velocity. Unlike some proprietary
wheelsets this one doesn’t tie
you in to special spokes (it uses
DT Champion) but it should be
lightweight and robust. How much
benefit there is over a well built
in-house wheel is hard to say, mind.
All of the wheels are fitted with
Schwalbe Durano tyres.
Much of the rest of the equipment
comes from road bike suppliers FSA,
including the 30-39-52 chainset,
bottom bracket, chain and headsets.
There’s a SRAM X-7 rear derailleur
running on an 11-36 wide range
cassette, and a Microshift front
derailleur. Both sets of gears are
operated by SRAM bar end shifters.
The chain idler comes from
recumbent accessory specialists
Terracycle, who also make the very
neat chain take-up unit you’ll see
mounted to the boom. This wraps
more chain as you move the boom
in, so there’s no need to adjust chain
length. It’s a little extra weight and
involves some extra friction as the
chain goes round the pulleys, but
both are close to negligible effects
and it adds a lot of convenience if
there’s more than one person using
the trike.
Brakes on each front wheel are
Avid BB7s, a well proven favourite
when it comes to mechanical
disks. A Velcro strap is supplied as
a parking brake. While we’re at the
handlebars note the foam hand rests
below the grips. These pivot a little
on their mountings to match your
hand angle.
The neck rest is fitted as standard.
It clamps to the cross tube at the top
of the seat, and slides easily up and
down to suit. It did require some
firm tightening of the clamps not
to push back against the back tyre,
32
VELO VISION ISSUE 46 DECEMBER 2013
TOP: There’s a useful, clear scale
ABOVE: Note the wrist rests below
on the boom.
the grips, and the neatly mounted
but once done up it proved secure.
Whether it’s really useful is a matter
of taste: some people love them but
I find it’s more comfortable to ride
without the rest contacting my neck.
Then again, it is sometimes nice to
lean back on when stopped. And it
does add to the looks…
The Mirrycle mirror, provided
as standard, is mounted on a stalk
attached to one of the handlebar
arms. It is of course on the wrong side
for the UK, but the oppositely sided
stalk hadn’t yet arrived in time for our
review. But even on the left, the mirror
is well placed; not too low and placed
right out at the edge of the trike.
A bike like this is probably
intended more for fast riding than
loaded touring, but a rear rack could
be fitted if needed, or you could use
side bags from the likes of Radical
Designs. There are also Catrikebranded vaguely triangular side
pods (made by Arkel) which tuck
in neatly either side below the seat.
They’re not huge at four litres each,
but that should be plenty for all-day
riding. There are also two pouches
at the back of the seat fabric which
could hold keys, wallet, phone and
some basic tools if you prefer to ride
in more minimalist fashion.
We didn’t get a chance to weigh the
bike but 15 kg without accessories
is claimed. Ours did feel a bit more
than that, but it was kitted out
with a number of optional extras.
Maximum rider weight is 125 kg.
mirror. Normally this would be on
ABOVE: The TerraCycle chain
the right hand side for UK riding. device for fast length changes.
BELOW: The headrest is supplied
BELOW: The BB7 mechanical disks
as standard, and it fits tight to the
are proven performers.
rear wheel.
THE RIDE
It’s a long way down to the 700’s
seat: you can support yourself to
an extent on the handlebars but
getting in and out does require
some limberness at least. Once
you’re there, though, the riding
position instantly feels like you’re ‘in
business’. The pedals are set high,
just below the eye-line as you look
forwards, and your chin is down
on your chest. You can almost feel
the aerodynamics, and you know
instinctively you’re on a piece of
performance sporting equipment.
Get going and you see why these
extreme seat angles are favoured by
the fastest of trikers. You still get a
good push against the seat back as
your legs extend, but you’re out of
the wind and roll along seemingly
CATRIKE 700
without slowing as a headwind hits.
And because your weight is spread
across the whole area of your back
rather than concentrated on your
buttocks, as it can be with more
upright trikes, it’s exceptionally
comfortable.
Acceleration was good, too, with
no obvious flex in the boom, which
was extended a fair way for me (at
6' 2"). The gear range seemed good:
downhill I did manage to get into top
and uphill I used the lowest. Much of
the time, though, I could leave it in
the middle ring and just use that very
wide-range rear cassette for changes.
The steering is of the ‘direct’ type,
with grips attached directly to the
kingpins. I was pleasantly surprised
by just how well this works in my
first ever Catrike review (Issue 17),
despite its apparent simplicity. Your
hands move in a different curve
compared to ‘linkage’ type steering,
but it’s just as intuitive. On the 700,
the steering was quite positively
self-centring, requiring a firm action
to turn but feeling precise as you
do. It’ll snap back straight and track
beautifully in a straight line, too. I
did wonder whether some riders
might prefer lighter, faster steering
– but perhaps not after a long
day’s fast riding. It might also be
interesting to experiment with the
‘gearing’ of the steering by sliding
the vertical handlebars and grips
further or closer to the kingpin axis.
The full lock turning radius seemed
relatively tight for such a long trike.
Catrike say 3 m radius, although
for me lock was limited by the bars
hitting my hips, so it might have
been a tad more for me.
This only comes into play at
low speed, of course. High speed
cornering is usually nowhere near
full lock, though you can generate
quite substantial sideways force.
You’re low enough for masses of
stability, but leaning into the curves
is still essential if you push it. I didn’t
take the trike to extremes, but it’ll
certainly corner fast enough to thrill.
Out of sight of the trike’s owners
I did put the 700 through some
essential trike torture tests. First on
a fast descent I deliberately aimed
one of the front wheels at all the
rough patches and potholes I could
see. The smaller stuff just thrummed
past, with no steering effect, just
a buzz through your hands for
feedback. Larger hits did jog the
steering for a fraction of a second,
but the self centring and the natural
resilience of my grip returned it to
straight near instantly, and I don’t
think the trike ever changed course.
Reassuring. Even the harder hits
didn’t jar me, either: the sharpness of
the shock was damped somewhere
between tyres, frame, mesh, and my
own built-in padding.
I’d consider shortening the bars,
perhaps.
There really isn’t much else I can
complain of that wouldn’t just
be the ins and outs of personal
preference. Those factors may of
course be exactly what potential
purchasers will need to explore:
subtle preferences on comfort and
handling certainly matter at the
sleepy end of a long Audax ride.
But from what I could discern from
the time I had on the bike, the 700
The second trike test is to brake
hard with just one hand from a
variety of speeds: the trike shouldn’t
change course, just slow to a stop. It
did, on a par with the best I’ve tried.
No complaints there. And the brakes
stop the bike superbly, as I’d expect
from BB7s with large rotors in the
20" wheels.
Niggles? Well, the hand rests
seemed like a great idea, and they
were comfortable to rest on. But
with my hands on them, I couldn’t
reach the brakes or gears because
my hands were too low. Some
height adjustment would be good,
perhaps. Were it my own trike
delivered a positive, efficient ride,
handled precisely but with great
stability, and even swallowed the
bumps well. It’s hard to ask for more.
CONCLUSIONS
With the new 700, Catrike have
positioned their flagship trike
very neatly. It’s a top performer
with no obvious flaws, and a clear
improvement on its predecessor.
It’s inevitable that potential
purchasers will be looking for a
comparison against its obvious
competitor, the ICE Vortex. In the
UK at least, there just aren’t any
other trikes on the market with
similar seat angle and speedoriented design, attractive both for
thrill-seekers and those looking for
very specific performance – Audax
riders for example. A complication
is that ICE have an updated version
out for 2014, the VTX, which appears
from early reports to have tamed the
sometimes harsh ride we found in
our review of the Vortex.
Let’s leave looks aside as hopelessly
subjective, and look at facts. The
ICE is noticeably more expensive
(Vortex base price is £2,986, VTX to
be confirmed) than the ‘from £2545’
Catrike 700. Claimed weight is much
the same. One difference is that the
ICE seat can adjust for angle (25
to 32 degrees) while the Catrike’s
is fixed. But then you have a mesh
seat on the Catrike, shock absorbing
and breathable, against the hard
shell type on the ICE. A matter of
preference, perhaps, but the mesh
might just help more in the fight
against vibration. And there’s more
strongly self-centring, direct steering
on the Catrike versus a well behaved
linkage on the ICE. Which is better?
Down to taste again.
This is what I mean by tidy
positioning. Whether by chance
or design, these two competing
machines have taken opposite
design decisions in two key areas:
seat type and steering. Nonetheless
both work very well, they’re both
kitted out with good parts, and both
are produced by established and
respected companies.
Not an easy decision for any
potential purchaser, and more than
ever, test rides should be considered
essential. I doubt many raw
recumbent beginners will be going
straight for this class of machine
but even the experienced need to be
sure that they’ll get on with being so
laid back, so low.
And to decide in person whether
the speed and the thrill of a top end
trike are a dream worth chasing!
Peter Eland
AVAILABILITY
Manufacturer: Catrike (USA).
See: www.catrike.com
In the UK, contact Wheel NV:
Tel 01989 555001 or see
www.wheelnv.co.uk
ISSUE 46 DECEMBER 2013
VELO VISION
33