You are here
This just in
Catrike discontinues Road recumbent trike model
The Road and the Speed were the first two recumbent trike models designed and built in the USA by Catrike. The Road is now being discontinued and follows in the Speed's footsteps from several years ago.
Catrike cited the popularity of other Catrike models as the impetus for shutting down production of the Road. With nine (9) models in their line-up, there is a strong argument for culling the selection. If nothing else, this change will clarify Catrike's offerings to the end consumer.
The Road has had a good run of it (17 years' worth). It is the longest produced Catrike model ever, and has evolved from a fully-welded space frame to a full-suspension adjustable-seat frame over its many years of production. Current Eola models have much in common with the original Road.
Fun fact: The Road is the only Catrike recumbent trike model ever produced with indirect steering... waaaayyyyy back in about 2005 -- and for that roughly 1/2 year, you could actually try indirect-steer and direct-steer Roads side by side at AlphaBENT.
We at AlphaBENT salute the venerable Road and the fact that Catrike has been steadily growing and making these fine trikes for so long!!!
If you have always wanted a Road and want to act on that impulse before your last chance is gone, you can call us and order one in your favorite Catrike color. You have until January 31, 2020 and then time runs out.
More information...Meet ICE: British trike manufacturer on US tour
This event has taken place and the notice is simply part of our articles archive
Meet the maker: ICE is on a tour of the U.S. and will be staying for the day at AlphaBENT on January 15, 2020.
This is your chance to find out more about your prospective purchase, or get the behind-the-scenes story of how your trike was made, or just chat and have coffee and meet other trikers.
You can also try the latest ICE models, including the fully-automatice ICE Adventure recumbent trikes with Shimano STEPS electric assist and bump-smoothing full suspension.
- demos of how to fold your ICE trike,
- how to check it for safety before a ride, and
- essential maintenance for non-mechanics
Cheap trike carrier for folded recumbent trike
A customer loaded his ICE Full Fat recumbent adventure trike on an inexpensive hitch-mount platform rack.
With a solid strap-down system, it works.
This gentleman also used a U-bolt hitch clamp stabilizer to eliminate movement associated with the play in the hitch receiver / platform interface.
More information...Meet Azub: Czech recumbent trike makers on U.S. tour
Azub will be at AlphaBENT on Wednesday, October 23 to show the latest Czech recumbent technology. Come to for test-rides, and bent-talk.
Azub is a world reknowned manufacturer of expedition-ready recumbent bikes and trikes. Always innovating, Azub has won many prestigious awards for recumbent trike designs and lead the industry in adventure-ready trikes.
On their 2019 U.S. tour, representatives of Azub will visit the Sacramento, California Azub dealer, AlphaBENT to show and demo some of their extensive lineup of recumbent trikes.
If you have questions, curiosity, or just want to meet some of the people behind the Azub story, come down to 1114 C Street, in Sacramento, CA on Wednesday, October 23 from 2-3pm and be prepared to try some trikes like you've never ridden.
More information...Catrike makes wider axles standard equipment on all large-wheel models
Catrike introduced a mid-season change to its large-wheel recumbent trike models including the Expedition, 5.5.9., 700, and Dumont. All future models will use a 12x142mm through-axle hub.
Through-axle hubs were designed for use in downhill mountain-biking to withstand high forces, and this move ensures that Catrike rear wheels will be some of the strongest on the market. With lateral forces being a factor on recumbent trikes, Catrike's move should result in more durable and possibly more efficient wheels. Furthermore, the through-axle design will prevent inadvertent shifting of the hub in the dropouts.
The new hubs rely on specially machined dropouts that allow rear-wheel braking for the first time in Catrike's history. Rear-wheel braking is mainly useful for parking brakes, and drag brakes under touring conditions. Under ordinary conditions, braking the rear wheel can cause skidding.
The policy move by Catrike make Catrike recumbent trikes incompatible with technology that relies on a 132mm dropout width. Such technologies include many rear-wheel electric motor systems and many internally-geared rear hubs such as the Shimano Alfine and Nexus hubs, and dual-use hubs such as the Sturmey-Archer RF3 and RK3 hubs that use an internal 3-speed mechanism in conjunction with an external conventional derailleur / cassette.
More information...RideAtaxia 1 June 2019, Winters, CA - NorCal - Friedrich's Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA)
The 2019 annual Northern Californa FARA RideAtaxia to raise much-needed funds for research is coming up!
The ride will happen early June 1, 2019 and starts and ends at the Community Center in Winters, CA
Make your plans, join or form a team, donate, and show up and be part of the cure.
... And, delicious BarBeCue
Together, we will cure FA!
More information at:
Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA)
533 W. Uwchlan Ave | Downingtown, PA 19335 | USA
Phone: (484) 879-6160 | Fax: (484) 872-1402 | Email: [email protected] | Website: CureFA.org
Pinking clamps memorize ICE handlebar position
British recumbent trike maker ICE goes pink with an obscure, but very useful, innovation built into the handlebars of ICE recumbent tricycles. The new design uses a sawtoothed edge on the ends of the handlebar clamp tube that mates to a variably-placed equally-sawtoothed clamp that gets fixed to the handlebars.
The jagged sawtoothed effect is not unlike the result of using "pinking shears" to cut cloth.
With the new ICE pinking handlebar system, every time the handlebars get released and repositioned for folding or any other purpose, they can be reset to the original position with no guesswork. Given that the handlebars have quick-releases on them and moving the left handlebar is usually required for folding the trike, this innovation ensures that recovering your handlebar position will be a no-brainer.
Mechanisms to recover a set handlebar position are not a new concept. Czech recumbent trike maker Azub has long offered a very sturdy castellated quick-release as part of their folding trike system upgrade.
The ICE mechanism is lightweight and now included with all folding ICE trikes at no additional cost.
Kudos to ICE for this simple yet effective refinement!
[Note: The actual color of handlebars on ICE folding recumbent trikes is still black. "Pinking" refers to the analogous effect of cutting cloth material with "pinking shears".]
More information...New Bacchetta seat: B3 fine-tunes recumbent comfort
Bacchetta has expanded its seat selections to include a new style that mixes and matches the designs of the existing Recurve and Euromesh seats. Recumbent riders wanting the upper width and general shape of the Recurve upright seat, but in a more reclined angle used by Euromesh riders will find a comfortable option.
Until now, Bacchetta has offered two primary seat styles [Note: there is a third carbon seat for performance bikes, but we will leave that for a different article]:
- Recurve: has a wide seat back, a defined seatpan to sit on, and a sharply-defined relatively high angle between them
- Euromesh: has a narrow width and the lower part (seatpan) blends with the seat back at a shallow angle and no sharply-defined transition
For riders wanting the width of the Recurve, and a shallower seat angle, there has been no option until now. Riders wanting the seatpan of the Euromesh with a wider back support have also been given a new option.
The new B3 seat has a tight-stretched mesh similar to the Euromesh combined with a defined seatpan and the wider seatback of the Recurve. The angle between the seatpan and the seatback is in between the angle of the Recurve and the Euromesh.
The pictures tell the differences. In general, Bacchetta riders will choose between the seats as follows:
Recurve: most upright riding position, wide and contoured seat pan, wide seat back with upper shoulder support
B3: allows middle upright to medium reclined riding positions, medium-sized but defined seatpan, wide seat back with upper shoulder support
Euromesh: most reclined riding position, narrow and loosely defined seat pan, narrow (spinal) back support
The three seat styles are largely the same price and each has its strengths, so it's just a matter of personal needs for the recumbent rider.
More information...ICE Full Fat Hunting Trike w. Rohloff
This trike is outfitted for multi-day camping trips and specifically for hunting and packing in and out of the backcountry.
The ICE Full Fat is built up with the large-size Schwalbe Jumbo Jim 4.8 tires and full rack system with top carrying capacity. Extra load-carrying is strapped to the seat with ICE pods sidebags (by Radical Designs).
A Rohloff 14-speed internally geared hub drives this beast. By keeping all the gears inside the hub, we should see excellent wear in all sorts of muck and mud.
We loaded up some Ortlieb packs mounted high and low on the full rear rack and it's clear that a lot of meat can be packed out on this trike. We could increase this with some shallower longer packs.
[Note: Dog not included with trike.]
More information...Folding and unfolding a Catrike Dumont
This is a short (4 minute) video of folding and unfolding a Catrike Dumont full-suspension trike at the recumbent trike shop in Sacramento.
Caveats such as proper placement of the seat stays are pointed out, and how to trundle the trike about in its folded state.
More information...Recumbent trikes, aging, and the immune system
Researchers in Britain studying elderly endurance cyclists have discovered profound benefits to cycling at an older age.
Looking at markers in the blood for T-cells, the researchers found the endurance cyclists in their 70's and 80's were producing similar levels of T-cells as adults in their 20's while a sedentary group produced very few. T-cells are a key element of a properly functioning immune system.
The BBC reported a synopsis of this research which was originally published in the journal Ageing Cell.
Given the difficulties many people have maintaining balance on a two-wheeled bicycle, elderly people riding recumbent trikes have the edge on their sedentary contemporaries when it comes to maintaining a healthy immune system.
AlphaBENT customer JCS, summed it up when he said, It should be almost illegal for old people to ride road bikes. They should ride these...--JCS
Apparently, the researchers agree...
[Note: We need to add a picture of JCS on his ICE Full Fat to the picture of him on his Catrike 700]
More information...Announcements
Catrike Eola: new for 2019 recumbent trike model
Catrike introduced some tempting views of the Eola, a new recumbent trike model that will hit the streets sometime in 2019.
Like the 2018 redesigned Catrike 700, the Eola will depart from the traditional standard components used on most other Catrike models. Instead of having multiple chainrings and a front derailleur and shifter, the Eola will use a single chainring and have an extra-wide 11-42 cassette on the back.
Taking many hard-learned lessons from the years that Catrike has been manufacturing recumbent trikes in the USA, the Eola is designed for streamlined production time and resources. Examples include:
- a trimmed down 3-color palette accented with neutral hard-anodized gray.
- single-part, fixed-camber, fixed-reach handlebars designed for most people
- derailleur-less boom
- fixed-angle seat-back
The Eola will also come with many standard features that might otherwise cost extra, including rear flashing taillight, rear fender, integrated carrying bag, and two-sided SPD-compatible clipless pedals.
All specifications and components for the Eola are subject to change, but the preliminary look suggests that the Eola will have:
- all three wheels 20" (406 ETRTO), probably equipped with Schwalbe Marathon Racers
- 1x11 drivetrain with FSA hollow-axle bottom-bracket, 42T chainring and 11-42T cassette
- Catrike seat-pad
- Avid BB7 mechanical disc brakes
There might be a temptation to call the Eola an "entry-level" trike, but, if so, it will certainly be one of the best entry-level trikes on the market.
At first blush, the Eola might look similar to a Catrike Pocket, but will the Eola will have a higher seat, more upright seat-back angle, and wider track.
The Eola is clearly laid out to compete head-to-head with the HP Velotechnik Gekko model lineup.
More information...