Catrike 700-E build
- Thread starter recumpence
- Start date
recumpence
1 GW
I am at 450 miles on the 700 and it is still going strong. The clutch is doing fantastic and I am letting as many people ride it as I can. I even got my wife to ride it. She hates recumbents. But, aside from the "Restricted riding position" she said "The motor comes on very gently and it is smooth and easy to ride." 
True praise, indeed, coming from a wife. :wink:
I would love to reach 1,000 miles before the snow flies. But, I am not sure about that one.
This winter promises a snazzy center console, good LED lighting, a rear rack of some sort (very cool looking rack), maybe some solar panels, and a few drive system revisions (very minor revisions). I may, also, add some pack capacity. But, then again, I have never needed that and I like the light weight of the trike.
Oh, I have been pulling my kids in the trailer with this thing. At 400 pounds of trike, trailer, and three people (myself and two of my kids), the trike pulls fine. The motor does get a bit hot after 5 miles or so of 20+mph and lots of hills. But, I figure this is the ultimate torture test of this system.
So far, so good!
Matt
True praise, indeed, coming from a wife. :wink:
I would love to reach 1,000 miles before the snow flies. But, I am not sure about that one.
This winter promises a snazzy center console, good LED lighting, a rear rack of some sort (very cool looking rack), maybe some solar panels, and a few drive system revisions (very minor revisions). I may, also, add some pack capacity. But, then again, I have never needed that and I like the light weight of the trike.
Oh, I have been pulling my kids in the trailer with this thing. At 400 pounds of trike, trailer, and three people (myself and two of my kids), the trike pulls fine. The motor does get a bit hot after 5 miles or so of 20+mph and lots of hills. But, I figure this is the ultimate torture test of this system.
So far, so good!
Matt
recumpence
1 GW
That is a Quad named "Fargo" owned by one of the Bentrider forum members. He built it to do some long distance touring. It weighs 104 pounds (no elelctric drive) and gave him serious problems after 300 miles of riding. That being said, they are working the bugs out and it should be back running soon.
Matt
Matt
jmygann
100 kW
- Joined
- May 30, 2008
- Messages
- 1,069
right ... but that same enclosure could be on your catrike ... same front end ... the rear could be narrower if desired.
the quad is also not a legal "bicycle" whereas the tadpole would be.
My thought is to develop an urban commuter tadpole to replace some cars. 0-30mph .... 1000 watts ..(50 V 20Amps)
utah trikes says they are working on a cover for the tadpole ... will see what they come up with.
I see this cover as a simple affordable alternative to a full velomobile ... perhaps a tilting front end or roof for easier access
the quad is also not a legal "bicycle" whereas the tadpole would be.
My thought is to develop an urban commuter tadpole to replace some cars. 0-30mph .... 1000 watts ..(50 V 20Amps)
utah trikes says they are working on a cover for the tadpole ... will see what they come up with.
I see this cover as a simple affordable alternative to a full velomobile ... perhaps a tilting front end or roof for easier access
recumpence
1 GW
I agree 100%.
Matt
Matt
MitchJi
10 MW
Hi,
Near the end of the first clip and the beginning of the second clip shows how the front tilts up for access:
[youtube]MDvKlppxT-o[/youtube]
[youtube]l8wKbmedwjs[/youtube]
I don't want to Hijack Matt's thread yo might be interested in this KMX trike with a tilting roof. I think the frame design, which seems to be based on the "Maserati Birdcage", is unnecessarily complex but it might give you some ideas.jmygann said:
Near the end of the first clip and the beginning of the second clip shows how the front tilts up for access:
[youtube]MDvKlppxT-o[/youtube]
[youtube]l8wKbmedwjs[/youtube]
Good idea, but those bars would drive me right 'round the bend. I do like how the canopy is one bend, no compound curves. Use a thin sheet, and presto, nice fair curve. A conical shape for aero shouldn't be too hard.
Back to the shop for me.
Katou
Back to the shop for me.
Katou
recumpence
1 GW
I just got in from a good 10 mile ride. The Catrike has seen over 1,100 miles with this drive and I have not had a single problem with it. At this point, I think I can say it is a reliable drive. That is a good thing because I have a Catrike drive system order from a customer to setup over the next couple weeks for his wife and I wanted to prove out this system before replicating is for resale.
It is good to be back out with the bikes after the long winter.
Matt
It is good to be back out with the bikes after the long winter.
Matt
recumpence
1 GW
Here are some updated pics of the Catrike.
It now is running my V4 drive and I laced up some 43mm wide 305mm diameter rims up front instead of the 25mm wide 349mm diameter wheels it came with. These provide a softer ride, better cornering, and less pinch flats than the previous razor thin tires it had. I laced them in a cross/radial patern. They are 3 cross on the inside and radial on the outside. This gives better stiffness for cornering, while retaining rotational strength for the brakes and just plain looks cool. 8)
Matt
It now is running my V4 drive and I laced up some 43mm wide 305mm diameter rims up front instead of the 25mm wide 349mm diameter wheels it came with. These provide a softer ride, better cornering, and less pinch flats than the previous razor thin tires it had. I laced them in a cross/radial patern. They are 3 cross on the inside and radial on the outside. This gives better stiffness for cornering, while retaining rotational strength for the brakes and just plain looks cool. 8)
Matt
Attachments
Super slick!
Do you think the slipper clutch is possibly more efficient than no clutch while starting from a standstill. In a perfect system no, but in the real world my gut tells me maybe. Haven't full thought it out...I wonder how a sensored controller would change the equation.
Do you think the slipper clutch is possibly more efficient than no clutch while starting from a standstill. In a perfect system no, but in the real world my gut tells me maybe. Haven't full thought it out...I wonder how a sensored controller would change the equation.
recumpence
1 GW
It does not allow starting from a dead stop. It only slips if the system is overtorqued.
The torque limiter does allow for carefree riding, though. I just pedal a couple times, then hit the throttle and forget about it. No more modulating the throttle searching for the perfect setting for proper acceleration. Just let the motor spin and allow the clutch to smooth out the acceleration.
Matt
The torque limiter does allow for carefree riding, though. I just pedal a couple times, then hit the throttle and forget about it. No more modulating the throttle searching for the perfect setting for proper acceleration. Just let the motor spin and allow the clutch to smooth out the acceleration.
Matt
