Description
Heading over the top, we meet the Catrike 700, named for its 700c sized drive wheel. It sits ultra low with a flat-on-your back 25° seat recline and low riding chassis. (Get used to having the squirrels jump over you as you roll down the street.) But given that, it is awfully fast as the trike’s natural stability lets you lay into the pedals furiously and the super slick aerodynamics and Schwalbe Durano road tires keep you rolling efficiently. The 700 comes stock with the neck rest (you’ll appreciate it on this reclined seat, but you never need the neckrest as much as you think you will) and an upgrade Velocity rear wheel, and it does not come with a rear fender (though one can be installed).
Most Catrikes have the same components on them, but the 700 comes with some distinctly upgraded parts. The rear wheel is a Zipp Course 30 deep section carbon wheel, attached to the frame with a 12mm thru-axle. This makes for a stiff rear end, giving less frame flex under hard acceleration and better tracking through fast turns. The disk brakes are all upgraded, and a rear brake has been added. This rear brake can serve as a drag brake for long descents, and it serves as a handy parking brake without the use of locking brake levers. The Avid FR-5 brake levers on the 700 have more adjustability and better modulation than the locking levers standard on other Catrikes, and it won’t give you the rattling noise that some locking brake levers give. The seat mesh is upgraded to add more cushioning at the sides, and at the top.
The 700 isn’t for everyone, but those who like the 700 really like the 700. If you are used to road biking but need three wheels, then the 700 bears looking at. The 700 is the best value in the “everything for speed” class.
Our price (subject to change): $3,650
Catrike says:
The 700 is designed to be fast and efficient. A low, aerodynamic body position and lightweight vertebrae-spaceframe put the rider it the perfect position to generate power and speed. The 700c Thru-Axle rear wheel offers excellent power transfer, and high gearing gives you the shifting options needed to reach your personal best. The central Catrike adjustable boom and one-piece frame display the same single-minded focus that drives the model of one of the fastest vehicles in any category. Simple and thoughtfully designed, 700 is engineered to move.
Boring technical specs from Catrike follow, with our interesting comments:
Frame & Geometry
Who fits on it, where it fits.
- Wheel Base - 46 in
the shorter this is the tighter it turns
- Wheel Track - 27.5 in
distance between the centers of the front tires
- Total Width - 31 in
how wide of a door you can get it through, but we can show you how to finagle it through a narrower one.
- Total Length - 82 in
at middle adjustment... actual length depends on your leg length
- Seat Angle - 25 deg
- Weight - 34 lbs
out the door weight, including all parts and standard accessories
- Seat Height - 8.5 in
the distance between your patootie and the street
- Seat Width - 14 in
- BB Height - 17.5 in
this is the height of crankset, or the pedaling assembly
- Ground Clearance - 4 in
if your kid brother is wider than this do not try to run him over
- Total Height - 26.75 in
check the overhead height of your storage or transport compartment...
adjustable seats can be folded down, does not consider neckrest
- Turning Circle - 20 ft
- Turning Radius - 10 ft
- Rider Weight Limit - 275 lbs
- Rider X-Seam Range - 39/46 inches
This is how you know if you'll fit the trike. See our discussion here. If needed we can make it smaller.
If you are in the top 2" you'll need an XL boom for an extra $25.
| Components
Significantly good quality.
- Brakes - Avid BB7-S Disc Brakes
the best cable-operated disk brakes on the market, rebuilt with stainless steel hardware even more reliable operation
- Brake Levers - Avid FR-5
A good quality brake lever
- Rear Brake - Avid BB7-S Disc Brakes
the best cable-operated disk brakes on the market, rebuilt with stainless steel hardware even more reliable operation
- Brake Actuator - Microshift Index Thumb Shifter This is the brake lever for your parking brake, which lets you gradually engage the brake so you can use it as a drag brake.
- Front Derailleur - Microshift Triple
a brand you've never heard of, but a very reliable derailer
- Rear Derailleur - SRAM GX 10 Speed
wide range, smooth action, with a special doo-hickey that makes rear wheel removal easier.
- Shifters - SRAM 500 TT Bar End Shifter
a simple and basic bar end shifter
- Crankset - FSA Hollow Carbon
extra light and extra stiff, with a shorter than ordinary 165mm crank arm that is better for recumbents
- Bottom Bracket - FSA Road MegaExo
this is a part that consumers rarely ever think about
- Chainrings - 30/39/52
wide range gearing with the ability to go much lower in gear
- Chain Guard - FSA Guard
a free accessory from Catrike that makes your cycling easier
- Cassette - SRAM 11/36 10 Speed
wide range gearing
- Chain - KMC
good quality stuff
- Idler - TerraCycle Sport Power Idler 15T
a subtle consideration of quality
- Headsets - FSA Zero Stack
another part you probably never think about
- Front Tires - 406 Schwalbe Durano
a long wearing road racing tire
- Rear Tire - 622 Schwalbe Durano
a long wearing road racing tire
| Standard Features
Cool stuff that is built in
- Rear Parking Brake
- Neckrest - Not as essential as you might think, but a nice addition. Normally this is a $125 item.
- Padded wrist rest - another comfortable point of contact with your ride
- Flag Mount & Flag - Not a really fancy flag, but free
- Mirrycle Rear View Mirror - A quality bicycle mirror, left side. Comes with free mirror mount that serves as a good place to mount a cycling computer as well.
- Multi Purpose Clipless Pedals - So many brands don't even supply pedals with their trikes. Catrike gives you a good pair. You will want some kind of foot retention on a trike.
- Computer Sensor Mount - This doo-hickey lets you count front wheel rotations to measure your speed and distance
- Locking Brake Levers for Parking - Both brake levers have a button that locks the lever down so your trike won't roll away.
- Contour-ergomesh mesh seat - another comfort-adding evolution of the Catrike seat mesh, aimed at improving comfort while maintaining good power transfer
- No Brake Steer - Well, kinda. You can brake fairly hard on just one front wheel without fishtailing. Don't push it.
- Self Centering - You can pick your nose using both hands and your trike won't drive off the road.
- Ackerman Steering Compensation - Their way of saying their trikes handle real nice.
- Structural Front Boom - The boom is the nose of the frame, up where the pedals are. It is subject to flex under pedaling force, but Catrike adds internal structure to the boom to resist this.
- Quick-Release Indexing Boom Clamp - Makes leg length adjustment easier.
- Aluminium Rod Ends - The steering rod has ball joints on its ends, and those are made of aluminum to save weight.
- Low Friction PTFE Flared Chain Tube - The chain runs through some tubes to protect the frame and your pants, and that tube is slick to resist friction.
|
Back to Product page
Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.